What defines a “good video”?
Is it flashy Hollywood effects? Seeing your favorite creator on-screen? The way the beat syncs with the scenes? Something else?
The definition of good is quite subjective, and it’s tough to quantify it directly.
Or so we thought.
Google’s latest studies—a deep dive into the neurological reactions that occur when we consume content we like—offer fascinating insights into what makes videos resonate.
its findings on emotional connection and quality translate perfectly to all types of videos. This article breaks down the key lessons and how you can use them to craft content that engages, informs, and entertains.
What happens inside our brains when we watch a “good” video
When we consume content we enjoy, it sparks a range of emotions that move us. But what exactly happens inside the brain that results in these emotions?
Understanding this mystery may hold the key to creating videos that evoke emotions every single time.
Google and Neuro-Insight, a leading neuroanalysis agency, joined forces to explore how our brains respond to the less tangible elements of video content; the ones that make us feel something.
In the study, participants were asked to choose and watch videos from YouTube creators of their choice and those whom they related to. Meanwhile, researchers used a technique called “Steady State Topography” (SST™) to track the following neurological metrics:
- Emotional intensity (temporal lobe): How strongly a piece of content evokes feelings and captures the viewer's emotional engagement
- Personal relevance (anterior medial prefrontal cortex): How closely a piece of content aligns with the viewer's interests, experiences, or identity.
- Global memory (right frontal cortex): How well overarching themes and ideas from content are retained in a viewer's long-term memory.
- Detail memory (left frontal cortex): How well specific facts, moments, or details from content are remembered by the viewer.
When participants watched creators they loved, imaging showed their brains lit up like Christmas trees. They also reported experiencing happiness, inspiration, relaxation, and feeling informed.
For those who love numbers, these videos resulted in an emotional impact mean score of 0.74. For reference, a >0.7 score indicates a very high emotional impact according to Neural-Insights.
“The SST activity seen within audiences watching their preferred YouTube creators was at the higher end,” says Dr. Richard Silberstein, founder and chief scientist at Neuro-Insights.
In other words, the participants experienced amplified emotional response when watching videos from creators they felt connected to.
But the real question is: why does emotional impact matter?
Various studies have shown a correlation between emotions and memory retention. The more emotions we feel while experiencing something (such as watching a video that resonates), the more likely we are to remember it. This was also consistent with Google and Neural-Insight’s study, which found that watching videos from their preferred creators had an impact on the global memory encoding metric of the participants.
The key takeaway here is that authenticity and relatability matter more than we care to admit when it comes to creating great videos.
As humans, we’re wired to emotionally connect more with people we already know and/or trust. But building trust is a marathon; something that cannot be rushed or achieved overnight.
To win this marathon you’ll need to focus on establishing that 1:1 connection with your audience, no matter who you’re creating videos for or what you want to achieve.
By creating these emotional sparks, you tap into your audience's memory retention and, in turn, are more likely to achieve your intended goal.
Important to note: These findings, while based on YouTube content, have the same implications for all types of videos. Whether you’re creating content for marketing, professional training, sales, general comms, or entertainment, relatability and authenticity will go a long way if you want to emotionally impact your audience.
What defines “quality” content?
In today’s social media-centric world, viewers are exposed to an endless stream of content competing for their attention. On YouTube alone, over 500 hours of video are uploaded every minute—that’s 720,000 hours every single day. With so much content out there, it’s no wonder the bar for what “looks good” is higher than ever.
But how can you tell if what you're creating is even quality? And more importantly, what does "quality" even mean in this context?
Another Google study involving 12,000 participants revealed that 76% of YouTube viewers think a great video has “clear visuals with good audio.”
However, there’s a lot more to what defines quality content. Over 90% of participants in the same study said that high quality content needs to deliver on both a technical and emotional level.
Here’s a side-by-side breakdown of what these emotional and technical markers are (these are taken from the study):
The key to creating a high quality video is striking the right balance between both.
Most beginner-level creators get stuck at the technical markers. But the baseline must be met in tandem with the emotional markers if you want your videos to be perceived as “good.”
The good news is that it has never been easier to meet these technical expectations.
As far as capturing video content goes, it’s easier than ever to achieve good visuals and audio with a decent smartphone and a low-budget microphone. You don't necessarily need expensive equipment and complex setups in order to attain respectable output quality.
Refining captured footage into a finished product is also a lot easier than it used to be. An easy-to-use editing software, with AI capabilities that automate and simplify the workflow, can easily help you create professional-looking video content without needing specialized skills.
All of this means one thing: there’s no excuse for creating content that falls short on quality.
Furthermore, with the accessible equipment and easy video editors at your disposal, you can spend more time on what really matters: telling a compelling story, hooking viewers, and keeping their attention.
