9 Reasons Why People Don’t Watch Your Videos and How to Fix Them
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A Seriously Social Community Article by Olga Bedrina
You're creating lots of videos and live videos, but no one is watching them? Or at least, the audience numbers are low. It's depressing, isn't it? Well, the good news is that it doesn't have to be like this. In this fab article by Olga Bedrina, you'll learn the top 9 reasons why people aren't watching your videos and more importantly, what do it about it!
Ian
Imagine this: you came up with a brilliant script for your marketing video, invested hours of your time into video production, polished that video to the smallest detail, and finally hit the Publish button. Only to find out that your video ended up sitting there on the dusty shelves of the Internet, with just a handful of views.
A story that could discourage anyone. And yet, with 400 hours of videos uploaded to YouTube every minute, over ⅓ of videos have less than 10 views in total.
To make sure your video gets all the attention it deserves, we collected the 10 most common reasons why people don’t watch your videos, together with some solid advice on how to fix them.
Let’s dive in.
Reason #1 Your videos are too long
You might have heard a popular belief that the human attention span has shrunk to 8 seconds and can now be compared to that of a goldfish.
Even though this popular meme turned out to be false, the trend holds true: we don’t want to spend excessive time on anything, videos included. To make sure your viewers watch your videos, don’t make them longer than necessary, even if the platform allows for a longer format.
Source: How long should your videos be?
How to fix this problem
To ensure the viewers watch your videos, only make them as long as they need to be. Rephrase if needed and cut the long story short. Check studies of the ideal video length and apply the findings to your own content and audience.
Reason #2 The video starts too slow
With so many videos posted out there, you only have a few seconds to grab your audience’s attention and make them interested in your content. If your video starts too slow or vague, the viewers are more likely to drop.
How to fix this problem
Here are a few things you can try to get your viewer’s attention from the very first seconds:
- Promise a gripping story
- Surprise viewers with an unexpected character, message, or scene
- Illustrate the main point of your video as soon as possible
- Present a problem that your audience may be facing, and offer a solution
Reason #3 You address the wrong audience
Imagine you are searching for an answer to the question “How to create a website”. What you probably want to find is something like a step-by-step guide for beginners or pieces of advice from a DIY platform like Wix or Weebly.
Instead, you stumble upon a profound explanation of the newest CSS + JavaScript updates and how to apply them in frontend development. Are you likely to watch this video?
Probably not. Because it has a completely different target audience.
Similarly, if you create your videos without the end user in mind, you might as well just not do it altogether.
How to fix this problem
Conduct thorough market research to know who your viewers are and what language they speak. Then, mimic the language in the video and answer the questions they ask.
Reason #4 You Share on the Wrong Channel
These days, every major social platform has the ability to upload and share videos natively. However, that does not necessarily mean that you can simply repost the same video on all the social channels you are present on. What works great on Facebook might not get the same results on LinkedIn.
How to fix this problem
Try to adapt the video content for every channel and format. Say you want to promote a blog post with video, it makes sense to post a short video quote on Twitter, longer 1-2 minute video with the main takeaways on Facebook and LinkedIn, and a blog post recap on YouTube.
Reason #5 You are Not Promoting Your Videos
Another major reason why people don’t watch your videos is that oftentimes, we simply forget to promote them. But just like with any other type of content, you should put at least the same amount of time into video’s promotion as its production.
How to fix this problem
When you start working on your next video, think of all the possible channels you might use for its promotion. Here are just a few:
- Create the video in different formats using Wave.video and share it regularly across social media channels.
- Create a blog post that covers the same topic as the video. This might work especially well for webinars, live videos, and training recaps.
- Use paid ads. They're typically cheap to pay for views on Facebook and other channels.
- Email the video to your subscribers. Use a thumbnail with the play button to encourage your readers to click and watch the full version.
Example:
We wanted to promote one of our blog posts - How to Write the Best Instagram Bios for Businesses. So, we shot a 4-minute long video and put it on YouTube, then embedded the video in the same blog post.
