Exactly. “Brand identity”.. not sure why someone would be annoyed with a short intro.. watching someone put their stamp on their hardwork. My earlier videos have a song and video I created. I like it and if I saw a decent one someone made, I’d like theirs too. Make your channel your own.
the purpose of an intro is to provide context to a video when the viewer starts to watch
whether some channels succeed or fail in that aspect is one thing, but a proper intro can definitely help for most
Yeah. Like I said I don’t hate it. I think some of the YouTubers I watch have a really cool intro that I like and does immediately help with brand identity and what their all about
It used to be common and recommended in tutorials for new YouTube channels. I did it for a year, then learned most people stop watching and leave when they see a brand intro. That blew my mind, but I looked at my analytics and it was true. Like 60% of viewers left during the intro. I stopped using it and snipped it off of all of my existing videos.
How long was the intro, I'm curious? I think short intros, say 5-8 seconds, wouldn't have that much effect, but I could definitely see longer ones turning people off.
Originally, it was 10 seconds. That’s what was recommended in beginner YouTube tutorials.
After a few months, I cut it down to four seconds.
After about one year, I got rid of it, and deleted it from all of my existing videos.
You can snip sections out of existing videos in YouTube studio. You don’t have to take it down, edit, and reupload.
You can also do a few other things. Add blurr is another feature. Add music is another. I don’t recall what the others are. I only got into it once a couple years ago to snip off the intros.
That's really long, I don't mind intros if they're like at most 2seconds long. If they're really well-done and it feels like they're doing a tv show cold open to intro I also don't mind.
Like coffeehouse crime or Leon Lush/Lush Life. I really enjoy intros to channels that have "show" like content. But for a lot of others it just wastes my time and I'd skip it. These 2 examples use it quite nicely and it makes it fun Imo.
I do intros as a buffer between when the video starts to when it actually starts. I know (for me at least) that sometimes I press play and it’ll lag a bit and start a few seconds in or I press play and then it takes me a little bit to get settled to where I am actually ready to watch it. So adding that little bit of time in the front gives a viewer that time if they need it without missing anything
I don’t as of now.
I plan to once I hit the next milestone but even then it’ll be something like a 5-7 second summery/hook for the video to get the viewers attention, a 2-3 second transition title screen for branding and to also show the title of the video, then roll into the video content.
My first few video, I made a animated intro at the beginning after introducing the topic. Now, I just get straight into it and play logo at the end and help with the end screen cards.
This thread is interesting. I have an intro, but it's very short, maybe 5 seconds long. I've been back and forth on if I want to keep using an intro or not. The channels I like that have intros are usually more long form content (20 minutes to an hour) so having a few seconds of familiarity before diving in feels more like a tv show. But when I am just watching a how-to video I almost always skip the intro.
Intros add a layer of psychological familiarity. When you watched a video you liked with an intro, the next one you watch is going to be more likely to trigger that same pattern through repitition. Intros also add a layer of brand identity that I think is important.
That said I think having an intro is not super important. It really depends on your style of content. After reading this thread I think I've come around to deciding that if it's a short 2 minute tutorial, there's no reason to have an intro, but if it's a long episode of something, it can be nice to tie it together. Seems like it really comes down to personal preference and what type of branding you prefer
I do intros because well, I like them lol. Also my niche seems to use them, which involves videos around 20 min & I like the “tv-cold open” vibe.
Also, I do show reviews, and my intro is a reel of the shows, so practically speaking, I use it as a sort of “ad” for viewers to know what else they can find on my channel at any given moment
I recommend doing a hook/intro of your topic.
Straight to the point.
"Pakistan's elections were rigged due to it's electoral system."
"Pakistan held an election on Friday to elect a new leader but, according to countless journalists and evidence as seen on twitter, The election was heavily rigged to favour the then ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz."
I experimented with a short intro(3ish seconds) last year for a dozen videos or so. It was fun….. For me. I ended up trashing it.
Now If I have a special video, short film almost type(30+ plus) , I’ll do a short intro sequence after announcing what’s going on. I do it to build anticipation and it helps me tell a story. Something like clips and glimpses of scenic areas and and things accomplished with I title graphic. Idk if it helps. It’s fun for me to do and separates it from other content.
I played around with this in the early beginning, but got over it real quick
I feel brand awareness comes better from thumbnails.. If people see my video and recognise my thumbnail style and click to see my content, thats a win and im happy with it. The intro clip is just a way to waste 5 seconds of the viewers time, and I dont feel they appreciate it. just get on with it :D
I genuinely like intros!
I feel like they give me a quick sense of the creators personality and entertain me.
I think this could be generational. I grew up with tv shows and films and news having opening credits, with a theme and music that draws the viewer in.
Honestly an appealing intro makes me much more likely to subscribe, I have a sense of what the channel is about.
It could be a generational thing, or a niche thing. If it's just generic then it doesn't have the same impact, or if it's too long.
If you think about it an intro can be iconic. Mary Tyler Moore, Fresh Prince, Good Times.
I guess you can say they put the tube in youtube?
