How can you use video to increase reader engagement in publishing?

1 Why video matters

Video is not only a popular and versatile medium, but also a proven way to boost engagement metrics such as dwell time, click-through rate, and social shares. Video can help you deliver your message in a more compelling and memorable way, and appeal to different learning styles and preferences. Video can also help you establish your authority and credibility, and build trust and loyalty with your readers. By adding video to your publishing strategy, you can differentiate yourself from your competitors, and create a more immersive and interactive experience for your audience.

2 How to create engaging videos

Creating engaging videos for your publishing content does not have to be expensive or complicated. You can use a variety of tools and platforms, such as YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, TikTok, or Lumen5. To ensure success, it's important to align your video content with your goals, your audience, and your brand. Start by defining your purpose and objective: what do you want to achieve with your video? Then consider who you are targeting with it - their needs, interests, and pain points - and how you can solve their problems or answer their questions. Choose the format and style that best suits your purpose and audience. Think about the tone, voice, and visual elements of your video. Plan and script it carefully. Capture and hold the attention of your audience with a clear call to action at the end. Finally, record and edit your video using the right equipment and software for good quality sound and image.

3 How to optimize your videos

Once you have created your videos, you need to optimize them for search engines and social media to increase your visibility, reach, and traffic. Research and use relevant keywords and phrases in your video title, description, tags, and captions to help search engines and users find and understand your content. Additionally, create eye-catching thumbnails and previews with relevant images and text to draw users in. Furthermore, provide transcripts and subtitles for spoken or audio content to make your videos accessible to all viewers. Lastly, embed your videos on your website, blog, or landing page and share them on social media to drive more traffic and engagement.

4 How to measure your video performance

To evaluate the effectiveness of your video content, you need to measure and analyze your video performance. You can use various tools and metrics to track and improve your video results, such as Google Analytics, YouTube Analytics, or Facebook Insights. Consider metrics such as views and impressions, watch time and completion rate, engagement and interaction, and conversion and revenue. For example, how many times did users watch your video or a part of it? How long did users watch your video? How many users liked, commented, shared, or clicked on your video or its elements? How many users took action after watching your video? And how much revenue did your video generate or contribute to?