When I started using silence in my shorts, I've learned...

Okay, so I was trying everything to make my shorts engaging, and I was adding music everywhere, I was trying different editing techniques, different text styles… I was doing everything I could to get views, but it wasn’t working. And then I thought to myself...what if, for once, I tried the opposite thing and I just posted nothing? I just used my usual video, but I just didn’t add any music, and I just…left it silent for a few seconds. And the reaction was… weird. In a good way.

I had noticed that my usual approach was not working. It seemed like people had become desensitized to the usual music, transitions, and hooks. But they reacted to the silence, it was like I had done something wrong, or like I had messed up something on the video. They started commenting to ask about the silence, or saying that the silence felt very uncomfortable. Some even re-watched it and said that they didn’t know why.

So, I started experimenting with it even more. I created shorts with the start in total silence, and it was like creating a giant pause button for your brain. It was so different from what people expect from a short, that it became surprisingly engaging.

Here’s what I’ve learned using this stupid approach:

- It's a shock to the system: We're so used to constant noise and stimulation on social media that a few seconds of silence creates a powerful contrast, and makes people actually pay attention.

- It makes people curious: People notice what is different, so they might start re-watching your short to find out if it was an accident, or to try and figure out why you did that.

- It forces interaction: It can create a reaction to the absence of something (sound), and that can lead to a flood of comments asking why you chose to do it, or if you made a mistake.

- It is a subtle way to be unique: With so many people doing the same things on shorts, being different is a great way to grab attention, and to make your content stand out from the crowd.

The weirdest thing is that it's incredibly easy to implement. Just… don't add music, or sound, at the start of your video, or add just a tiny bit of quiet sound, to then transition to a louder sound to highlight it. It’s that stupidly simple.

Instead of using your usual music or voice-over at the start of your short, use a few seconds of complete silence (or very quiet sound), and see if it increases the engagement and watch time. You will be surprised by the results