Then, we cut the video to 1 minute and shared it on Twitter:
Reason #6 The Title and Description are Misleading
Vague titles and descriptions might hurt your video views just as much as anything else. In the pursuit of clicks, some marketers fall into the clickbait trap. Have you ever seen the video titles like “He lost 10 pounds in one week doing THIS…”?
In reality, such titles might not only not bring you any views but also be harmful to your videos. In fact, back in 2017, Facebook announced that it would be taking measures to remove clickbait content from the users’ feed.
How to fix this problem
When coming up with a title and description for your videos, make sure they are as relevant and informative as it can get. Put keyword research in action to help your viewers find your videos.
Reason #7 Your video doesn’t have a compelling thumbnail
Video thumbnails are like movie billboards or book covers in a bookstore’s window display. If they are compelling and attractive, people will want to click on them and watch your video. If the video thumbnails don’t provide context on the topic or help people understand what they can expect to see in the video, chances are, your viewers will simply miss the video.
Examples of video thumbnails from the Wave.video YouTube channel
How to fix this problem
To make sure your thumbnail is click-worthy, follow these simple guidelines:
- Make sure you are using a clear, vibrant, high-quality image.
- Text on the thumbnail can make a huge difference. Add an extra detail that didn’t fit into the video title. Use bold, strong fonts that would contrast with the image.
- Use the right thumbnail dimensions. For instance, YouTube recommends the following size: 1280×720.
- Think of your thumbnail branding, such as using the same color scheme, fonts, logo, placement of text and faces.
- Consider adding a picture of a person to your thumbnails. Generally, thumbnails with human faces get more clicks, as faces build trust and make people feel something.
Reason #8 You Host the Video on a Low-Traffic Website
If you only embed videos on your own website or blog that doesn’t get enough traffic (yet), this might be a reason why people don’t watch your videos. They simply don’t see them! And even though the video itself can help a landing page or blog post rank better, it might still be a long way before it does.
How to fix this problem
First, you can check what pages or blog posts get more traffic and create videos for them. For instance, when we decide what talking head video we are going to shoot next, I would check what blog posts do especially well. In order to do that, I head over to Google Analytics > Behavior > Site Content > Landing pages, then sort the pages by /blog.
Another way is to host your videos on a platform that already has an audience (like YouTube or Vimeo). This way, people that are not necessarily familiar with your brand or website will be able to find the videos, too.
Reason #9 The video doesn’t evoke emotions
Emotions are a powerful factor when it comes to video engagement. Just remember that one time when you reshared a video with kittens on Facebook!
Engaging your viewer emotionally will result in increased brand recognition, deeper connection, and social media shares. If it’s just another conventional video out there on the Internet, don’t expect it to get lots of views.
How to solve this problem
To make your video more emotional, consider adding stickers and GIFs to your video. We conducted an experiment and found out that a video ad with stickers got more engagement than an ad without.
Also, make sure to incorporate storytelling, as stories transport viewers emotionally and prompt them to share. Start with a hook. Build the story arch to fit your narrative. Finish with a clear call-to-action that fits your goals for the campaign.
Conclusion
You can get more views and engagement for all the videos that you create. Invest a bit more time into promotion, create an attention-grabbing thumbnail and host on a popular platform, and your video is destined to get all the views it deserves.
About Olga Bedrina
Olga Bedrina is the Director of Content Marketing at Wave.video, free online video maker. She is excited about video marketing, social media, and new technologies. When she is not planning content activities or writing, you can find her at record stores hunting for rare vinyl records or riding her bike around town. Follow her on Twitter at olga_bedrina.
About Ian Anderson Gray
Ian is the founder of the Confident Live Marketing Academy and is the host of the Confident Live Marketing Podcast. He helps entrepreneurs to level up their impact, authority and profits by using live video confidently. He's a geek, husband, and dad to two kids, and trained as professional classical singer. He lives near Manchester in the UK. Find out more
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