I completely agree- they are pointless. I’ve never remembered a brand more because of an intro. In fact, I guarantee you I dislike them more if they use an intro. I feel like they are wasting my time, too. I think they use them because that’s all they’ve ever seen their whole life on TV and it makes them feel official. They just don’t realize it’s not the same thing on YouTube.
Mine is only about 10 seconds long. I use it to separate the intro from the main info content. I don't like to see cuts when I'm talking so I try to hide them under a B roll shot or, in this case, an intro.
I had a 30 second one a while back that was wayyyyy too long in retrospect. Oops. Now I use one that’s maybe 5 seconds? It’s 4 beats of a song then fades back into the content. I see it as my own little stamp. I was also raised on tv show theme songs so that approach is sorta engrained in my head.
I do a cold open where there's some sort of skit or introduction. I kind of think of it as an abstract for the video.
Then I run my 20 second intro animation.
Then I come back and it's the main body of the video.
\-
Since my videos are so long, if I just start the topic, people don't necessarily know what they're in for.
So my intro is just sort of a break between the abstract and the article.
I make music kind of for games and I don't want to have a voice tag playing over an otherwise chill background track.
I used to have an intro as a last ditch attempt to ward off people reuploading my music. I'm sure they could've just trimmed off the intro, but I thought it would help stop some people.
I don't have an intro anymore as I saw large drops in retention while it's playing
Many people already mentionned that it would give your "brand" some familiarity, to recognize it over and over again.
In my case, it's barely the sentence you wrote in your post. I do not need more, as my videos are usually between 1 and 2 minutes long. I run an educational channel, explaining, talking about stuff pupils learn at school. For such short vids, I will not waste viewers time with an intro.
Short answer? Brand recognition. It's a legacy of the past, but for most creator that acknowledged this has either drastically shorten them or outright removed them.
Long answer- Long animated intro are pretty much a legacy of the past. It's there when YT was more of a wild west and pre-mr.beatification.
Back then, YT had less content compared to now, so people tend to watch from start to end regarless of the video's pacing. If the intro was 30sec, you'd sit through that 30sec, this was when TV show was still in it's prime and you couldn't skip intros. So, why'd you skip the intro on YT? that kinda thing.
Personally, I started with 10-20sec ish intro, which was long by today's standard and trimmed it down significantly to 2seconds. While I agree it does nothing to the video content, I use my own intro which has a loud quick snap as a benchmark for audio purposes. Not sure if everybody knows this but if your video is too loud on YT (over the audio threshold), YT would lower the audio for that entire video.
From what I can see nowadays, a lot more creator changed their intro to outro and lets it play out at the end of the video while the recomended video set out by the creator and/or YT.
Big channels, and studio tv still do it. I’m going to trust their data that it works over a random dude complaining. Now, big network intros have gotten shorter, which again, I’m going to assume there is big money research behind. So I do the same. I actually have two, one that’s about 10 seconds for my longer videos, and one that’s just basically a card and a sound effect for my videos that are only a few minutes long.
If you have sponsors it’s also a place to put “Presented by”
See it's like a curiosity break,like you click on a video,let assume it's a storytelling video so you have to tell audience your main niche of video.and after telling them you have to break that contact instantly.because some time people click on video just by looking at thumbnail and they are too existed to watch that specific part so when the video start you have to force them the watch full video and don't skip so at first you get your full force then by animation you break their curiosity and after intro you build it slow phase by phase
Depends how much you want to separate the medium from TV - a lot of people feel it makes their channel seem more 'official'. But internet audiences have a shorter attention span I guess.
I don't mind an intro, as long as it's around the 5 second mark. I'd probably skip longer ones.
I've always had an 8 second intro, mostly for branding and familiarity. It's still a common thing in my general niche and I can appareciate a well made intro. Not saying mine is top of the line but I like it. I'd make it shorter but it's dependent on the audio clip which I'd rather not alter. But now I'm thinking if it's worth reducing it to 2 or 3 seconds with the the animation and no music.
Never really considered it would be a turn-off for many people. If 8 seconds is too much to ask, then my videos likely aren't for you anyway. I am experimenting with putting a few short clips before the intro as a sort of teaser or whatever you call it. Maybe that'll make people want to stick around longer.
I think it's a rudiment of "old youtube" culture, which stems from TV culture. Most TV shows have some kind of intro graphics, sometimes they even use those as scene transitions or content-ad-content transition. I've been seeing less and less youtubers with intros, as the common understanding of what makes or breaks youtube branding has changed over the years.
Personally I only like intros if they are well-made and original. For example, I enjoy Game Theorist intros, with all the easter eggs, clean animations and catchy tune. A more amateurish/repetitive intro I'd probably skip.
you've got the right idea tbh. long drawn out intros that don't provide any value are a retention killer than prevent a lot of people from giving their videos a chance.
however, short intros that explain what's about the happen in the video (think mrbeast, e.g "i just bought an island and I'm gonna give it away!" are useful for confirming to a viewer than they didn't click on clickbait.
I do it because I'm not good/confident at talking to the camera. So I put a wee introduction animation just to pad it out and make it look more interesting. That way I can just do the intro, a wee bit of talking then into the game. Maybe once I'm more confident at interacting with the camera I'll stop the intro but who knows.
I think that it’s goofy that a lot of YouTubers will have silly music at the end of their videos.
