Between Pharrell’s “Happy” music video and
the video for Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling
Stone,” interactive ideo (IV) is undoubtedly
hot this year. IV breaks through the noise,
gets people talking, and gets more views. The
real value, however, is that those views are
longer and more engaged.
But with interactive videos like Pharrell’s
and Dylan’s setting the bar high, it’s easy to
assume that only rockstar creative teams
with monster budgets and months upon
months of planning can create an IV, leaving
those new to Interactive Video wondering
where to even begin.
As one of the first companies in the IV
industry, we’ve seen IVs of all types created
– some with deep budgets and large
production crews, and others with leaner
budgets and just a few smart team members
– and we know that with the right
knowledge and tools, any company can
create a powerful IV quickly and easily.
So what do you need to know to build your
own IV? From choosing an IV platform that’s
right for you, to figuring out where to put
your first choice point, here are our 11 top
tips to keep in mind to create a successful
and engaging interactive video.
1. Set your objectives
Start by setting objectives for the video and
the campaign. What are your business and
creative goals? Are you looking to increase
viewing time, amount of subscriptions,
shopping cart completion rates? Do you want
it to work on all devices? Is it important to
be able to replicate it easily in different
languages?
Sit down and list out all of your objectives
before you even begin creating the idea so
that your creative vision will achieve those
goals.
2. Devise a concept to match those
objectives
Design your interactive experience with your
business or creative goals in mind.
Interactive video is like a guided tour for
your viewer where they get to choose what
sites to visit, but it’s still a curated
experience and must be informed by the
outcome you want to achieve.
That said, during this phase, it’s important to
remember that interactivity, first and
foremost, should add value for your viewer.
Is the interactivity fun? Does it add relevant
information and make the content easier to
consume? Or is it annoying? Avoid the latter.
Put yourself in the shoes of the viewer.
Would you want to keep clicking through the
video? If not, adjust the storyline to make it
more engaging or more useful. Providing the
viewer with value first rewards you with
engaged viewers and better business
outcomes.
3. Decide on your technology
solution early in the production
process
Different IV technologies have different
capabilities. It’s a good idea to scope out
what technical requirements matter to you
early in the process so that you can pick a
technology solution and then produce your
content to work within the functionalities
available on that platform.
Is it more important that your IV can be
distributed in a Flash ad-network, or do you
need to reach your audience on every
device, including mobile? Depending on your
answer, you’ll be looking for different
solutions.
4. If mobile matters, check the
experience
Today, over 20 percent of video views are
happening on mobile devices, and that trend
is growing quickly. According to a recent
eMarketer study, more than 77 percent of all
tablet users will watch video programming
on their devices at least monthly, and that
penetration rate will grow to 87 percent by
2018, totaling 149 million tablet video
viewers.
To put that into context, that means more
than 70 percent of all digital video viewers
will be watching on a tablet four years from
now.
But the mobile environment is fragmented,
and not all mobile-compatible solutions are
the same. Some interactive video
technologies are limited to downloadable
apps, while others work natively in the
mobile web and can be distributed with a
URL. Others still have simplified versions for
mobile playback, directing viewers to watch
the video on a desktop at a later time.
Ask the technology provider for a few
examples of mobile interactive videos, and
test those experiences yourself on a few
different devices to see if the technology will
meet your needs.
5. Choose a scalable IV technology
Certain platforms make it easy to iterate on
your IV projects, quickly making changes by
uploading new videos, switching out the old
ones, and publishing to the live site. For
example, a clothing brand using interactive
video to engage customers could simply
replace its video files each time a new line
comes out, enabling the company to keep the
same video format (if they so choose), and
update the content on the fly – meaning all
that initial effort invested in IV pays off over
many, many videos.
Aim for a technology that’ll make your life
easier when it’s time to update your video.
