Crafting a video that garners attention is frequently just the starting point. The genuine difficulty is in maintaining viewer engagement throughout the whole video. At VidCon 2025, Kai Plunk, managing director of Elevate Talent Management and a former creative producer for MrBeast, shared valuable perspectives on video retention. He highlighted three essential strategies:

1. **Grasp Human Psychology**: Foster a connection with your audience by increasing content output. Citing previous content at the start of a video can create trust, while referencing it at the conclusion can encourage clicks to additional videos. Bridging audience segments by producing content suitable for multiple platforms and making sure it is accessible in terms of language and visuals is vital.

2. **Prepare Before Execution**: Reflect on retention during the pre-production stage by selecting ideas that provoke curiosity. Aim to deliver content that inherently keeps viewers’ attention instead of depending on flashy elements. When assembling a video, synchronize thumbnails with viewer expectations and adopt titles that present new concepts or inquiries. In the introduction, validate the viewer’s decision to watch, outline stakes, and establish tension.

3. **Augment with Visual and Auditory Appeal**: While filming, capture varied shots and emotions without excess. In the editing phase, identify points of retention and enhance transitions and visuals with sound design. Utilize sound effects, humor, and animations to sustain engagement, and strategically employ silence.

Viewer retention is crucial for viral achievement and can impact how videos function within algorithms, influencing overall views. Examining viewer drop-off trends through analytics on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram Reels can yield valuable insights, although even leading videos face drop-offs after approximately 30 percent.

Mashable will be providing live coverage of VidCon 2025 from the Anaheim Convention Center, sharing updates on trends and insights from creators on expanding their audiences and influence online.