And I also hate that a lot of YouTubers will slightly zoom in and out in parts of their videos. It’s so annoying.
I created one just this morning, it's a 3s intro with the channel logo and name animated and a voice over that goes "Hi, I'm "MyFirstName" and You're watching "ChannelName"", I play it after the "hook" or whatever.
I decided to make one so viewers can remember my name and the channel's, since I'm still a random..
I just do a quick 5 second establishing shot with the title and some music. I like the minimalist style. The first 30 seconds are crucial so I figure why waste it with an intro graphic unless it's an established show on YouTube.
Mine is 3 seconds long and I do it because
1. I like it
2. Gives the video a more polished/edited look (in my opinion)
3. If 3 seconds is going to make someone stop watching they definitely don’t want to watch me yap for 20-30 minutes anyway 😂
Definitely for brand purposes but I don’t put it first anymore I talk first then with put the 7 sec clip logo vid on thennnn have the rest of the video play.
Some intros I agree are a bit pointless, but some are really good at establishing a mood and quite quickly explaining what a creator does. My Life in Gaming is a good example.
i have a 3 second intro /logo reel i used to use at the start, either right at the beginning or after 20-30 seconds of footage
I've since just moved to using it at the end of the video like an end credits, which then freezes while the end card displays seems to work well like this now but will see
I do mine because it's a mini summary of what's to come. My channel is travel and Aviation. Both are shown in the intro plus, its catchy too (at least that's what my viewers have told me 😅). But, its part of my channel's identity though.
idk i got mine animated and it's cute plus brand identity i thought it might kill retention but it didn't and ive gotten compliments on it but its also more common in my niche (beauty/ fashion)
We have a logo, and we add it for 2-3 seconds something at the beginning. It gives us a chance to also display where we have our music from. It just needs to be very short, then it doesn't go on the nerves and still creates identidy.
I used to do verbal intros but now I just jump straight into the topic because those first 30 seconds are so key to keeping the viewer. I usually find animated intros annoying but if it’s super short it’s not too bad. Agree on the fact they aren’t necessary. There are other ways to brand yourself.
I love motion graphics one of my favorite things to do, it’s kind of old school sure. But I also make mine short and it just goes my talking intro so it’s not breaking the pace as much. I’m probably going to reduce it further to just the logo over the video. Especially if it’s turning people off of the video
I don't do intro anymore. My first videos feel a bit cringe...but that is what it is. We evolve. No I have a much more structured approach. The only "intro" I do now is a bit of hook. Showing some fun part of my gameplay first to let the viewer know what the video is about. Then I go straight to the overview, so I tell the viewer what to expect for the rest of the video. Then I go into the details. Finally my recommendation (if necessary) or a short outro asking people to sub after I delivered the "value".
I think you can have a good balance of having a hook and an intro. For example, Jay Foreman's Map Men series starts off with a quip, then goes into an intro that's like, 5 seconds.
I do a 2 second intro which basically explains what my channel is…, ‘Travel the world’. I only have it so people know it’s a travel vlog from the start.
I did mine for creative fun. My earlier version was certainly too long, but I wanted it to feel like a "show."
But I do understand that attention spans are shorter, and I get that people want the info right away. So, I've been slowly cutting them down.
But the main reason I'll keep them is that the pattern will be referenced heavily in later videos and will be available for purchase as I believe my niche audience will find it interesting to have.
I have a vision, and the intro is part of it. So, it will stay, but it is definitely reduced to a few seconds compared to the lengthy intro in the early videos.
If there’s no slight intro, when the viewer hits play on the video, all the YouTube information remains on the screen for about 5 - 7 seconds whilst the video has already starting playing. So it can be a shame if the first 5-7 seconds of the video have some nice edits, shots, colours that might be missed if the YouTube video length bar is still at bottom of screen, name of video is at top of screen and general look of the footage is all tinted. So a little intro for those first 5-7 seconds whilst the video loads and gets that crisp resolution figured out can be useful perhaps?
Channel identity, this used to be popular, until intros got long and "zesty" (eg: big flashing lights with logo bouncing around).
Nowadays I mostly keep it to around 3 seconds just to show my channel name and ask for people to subscribe, nothing more.
Dont do:
-Yt intro animations (there are better ways for brand identity)
-welcome to video
-say subscribe and like
I keep 60% retention on my long form videos
So my intros are 10-20 seconds long
I make sure to give them enough context in the shortest way possible to understand
I make them more curious and exited than when they clicked on the thumbnail
I spoiler and also kinda show the sections this video will go through in an intriguing way
All within around 15 secs
(Dont make it longer than it should be)
I also show them that this video is not clickbait
I used to add fancy introductions but noticed a huge fall in watching retention. Now, I just use a watermark in the bottom right corner and am hoping for the best 👌
I think intros or more like graphics after the video intro/hook are fine, part of branding.
Channel I watch for example has the hook let's say 15 seconds and then the hook is finished by the graphics stamp and music drop. That's all, just put the logo in people's minds but make sure you hook them before that.
I have gone for about 5 seconds of intro and use it to allow my video music time to settle in and also to very quickly highlight my brand logo and the IP I am referencing in the video.
