The first second matters most
Most videos lose people before the logo even appears. So I take the most eye-catching moment in the whole video, like a face, quick movement or a question, and put it right at the start. The explanation can come a moment later. You can't keep someone's attention if you never caught it.
Change something every few seconds
When everything stays the same for too long, people drift off. Every four to six seconds I change something: the speed, how close or far the camera is, the colour or the sound. It doesn't need to be wild. A small change is enough to wake the eye up again.
Let the music decide when the picture changes
I switch from one shot to the next in time with the music. Changing exactly on the beat can feel a bit predictable, so I often switch a split second before it, so the new shot lands right on the beat. When picture and sound move together, the video feels smooth even when it's fast.
Remove anything that repeats
If two shots say the same thing, one of them goes. This is the hardest part, because sometimes it means losing a shot I love. But every second has to earn its place. A shorter video that says one thing clearly beats a longer one that says it twice.
Give people a reason to stay to the end
I like to hint early at something that only pays off at the end: a question that gets answered, a number that finally counts up, a reveal. People stay because they want to see how it turns out.
Watch it like a stranger
Before I send anything, I watch it once on my phone, with the sound off, as if I've never seen it. If I feel like skipping at any point, so will everyone else. That's the part I fix.