How to grab attention at the start of a video
What the first seconds do, how Relsko writes the opening line, and how to choose and clean up the start.
On Instagram and TikTok many viewers decide within the first seconds whether to keep watching. The opening line is the text and the shot that appear in that window. Relsko writes it as part of every concept and puts it at the start of the video. This is a practical recommendation for holding attention, not a rule that decides the result.
The start does not need a shout, a promise of a miracle or large red text. It can open with an interesting result, a specific question or a clear situation.
Opening lines that work for businesses usually do one of four things: promise a result (“Beard trim in 20 minutes”), ask a question (“Still cutting your own hair?”), show a contrast (“Before / after”), or name a limited offer (“Only this week”).
- Keep it under forty characters so it stays readable on a phone.
- Match it to the strongest shot, not to the first one you filmed.
- Use the “must include” field to put a specific promise into the opening line.
Choose the start according to the content
For making something, show the finished product. For a trip, show the unusual place. For an explanation, start with a problem the viewer knows. The opening then leads naturally into what follows, instead of only luring the viewer towards something else.
For example, “This is what the garden looked like a month ago” gives clear context. The phrase “You will never believe this” says less and creates an expectation that an ordinary clip may not meet.
Remove the technical run-up
Check whether the first seconds are made up of walking to the phone, an empty table or searching for the right shot. You can remove these parts without losing meaning. In a personal video, however, you do not have to cut every calm moment.
Play only the start and stop. Is it clear what the video shows? If so, continue to the whole story. A strong opening should not promise more than the video actually provides; it should make it easier for the viewer to decide whether the content is for them.
If an opening line does not feel right, type what to change under the concepts and the assistant proposes again.
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