The first 30 seconds of a video are a promise. In that time, a viewer decides whether the rest is worth their time. Most of them won't wait for you to warm up, so the opening has one job: make them want the next minute.
Here's what to say, and what to leave out.
Start with the point, not with hello
Many videos open with a long hello: who you are, what your channel is about, a reminder to subscribe. Viewers don't know you yet, so none of that tells them why they should stay.
Start with the thing they came for. You can introduce yourself after you've given them a reason to care who you are.
Say what they'll get
Tell them, in one sentence, what they'll know or be able to do by the end.
By the end of this video, you'll know exactly how to price your first coaching package.
That sentence does two things: it tells the right people they're in the right place, and it gives everyone a reason to keep watching until you deliver it.
Say why it matters to them
Connect the topic to something they already feel: a problem, a mistake, a goal.
If you've ever undercharged and regretted it a month later, this is for you.
Keep it about them, not about you.
Give them a reason to trust you, briefly
One line is enough. What have you done, seen or learned that makes you worth listening to on this? For example:
I've helped over a hundred coaches set their prices.
Only say what's true. One honest line beats a long list of credentials.
Start delivering
Then begin. The fastest way to keep people watching is to start giving them what you promised early, not after a long setup. Something new every few seconds keeps attention: a point, an example, a picture of what you mean.
Videoteca's edit helps here. It puts more graphics in the first 30 seconds, so there's something to look at while you make your opening points, and it shows your name on screen as you start talking, so you don't have to stop to introduce yourself.
Openings you can copy
Fill in the blanks with your own topic:
- "The biggest mistake I see people make with [topic] is [mistake]. Here's how to avoid it."
- "Here's what I wish someone had told me before I started [topic]."
- "If you [situation], this video is for you. By the end, you'll know [result]."
- "There are three things that decide whether [result] works. Most people only get the first one right."
- "Most people think [common belief]. Here's why that's costing them [cost]."
Say your opening out loud a few times before you record. If it sounds like you talking to a friend, it's ready.
When your video is recorded, upload it and get it back edited, with an opening title written from what you say.
Questions people ask
Should I introduce myself at the start?
Not at length. Open with what the viewer will get, then say who you are in a sentence once they have a reason to care. On a Videoteca edit your name appears on screen as you start talking, so you don't need to say it first.
Should I ask people to subscribe at the beginning?
It works better after you've given them something useful, when they know what they'd be subscribing to. If you say "subscribe" during the video, Videoteca shows a subscribe reminder on screen around that moment.
Can I write my opening down and read it?
Yes, for the opening it helps. Write two or three sentences, practice them until you can say them without reading, and then talk naturally for the rest of the video.
How long should my opening be?
Long enough to say what they'll get and why it matters, which is often just two or three sentences. Then start delivering.