Short videos move incredibly fast, there is one thing that the creators that continually keep a returning audience going seem to know: curiosity lasts much longer than instant gratification. When viewers connect to a story they know isn’t quite finished, they feel a sense of intrigue that they want to chase with the next upload without being prompted too often. Multi-part uploads work because momentum continues after the initial post.
Rhythm is a huge component of a part two; The viewers have to get a feeling of progression in every video upload, yet they have to realize there is still a greater narrative out there to be told, feel a part of a journey and not just another video they just forget about after they swipe.
Introduce curiosity early in the video.
The strongest, retention-focused short videos will always get to the curiosity of what is to come within seconds. A renovating creator might flash a shot of the finished product before diving back into the chaos of the current work, or a challenge based workout could start with an exhausted groan before a narrative about what lead to the groaning.
That “something isn’t finished yet,” feel has the audience captivated for the entire length of the video knowing that there is something important that is going to happen later. With consistent campaigns some creators subtly include premium audience growth to get help keep multi-part videos circulated with fresh story content.
Allow progress to be the story.
An audience has incentive to stick around when they can see how they are able to progress from one part to the next. Transformation videos, travel narratives, experiments, or challenges all begin to create retention when audiences are able to consistently witness a narrative unfold with each video.
Small incremental updates are what matter more than large, cliff-hanging changes. A cooking creator slowly making a dish better with each short video or a gaming content creator slowly conquering a difficult level are going to have stronger retention than one off posts that only create shock value for only that particular upload.
Tap into emotional curiosity instead of spectacle.
Many creators get too carried away with exaggerated movements and over-the-top edits when in reality it doesn’t keep audiences around as well as emotional curiosity does. An audience will naturally come back for a series they connect with on an emotional level better than they will for a series that only relies on shock.
Anxiety, tension, or simply a feeling of being in on the story are all great things to use to bring an audience back to a different installment of the series. TikTokStorm comes up so often in discussions of creative’s utilizing multi-part content that have continuing visibility issues.
Conclusion
The viewer is actually inclined to come back for a part two when the first part leaves them feeling stuck with a cliffhanger. Visuals, progression and an increase in pacing with gradual are key to viewer engagement in the long term series in the long run.
