Are you posting video after video but not getting the attention you deserve on social media?

If so, you’re not alone - 34 Million new videos are posted every day on TikTok alone. 

So you’re competition is pretty damn tough.

How do you stand out and finally go viral?

Glad you asked - 

The short answer is, focus on improving your “Watch Time”.

If you want a longer and more detailed answer, stick around. We'll review everything and then share our secret, step-by-step formula for going viral.

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Source - Backlinko, 2024

Why is Watch Time the Most Important Metric?

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This metric shows how much of your video people actually watch on average. And platforms like TikTok and Instagram love it when viewers stick around.

The longer someone stays on their platform, the more money they make. It's that simple.

So, these platforms will push videos with higher watch times because those make them more money from advertisers. They want to keep eyeballs locked for as long as possible.

For you, higher watch time proves your content is engaging and people are actually watching rather than just racking up fake views. 

The Magic Formula of Going Viral 

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Hook

“The Hook” – Nothing else matters if you don’t get this right.

The internet is packed with content and creators. 

And you just have under 3 seconds to grab your audience’s attention.

And what you say or do in these first seconds is the hook of your video. 

The million-dollar question is: How do you craft a hook that instantly glues eyeballs to the screen? 

While there are many ways to go about it, here are 3 of my favorites - 

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• Combine opposites - Start by combining two things that don’t typically go together: putting a bra in boiling hot water, burning cash, or putting shaving cream on a balloon. I can go on but you get the point. All these examples create an itch in the viewers’ minds. They can’t help but wait to see what happens next. 

• Start in the Action - Instead of starting with, “Hey, my name’s Mark, and I’m going to make…..” - jump right into the action. We’re living in the era of short content, people don’t wait until you reach the point. If you're doing cooking videos, start by showing yourself cutting veggies. If you’re doing a DIY video, it’s best to begin by putting things together and gradually showing your audience what you’re up to. 

• Curiosity Gap - One of the most effective strategies in our experience is to start with a visual that hints at what’s about to happen but makes them think - how would he do it and what would be everyone’s reaction? 

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An example that combines all three is given below. It’s a prank in which, in the opening shot, we see our creator putting a bun in a coffee cup. We know it will be a coffee prank but are curious how it would turn out. The creator gave no introduction and jumped right into the prank, and c’mon, who puts a bun in a coffee mug?

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Suspense 

Okay, so you captured your audience’s attention with your awesome hook, and now they’re watching. Fantastic!

Your next job is to make sure they keep watching for at least 15 seconds or more. Remember, the longer the watch time, the more your content gets pushed to a larger audience and the higher your chances of going viral. 

Let’s revisit our coffee spill prank example and see how famous creator Dritan Alsela keeps your attention by building suspense.

Once he puts the bun in the cup, he doesn’t instantly go for the final cut; he puts a spoon in the cup’s handle and slowly takes the cup in the air, shaking and wiggling it, to show it won’t fall.

This clever trick buys him another few seconds and keeps you all waiting.

Payoff

Finally, it’s time to deliver on what the hook promised, unveiling the mystery, putting the last piece of the puzzle together, and showing the precious reaction that your viewer was patiently waiting for. 

For the coffee spill video, the payoff is the moment when Dritan goes around the ladies and in the moment you’d least expect, fumbles the cup, making it look like he spilled the coffee on a woman.

As you may anticipate, the woman jumps and screams before realizing it is just a wholesome prank. 

Pro tip - End your video within 2-5 seconds of delivering the payoff; don’t let your video linger. This will help increase your video’s repeatability, and you’ll have a higher chance of retaining full watch time, leading to better exposure and increasing your shareability, another key metric for going viral.   

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And that’s a wrap!

This magic formula is just one of our many strategies to take your social media to the next level. 

Our leading creators and content strategists have helped over 250 leading brands build better social media. 

Interested in learning what we can do for you? Book an exploratory call with us. In 20 minutes, we’ll develop 2-3 angles to help your brand go viral. 

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