Intro For Critique (a.k.a. Are Most Intros Too Long And Do We Even Need Them?)

[endurovlog]

I used to have a standard 10 second intro for all my vlogs. But then I noticed that a lot of tv shows now only have a five second intro, and in sit coms even that is often buried about three minutes into the show.

Then I figured maybe just flash up a quick logo and heading but otherwise just jump straight in. Like this.

They say most viewers have the attention span of a goldfish so I reckon you have to try and hook their interest in that first five seconds, or at least make it clear what the video is about.

What do you guys think? I suppose marketing experts might say there's less brand recognition without a dedicated intro? Anway, keen on your thoughts with this intro as I'd like to know if I'm barking up the right tree or not.

 

[TriumfAnt]

I just have my channel name appear across the screen for the first few seconds and then fade away as I begin to talk.

 

[endurovlog]

....Personally I HATE long intros and will usually skip them even if I miss the start of the video.....

A classic example for me is the intro to longer Red Bull vids using that 'Sail' song. It goes for about a minute and is beautifully put together but once you've seen it a few times you just fast forward of course.

 

[JoshAFJ]

I like short intros. Mine is like right at the limit for even my own tastes honestly. I need a better one.

 

[MotoNoob]

Honestly, I can't tell what or where your brand is with that video. I see your logo quite small in the upper right corner briefly, but it doesn't read as an intro because there wasn't a hard set start and end. TV shows can get away with it because they have their 5 second intro (brand recognition), then they scroll the credits across the bottom of the screen halfway into the episode.

 

[BlakShadow]

I used to start with my 7-8 second intro for my first vids. It's short, sweet, and to the point. But later I found it worked better to start with a teaser before the intro. I could be a key sentence I said during the vlog to grab the viewer's attention, or a purposely recorded teaser telling in just a few seconds what the video will be about. Then my intro, and then into the actual content.

 

[True Racer]

I try toi get into the action as soon as possible

 

[Cherrie]

I made an intro in a few of my recent videos... but I'm not sure if it's annoying to people or too long?
(i'm holding the camera facing me, i'm turning around and it has a bit of music and white logo)

 

[SighBored]

Personally I hate long-winded intros that are the same for every single video, so with that in mind, I make mine as short and simple as possible. Like 3 seconds, so people won't even need to skip over the intro.

 

[Cherrie]

Personally I hate long-winded intros that are the same for every single video, so with that in mind, I make mine as short and simple as possible. Like 3 seconds, so people won't even need to skip over the intro.

the three second ones are the ones I like to watch too, unoffensive and doesn't make me want to fast forward

 

[PandaRant]

I need to shorten mine, but haven't gotten around to it yet

 

[Sharktank]

I used to start with my 7-8 second intro for my first vids. It's short, sweet, and to the point. But later I found it worked better to start with a teaser before the intro. I could be a key sentence I said during the vlog to grab the viewer's attention, or a purposely recorded teaser telling in just a few seconds what the video will be about. Then my intro, and then into the actual content.

I'm glad this discussion is here. It's something I've been wondering myself. I've been a podcast consumer for many years and the ones I enjoy the most do something similar here. A little bit of show, then a short and familiar intro, then on with the rest of it.

 

[lupin]

I've had long, short and no intros.

My general feeling is nobody really cares as long as it's well done.

I'll do something much more simple for 2018 I think though.

 

[LoneWally]

I used to use a 30 second intro but people didn't like it. Currently using as a channel intro but do plan on making a new one thats only about 5 or 10 seconds long

 

[CaptYanni]

Yep, short intros are the way to go!

 

[HYF]

my intro is about 3/4 seconds long, i have never been a fan of longer intros anything under 5 seconds is good i think

 

[RuckinScot]

I had a real nice intro a friend made for me. It was about a minute long. I quickly realized it was annoying. I’ve since chopped it and made it about 10 seconds. Definitely keep them short.

Yours is nice and the right length.

 

[Javiyellow]

I used to start with my 7-8 second intro for my first vids. It's short, sweet, and to the point. But later I found it worked better to start with a teaser before the intro. I could be a key sentence I said during the vlog to grab the viewer's attention, or a purposely recorded teaser telling in just a few seconds what the video will be about. Then my intro, and then into the actual content.

Whenever you use a teaser then the viewer feels more inclined to watch the video at least up until that point to satisfy their curiosity so this is a great idea that I'm going to implement into my future videos.

 

[HippoDrone]

I personally don't like teasers unless it is a funny part that would need explaining by watching the rest of the vid

 

[WingManGT]

I've had an intro around 20s long, ditched it after the 6-7 videos cause it felt tedious to watch every time, after I removed it the average watch time for my videos increased quite a bit.