Use the audience comments ~ Video Ideas no. 3

The article below is from the Video Ideas email list. This edition focuses on how to use audience comments in original ways.

Idea Channel | PBS Digital Studios — Host spends second half of each video responding to comments left on the previous video

If you leave a comment on a YouTube video all you’d probably expect from the channel is a thumbs-up or short reply. However in this series Mike Rugnetta responds to the comments by talking about them in the video itself, which gives them a much higher level of recognition. Also I think he does it well — just a quick summary with a screenshot, leaving viewers to pause the video if they want to read it in detail. (For example here’s Mike responding to the comments on a previous video about Jurassic Park. In this instance he also ropes in other YouTubers to reply to the comments — a good example of audience-boosting collaboration.)

The downside of this approach is most viewers will stop watching when he gets to these comments sections (well-executed though the approach is) and this will affect how the algorithm treats the video. However with YouTubers increasingly relying more on the “1000 true fans” business model (ie. a small but highly engaged number of fans), this approach is a good way of deepening the relationship with an audience.

Compliment Battle | Teen Vogue — two celebrities take it in turns to read to the other adoring comments from fans

There’s lots of videos featuring responses to rude audience comments — most famously Mean Tweets from Jimmy Kimmel Live. But I think this “Compliment Battle” format from Teen Vogue is a nice contrast to that approach. (See also “Thirst Tweets” from Buzzfeed)

Actually Me | GQ — Celebrities log-in to social media platforms and leave real replies to the comments and questions found there.

Actually Me is a clever interview format, and well executed. Also I should mention AMA IRL (great title!) from Netflix, which is similar idea. By the way, if you want more interview format ideas, check out the video ideas lists on my website.

YouTube Comment Reconstruction | Adrian Bliss — Two actors reconstruct a comments-war between two One Direction fans.

Funny, clever idea, since turned into a series.

Player Two | John Wikstrom ⭐ A dramatisation of a story an audience member left in the comments of a YouTube video.

The story behind this film begins with a video made by PBS Game/Show which asked, “Can games can be a spiritual experience?”. In response to that question someone in the comments told a story about their father that filmmaker John Wikstrom turned into a short film. I recommend watching the film first, but if you want to read the original comment it’s here. Also after the film was published, the person who first told the story left another comment, this time thanking Wikstrom for making the film.

A star (⭐) means particularly recommended. While all the films I include in these emails are worth knowing about for some reason, these are the ones you definitely don’t want to miss watching.

The article above is from the Video Ideas email list, which is designed to give journalists and non-fiction filmmakers inspiration from different corners of the internet. You can read more about the thinking behind the list and sign up here.

As a filmmaker I specialise in making journalistic explainers about politics or the “ideas behind the news”. If you’d like to get an update email when I publish a video, select that option when you sign-up.

On my website you can also find details of the training and consultancy work I do, as well as articles and resources to help you make better video.

You can email me on mail@brendanmiller.co.uk or find me on Instagram and Twitter.