One video about the same concept got 21 million views while another flopped. The difference comes down to how creators use tension and risk to hook viewers and keep them watching.
These videos have the exact same concept but the one on the left got double the views due to a simple strategy that anyone can do. Even you. The viral video has high stakes. When watching, you'll notice while he eats, food subtly drips onto his clothes. This makes the viewer cringe as nobody likes when food stains their favorite shirt. How dirty will this shirt get? Well, in the low performer, he switches to solid foods, removing the risk of dripping food onto himself. Killing the tension for viewers, think of skating down a big hill. There is a risk of serious injury from falling down in our minds. We're always thinking about how much trouble they'd avoid if they skated on a flat surface. But if they did, there would be no tension, making it boring. So how can you apply high stakes to get even more views? Integrate a risk into your videos by putting something on the line like offering to trade costumes with a cost player. But there's no trade back so you'll never see this outfit again.