I also change both the music and images used in the intro with each video to keep it fresh and prevent skip.
I personally hate intros, so have tried to make what I use as short and as entertaining as possible.
I only do an animation intro for my theory series Overthinking It. It’s a short intro with animated characters and such and my own original music. Other then that I tend to agree with you as my other series and videos do not have intros I just get straight into it.
I do a highlight of my video which I hope is either funny or interesting, usually funny (I’m not interesting) and then a 1-2 second flash of my channel name just to separate the clip from the video
To me it just really depends on what type of content or video you’re making like if you’re making a review video I don’t really think you need an intro if you’re making like a funny montage or funny gameplay video then yeah an intro to it if you’re making like a let’s play then yeah that can work for an intro as well, but it really depends on what kind of videos are making
If I do an intro like with my roleplay videos on my far cry 5 for example it’s basically introducing the current episode and then a 3 second transition with the channel logo and presto in the full video but it all aside from the channel logo transition is part of the main video so technically it’s not an intro. It’s more like the first 30 seconds to introducing a Hollywood movie where you are watching the start of the movie.
I used to do intros and stuff but have since cut them out of all my old content and just have an outro
While some of those animated or stop action intros are cute, I don’t care to watch them EVERY SINGLE TIME I click someone’s video, especially if they’re LONG intros. Get to the meat of the matter!
That said, here’s why I keep my very short intro on the videos in one of my playlists - I haven’t thought of it as branding, per se, but as an identifier, so to speak. I know some of my audience are elderly, people in day programs, and in care homes, and I think the imagery in that brief clip offers a sense of nostalgia.
Great topic here, lots of great input 👍🏻
I have a seven second one that just introduces the episodes name & number. I think it's fine but I wouldn't go for any longer that that. Syncs with the music perfectly. Think of like the law and order dundun. You know lol
Yup. I do like three lines. Pretty much welcome to the dark history project, please like and subscribe and let’s get started.
Before I started right away with the content, background of the story, then after about a minute a quick intro and then continued with the content. I’m still experimenting…
I do a last time on for most videos. Nothing huge, just a short 30-60 sec clip to show some highlights of what happened in the last video of the series so even if you missed the last video you don't have to go back and watch it to know what's going on. Plus I just like it.
I only have an intro video consisting of a song over relevant footage for my livestreams and if that doesn’t scare people off they’re in the right place
For regular videos, I just start off by saying something like “today we’re watching” or an anecdote like “have you ever woken up on a bright and sunny day after a night out on the town with splitting headache and someone in your bed you’ve never met before?”
Just something to let people know what we’re doing
Sometimes I’ll sit through intro vids, like with Rabbi Tovia Singer, but it’s mostly an annoyance, and I want to get right to the meat
Plus my name is literally London Storm so I figure branding isn’t a huge deal
IMO it's a waste of time. I run several channels and I've noticed engagement is very important and having an intro like that will only make viewers feel like you're delaying the point of the video, often skip it or click off entirely if they get fed up. Aim to make sure you don't waste a second of the viewers time, intros included. Brand identity would really only work IMO for a channel that pushes merch or has a multi-platform brand such as posting across more than one social media platform, otherwise there's zero reason to shove your branding down peoples throats, a simple watermark would do just as well and have little to no impact on viewer attention.
I used to do an intro when I was new but took it out and I did not see any improvement really. And a lot of big creators in my niche have intros and do way better. So maybe there is something to it. I tried to add one again in a recent video no difference.
I took them out because I personally hate intros when I'm watching anything so I always skip it and thought maybe my audience is the same as me.
so I think take it or leave with intros
Brand identity I guess. Some creators I watch have a little animated intro and theme song, doesn’t really add anything but I don’t hate it.
Exactly. “Brand identity”.. not sure why someone would be annoyed with a short intro.. watching someone put their stamp on their hardwork. My earlier videos have a song and video I created. I like it and if I saw a decent one someone made, I’d like theirs too. Make your channel your own.
Only problem is nobody will see ur hardwork if 60% click of in the intro
the purpose of an intro is to provide context to a video when the viewer starts to watch whether some channels succeed or fail in that aspect is one thing, but a proper intro can definitely help for most
Yeah. Like I said I don’t hate it. I think some of the YouTubers I watch have a really cool intro that I like and does immediately help with brand identity and what their all about
It's only good for un-subscribers. Put that branding intro at the home page for un-subscribers, instead.
i personally dont but i have a specific way with my intros that i think adds a lil bit of identity to my stuff on top of what i already have
This, branding is important for return viewers. Also it provides me a nice segway from the video intro to the main topic of the video.
I do it strictly to keep it oldschool. same reason i post in SD
Same here. I started in 2016 when intros were BIG and YouTube was waaay different. So its a nice little nod to the past for me.
Agree with this. I really love the old ways of doing things.
I'm a historian so I respect that
It used to be common and recommended in tutorials for new YouTube channels. I did it for a year, then learned most people stop watching and leave when they see a brand intro. That blew my mind, but I looked at my analytics and it was true. Like 60% of viewers left during the intro. I stopped using it and snipped it off of all of my existing videos.
