Why Videos Without Sound Are Dominating Social Media

They say that all styles come back around at some point. This also rings true in the type of entertainment content we prefer, even in this increasingly digital age - at least in regards to video.

Have you ever been in a waiting room at your doctor’s office or riding on a transit bus or procrastinating at work (it’s okay, we won’t tell), passing a little time on social media? You see a video on your Facebook timeline that automatically starts to play, but you realize it’s just a video with no on-screen descriptions or captions. Are you inclined to click on it and let it play with full-on sound or attempt to unravel headphones in your bag to ingest the content fully?

You probably just kept scrolling. You’re not alone.

Of the 8 billion video views per day on Facebook, 85% happen without sound according to Digiday. From popular food recipes like Tasty to well-known news outlets like CNN, brands of all varieties are catching on - quickly.

If you haven’t seen these videos, they are informative bits of content presented over a 30 to 90-second span. They are accompanied by simple text descriptions of what is happening in the video so that it’s possible to watch them without sound.

What is it that makes them so popular?

New York Magazine credits it to the quick, simple and informative yet somehow mindless nature of the material. There’s something extremely satisfying to the human brain in learning something new from start to finish in a matter of seconds. It becomes a mesmerizing experience from which it is hard to turn away.

How to make your videos silent-friendly

It’s necessary to keep up with both Facebook’s ever-changing algorithms as well as current audience trends. So grab your top hat and gloves - let’s go back in time to creating silent videos. Here are some tips:

• Grab your audience with sharp visuals - Avoid blurry, out-of-focus or just plain low-quality footage. You need to attract users from the beginning and maintain their attention.
• Add simple text captions or descriptions - Whether it’s a person speaking or images telling a story, incorporate text in small chunks at a time so that it’s easy to absorb. Keep in mind that almost half of videos are played on a mobile device - make sure your text is big enough on such a small platform.

These simple videos have the potential to create a big impact on audience engagement for your brand. Struggling to keep up with the never-ending cycle of social media trends? We’re happy to help.