With the myriad of devices and social media platforms that have become part of our lives, attention spans are shrinking. In a study conducted by Microsoft, people generally start to lose concentration after about eight seconds. This statistic has been steadily falling over the years and is now at an all-time low.  So bottom line, it has never been harder to catch and keep a consumer’s attention. The internet is huge, and it’s growing all the time. If consumers don’t get instant gratification from clicking on a video for example, there are always alternatives for them to check out. According to a Facebook study, the first three seconds of a video can determine up to 47 per cent of its value, while the first 10 can determine up to 74 per cent. Many social media platforms auto-play videos with most being muted by default. So, this means that your all-important hook needs to be just as effective without sound. Challenge on!!

Now that we have clarified that it is important to hook viewers immediately, the question is, how to do it?

Here are 11 recommendations to make sure your videos have an effective 5-second hook

1. Firstly, make sure your video is loading quickly, one most annoying thing about any online video is when it loads too slowly. If your hosting platform has problems with speed, viewers may decide not to continue watching or even watch at all.

2. Another strategy to hooking viewers is to speak directly to them. Answer their questions and let them know you’ve got what they’re looking for.

3. Of course, information alone is not enough. Viewers need to be entertained, too! Hook your viewers with an engaging storyline, and if possible, humor.

4. Are you aware that using the word “you” nearly doubles your chances of snagging a video view? According to a recent study conducted by TubeBuddy and Hey.com, YouTube videos that contained the word "you" in the first five seconds had view counts that were 97% higher than videos that did not mention the word.

5. Avoid including your company’s logo during those 5 seconds, you will just loose precious time. It’s better to put it at the end of the video or use a small logo in the corner throughout your film.

6. Start your video with something engaging. For example, use a question or a catchy message that will leave a viewer curious about what comes next.

7. Make the beginning as simple as possible. The last thing you want to do, is confuse your audience, so make sure they understand what you’re talking about.

8. Your video is an extension of your brand. This means that it should not only represent your company in visual style, but also in the tone of voice. Your video should speak to consumers in the same way that all of your other marketing collateral speaks to them.

9. Music is integral to creating an atmosphere in video, that’s why when you watch horror films on mute they aren’t even half as scary! When creating your video, make sure the music fits with the tone of the message you are trying to convey.

10. You need to spark curiosity. Five seconds is not a lot of time to work with. But, if you know what you’re doing, it’s just enough time to plant a little seed of curiosity in your viewers’ minds. You can do this in a couple of ways. For example, you could start with a question that your ideal customers would like to know the answer to.

11. And finally, work hard on your script. Many people skip this step, but when you have a good script, you can make the hook more logical and catchier.

Humor is proven to be the most effective hook

YouTube commissioned a study recently and interesting enough found that tone can affect whether people tune in or tune out. Think of the most recent ad you saw and loved. Did it make you laugh? Did your eyes well up? Grabbing the audience's attention in the first five seconds starts with setting the right tone. For the YouTube study, they organized ads into ten categories of style and tone, such as "humorous," "emotional," and "calming," Across the board—whether they were looking for a lift in brand metrics or how long the viewer watched—humor took the prize. People are more likely to watch humorous ads, and those ads also see greater lifts in ad recall and brand awareness. Even businesses that don't necessarily lend themselves easily to humor can have a little fun. Take Geico's recent "Unskippable" ad series or the "Dumb Ways to Die" video by Metro Trains Melbourne. Insurance and train safety aren't inherently hilarious, but these brands still found a way to have fun. If humor just isn't right for your brand, consider taking a "suspenseful" or "emotional" tone in the first five seconds. These types of ads were also associated with higher ad recall in the YouTube study.

Music can be effective, but not always

One thing is for sure, there is no perfect formula for an attention-grabbing video. Quite a few of the creative choices in the YouTube study tested came back with mixed results. For example, they found some musical styles were more effective in the first five seconds than others. People were more likely to skip ads that featured calming, relaxing, or action-oriented music. Here, humor won again. Viewers in the study better remembered TrueView video ads that featured humorous music (like the funky dubstep Mountain Dew selected for its Kickstart ad).

But surprisingly, when it came to brand awareness, they found that featuring any music in the first five seconds may have a negative impact. Ads like Kmart's "Ship My Pants" and Nike's "Winner Stays" were onto something when they muted music in those initial moments. Perhaps people are intrigued by the change of pace in ads

without music, or they don't immediately recognize videos without music as ads. Mixed results invite further investigation. All we know now is that music (or no music) matters, so don't rely on your default. Try testing ads with and without music and use analytics and Brand Lift to see what works for your brand.

Wrap-up

VideoFresh are experts in helping brands to produce videos where the first 5 seconds grab the viewer’s attention. We highly recommend taking a humorous approach if possible, but there are other options. If humor just isn't right for your brand, we have found that taking a "suspenseful" or "emotional" tone in the first five seconds is also highly effective. Interested to have a chat about how we would recommend optimizing the first 5-seconds for your video content? click here.

Are you looking for a video production company that understands the importance of the first 5-seconds of your video content? If so, lets chat.