How long should an intro be?

[icy valley]

Hi everyone! So quick questions around intros and I'm curious to get peoples thoughts on this - how long should an intro be before it's too long and you need to get into the meat of the video (I know it's a very broad question to answer). I personally believe that it should be as concise as possible, but at the same time long enough to build a full picture of what you're trying to achieve and answer the who, what, when, where, why etc

This is relating to long form predominantly

[stable skiff]

The best intro is when it doesn't feel like an intro, you need to reaffirm the click right away (what viewers clicked for)

The thing is, if you give too much information it'll just be boring and viewers won't have any questions to themselves which causes anticipation

With that said, there is no rule set to the duration of an intro but you have to make in as intriguing as possible so the viewers have to stay

With stuff like foreshadowing, introducing stakes (not steaks 🥩) and a clear goal that'll be easy for the audience to follow

And last thing, try not to make it look complicated (explain stuff with the caveman mentality)

[static vapor]

Intros of amazing b-roll and animations and and and should be removed ASAP!!! The most important time on your video is the first 5 seconds, then 15 seconds, then 30 seconds. If you arent retaining your audience then the rest of the video can be amazing, but you lost most of your audience. Start with an amazing hook, and get into it. You know how irritating it is when watching a video and the Creator just talks and talks and doesnt get to why you clicked in the first place. Don't be that Creator

[stable skiff]

Looking at my old videos, I was and I still am a bit 😅

[icy valley]

So it sounds like from what you're saying Liron that intros don't have to be ridiculously short, so long as everything said is directly related to what you clicked for? I'm thinking because when you watch Yes Theory, or even some Ryan trahan, there's a lot of world building (directly related to why you clicked albeit) before the actual video starts

[stable skiff]

Yes there is a lot of words, however it’s very technical.

Let’s take this video as an example:
https://youtu.be/LuRtWt5xMiA

First 10s he shows you exactly what you clicked for (reaffirming the click)

15-25: he tells you about the norm, something everybody knows (the norm)

But then at 26s he surprises you and tell you about something intriguing/ a mystery which is the ghost towns & now you’re hooked (breaking the norm)

Right after that he says we’re gonna explore not one but 4 of them

At 55s it’s still the intro but he’s still adding mystery/ intrigue to hook you which is the mysterious man (the mystery)

And finally at 1:00 he does something very subtle, he’s telling you that he’s gonna capture these things before it’s forgotten and abandoned (which is a clever way to add stakes)

So his intro is 1 minute but everything is well thought of and he’s not yet telling jokes or talking about his life or anything that’s not the hook

[short forge]

I saw a video where someone did a breakdown of Mr Beasts Videos and he said there is no real Intro, he just jumps straight to the action with no time wasted. He doesn't even tell you the topic of the video he just expects that you read the title and the thumbnail and greets the viewer to the challenge or whatever in the first second. That may be a bit "agressive" for someone who doesn't have a huge following but I think there can be one or two things learned from his approach to intros

[stable skiff]

Yes I personally try to do short intros but even with 2-3 sentences I get crazy drops (sometimes 60%+ leave)

[stable skiff]

I would think it is the opposite as if someone doesn't know you, I think they'd rather watch an "aggressive" intro rather than explaining especially in that case if that makes any sense