In the world of video marketing, what makes or breaks a video can sometimes come down to one detail. The music used, what b-roll you choose, or how your thumbnail is designed can be the difference between a viral video or a lackluster flop. That’s exactly why running A/B tests with your videos is essential to understand what your audience responds to. If you want to see better results from your videos, you have to incorporate testing into your strategy.
If you’re thinking that running A/B tests means you have to spend a ton of time, money, or effort, you’d be wrong. In this post, we’ll go over five easy A/B test ideas you run with your videos to learn more about what your target audience likes and dislikes. Once you know what works, you can use your findings to create a template for success for your videos.
5 easy A/B tests to try with your videos
Test #1 – Background music
The first simple test you can do with a video is with your background audio. There’s tons of options even within this idea, but you can start simple. Try creating two versions of your video, one with a background music track and one without. You can also test out using different genres or bpm rates for the music you use. Try a test where you use an upbeat, energetic track for one video, and a chiller, more lo-fi track for the other. Even if you’re sure you know which one will win, the results may surprise you.
Test #2 – Opening hook
The first few seconds of any video are undoubtedly the most important to really nail, so it shouldn’t be any surprise that our second A/B test idea is to experiment with your video’s opening hook. Grabbing your audience’s attention is vital, especially if you’re competing against every other piece of content in their feed. Experiment with starting your videos with a thought-provoking question vs a compelling statement. Or you can try telling a joke vs making them a promise right at the start of the video. This is an area where you can really get creative with your tests to see what works.
Test #3 – B-roll usage
If your videos are typically just you or a person talking at the camera, a great test to run is inserting b-roll footage into your videos. Or even if you’re already using stock footage in your videos, try creating a version with people and a version without and see how they perform. With enough testing, you can learn the visual elements that your viewers respond to and keep them watching for longer.
Test #4 – Color palette
We’ve talked previously about creating a signature visual aesthetic for your videos, and a huge part of that is the use of color. The psychology of color is a very real thing, so if you typically only use one or two colors in your videos, try using different colors as an A/B test. Whether it’s the accent color you use on graphics like lower thirds or the way that you color grade your footage, you might be surprised to see how differently your audience responds to your videos when you test two different options.
Test #5 – Thumbnail design
The last of our suggested A/B tests is the thumbnail. While thumbnails may not be relevant for every single platform you post your videos on, for sites like YouTube, it’s often the first impression your video can make. Thumbnail design is the wild west of A/B testing, as there’s a million different directions you can take. We’d recommend starting with putting a plain thumbnail up against a more designed version that includes text or effects. Once you have a clear idea of which one tends to work better, you can continue to iterate your thumbnail designs and test to see what ultimately works best to drive clicks.
Learn the step-by-step process of A/B tests for videos with our free guide
No matter where you start with running A/B tests for your videos, the most important thing is to start, full stop. Using A/B testing shows you exactly what your audiences respond to, what engages them, and ultimately gets them to watch your videos. It unlocks the potential to refine your strategy for more impact, elevate engagement, and drive better results. If you’re ready to start A/B testing your videos, download our free guide, “A/B testing for video marketing.” It takes you through everything you need to know about A/B testing, from step-by-step instructions on how to run your tests to best practices and advice from marketing professionals.
