First 30 seconds

Creators treat this window as a separate piece of writing because nothing further along counts until it is survived. The job is to confirm the viewer is in the right place, give a reason to keep going, and start delivering. Branded intros, a greeting sequence and a rundown of what you are about to cover all spend the window without paying anything back. It carries even more weight on television, where a video that autoplays has to earn attention before anyone has chosen to watch it, so those seconds need to look good and open a question worth staying for.