6. Make your first choice point
count
Put your first choice point early in the video
to entice viewers – somewhere between five
seconds and 45 seconds is ideal. Interactive
video is redefining how viewers engage with
video content, and one of its clear
advantages over linear video is the ability to
control the experience.
In our experience, once a viewer interacts
the first time, he or she is likely to stick
around for the whole experience, even
watching the video more than once. So hook
them with a good first interaction.
7. Limit your number of choice
points
With your first choice point in place, it’s
time to position the remaining choice points
throughout your video. Remember that on-
screen choices or interactions take up real
estate, so make them count.
A good guideline is to use up to three
choices or interactions at a time. You don’t
want your viewer to feel overwhelmed with
choices and lose interest.
Once you’ve built your interactive video
project using the IV editor of your choice,
the next step is to test it. Go through the
video to make sure there are no errors, like
rogue video branches that lead you to a dead-
end in the storyline.
8. Make sure your distribution is
aligned to the campaign
Where do you want your viewers to
experience the video? On social channels? In
paid placement? On your own website? Or
maybe a combination of all the above? Think
strategically.
9. Iterate, iterate, iterate
Monitor and optimize the project. One of
interactive video’s best features it that you
can easily update your video if you’re not
seeing the results you want.
It might be something as simple as changing
the position of your first choice point, or
changing the language on the buttons to
further entice people to click.
10. Create with spotty mobile
service in mind
Having a video that’s accessible on all
devices, including mobile, is a huge asset,
but make sure it’ll play well in less-than-
ideal conditions.
Plan for poor WiFi and poor cellular data
environments by keeping the entire page
light and easy to load. Try to limit plug-ins,
add-ons, extra JavaScript, and heavy images
to make it lightweight.
11. Make sharing easy
Take advantage of our social tendencies on
both mobile and desktop by including social
sharing buttons. Embed social sharing right
into the video content both at choice
transition points in the project and always at
the end.
And that’s it! These 11 tips will help you
create an interactive video that’s not only
engaging, but will help you meet your goals
for online video interaction.
Any questions? Let us know in the comments
below.
the video for Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling
Stone,” interactive ideo (IV) is undoubtedly
hot this year. IV breaks through the noise,
gets people talking, and gets more views. The
real value, however, is that those views are
longer and more engaged.
But with interactive videos like Pharrell’s
and Dylan’s setting the bar high, it’s easy to
assume that only rockstar creative teams
with monster budgets and months upon
months of planning can create an IV, leaving
those new to Interactive Video wondering
where to even begin.
As one of the first companies in the IV
industry, we’ve seen IVs of all types created
– some with deep budgets and large
production crews, and others with leaner
budgets and just a few smart team members
– and we know that with the right
knowledge and tools, any company can
create a powerful IV quickly and easily.
So what do you need to know to build your
own IV? From choosing an IV platform that’s
right for you, to figuring out where to put
your first choice point, here are our 11 top
tips to keep in mind to create a successful
and engaging interactive video.
1. Set your objectives
Start by setting objectives for the video and
the campaign. What are your business and
creative goals? Are you looking to increase
viewing time, amount of subscriptions,
shopping cart completion rates? Do you want
it to work on all devices? Is it important to
be able to replicate it easily in different
languages?
Sit down and list out all of your objectives
before you even begin creating the idea so
that your creative vision will achieve those
goals.
2. Devise a concept to match those
objectives
Design your interactive experience with your
business or creative goals in mind.
Interactive video is like a guided tour for
your viewer where they get to choose what
sites to visit, but it’s still a curated
experience and must be informed by the
outcome you want to achieve.
That said, during this phase, it’s important to
remember that interactivity, first and
foremost, should add value for your viewer.
Is the interactivity fun? Does it add relevant
information and make the content easier to
consume? Or is it annoying? Avoid the latter.
Put yourself in the shoes of the viewer.
Would you want to keep clicking through the
video? If not, adjust the storyline to make it
more engaging or more useful. Providing the
viewer with value first rewards you with
engaged viewers and better business
outcomes.
