Your YouTube video’s watch time is an important metric to know how much your viewers like your video. It’s good to know whether your viewers are rewatching your videos or dropping them off early or repeating the same scenes. If your viewers are rewatching, then you have clearly done a good job of filming your video.
However, if your viewers are dropping off early then you need to work on your video. At times, if you place a promotion or an important message at the end of the video, so you want the viewer to watch it till the end so you can reap the benefits of making your video.
To know if your viewers are watching till the end or not, you can check your audience retention report on the YouTube analytics dashboard. The graph lets you know the behavior of your viewers and you can also check the audience retention score on the dashboard. The higher the score, the better the retention. A score of 100% means your viewers are watching the full video.
There are a few measures that must be taken before, during, and after creating a YouTube video to get your viewers to watch till the end. Here are the top four tips to remember:
Tips to Make Viewers Finish Watching Your YouTube Video
Is there an ideal length for your YouTube video? Do you think your users could have watched till the end if your video was a little shorter? According to HubSpot, there’s maximum engagement on YouTube for videos that are 2 minutes long. By default, YouTube allows you to upload a video that’s 15 minutes long. Verified YouTube accounts can post a longer video.
Despite the stats and the numbers, it’s important to remember that your content decides the length of your video. If you have something meaningful to deliver that can go up to 20 minutes, go ahead and make a 20 minutes video. Or, if you want to explain something that can be done in a minute, then just make a one-min video. The priority is to not stretch the video unnecessarily so users barge away.
Your video length should be what you need to communicate your message while holding your audience tight.
Re-check your title, thumbnail, and metadata
You put a lot of energy into making a video, but at times, you can be slightly lost while adding your title and thumbnail in your video. If your video is different from what your title suggests, you can see a lot of users dropping off immediately. Your title and thumbnail should fit your video content.
The same goes for your meta-data. Your metadata decides where your video is shown in the suggestions and search results. Incorrect metadata would mean your video is shown to the wrong audience and hence, not many watch your video till the end.
Make sure your title, description, thumbnail, and metadata are coherent with the content of your video.
Introduce with a purpose
Tell them in the beginning why they need to watch it till the end. Some ideas on how to introduce with a purpose:
If your video is on an informative topic, you can add a “table of contents” in the beginning so your viewers will have a reason to stay till the end.
You can introduce your “end goal” and let them know what they will learn if they watch the video till the end.
Share the final results in the beginning. For example, your final design or final achievement or an end product. This will keep your dedicated viewers hooked to the screen so that they could replicate your success.
Surprise them
Is there any specific point at which your viewers are dropping off? Maybe you see that a lot of viewers exit after 40 seconds. If there’s such a situation, it’s required to revise your video and add some exciting bits before that time period when viewers usually drop off. Some ideas?
Add some interesting animation, music, or joke to break the monotonicity and gain your user’s attention again.
Check if you’re giving what they want quite early in the video. They have no desire to continue watching them.
Add a poll card or ask questions so your viewers can engage with you and enjoy the video.
Wrapping Up
To continue creating the best YouTube videos, analyze your top-performing videos and see what works in your favor. The more you analyze your video statistics, the more you can improve your video engagement and retention. Try to keep your videos fun, short, interesting, and meaningful to create maximum impact. If you work with YouTube, our content with 5 Ways to Use Affiliate Links on YouTube can certainly help you too.
Streamline your content review process
Learn what matters most when signing off on influencers’ posts. Access a detailed step-by-step checklist with vital factors to thoroughly review content and help you avoid costly errors down the line.
Download free template now
