Use a Question as Your First Line on Screen

A viewer who sees a question wants the answer. That small pull is why a question works as the first line on screen: it turns a quick scroll into a short wait. Used well, it carries the viewer through the first few seconds, and the rest of the video pays it off.

Pick a question the video answers

The question has to match what follows. If the video shows how to fix a squeaky door, ask "Why does your door squeak?" and answer it in the next shot. A question that the video never answers costs you the viewer's trust.

Good opening questions share a few traits:

• They speak to the viewer, with words like "you" and "your".
• They have a clear answer inside the video.
• They can be read in one breath.

Keep the question short

Keep it as short as you can. A long question takes time to read, and by then the viewer has moved on. "Why do your photos look flat?" lands faster than "Do you know why the photos you take might look a little flat?" Cut the extra words until each one earns its place.

Put it on screen

1. Press T in DepCut to add a title. It reads "Your text".
2. Change the words in the Text tab, or double-click the title in the preview.
3. Set its timing so it appears on the first frame.
4. Keep it on screen long enough to read twice.

Place the line where it does not cover a face or the main action. A title in the upper third of a vertical video usually leaves the subject clear.

Plan where the answer lands

Decide before you edit when the answer arrives. A quick answer right after the question suits a tip video. A late answer suits a reveal, and it works best when you add a small reminder partway through, such as a repeat of the key words, so the viewer remembers what they are waiting for.

Check the question without sound

Many people watch with the sound off, which makes the question on screen the only line they get at the start. Look at the first frame with the volume down. Check the contrast between the text and the footage behind it, and make sure a stranger could read the question and guess what comes next.

Try a few versions

Write three versions of the question and compare them. One might be direct, one a little playful and one framed around a result. Read each aloud, pick the one that sounds most like you, and keep the others for your next video.

Add your next opening question in DepCut and see how it changes the first few seconds of the cut.