The Hoops We Jump Through
Ah, the things we do to ourselves! Lately i have been studying what works for our videos and what doesn’t. I took a snapshot of the highest viewed videos/reels I created on Instagram, intentionally singling out the best performers.
Now before I get started, my numbers will seem extremely paltry to many people, so to be clear I am not trying to create a “how to” on social media success. Its precisely the opposite, which was why I was studying what works and what doesn’t, to see if I can shift it a little. I am happy to hear your thoughts on what works for you.
From battling the algorithm, consistency, the exact time you post, the length of the video, the 6 second (probably 3 seconds nowadays) cut scenes throughout your short Reels and Phone shaped videos, through to music or no music (and the music you actually legally can use is often penalized by social media anyway…go figure) I wanted to see what worked and what didn’t. Truth be told I think the majority of creators online are in the same boat. It’s all rather hit and miss, and the results are so hard to pin down at times.
Tiktok Anomaly
I have a video on Tiktok showing our shrink wrapping machine which amassed around 65,000 views. i tried recreating it but it never took, though part of the reason for recreating it was so I could address, in the description of the video, the repeated questions of where or how they can "purchase the machine. (and of course, I was not benefiting a dime from any affiliation because to be honest, I wasn’t actually trying to sell the machine lol). So our most popular Tiktok video is virtually a commercial for something I don’t sell.
Getting back to analyzing the results. The average drop off point across all of our Instagram videos is 15 seconds, and so if you have a video that is, say, 3 or 4 minutes long (like the videos i did over Halloween recounting visitations from the other side), most of the video is a bit of redundant in terms of time spent filming, editing, uploading, etc. Of course, the Halloween “visitations” series I made couldn’t have been shorter as I was reading from Colm Keane’s “Going Home” the brief, but entire, account of the loved one’s experience.
The Danger of Bowing To The Algorithm
There’s also a danger in thinking “ if the average person only watches 15 seconds”, then I have to stick to the rule of making 15 second videos. It depends on the subject matter, because I think you don’t want to ruin videos worrying about an algorithm which, truthfully, as a normal person, you can’t beat anyway. Foremost I am a human, and an algorithm is not my god or my master. I will entertain it, give it some thought, but I won’t fully kneel. Besides, there are people that will be watching the video past the 15 seconds, so that little bit of extra time in the video is for those people that care enough about the theme. (In our era of constant visual distraction, I know that should never be taken for granted)
Color Wins Out Every Time
I’ve also found that entire complete products, especially taken from the carton for the very first time, win hands down, when compared to “work in progress” videos and pictures. Needless to say, I think colored images work better than, say, pencil and line work (aka black and white, devoid of color) . It’s a bit of a learning curve for me because as an illustrator I grew up being excited to see the line work before the color was applied: that raw pencil and ink look, complete with all the whiteout/tip-ex lines, the covered over ink smudges, the repro-blue pencils etc. In other words, the bare bones of a project. For me, that was where the magic was, and still is. From a practical standpoint, however, it makes sense that color work, and in particular finished products you can buy right here, right now, will have more appeal.
The Conclusion
So I’m left with the conclusion that speed is everything, but color is everything too, when it comes to videos. I can’t sing and dance like the cool kids on Tiktok (who wants to see a middle aged man do all that!?). I don’t have the demeanor or the extraversion to really have a “presence” in that way, and I have no interest in changing my entire personality just to perform as an entertainer (although I have no doubt it would boost sales if I could!). I also feel a bit cringe when it comes to listing the things we have accomplished, and yet, in a way, the whole “show and tell” promotional exercise on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok etc when selling your wares is just that. We have accomplished this project, that project.
So, speed…aka get to the point and don’t waste people’s time any more than necessary, and blow their face off with coloring sparkly things.