I´ve been studying how to make better and more qualitative videos that could compete with some of the greater channels there are in the industry and one thing I´ve found they all have in common is good engagement!

So, how can you make a vlog more interesting? You have to keep it simple, be unexpected, concrete, make credible statements, appeal to emotions, look for feedback, and go the extra mile if you want to be a great vlogger. 

I´ve done some research about it and learned how you can create more engagement and keep your audience interest at all times so they stay and listen to what you have to say.

Here are a few points that stand out.

Keep it Simple Stupid (KISS Principle)

You have to learn how to keep your message clear and simple so that your audience can understand and relate to your content much better.

I´ve learned how difficult can be stripping down a message to its bare essence because to do that you also have to remove all of the details that are not as important as the core message.

“To make the core message stick, it should be applicable to daily life.” – Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath. 

What this principle state is that complexity must be avoided at all cost when we´re trying to communicate something.

The benefit this has is that it creates engagement by keeping your audience tuned by delivering on a simpler format that it´s easy to consume.

Moreover, you can use “generative analogies” that relate your message to the practical experiences of your audiences. 

Be Unexpected

Present your videos and therefore your message in a new way!

The best way to be noticed is by bringing people something they don’t expect. People tend to form patterns that help them to make sense of the world around them.

Most vloggers have been doing the same thing over and over again, so much that we know what to expect from a vlogging video by now.

It´s all about disrupting the “patterns” that form in your audiences’ minds, helping them focus on what you have to offer.

For example, surprising facts can easily captivate an audience. 

You can always choose a weird topic to talk about, maybe a strange hobby that you have, it could be anything as long as it has the potential to grab someone´s attention.

Now, once you´ve chosen your topic, no matter what it is, you present it in a way that breaks the conventional expectations your audiences may have regarding that same type of content.

How to hold audience attention and keep interest flowing throughout your content:

• Understand what makes your “message” special. You should prioritize the most important pieces of information and use them in a way to lure your audience. 
• Make use of the surprise element. Do this in a way that will prevent them from relying on conventional guesswork.
• Add mystery and open gaps through your message. Then you´ll gradually close those gaps as you move along. These “knowledge gaps” can help capture the interest of your audiences because the unresolved story has an air of mystery. 

Human Need for Concreteness

Unless you already are a famous vlogger who only needs to talk about him/her self to be loved and watched then you can skip this part. But, if that´s not your case you need to keep reading.

When you start as a vlogger one of the best ways to gain someone´s attention is to be helpful and make useful videos, providing as much value as possible, and earning some trust from your viewership in the process.

Now, to do that and deliver your message in an effective way you have to be concrete.

This is the easiest element to apply in order to make your videos “stick” in people´s mind so they keep watching your content.

Authoritative

If we´re talking strictly about Vlogging and showing off your daily grind then the only thing you need to do is be authentic, show yourself, not a character.

People can tell pretty quickly when you´re acting out and scripting every word you say, the camera doesn´t lie, you need to be aware of that.

Now, if you´re just constructing your channel and have recently started you´ll need your audience to trust what you’re saying, and one way to gain people’s trust is by establishing yourself as an authority in your field, whatever that may be.

How the heck are we going to do that? Well, let me tell you…

• Use details and specific info. You need to be believed as an authority without needing to outsource credibility to anyone else, and the way to do that is by having a deep knowledge of important details about your topic.
• Breakdown those statistics. Use the statistics as input, not as output; the statistics should be there to support your point, not the other way around. They are a great way to enforce more authority on your brand. 
• Testable credentials. The ultimate way to make yourself and your channel more credible is by convincing your audience that they can test the idea for themselves. Whichever the idea may be as long as they can test it, it can work, and it will make you look much more reliable. 

Vlogging is Personality Based

Sadly for some people, being a vlogger relies on yourself and everything about you that could make you reach a broad audience one day.

That´s why most good vloggers have some common treats on their personalities that make them stand out, whether is that they are very clever, humorous and funny, or maybe very eloquent, etc.

The truth is that this is one of the cons about vlogging that you probably need to work on if you want to keep growing your channel.

HUGE TIP! Cuts and transitions help to make your videos more dynamic and improve the way you tell your story without losing people interest in the video in case you´re not a very “dynamic” person.

The Emotional Side

Now we´re going to focus our efforts on making people care about your content instead of being apathetic towards it.

But, how do you make people care?

One way to get the interest of your viewers is appealing to their self-interest. Make them an offer they can´t refuse, something that they would benefit from. 

It all goes back to providing value, but with a small twist, make them realize how beneficial it could be if they keep consuming your content. If they are emotionally involved they´ll come back. 

Another great strategy is identifying with your audience.

Show your home, how you go to work, what are your daily struggles, anything that could be an indicator of how you go about your life, always keeping in mind that the person that´s watching can relate or identify with you on a more personal level. 

I don´t mean you have to lie to people, absolutely not, just show things in a more thoughtful manner, from an insightful point of view.

Look for Feedback

You have to make your best effort, stay humble, be patient, and deliberately look for feedback that you could implement in order to provide more value and grow your audience.

Most times your viewers will ask you what they want to watch or what they want to hear you talk about. It´s a great free source of ideas.

Strike for constant and never-ending improvement and you´ll get a very engaged audience. People can appreciate hard work.

¡Go the Extra Mile!

Studying different filmmaking techniques, improving your editing game, adding some cinematics to the mix, and many other things, are just some of the many ways you can improve your craft and keep people watching your videos.

Engagement comes from a combination of different streams. Providing value is the core principle, but the way you do it and how well (and how much of it) you deliver depends entirely on your efforts.

The quality of your content is your top priority, once you´ve mastered that you should start focusing on the other hundred of factors that may affect how well does your audience empathize with your videos.

Here are some basic tips very vlogger should apply, regardless of what they´re talking about.

1. Always have something to say. Meaning that you don´t bore your audience with rumbling stuff and give away all of your thoughts for free like if they were candy, they are not! HAVE-SOMETHING-TO-SAY. Try to provide value even if you´re talking about something that is very specific about your own life.
2. Be confident. Well, goes without saying that you must be confident and speak to the camera like if you´re talking to a friend. This is key.
3. Speak loud and keep it steady. Noboday likes making an effort to even listen to your voice when you talk, speak up! And the second most cruel thing you can do to your audience is shake your camera or phone like a maniac, keep it steady, please.