The simple hook to skyrocket watch time on short-form content

Is your watch time falling short of your expectations? We’re exploring a solution so simple, anyone could do it. What’s better? It only takes about 5 seconds to add this to your short-form video strategy for your social media content. Sound good? Let’s dive in…

The watch time boosting strategy

To boost watch time, you need a hook at the start of your video. A hook, simply put, is something that hooks your viewers' interest, leading them to watch more of the video. There are several types of hooks you can use such as: visual hooks, asking a question, leading with an interesting fact or sharing a statistic.

The strategy we’re exploring today is a kind of hook, and this is how you do it...

Once your video is created, add a text overlay that encourages the viewer to wait for the peak moment in your video. That’s it!

There are several text overlays you can use to leverage this exact strategy such as:

• Wait for it…
• Incoming…
• Result at the end!
• Blink and you’ll miss it
• Before vs…

Notice that a lot of these hooks use an ellipsis (…). This is a smart addition which amplifies the feeling that something special is right around the corner.

Why this technique works

This type of text overlay hook works well for multiple reasons, and there are multiple ways it can be used which makes it easy to insert into videos for several different industries, brands and businesses. Crafting a great piece of content and attaching an appropriate text overlay hook can accelerate brand awareness, audience growth and engagement.

Here are just some of the ways you can use it… 

Build suspense

Create tension in viewers by teasing an end result which could be amazing or disastrous in some way. The anticipation leads viewers to keep watching to experience the outcome. In essence, building suspense through the text overlay generates questions in the viewers’ minds. 

Check out the example below. The questions that are implied by the text and the visuals are: Will the glass shatter? Is there going to be a good sound to the drop? Is the glass going to fit perfectly? Is the completion of the table going to be satisfying to watch?

Notice how the text overlay ‘Wait for that drop’ makes the viewer want to lean in to watch and listen closely. This prompts people to stick around to view, as it makes it clear what is coming up, without revealing how the ending plays out.

Amplify a reveal

Make it obvious that there is going to be a big transformation, a shocking result or something incredible being shown by adding a text overlay to content with a reveal. Adding text lets the viewer know that there is something worth sticking around for if they wait just a little bit longer.

This is perfect for content including:

• Now vs then
• Before and after
• A piece of artwork
• A haircut or hairstyle change
• Makeup artistry
• Outfit of the day

Check out this example, where the words ‘Wait for it…’ prompt the audience to stick around while the camera pans around to reveal an unexpected and gorgeous sunset.

This type of hook can even be used as part of an ongoing series like the example below. The words ‘Result at the end!’ encourages viewers to watch until the end of the video, which pumps up the watch time.

Deploy the sunk cost fallacy

The sunk cost fallacy is the tendency to keep investing in something purely because you have already invested so much. In the context of watch time, it’s the idea that after sticking around for an amount of time, viewers feel like it would be a waste of their time to get so far without waiting for the payoff. This can work well in conjunction with a text overlay hook. By adding the hook, viewers stick around. If the payoff is at the end of the video, or the video is fairly long, the text acts as a reminder that the best bit is still to come. The more time the viewer sticks around for, the more likely they want a great payoff to justify the length of time they’ve been watching.

Here’s an example of a long video that has the payoff right at the end. The words ‘Blink and you miss it’ leads viewers to pay close attention to the video and wait for the peak moment.

Create a need to interact

A text overlay hook can incorporate multiple strategies which can prompt the viewer to keep watching as well as take other actions. The example below is an ideal example of this as the text hook includes a question which seeks to boost engagement, as well as watch time, by inviting responses in the comments. 

The viewer has some clues as to what is coming. For example, the image must be a well-known figure for anyone to be able to recognise them. Once the prompt is fulfilled by the viewer recognising the face, the art continues to be impressive which makes viewers want to continue watching to see the finished result.

How you can implement this hook

Interested in adding this style of hook to your short-form video content strategy? Crafting a quality hook that engages viewers from the outset works best on content that builds to a peak moment of interest. By creating content with this in mind, you can match a powerful text hook to a piece of content that packs a punch. 

Try using your text overlay hook in conjunction with other strategies to reach more people, get more views and boost engagement at the same time as pumping up the watch time. You could try: jumping on trends, using trending music, asking a question etc.

For heaps more tips for building a social media strategy that works for your brand, explore more Minter.io blog articles. Here at Minter.io, we’re dedicated to helping you grow a social media presence that supports your business goals through providing in-depth analytics, competitor insights, benchmarks, optimisation features, AI assistance, hashtag tracking and so much more. Claim your free trail here!