By Shadrack Wanjohi

What do you think makes for an engaging video? I used to think that any video under 10 minutes couldn’t offer real value or be truly engaging. Short videos? Those were for people with short attention spans.

Then, I stumbled upon a four-minute video about productivity hacks. I almost scrolled past it, but something about the thumbnail caught my eye. After watching it, I replayed it, took notes, and shared it with friends.

This puzzled me. How did such a brief video capture my attention? I began noticing that the videos I enjoyed most, regardless of length, had certain qualities.

They started with a hook, told a story, and were visually dynamic. Videos featuring experts or social proof were also more shareable.

I realized that video engagement isn‘t about length — it’s about psychology. And as video marketing continues to evolve, this shift in perspective opened my eyes to the psychology behind creating engaging videos.

I’ll cover these insights in this guide to help you drive more engagement and increase your video’s impact.

1. Spark curiosity.

As I delved into the research on attention and engagement, I discovered something fascinating: curiosity isn‘t just a casual interest — it’s a powerful force that shapes how we process information.

In their study, “Curiosity and the Economics of Attention,” Zachary Wojtowicz and George Loewenstein shed light on this powerful force. As I studied their findings, I was struck by how they captured the mechanisms behind human attention.

They argue that “curiosity, as one of the most significant psychological forces associated with the allocation of attention, plays an increasingly important role in the modern economy.”

But what makes curiosity so potent? According to Wojtowicz and Loewenstein, it‘s all about the brain’s constant quest for sense-making.

“The brain is constantly engaged in simplification and model-building in its quest to process a flood of incoming sensory information into an actionable form,” they explain. This drive for understanding makes curiosity a compelling force in guiding our attention.

I find this next insight particularly compelling because it explains so much about our information-seeking behavior.

Curiosity operates on a dual reward system. The researchers note: “Curiosity likewise features both a carrot and a stick. Prolonged consideration of a difficult riddle can be an excruciating experience, but discovering the answer is often highly pleasurable.”

This push-pull dynamic is what makes curiosity-driven content so engaging.

Through my analysis of this research, I’ve identified three key ways to harness the power of curiosity.

• Craft intriguing titles. Create headlines that hint at valuable information without giving everything away. For example, “Good Isn’t Good Enough: CMO Secrets To Leveling up Your Team | INBOUND 2024” suggests a valuable insight while leaving the specifics tantalizingly out of reach.
• Use the inverted U-curve of novelty. Curiosity intensity follows an inverted U-curve in response to stimulus novelty. Slight exposure piques curiosity, but too much information can satiate it. To maximize curiosity, strike a balance between …read more

  Source:: HubSpot Blog

        

  

  Author: Aaron