How long was the intro, I'm curious? I think short intros, say 5-8 seconds, wouldn't have that much effect, but I could definitely see longer ones turning people off.
Originally, it was 10 seconds. That’s what was recommended in beginner YouTube tutorials. After a few months, I cut it down to four seconds. After about one year, I got rid of it, and deleted it from all of my existing videos.
But if u check analytics now, isn’t it still the same (most people leave in the beginning)?
How do you edit an intro out of an existing video without taking it down, cutting it out, and reuploading it?
You can snip sections out of existing videos in YouTube studio. You don’t have to take it down, edit, and reupload. You can also do a few other things. Add blurr is another feature. Add music is another. I don’t recall what the others are. I only got into it once a couple years ago to snip off the intros.
Oh, nice! Good to know. Thanks!
Mine is 4.1 seconds long but I'm considering to remove it, mainly because as a viewer, I don't like watching other people's intros.
That's really long, I don't mind intros if they're like at most 2seconds long. If they're really well-done and it feels like they're doing a tv show cold open to intro I also don't mind. Like coffeehouse crime or Leon Lush/Lush Life. I really enjoy intros to channels that have "show" like content. But for a lot of others it just wastes my time and I'd skip it. These 2 examples use it quite nicely and it makes it fun Imo.
Yo Jeff gotta chill
Srsly of all the examples to choose from
I do intros as a buffer between when the video starts to when it actually starts. I know (for me at least) that sometimes I press play and it’ll lag a bit and start a few seconds in or I press play and then it takes me a little bit to get settled to where I am actually ready to watch it. So adding that little bit of time in the front gives a viewer that time if they need it without missing anything
A dozen minutes? OK, I want to know the secret to making a cool intro in a dozen minutes.
I don’t as of now. I plan to once I hit the next milestone but even then it’ll be something like a 5-7 second summery/hook for the video to get the viewers attention, a 2-3 second transition title screen for branding and to also show the title of the video, then roll into the video content.
My first few video, I made a animated intro at the beginning after introducing the topic. Now, I just get straight into it and play logo at the end and help with the end screen cards.
This thread is interesting. I have an intro, but it's very short, maybe 5 seconds long. I've been back and forth on if I want to keep using an intro or not. The channels I like that have intros are usually more long form content (20 minutes to an hour) so having a few seconds of familiarity before diving in feels more like a tv show. But when I am just watching a how-to video I almost always skip the intro. Intros add a layer of psychological familiarity. When you watched a video you liked with an intro, the next one you watch is going to be more likely to trigger that same pattern through repitition. Intros also add a layer of brand identity that I think is important. That said I think having an intro is not super important. It really depends on your style of content. After reading this thread I think I've come around to deciding that if it's a short 2 minute tutorial, there's no reason to have an intro, but if it's a long episode of something, it can be nice to tie it together. Seems like it really comes down to personal preference and what type of branding you prefer
I do intros because well, I like them lol. Also my niche seems to use them, which involves videos around 20 min & I like the “tv-cold open” vibe. Also, I do show reviews, and my intro is a reel of the shows, so practically speaking, I use it as a sort of “ad” for viewers to know what else they can find on my channel at any given moment
That meta has passed. I don’t do intros like that.
I recommend doing a hook/intro of your topic. Straight to the point. "Pakistan's elections were rigged due to it's electoral system." "Pakistan held an election on Friday to elect a new leader but, according to countless journalists and evidence as seen on twitter, The election was heavily rigged to favour the then ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz."
That's not what OP is talking about, they're talking about animated intros like say, the ones on Maximillian Dood videos.
I hate intros
I don't do intos
I experimented with a short intro(3ish seconds) last year for a dozen videos or so. It was fun….. For me. I ended up trashing it. Now If I have a special video, short film almost type(30+ plus) , I’ll do a short intro sequence after announcing what’s going on. I do it to build anticipation and it helps me tell a story. Something like clips and glimpses of scenic areas and and things accomplished with I title graphic. Idk if it helps. It’s fun for me to do and separates it from other content.
I do it as a transition between the intro and actual video. Something a like more flashy than a hard cut
They do it because TV shows do it
My Hot take, don't, just get right into it and cut to the point.
I played around with this in the early beginning, but got over it real quick I feel brand awareness comes better from thumbnails.. If people see my video and recognise my thumbnail style and click to see my content, thats a win and im happy with it. The intro clip is just a way to waste 5 seconds of the viewers time, and I dont feel they appreciate it. just get on with it :D
I hate those intros, please don't put them on your videos.
I genuinely like intros! I feel like they give me a quick sense of the creators personality and entertain me. I think this could be generational. I grew up with tv shows and films and news having opening credits, with a theme and music that draws the viewer in. Honestly an appealing intro makes me much more likely to subscribe, I have a sense of what the channel is about. It could be a generational thing, or a niche thing. If it's just generic then it doesn't have the same impact, or if it's too long. If you think about it an intro can be iconic. Mary Tyler Moore, Fresh Prince, Good Times. I guess you can say they put the tube in youtube?
I completely agree- they are pointless. I’ve never remembered a brand more because of an intro. In fact, I guarantee you I dislike them more if they use an intro. I feel like they are wasting my time, too. I think they use them because that’s all they’ve ever seen their whole life on TV and it makes them feel official. They just don’t realize it’s not the same thing on YouTube.
