The First 3 Seconds of a Reel
The first three seconds of a reel should be a title someone can read on a phone. The logo and the hello can wait.
The first three seconds of a reel are the only seconds you can count on. Use them for a short title, large enough to read without pausing. Two to six English words, or a short Cantonese phrase. A logo sting, a wave, or a "welcome back" spends the window on you instead of on the point.
The title is the point
"Salt the water" is a title. "Today I talk about pasta" is a delay. If you cannot say the point in a few words, you do not have the reel yet.
Put it where the buttons are not
The bottom of a reel is for likes, captions, and audio. A title sitting there is half a title. Upper-middle, high contrast, held for the full three seconds.
Then prove it
Second four should be the picture of the title, not another sentence. People who stayed did so for that picture. Do not reset with a new intro.
A worked example
Second 0 to 3: "Stop rewriting the caption," full width. Second 4 to 10: a notes app with one line, not six drafts. Second 11: "Post this one." The logo is in the caption, not the opening.
Before you post
- A stranger can read the point in three seconds.
- The title is clear of the bottom buttons.
- Second four proves the title.
Where Scro fits
When on-screen text is on, Scro puts a large title on the opening of an explainer in the language you set. Turn text off and the opening stays free of writing. Approve the still before you render.
Open on a title. Finished samples are on the examples page.
Related: Reel Cover with a Few Words.