What is Video "Open Loops"?

Introduced within the sphere of digital marketing, the tactic known as Video Open Loops is about creating engagement and anticipation within your viewer.

At the start of your video, you tease something interesting that will be revealed at the end. This keeps your viewers on the edge of their seats, eagerly watching the entire video to find out what gets disclosed.

This strategy has proven extremely beneficial for SEO purposes, originating from television and film, where scriptwriters consistently utilize 'open loops' or unresolved storylines to keep audiences coming back for more. The incorporation of this strategy in video content, particularly for platforms like YouTube, has yielded positive results such as increased dwell time and boosted video rankings. "Dwell time" is how long a viewer stays on the video, a crucial indicator of audience engagement and one of the factors YouTube considers in its ranking algorithm.

The tactic of Video Open Loops stimulates curiosity and, thus, user engagement. It successfully attracts traffic as viewers are intrigued to stick around till the end of the video to get their answers. It effectively creates an audience that is invested and actively engaging with your content, which is a significant key in boosting brand visibility and online presence.

Examples of Video Open Loops

  1. Fitness Videos: A fitness vlogger might start their video by saying, "By the end of this video, I will reveal the one food item that accelerated my weight loss journey."

  2. Technology Review Channels: A tech reviewer could open with, "Stay tuned till the end to see the surprising feature that makes this smartphone a game-changer."

  3. Online Cooking Shows: A cooking channel can say, "Watch till the end to learn a secret ingredient that will elevate this dish to a whole new level."

  4. Travel Vlogs: An intro like, "Stick around till the end to find out about an incredible hidden gem that we discovered in this city."

  5. DIY Channels: "Keep watching till the end to see how I transformed this room with just a $20 budget."

Marketing Tactics Similar to Video "Open Loops"

  • Clickbait Headlines: This tactic is about creating compelling, intrigue-generating headlines that grab potential viewer's attention and invites them to click on the content.
  • Information Gap Theory: This is the practice of leveraging the gap between what users know and what they want to know, to build curiosity and drive engagement.
  • Teaser Campaigns: These are short promos released before the main campaign, designed to intrigue the viewers and build anticipation.
  • Content Cliffhangers: An element of suspense or tension is intentionally created to encourage the consumer to continue engaging with a series or campaign.

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