3. Decide on your technology
solution early in the production
process
Different IV technologies have different
capabilities. It’s a good idea to scope out
what technical requirements matter to you
early in the process so that you can pick a
technology solution and then produce your
content to work within the functionalities
available on that platform.
Is it more important that your IV can be
distributed in a Flash ad-network, or do you
need to reach your audience on every
device, including mobile? Depending on your
answer, you’ll be looking for different
solutions.
4. If mobile matters, check the
experience
Today, over 20 percent of video views are
happening on mobile devices, and that trend
is growing quickly. According to a recent
eMarketer study, more than 77 percent of all
tablet users will watch video programming
on their devices at least monthly, and that
penetration rate will grow to 87 percent by
2018, totaling 149 million tablet video
viewers.
To put that into context, that means more
than 70 percent of all digital video viewers
will be watching on a tablet four years from
now.
But the mobile environment is fragmented,
and not all mobile-compatible solutions are
the same. Some interactive video
technologies are limited to downloadable
apps, while others work natively in the
mobile web and can be distributed with a
URL. Others still have simplified versions for
mobile playback, directing viewers to watch
the video on a desktop at a later time.
Ask the technology provider for a few
examples of mobile interactive videos, and
test those experiences yourself on a few
different devices to see if the technology will
meet your needs.
5. Choose a scalable IV technology
Certain platforms make it easy to iterate on
your IV projects, quickly making changes by
uploading new videos, switching out the old
ones, and publishing to the live site. For
example, a clothing brand using interactive
video to engage customers could simply
replace its video files each time a new line
comes out, enabling the company to keep the
same video format (if they so choose), and
update the content on the fly – meaning all
that initial effort invested in IV pays off over
many, many videos.
Aim for a technology that’ll make your life
easier when it’s time to update your video.
6. Make your first choice point
count
Put your first choice point early in the video
to entice viewers – somewhere between five
seconds and 45 seconds is ideal. Interactive
video is redefining how viewers engage with
video content, and one of its clear
advantages over linear video is the ability to
control the experience.
In our experience, once a viewer interacts
the first time, he or she is likely to stick
around for the whole experience, even
watching the video more than once. So hook
them with a good first interaction.
7. Limit your number of choice
points
With your first choice point in place, it’s
time to position the remaining choice points
throughout your video. Remember that on-
screen choices or interactions take up real
estate, so make them count.
A good guideline is to use up to three
choices or interactions at a time. You don’t
want your viewer to feel overwhelmed with
choices and lose interest.
Once you’ve built your interactive video
project using the IV editor of your choice,
the next step is to test it. Go through the
video to make sure there are no errors, like
rogue video branches that lead you to a dead-
end in the storyline.
8. Make sure your distribution is
aligned to the campaign
Where do you want your viewers to
experience the video? On social channels? In
paid placement? On your own website? Or
maybe a combination of all the above? Think
strategically.
9. Iterate, iterate, iterate
Monitor and optimize the project. One of
interactive video’s best features it that you
can easily update your video if you’re not
seeing the results you want.
It might be something as simple as changing
the position of your first choice point, or
changing the language on the buttons to
further entice people to click.
10. Create with spotty mobile
service in mind
Having a video that’s accessible on all
devices, including mobile, is a huge asset,
but make sure it’ll play well in less-than-
ideal conditions.
Plan for poor WiFi and poor cellular data
environments by keeping the entire page
light and easy to load. Try to limit plug-ins,
add-ons, extra JavaScript, and heavy images
to make it lightweight.
11. Make sharing easy
Take advantage of our social tendencies on
both mobile and desktop by including social
sharing buttons. Embed social sharing right
into the video content both at choice
transition points in the project and always at
the end.
And that’s it! These 11 tips will help you
create an interactive video that’s not only
engaging, but will help you meet your goals
for online video interaction.
Any questions? Let us know in the comments
below.
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