How to Make Your Videos More Engaging

Why does adding sound make a huge difference to your YouTube Video? By adding sound clips to your videos, sends small triggers to your brain and keeps you interested in what you are watching. a good example is a horror movie, a carefully selected sound clip can enhance the viewers experience. This sound can be used to build up the tension, where you feel that something bad is going to happen. If you were to say watch the same clip again but without sound, the experience would be far less enjoyable.

Why Add Additional Sound Clips to Your Videos?

Many video creators do not add additional sound clips to their videos. The result of this is, less viewer retention. The problem with adding extra sound clips it that it is another step in the editing process. However, that extra little step could mean that you keep a viewer watching for much longer. Also by enhancing the viewers experience, they may recommend your video to others. It is hard to get your video shared, but a little extra effort could bring in far more viewers. So don’t just focus on getting your content out there, just take your time to add that extra step in adding sound.

What Sounds Should I Use in My Videos?

You could use true to life sounds; lets say that your video is about boiling an egg, adding a sound clip of boiling water, perhaps a little louder than you would normally expect it to be, this would certainly enhance the viewers experience. Another good example is shown in the video below by Ed from Film Booth, here he shows a clip of a lens being clipped onto a camera, however the sound effect used is a gun. So, by adding a sound that is wrong, sends another signal to the brain and thereby you get extra viewer retention time.

Where to Add Additional Sounds To Videos?

Sounds can be added where there is a major event happening, such as above where the enhanced sound of boiling water gives the viewer an extra sensation. Another example, which is demonstrated well in the video below; when test is added to the screen, enhance that effect with the sound of a typewriter. Sound clips can also be used for when the video transitions from scene to scene.

I do have another channel on knotting, and it was purely by accident I discovered that sounds can enhance a video. Often in my videos there was the sound of my dog snoring loudly and on occasion the sound of a clock chiming. Despite the fact that the video was educational, people would comment, “not heard the clock for a while, is it still working?” or “what breed is your dog?” or “what is the name of your dog?”. So this go me thinking a little bit more about the effects sound had on a video. I do now, put the sound of the clock in, as viewers seem to like that!

What Not to Do with Sound Clips

Try to avoid using the same sound over and over, repetition of the same sound can turn viewers off! Timing is another important aspect, the timing needs to be spot on to have the correct effect, unless of course, for comedy purposes you want it to be wrong.

Where to Get Copyright Free and Royalty Free Sound Clips?

In the video below, Film Booth does recommend a couple of places, but I would like to also draw your attention that Monotony TV does also have some Copyright Free Sound and Royalty Free Free Sound Clips. Just click on either link to be taken to the full collection. Or, if you prefer you can also see the full playlist on Monotony TV Sound Clips. Remember to keep coming back to those links, as the collection of free to use sound files is constantly being updated.

Sound Clips to Boost Retention Video

It is worth watching all of the video above, as it is packed with good information on what and what not to do when it comes to adding sound clips to your video.