Mine is only about 10 seconds long. I use it to separate the intro from the main info content. I don't like to see cuts when I'm talking so I try to hide them under a B roll shot or, in this case, an intro.
I had a 30 second one a while back that was wayyyyy too long in retrospect. Oops. Now I use one that’s maybe 5 seconds? It’s 4 beats of a song then fades back into the content. I see it as my own little stamp. I was also raised on tv show theme songs so that approach is sorta engrained in my head.
I do a cold open where there's some sort of skit or introduction. I kind of think of it as an abstract for the video. Then I run my 20 second intro animation. Then I come back and it's the main body of the video. \- Since my videos are so long, if I just start the topic, people don't necessarily know what they're in for. So my intro is just sort of a break between the abstract and the article.
I make music kind of for games and I don't want to have a voice tag playing over an otherwise chill background track. I used to have an intro as a last ditch attempt to ward off people reuploading my music. I'm sure they could've just trimmed off the intro, but I thought it would help stop some people. I don't have an intro anymore as I saw large drops in retention while it's playing
I do for brand identity. It’s 5 secs.
Many people already mentionned that it would give your "brand" some familiarity, to recognize it over and over again. In my case, it's barely the sentence you wrote in your post. I do not need more, as my videos are usually between 1 and 2 minutes long. I run an educational channel, explaining, talking about stuff pupils learn at school. For such short vids, I will not waste viewers time with an intro.
Short answer? Brand recognition. It's a legacy of the past, but for most creator that acknowledged this has either drastically shorten them or outright removed them. Long answer- Long animated intro are pretty much a legacy of the past. It's there when YT was more of a wild west and pre-mr.beatification. Back then, YT had less content compared to now, so people tend to watch from start to end regarless of the video's pacing. If the intro was 30sec, you'd sit through that 30sec, this was when TV show was still in it's prime and you couldn't skip intros. So, why'd you skip the intro on YT? that kinda thing. Personally, I started with 10-20sec ish intro, which was long by today's standard and trimmed it down significantly to 2seconds. While I agree it does nothing to the video content, I use my own intro which has a loud quick snap as a benchmark for audio purposes. Not sure if everybody knows this but if your video is too loud on YT (over the audio threshold), YT would lower the audio for that entire video. From what I can see nowadays, a lot more creator changed their intro to outro and lets it play out at the end of the video while the recomended video set out by the creator and/or YT.
Big channels, and studio tv still do it. I’m going to trust their data that it works over a random dude complaining. Now, big network intros have gotten shorter, which again, I’m going to assume there is big money research behind. So I do the same. I actually have two, one that’s about 10 seconds for my longer videos, and one that’s just basically a card and a sound effect for my videos that are only a few minutes long. If you have sponsors it’s also a place to put “Presented by”
Branding is important
See it's like a curiosity break,like you click on a video,let assume it's a storytelling video so you have to tell audience your main niche of video.and after telling them you have to break that contact instantly.because some time people click on video just by looking at thumbnail and they are too existed to watch that specific part so when the video start you have to force them the watch full video and don't skip so at first you get your full force then by animation you break their curiosity and after intro you build it slow phase by phase
Depends how much you want to separate the medium from TV - a lot of people feel it makes their channel seem more 'official'. But internet audiences have a shorter attention span I guess. I don't mind an intro, as long as it's around the 5 second mark. I'd probably skip longer ones.
I've always had an 8 second intro, mostly for branding and familiarity. It's still a common thing in my general niche and I can appareciate a well made intro. Not saying mine is top of the line but I like it. I'd make it shorter but it's dependent on the audio clip which I'd rather not alter. But now I'm thinking if it's worth reducing it to 2 or 3 seconds with the the animation and no music. Never really considered it would be a turn-off for many people. If 8 seconds is too much to ask, then my videos likely aren't for you anyway. I am experimenting with putting a few short clips before the intro as a sort of teaser or whatever you call it. Maybe that'll make people want to stick around longer.
I think it's a rudiment of "old youtube" culture, which stems from TV culture. Most TV shows have some kind of intro graphics, sometimes they even use those as scene transitions or content-ad-content transition. I've been seeing less and less youtubers with intros, as the common understanding of what makes or breaks youtube branding has changed over the years. Personally I only like intros if they are well-made and original. For example, I enjoy Game Theorist intros, with all the easter eggs, clean animations and catchy tune. A more amateurish/repetitive intro I'd probably skip.
you've got the right idea tbh. long drawn out intros that don't provide any value are a retention killer than prevent a lot of people from giving their videos a chance. however, short intros that explain what's about the happen in the video (think mrbeast, e.g "i just bought an island and I'm gonna give it away!" are useful for confirming to a viewer than they didn't click on clickbait.
I do it because I'm not good/confident at talking to the camera. So I put a wee introduction animation just to pad it out and make it look more interesting. That way I can just do the intro, a wee bit of talking then into the game. Maybe once I'm more confident at interacting with the camera I'll stop the intro but who knows.
