Rising Creators Forum

My biggest problem right now is watch time. people click on my videos (CTR is around 5%) but then they leave after like 2-3 minutes. my average view duration is only 35% and i know that's killing my growth

I make 10 minute videos about personal development and self improvement. I try to get straight to the point but people still leave early

What are you doing to keep people watching longer? Do you script your videos or just wing it? How do you structure content to maintain interest?

I script every single video word for word and my retention is consistently 55-65%. scripting helps you cut all the ums and uhs and tangents that make people click away

here's my structure that works:
- first 15 seconds: hook that promises a payoff ("by the end of this video you'll know exactly how to...")
- quick intro (15 seconds max)
- deliver on the promise with clear steps or points
- mini payoffs throughout (every 2-3 minutes give them something valuable so they keep watching)
- strong conclusion that reinforces what they learned

Also use pattern interrupts. change camera angle, show B-roll, add text on screen, anything to break up long sections of you just talking. People's attention spans are shot so you need to constantly re-engage them

and honestly some topics just don't hold attention for 10 minutes. not every video needs to be long. make your videos as long as they need to be to deliver value, not longer

35% retention on 10 minute videos means people are leaving at the 3.5 minute mark. that's probably right after your intro when you start getting into the actual content

I had the same problem. my intros were too long and by the time i got to the good stuff people already clicked away. now i start with the most interesting part, then do a quick intro, then get into the content. retention went from 38% to 52%

Also look at your audience retention graph in analytics. there will be big drops at certain points and that tells you exactly where you're losing people. then rewatch your video and figure out what's happening at those timestamps. probably too much fluff or boring sections

10 minutes is pretty long for personal development content unless you're really engaging. might want to try making 6-7 minute videos instead and see if your retention percentage improves