It’s hard to overstate the power of a great video intro. Think of some of the most popular television series in history, The Simpsons, Friends, Game of Thrones. What they have in common is an iconic introduction. If you are looking for how to make an intro for your YouTube channel, but you don’t know how to do it or how long it should last, this article will solve your doubts. I will give you the best tips to make your intro and I will also tell you how you can do it in very few steps.
Tips for making an intro for your videos
1. It must be short: a maximum of 10 seconds
Nobody, especially if they don’t know you, wants to watch a 30 second or more intro to a video. Think about it, have you ever been bored when you watch your favorite series or a YouTube channel that has a very long introduction? Most of the time, we tend to pass it or change the video in the worst case on YouTube. If they don’t know you, they will want to get the answer to their problem quickly. And if they know you, they won’t want to see the long intro again in which you summarize over and over the videos that can be found on your channel. Then, be brief and the shorter your intro, the better.
2. It must be clear
I’ve ever seen introductions that include animation with explosions or an aesthetic that has nothing to do with the channel. Your intro must be clear and consistent with the content and visual identity of your business. It is an easy way to reinforce your brand.
3. Try to be novel and different as much as possible
Although you will not be creating different intros for each video, you can add an element or something that makes it different. For example, you can add the title of the video and change it every time. Or you can change the colors according to the video categories of your channel. You can also add something unique each time, like a recording or question from your subscribers. Some add the voice of their followers, videos or messages they have received. Of course, this is all up to you, but these small changes can help your loyal subscribers not get bored with your introduction while you reinforce your brand identity.
4. Plan your introduction.
Then it comes to the purpose of your video intro or YouTube intro, what you want to express, and whether or not it is an introduction that you plan to use for multiple videos. The more you plan to use it, the more time you can spend on it. You’ll also want to make sure you follow some video tips like using easy-to-read fonts and keeping things relatively simple. When you’re ready to start creating your video intro, you’ll have a choice to make. You can create an introduction from scratch or use a customizable template. An intro made from scratch typically requires a combination of graphic design, video recording, animation, and editing. The second option for creating an intro for YouTube is to use a customizable video template from a YouTube Intro Maker, which speeds things up and makes the following best practices a little easier.
5. The intro must come after the presentation.
Remember that the intro should go (in my opinion) after the first seconds of the hook and presentation. And I say this because I think that having an intro of more than 10 seconds and right at the beginning is almost a guarantee that many people will leave without watching the video. People are looking for quick answers and they will give you a few seconds to convince them to stay. And I highly doubt that an introduction will accomplish this.
Recommended apps to make YouTube Intro
Although you can create it 100% with editing programs like After Effects, it is much easier and faster to use applications.
1. FlexClip online video editor
FlexClip is a great video creator for creating your professional videos if you need easy-to-use YouTube intro editing software. Best of all, you can make an intro for free. No download or skill is needed. FlexClip provides hundreds of thousands of usable video intro assets, including video clips, images, music, graphics, outros, and intros. All templates have a combination of colors, animations, text, and spaces to include your own logo, which you can customize as you prefer.
2. Photoshop
You may think it is for ps, but it also allows adding animations. In this case, you would have to do them yourself, but if you master it, it has the advantage that you can create the images and the animation in the same program.
3. Moshow
Finally, if you want to edit on mobile, the Moshow app also has a very interesting gallery to add animated titles and effects to your videos. It is an app that includes titles that you can use for free and apart, others for payment if you wish. With the free version, it will be enough to create very striking videos.
Conclusion
The truth is that only you can decide if you want to add an intro or not. As I was saying, it helps reinforce your visual identity. Perhaps it is because we are used to the traditional television method, which is why an introduction makes us think that it is a more professional video than one without it. Actually, I think this depends on the content and how good it is. Good content will succeed no matter how the video is or how it starts. The truth is that if you upload videos very often, you can get to bore your audience with the intro. Therefore, it is your decision to assess whether you want to give it importance or not.
You already know that it is not mandatory nor should you worry much about the introduction topic if you are starting. Although if you have time, it is a very good option to reinforce your brand. Do you think a video with or without an intro is better? Tell the truth! Have you ever skipped the intro of your series because you wanted to see what was going to happen 😜?
