Making a longer video? Find a character, tell a story
Hospitals and other organizations are breaking the rule about keeping videos short, but to hold on to your audience, you have to weave an engaging tale.
In ancient times—way back in 2012 or so—the video sages laid down an eternal law for those seeking to communicate on YouTube.
Videos had to be super-short. Two minutes was long. Better: under 60 seconds. Quick enough that people could sneakily watch it at their desks while the boss was in the loo.
So what’s with these heretics in hospitals and elsewhere who are shooting longer, journalism-inspired videos, and racking up viewers?
Consider Arnold Palmer Hospital’s “The Tin Man,” 4½ minutes long and racking up 81,000 views. Or the same hospital’s “We Love Isaiah,” more than 11 minutes long. Then there’s “The Truth About Down Syndrome,” about a family’s love for a girl struggling with the complications of that disorder. Length: 12 minutes.
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