Is a youtube intro really needed?

If it lures them in and keeps people watching it's worth it.

This will date me a bit, but I remember how cool the old Hawaaii 50 TV show opening theme was, I watched the opening theme more than the actual show!

If the majority of your views come from people already subscribed, you probably don't need to keep re-introducing the show. But if you get a lot of grazers and lurkers like I do, some kind of theme is very helpful.

But regardless, keep it short and interesting!
 
I'm making intros for all my Video Sections. Soon, all the channel sections will be on air ;D. And all of them feature a short in-house branded intro! The problem is if you make it too long/low quality/or boring. Using an intro reinforces your channel branding and identification. It stays in the head of the people. And when people watched various videos from you with good content, because they remember the intro, they will be more willing to subscribe. They think "I remember this guy's intro. I watched a vid from this guy and it was good, and this video is also good." And if the day comes, they would've already watched and enjoyed so many videos from you, that they will most definitely end up subscribing =)[DOUBLEPOST=1395457983,1395457476][/DOUBLEPOST]Note: After some months, the intros should be enhanced and made a variation from them. This will keep the channel fresh and not stuck always in the same style. My main intro has changed a lot of times before launching the channel, after-launch it has been changed/enhanced once. And my channel was launched 01/01/2014 ;p
 
You say every youtuber first introduces himself when making a video?
Definitely not! Because it really depends on the kind of video you make! I never ever introduce myself in my videos -simply because no one cares who I am, they simply want to see the Reviews/Tutorials.
And that's also how it is with Intros. Fore some Genres it's helpful, for some it's not.
For me it is helpful, because I get most of my views through Youtube Search/Suggested Videos so it's important that people remember "video dslr tutorial" that I raise in their favor so that they choose also next time my Review/Tutorial and not similar ones from other youtubers.
 
nad said:
You say every youtuber first introduces himself when making a video?
Definitely not! Because it really depends on the kind of video you make! I never ever introduce myself in my videos -simply because no one cares who I am, they simply want to see the Reviews/Tutorials.
And that's also how it is with Intros. Fore some Genres it's helpful, for some it's not.
For me it is helpful, because I get most of my views through Youtube Search/Suggested Videos so it's important that people remember "video dslr tutorial" that I raise in their favor so that they choose also next time my Review/Tutorial and not similar ones from other youtubers.
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Your right not a lot of youtubers do. But almost all the bigger call of duty youtubers announce their name. I think I will chose one or the other - intro don't introduce my name or no intro and introduce my self.

babyteeth4 said:
If it lures them in and keeps people watching it's worth it.

This will date me a bit, but I remember how cool the old Hawaaii 50 TV show opening theme was, I watched the opening theme more than the actual show!

If the majority of your views come from people already subscribed, you probably don't need to keep re-introducing the show. But if you get a lot of grazers and lurkers like I do, some kind of theme is very helpful.

But regardless, keep it short and interesting!
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That is good advice I still remember my favorite tv shows and cartoons catchy intros!

Lime Cake Music said:
I think a good, well-made intro can make a channel/video (like yours) feel more professional, but just like some of you already said, they can get annoying if you watch a bunch of videos in a row.
For example =3 has a short, well-made intro, but after seeing it once it no longer improves the video.
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Sinc said:
After i see it for the first time, i skip all.
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The other day I was watching my own older video and I skipped my own intro lol. Not even thinking about it. After seeing it a million times you do get tired of it!
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I'm still undecided whether to keep my intro or not. So many good arguments to have an intro and so many good arguments saying not to have one. I thought about even making a video about it and showing my 5 intros and letting my subscribers pick which style they want for an intro, if they would prefer no intro, or make a new extremely short intro. What do you think about doing this?
 
Josh Keatley said:
I thought about even making a video about it and showing my 5 intros and letting my subscribers pick which style they want for an intro, if they would prefer no intro, or make a new extremely short intro. What do you think about doing this?
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This sounds like a great idea! Always a good idea to give your viewers a chance to participate, this is what makes YouTube better than television!
 
I personally don't like intros that much as they are often pretty average, so I didn't really bother with my channel. Also, 99% of my audience at the beginning were my personal friends, so it's not like that they needed an 'intro video' to get to know me.
 
I prefer the sweet and simple intros, such as what Pewdiepie does ("How's it going Bros? My name is PEEEEEEEWdiepie")

In fact, that was my inspiration to come up with my own, sweet and simple ("Hey guys, I'm your host Daemon White, and welcome to "X"")

I would prefer an outro instead of a large intro because chances are the person won't mind seeing the outro if they lasted through the whole video.
 
When it comes to intro's have a specific idea that I constructed out of my youtube experience:
1) Youtube intro's must add to your video. (so generally, at least for now I plan on making individual intro's for every single video I upload as I'm only uploading once a week)
2) In your end card, link video's. But link them in a way, as when they click on them, they skip the intro. (A small reward for clicking)
3) When watching playlists, I have noticed some people are able to start their vids, also skipping the intro, so if I figure out how exactly that works, I would implement that.
4) Keep your intro's short. If you have a specific intro that you plan on using, keep them short (5 sec or less), and change them up after ever so often. make a few intro's, and switch them up so I don't have to watch each video intro a hundred times. I'm a person that, if I like someones video's I'll check out more of their stuff, and if all of the vids please me, I'll subscribe. But having to watch the same, long intro over and over again, might not bother me as much in the beginning, it does add up in the end. And I'll usually just start skipping the intro and stop watching the video's in bulk after that. Maybe one vid per day of that person if that person just happens to pop up on my feed. If you produce 30 - 40 min long video's, I don't have a problem with a longer intro. (Nostalgia Critic for example)

With kind regards,

- GrimWaltz
 
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