How to grab attention with your video content
Grabbing and holding attention has become more challenging than ever in a landscape flooded with content. With everyone vying for your audience’s eyes and thumbs, you need to make sure your content not only cuts through the noise but also keeps people hooked and coming back for more.
We've spent years creating branded content and entertainment tailored to specific platforms, knowing how to keep people engaged from start to finish. So, if your video content isn’t quite hitting the mark, here’s what to keep in mind.
1) The (other) three-second rule
Just a few seconds—that's all you have to grab your audience's attention. With social moving at lightning speed, you need to tease your audience with something irresistible right from the start.
Attention is scarce, and people are busy. For Gen-Z, you’ve got around eight seconds—any longer, and they’re gone for good. You need to hit your audience between the eyes straight away—those first few moments are absolutely crucial.
So, how do you create intrigue? Start with something that grabs attention immediately—an engaging hook or a striking visual. Give something small away at the start. If the context is interesting, they’ll want to see what happens next. This could be an unexpected scene or a hint that something’s about to unfold 👀
Kicking off strong with a statement, question, or even a simple discourse marker like “Ok, so” is a subtle move to make viewers stop scrolling and start watching. Audio is more important for your TikTok and YouTube content, as most users will listen with the sound on—for Instagram, you’ll need to make sure the intrigue comes through visually, too.
For our F1 drone project with Red Bull, we started with a strong visual—Max Verstappen’s reaction to the drone on the ground—and two questions: "Is that the fastest camera drone in the world?" and "Do you think that could keep up with me around a lap in an F1 car?”
Takeaway: Ask yourself what will make your audience go, “Wait, what?” and you're off to a great start.
2) Keep them curious
So, you’ve managed to grab their eyes for a few seconds—now what? Your next challenge is to keep them hooked. This is where your storytelling skills come into play.
We all love a good story, and our curious brains crave the next development. Your job is to show them what happens next and why it’s worth sticking around. Lay out your premise and keep raising the stakes, surprising and entertaining your audience and keeping them guessing right to the end.
Add some mystery: Tease the payoff without giving everything away. Either they'll have an idea about what’s coming and can’t wait to see it, or the end is uncertain, and they’re chasing the rush of the unexpected.
Educate: Provide value throughout the video by sharing new information, fun facts, how-tos, and interesting insights. Make sure they’re getting something worth their time.
Go with the flow: Each segment should naturally lead to the next, creating a connected series of engaging events that build to a rewarding conclusion—all killer, no filler.
The promised payoff: Don’t leave them hanging. Deliver on the promise you made at the beginning. Their eyes—and thumbs—will thank you for it.
Dopamine plays a massive role in attention, too. Research from 2016 in Current Biology found that when we get a dopamine boost from something, we're more likely to pay attention to similar things in the future.
Takeaway: Make sure the video flows smoothly from one interesting event to the next, keeping the audience engaged like they would following a movie’s plot. For our work with Red Bull at the Valparaiso Cerro Abajo, we kept viewers hooked for the hero shot a whole eight minutes in by keeping all of the above in mind.
3) Simplicity is key
This principle can be your best pal when creating impactful video content. If your message is too complicated, you’ll confuse, disengage, and lose those audiences you worked so hard to attract. Clear, concise, and straightforward content always works best. This goes for your dialogue and copy, too. Simplicity is key.
Depending on your goals, you can keep it niche and focus on a specific audience, but if you want to reach more people, avoid jargon and unnecessary details.
Takeaway: Stick to one main idea per content piece and communicate it effectively, like pro Cannondale riders breaking into a fairground to find the fastest ride (their competition XC mountain bikes). Less is often more.
4) Stick to the (story) beat
Every great story follows a structure, and your video content should be no different. Certain tried-and-true story beats (considered shifts in tone or narrative direction) just work—that’s why we see them in movies, TV, ads, branded content, and more.
Introduce a question, bold statement, or problem, build the tension, and then resolve it. A familiar structure keeps viewers invested. Start with a catchy hook (Oi, Danny! Do a wheelie!), build it up with an engaging cadence of content, and finish strong with a memorable closing.
Takeaway: Pace fast, energetically, and FUN in the edit—forget slow interviews and corporate voiceovers.
5) Engage and reward
A great piece of content should feel like a journey with a satisfying reward at the end. This could be learning something new, feeling entertained, experiencing a wild stunt, a surprising twist, or simply witnessing something truly unique—like a kitesurfer jumping off a massive cruise ship.
When your creative approach clicks with the audience, it keeps them engaged and holds their attention, encouraging comments and shares. The algorithms love that, which means more people will discover your content the way the platforms intended: in their feeds, recommended videos, and search results.
Takeaway: Whatever it is, make sure it’s worth the viewer’s time. If so, they’ll keep coming back for more.
6) Oh, and it can’t be shit
This might sound obvious, but it’s crucial. No matter how many clever tricks you use to get people interested in your content, if the video itself isn’t good, viewers won’t stick around. Poor audio, shaky visuals, or sloppy editing can turn viewers away in an instant.
Don't get us wrong, raw and authentic lo-fi content can work, too, as long as it's credible and appropriate for the audience—check out our athlete-shot skate session with Red Bull below. At every point in your content creation, ask yourself what value you're delivering to the viewer.
Make sure your idea is solid, invest time in pre-production planning, edit meticulously, and keep things true to your brand, message, and values.
Takeaway: Quality beats quantity every time.
Creating video content that grabs your audience’s attention is equal parts science and art. By hooking them in the first few seconds, keeping them curious, keeping it simple, following proven story beats, and ensuring slick quality, you can create content that rakes in views and engages and retains your audience. That’s where you’ll strike gold.
It’s not just about getting the eyes on your video; it’s about making it unforgettable for your viewers.
Bonus tips:
Use captions and subtitles: People watch videos without sound, and captions ensure your message is accessible and gets across regardless
Use analytics: Understand what works and what doesn’t, testing and adjusting your strategy accordingly
It can’t look like an ad: Audiences can spot overly branded content a mile off. Keep the branded aspect minimal to avoid ad detection if you want to make the most significant impact.
Looking for a creative agency that can do all of this for you? Let’s chat.
