8 Proven Tips for Facebook Videos to Get More Views, Comments, and Engagement

Help Your Content Go Global

Everyone wants to make a viral video, and while articles can provide tips that claim they can help you create one, they’re wrong. A viral video isn’t something that can be created like building a machine; it just happens when something about it clicks with your target audience.

But they all have one thing in common: Regardless of the topic or style (illustration versus live action), they’ve captured people’s attention for the entire duration and made them feel compelled to share it with friends and family.

Related Read: Find Out the Science Behind Virality

While you may never have a truly viral video, you can still create videos that get a high number of views, engagements, and shares. Simply keep these tips in mind when creating your next Facebook video.

#1 The First 3 Seconds Count

It doesn’t matter if your video is 30 seconds long or 30 minutes long: It’s the first three seconds that count. And no, this is not the first 3 seconds of the video—it’s the first three seconds in which a user sees the video and determines whether they even want to watch it. To catch their interest in your video, you should pay attention to these three elements:

1. An intriguing thumbnail. The video’s thumbnail is not only a quick visual representation of what the video is about but also something that catches the eye when someone is scrolling through their News Feed.
2. A tease that provides insight on the topic. The title of the video and/or a short write-up should pique interest without giving the video away.
3. Start the video strong. Don’t lose people in the first few seconds because they find the video boring. You should immediately capture their attention and hold it for the duration of the video.

Related Read: 37 Facebook Ad Examples You Wish You Made

#2 Provide Captions on Videos

Make your videos friendly for all audiences by including closed captioning at the bottom of the video. That way you aren’t alienating anyone, including deaf individuals, those hard of hearing, or those who may have trouble understanding the accent of the speaker. It also helps ensure clarity of information so that nothing is lost. Plus, 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound. So, whether someone is on a noisy train, at the office, or in another situation where turning on the sound isn’t possible, you want to make sure they don’t skip over your video.

Accidental alienation and failure to make the video easy to watch for various people in various situations can limit the number of views, engagements, and shares your Facebook video can get, which in turn will result in a waste of your SEO efforts.

#3 Select a Preferred Audience

Another way to get more engagements on your Facebook videos is by specifically selecting a preferred audience. By selecting a preferred audience, you increase the likelihood of your video turning up on certain people’s News Feeds based on their interests. It does not limit others from seeing the post on your Page or elsewhere.

To select a preferred audience, select the target icon (When you hover over it, it reads, “Use Audience Optimization to reach people who are more likely to engage with your post.”). Under “Preferred Audience,” select interests that best relate to the subject material of your video, such as “cooking” or “writing.” Do not make any changes to the “Audience Restrictions,” as this will limit who can see your post, regardless if they fall into the “Preferred Audience” category.

#4 Make Them Laugh

People appreciate content that makes them laugh, so add some appropriate humor to your videos occasionally. With all that goes on in people’s lives—from work-related stress to other issues—a small escape every now and then is welcome. But not to forget – these videos must be senseless: you can add wit and humor to just about anything, from employee interviews to a short explanatory video.

#5 Make Videos Educational

In addition to making videos that have a humorous aspect, you also want to use your videos to educate. Don’t have people watch your video and feel their time was wasted because they got nothing out of it. Sure, cat videos are great for animal rescue groups’ pages or animal news pages like The Dodo but put these anywhere else and people will feel mislead. Your goal is to leave your audience with at least one new piece of information that they didn’t have before.

If a video is particularly informative or the information is surprising (Did you know that Ioannis Ikonomou, the European Parliament’s chief translator, speaks 32 living languages and reportedly as many as 47, including dead languages?), your audience will feel compelled to react (like, heart, wow) and share with their friends.

#6 Have a Call to Action

Want to get higher engagement and share rates? Just tell people.

One of the simplest ways to increase your engagement and shares is by including a call to action. A simple, “Share this with your friends” or “Tell us what you thought” can be just what it takes to prompt someone to share or leave a comment. It can easily be added toward the end of the video and/or included in the post’s text.

#7 Use Facebook Ads

Put some money towards Facebook ads and pay to help boost your posts into people’s News Feeds. Choose an audience based on demographics, behaviors, and contact information and use the built-in reporting tools to see your return on investment. You don’t even need a hefty budget: Facebook ads can run for as little as $1.00 per day, and they have a whole section of tips and information on how to get started.

#8 Include Facebook Videos on Other Sites

Another way to increase viewership is by including your Facebook video on other sites where you get traction, such as your blog or Twitter account. That way people who do not have Facebook—or may not have seen it there—can still view it and share it with others.

Put These Tips into Action

Use this list as a checklist of items to consider when crafting your next video: Does the script include some funny moments? What will my audience learn from this video? Who do I really want to see this content? Will I capture their attention when they see it in their newsfeed?

It may take a while to get these down pat, but continued use will make them second nature—and your Facebook Insights will eventually show that your efforts paid off.

About the Author

Chris Hickman is the Founder and CEO at Adficient with 15 years of experience in search marketing and conversion optimization. Since 2006, he founded GetBackonGoogle.com, helping businesses and websites suspended in Adwords to Get Back on Google.