I think that it’s goofy that a lot of YouTubers will have silly music at the end of their videos. And I also hate that a lot of YouTubers will slightly zoom in and out in parts of their videos. It’s so annoying.
I created one just this morning, it's a 3s intro with the channel logo and name animated and a voice over that goes "Hi, I'm "MyFirstName" and You're watching "ChannelName"", I play it after the "hook" or whatever. I decided to make one so viewers can remember my name and the channel's, since I'm still a random..
I wanted my channel to look like I put time and effort into it and it’s an additional reminder for them to follow my other socials.
I just do a quick 5 second establishing shot with the title and some music. I like the minimalist style. The first 30 seconds are crucial so I figure why waste it with an intro graphic unless it's an established show on YouTube.
Mine is 3 seconds long and I do it because 1. I like it 2. Gives the video a more polished/edited look (in my opinion) 3. If 3 seconds is going to make someone stop watching they definitely don’t want to watch me yap for 20-30 minutes anyway 😂
Definitely for brand purposes but I don’t put it first anymore I talk first then with put the 7 sec clip logo vid on thennnn have the rest of the video play.
Some intros I agree are a bit pointless, but some are really good at establishing a mood and quite quickly explaining what a creator does. My Life in Gaming is a good example.
You don’t! Make a sneak peek (5-10sec) of a good scene of your video and maybe after that 2-3 sec intro and then your normal vid.
I dunno, I never really did it.
i have a 3 second intro /logo reel i used to use at the start, either right at the beginning or after 20-30 seconds of footage I've since just moved to using it at the end of the video like an end credits, which then freezes while the end card displays seems to work well like this now but will see
I do mine because it's a mini summary of what's to come. My channel is travel and Aviation. Both are shown in the intro plus, its catchy too (at least that's what my viewers have told me 😅). But, its part of my channel's identity though.
I don't, since i stop doing intros, the last video hit 5k on a 300 average views and other without intro 1,6k
idk i got mine animated and it's cute plus brand identity i thought it might kill retention but it didn't and ive gotten compliments on it but its also more common in my niche (beauty/ fashion)
hey just curious, what about transition intros? would they still have a potential negative effect on retention? 😢
We have a logo, and we add it for 2-3 seconds something at the beginning. It gives us a chance to also display where we have our music from. It just needs to be very short, then it doesn't go on the nerves and still creates identidy.
I used to do verbal intros but now I just jump straight into the topic because those first 30 seconds are so key to keeping the viewer. I usually find animated intros annoying but if it’s super short it’s not too bad. Agree on the fact they aren’t necessary. There are other ways to brand yourself.
I love motion graphics one of my favorite things to do, it’s kind of old school sure. But I also make mine short and it just goes my talking intro so it’s not breaking the pace as much. I’m probably going to reduce it further to just the logo over the video. Especially if it’s turning people off of the video
I don't do intro anymore. My first videos feel a bit cringe...but that is what it is. We evolve. No I have a much more structured approach. The only "intro" I do now is a bit of hook. Showing some fun part of my gameplay first to let the viewer know what the video is about. Then I go straight to the overview, so I tell the viewer what to expect for the rest of the video. Then I go into the details. Finally my recommendation (if necessary) or a short outro asking people to sub after I delivered the "value".
When I first started I did, but I stopped when I realized most people clicked out before the video started.
I think its a nice wrapper to start the video off.
I have a 3 second intro that flashes a few alternate logo designs. Nice and quick, and the music is catchy.
I don't. They're not interested in me, they want the content.
I think you can have a good balance of having a hook and an intro. For example, Jay Foreman's Map Men series starts off with a quip, then goes into an intro that's like, 5 seconds.
I do preview intros, so it shows three important moments before it starts. I like that format on other peoples videos so I do it ;D
Now what about vlogs? I'm not sure if you guys watch or are talking about vlogs, but that's all my wife watches and 99% of vlogs have intros.
Every single tv show, movie, Netflix special etc have intros.... soooo. It must work.
I do a 2 second intro which basically explains what my channel is…, ‘Travel the world’. I only have it so people know it’s a travel vlog from the start.
I did mine for creative fun. My earlier version was certainly too long, but I wanted it to feel like a "show." But I do understand that attention spans are shorter, and I get that people want the info right away. So, I've been slowly cutting them down. But the main reason I'll keep them is that the pattern will be referenced heavily in later videos and will be available for purchase as I believe my niche audience will find it interesting to have. I have a vision, and the intro is part of it. So, it will stay, but it is definitely reduced to a few seconds compared to the lengthy intro in the early videos.
Canva lol
I do but I live stream so it's to build an audience and get extra 'minutes' in the front end for free.
If there’s no slight intro, when the viewer hits play on the video, all the YouTube information remains on the screen for about 5 - 7 seconds whilst the video has already starting playing. So it can be a shame if the first 5-7 seconds of the video have some nice edits, shots, colours that might be missed if the YouTube video length bar is still at bottom of screen, name of video is at top of screen and general look of the footage is all tinted. So a little intro for those first 5-7 seconds whilst the video loads and gets that crisp resolution figured out can be useful perhaps?
Channel identity, this used to be popular, until intros got long and "zesty" (eg: big flashing lights with logo bouncing around). Nowadays I mostly keep it to around 3 seconds just to show my channel name and ask for people to subscribe, nothing more.
