There’s no secret door to social media success…but there is a skeleton key. And that’s community engagement. Each comment boosts your video in the algorithm – and that includes the ones you make. If you look at viral videos or successful creators, a lot of them have community engagement.
No matter your niche, interests, or goals, you should be incorporating video ideas that start a conversation and invite your followers to join in. Not only is it the key to growing your platform, but the best video ideas for community engagement are also the easiest.
That’s why we compiled a list of 10 video ideas designed for short-form content. Keep reading to see our top engagement boosters and learn how (and why) to incorporate them into your content.
Video Ideas for Community Engagement
Videos and video ideas aimed at community engagement have to do a few things. They’re flexible enough to work with any niche and give viewers a chance to participate rather than just watch. Use them to spark responses, comments, and community engagement. The key is to create something that’s easy to answer and gets followers curious about what other people might be saying.
1. Tell Me Your Unpopular Opinion About…
Find a controversial topic in your niche and ask your followers to (politely, respectfully) share their unpopular opinions about it. Not only do people like sharing their hot takes, but people love reading them even more!
In a video, this might sound like…
- “Tell me your unpopular opinions about books.”
- “What’s your hot take on cooking?”
- “Drop your controversial thoughts about horror movies in the comments.”
2. Finish This Sentence
This one doesn’t need much explanation! You start a sentence and let your followers finish it with their own musing. The key is to give them something fairly easy to respond to, whether or not it’s controversial. If you can, try to make it something shareable too!
Here are a few jumping-off points:
- “You know you’ve been doing this too long when…”
- “When I started in [niche], I wish someone had told me…”
- “My favorite thing about [topic] is…”
3. What’s the One Thing Beginners Get Wrong?
This works on two levels; it encourages experienced followers and viewers to share their expertise, and it catches newbies’ attention. Additionally, people sharing their expertise draw a crowd, so new people will find your video.
Your video prompting people to share their expertise could sound like:
- “What’s one thing beginners get wrong about lifting/writing/editing?”
- “What do you see beginner creators/cat owners/baristas do wrong all the time?”
- “What did you do wrong consistently when you started singing/investing?”
4. This or That/Choose One
Giving viewers something to easily respond to is a huge engagement booster. You’re taking 99% of the work out of the equation. All they have to do is choose one of two options and leave a comment. But if you can make that choice interesting enough, it’s all you need.
As experts in your niche, you’ll be better at picking two options. However, you can use these for our niche as an example.
- “High quality or high quantity content?”
- “Off the cuff or scripted in advance?”
- “Collab with your favorite creator, or your favorite brand?”
5. Show And Tell
Show off something you’re proud of and ask your followers to Clapback, stitch, or video reply with their own version. We recommend it be something in your niche, or at least related to it. What’s something that might spark a conversation?
Here are a few examples!
- “Here’s my favorite horror movie. Now tell me about yours.”
- “Here’s my workspace; show me yours.”
- “Here’s what I meal prepped for this week. Stitch with yours!”
6. What Would You Do?
Put creators in your shoes for a bit. Present a relatable scenario (bonus if it actually happened to you) and ask them to say what they’d do. The key is to also make it a story time! Give them the question, but make sure there’s a narrative to go with it.
The basic question might look like one of these:
- “If your video flopped after 10 hours of editing, what would you do?”
- “My awful ex just texted me…what would you do?”
- “I just ruined the project I’ve been working on for months. What should I do?”
7. Rank These With Me
Create a list of three or five things in your niche and ask viewers to rank them with you. People love seeing what you’ll say, and then chiming in if they don’t agree. It’s a natural and very easy conversation starter.
Here are some examples of things you can rank:
- Tools
- Habits
- Games
- Dishes
- Trends
- Books
- Exercises
- Decor
- Colors
Obviously, find a topic that fits with your niche. These are just some basic examples to get you thinking. Pick something that your audience will also have opinions on.
8. The Thing Nobody Talks About
This is a classic hook that pops off at least once every year in every niche. You share something that no one talks about in your niche, and in this version, ask viewers to chime in, too. Not only does it give viewers advice, but people love to share their experiences.
If you want to shake up the intro, here are some ways to phrase it!
- “The thing nobody talks about when you start creating content is…”
- “Why did nobody tell me about reading slumps before I started reading?”
- “As fitness creators, I think we need to talk about plateauing more often.”
9. Share Your Best Tip
Invite creators to drop their best tip in the comments. Give them an extra challenge by having them share it in one sentence or assigning a specific type of tip! If you find the right viewers, they’ll be dying to market themselves and share their expertise.
Try out these examples!
- “Share your best editing tip in one sentence. I’ll start.”
- “What’s your best tip for people looking to buy their first car?”
- “Give us your best tarot tip in one sentence or less.”
10. Convince Me To Try/Do…
Let the audience influence you for once! Give them something you want to buy, learn about, or test out, and ask them to give you feedback. As we’ve said, people love giving their opinion. But they’ll be even more chatty if you give them a prompt.
That might look like:
- “Convince me to try your favorite game.”
- “I need a new workout routine. Tell me about yours.”
- “Convince me to watch your favorite movie.”
An Overall Note
The best video0 ideas for community engagement will be flexible to apply to a variety of niches (or simply have no niche) and encourage viewers to speak up. Go for something that people will want to respond to, like a hot take or controversial opinion. And if you can’t think of one, try to phrase your chosen question like a hot topic.
Above all, think of your audience. What will they want to respond to? Are there any conversations they’re more likely to chime in on? And when they do start commenting, be sure to respond! The engagement will push your video out even more, and your audience will be more likely to engage in the future.