Knowledge-share Answers.com has a #WochitWin in this YouTube video. It has over two million views and has been regularly accumulating comments throughout its lifetime. This piece is a little different than our usual weekly feature, and not just because it’s hosted on YouTube instead of Facebook.
Check out the classic, expert video:
See what we mean by being a little different? It bucks some major trends we’ve been seeing. It runs nearly 3 minutes, well-beyond the oft-touted one-minute cap. And it rests on voiceover, as opposed to using text-overlay to tell the story.
As evidenced by the video’s success, these differences aren’t troublespots. The creators simply took a different – and still highly effective – approach to video.
Over great, straightforward visual assets, the creators run down their 13 point list. We know viewers love a straightforward presentation of information, and they get it here. The voiceover that walks us through each point is delivered clearly and crisply. The narrator never goes too fast and he injects some humor into the video.
This reliance on voiceover, alongside the atypical length, might have you wondering how this piece has proven so successful. After all, it bucks much common wisdom about social video. One part of the answer is its venue. Expectations and desires are a little different and a little broader on YouTube than on the rapid-fire feeds of Facebook and Twitter.
Viewers on YouTube are there specifically for video. So they’re prepared for longer pieces and to watch them with sound, even when mobile. The outlet is also one whose identity is couched in providing in-depth knowledge. Their audience and viewers turning to their content are looking for substantial, informative content, not just the quick video bites of Facebook.
All this is to say that, while there are best practices to consider, one thing trumps them all: your audience. You know them, what they want, and their viewing habits better than anyone else. Give them the content they want, whether that’s short, funny clips or longer, educational pieces. The creators at Answers know what their viewers want from their content. By playing to those interests, they’re reaping the rewards of engagement.