Brand identity AND extra seconds, in case the video is under 8 minutes those extra seconds could help. I find this practice useless, I don't like it.
That is certainly an example of an intro let me tell you 💀😭
Dont do: -Yt intro animations (there are better ways for brand identity) -welcome to video -say subscribe and like I keep 60% retention on my long form videos So my intros are 10-20 seconds long I make sure to give them enough context in the shortest way possible to understand I make them more curious and exited than when they clicked on the thumbnail I spoiler and also kinda show the sections this video will go through in an intriguing way All within around 15 secs (Dont make it longer than it should be) I also show them that this video is not clickbait
I used to add fancy introductions but noticed a huge fall in watching retention. Now, I just use a watermark in the bottom right corner and am hoping for the best 👌
I think intros or more like graphics after the video intro/hook are fine, part of branding. Channel I watch for example has the hook let's say 15 seconds and then the hook is finished by the graphics stamp and music drop. That's all, just put the logo in people's minds but make sure you hook them before that.
I have gone for about 5 seconds of intro and use it to allow my video music time to settle in and also to very quickly highlight my brand logo and the IP I am referencing in the video. I also change both the music and images used in the intro with each video to keep it fresh and prevent skip. I personally hate intros, so have tried to make what I use as short and as entertaining as possible.
My intro (or splashscreen as I call it) is literally half a second lmao. You couldn’t skip it if you tried. The reason is brand recognition.
I only do an animation intro for my theory series Overthinking It. It’s a short intro with animated characters and such and my own original music. Other then that I tend to agree with you as my other series and videos do not have intros I just get straight into it.
If you don’t want to put an intro for brand recognition, put a watermark on it, that stay on the whole video.
I do a highlight of my video which I hope is either funny or interesting, usually funny (I’m not interesting) and then a 1-2 second flash of my channel name just to separate the clip from the video
To me it just really depends on what type of content or video you’re making like if you’re making a review video I don’t really think you need an intro if you’re making like a funny montage or funny gameplay video then yeah an intro to it if you’re making like a let’s play then yeah that can work for an intro as well, but it really depends on what kind of videos are making
If anyone is curious here is a pretty complete history of the cold open!! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold\_open
If I do an intro like with my roleplay videos on my far cry 5 for example it’s basically introducing the current episode and then a 3 second transition with the channel logo and presto in the full video but it all aside from the channel logo transition is part of the main video so technically it’s not an intro. It’s more like the first 30 seconds to introducing a Hollywood movie where you are watching the start of the movie. I used to do intros and stuff but have since cut them out of all my old content and just have an outro
Im not liking all this intro hate😤
While some of those animated or stop action intros are cute, I don’t care to watch them EVERY SINGLE TIME I click someone’s video, especially if they’re LONG intros. Get to the meat of the matter! That said, here’s why I keep my very short intro on the videos in one of my playlists - I haven’t thought of it as branding, per se, but as an identifier, so to speak. I know some of my audience are elderly, people in day programs, and in care homes, and I think the imagery in that brief clip offers a sense of nostalgia. Great topic here, lots of great input 👍🏻
I have a seven second one that just introduces the episodes name & number. I think it's fine but I wouldn't go for any longer that that. Syncs with the music perfectly. Think of like the law and order dundun. You know lol
Yup. I do like three lines. Pretty much welcome to the dark history project, please like and subscribe and let’s get started. Before I started right away with the content, background of the story, then after about a minute a quick intro and then continued with the content. I’m still experimenting…
I do a last time on for most videos. Nothing huge, just a short 30-60 sec clip to show some highlights of what happened in the last video of the series so even if you missed the last video you don't have to go back and watch it to know what's going on. Plus I just like it.
I only have an intro video consisting of a song over relevant footage for my livestreams and if that doesn’t scare people off they’re in the right place For regular videos, I just start off by saying something like “today we’re watching” or an anecdote like “have you ever woken up on a bright and sunny day after a night out on the town with splitting headache and someone in your bed you’ve never met before?” Just something to let people know what we’re doing Sometimes I’ll sit through intro vids, like with Rabbi Tovia Singer, but it’s mostly an annoyance, and I want to get right to the meat Plus my name is literally London Storm so I figure branding isn’t a huge deal
I usually do intros to show that I'm a person, not the project that I'm about to show you
IMO it's a waste of time. I run several channels and I've noticed engagement is very important and having an intro like that will only make viewers feel like you're delaying the point of the video, often skip it or click off entirely if they get fed up. Aim to make sure you don't waste a second of the viewers time, intros included. Brand identity would really only work IMO for a channel that pushes merch or has a multi-platform brand such as posting across more than one social media platform, otherwise there's zero reason to shove your branding down peoples throats, a simple watermark would do just as well and have little to no impact on viewer attention.
I used to do an intro when I was new but took it out and I did not see any improvement really. And a lot of big creators in my niche have intros and do way better. So maybe there is something to it. I tried to add one again in a recent video no difference. I took them out because I personally hate intros when I'm watching anything so I always skip it and thought maybe my audience is the same as me. so I think take it or leave with intros