How to Get More Views on Facebook

Why did the shrine video perform so well? In just a week our video about a Wisconsin shrine hit 15K views on Facebook alone. The exposure was certainly unexpected – we created this video on-the-fly with barebones equipment and no planning. So why did it get so popular?

Here’s a shocking statistic: Of the 15,372 views, only 427 began after someone clicked on the video. That means that 97% of our views started when our video autoplayed in the Facebook newsfeed. 

In other Pro Tips, I’ve spoken of the importance of uploading video natively — Don’t just share a YouTube link, use the Facebook “post video” button. Only native video will autoplay as a user scrolls to it. But, equally important:

#ProTip: Make sure your video can be understood without sound.

When a video autoplays on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, it always starts without sound – which means that you need to capture a viewer’s attention with visuals alone. In the case of the shrine video, the story is told with on-screen text. When we create videos for businesses, especially if it is an interview, we always create a separate version for social media that includes the dialogue transcribed into on-screen text. We also provide our clients a step-by-step guide and “best practices” to help them successfully post their video on social media.

Worldwide, 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound, which means that, without using sound-proofing techniques, you could be missing out on a whole lot of exposure. 

Katie Rutter is the executive producer of Thing in a Pot Productions. She has received multiple awards for her videos and the overall quality of her work, including being honored as Video Producer of the Year in 2018 by the Catholic Press Association. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our video Pro Tips in your inbox every month!