Something I see all the time is people trying to fix their videos without really knowing what’s wrong with them in the first place. A video doesn’t get views, so you try different hooks. It doesn’t get much engagement, so you switch up your editing or tell yourself you just need to be more consistent. And for a second, it feels like you’re making progress. But then the next video doesn’t perform either, and you’re right back where you started, trying something new without really knowing if it’s the right thing to fix.

The problem isn’t that you’re not trying hard enough or that you’re missing some secret tactic. It’s that most people never stop to ask  ‘what’s wrong with your videos’ in the first place. This is what keeps you stuck in that content creation hamster wheel, constantly adjusting things on the surface and hoping the algorithm finally picks something up.

But video marketing isn’t guesswork. There’s always a reason a video works or doesn’t, and once you understand what’s actually causing the issue, the solution becomes a lot more clear. So instead of continuing to throw random fixes at your content, let’s break this down properly by looking at the most common symptoms, what’s really behind them, and what needs to change.

Symptom #1: Your videos aren’t getting views

 If your videos aren’t getting views, your first thought is probably that it’s a reach problem. Maybe the algorithm isn’t picking it up, maybe it’s the timing, maybe it’s the format. That’s usually where people go first. But most of the time, the issue is happening before any of that even matters. This is usually the first moment people start asking what’s wrong with your videos, because nothing on the surface seems to explain it.

Diagnosis

The video isn’t giving someone a reason to care right away. When someone scrolls past your video, they’re not sitting there thinking about your credentials or how much effort you put into it. They’re reacting to it instantly. As you explain in your freebie, your viewer is basically scanning and asking, “Is this for me? Do I care? Is this worth my attention?” If that answer isn’t obvious, they keep going. So low views aren’t always about visibility, they’re about how the video is being perceived in the first second.

Solution

This is where you have to flip how you’re building your videos. Instead of starting with what you want to say, you start with what your viewer needs to feel. That means getting clear on what would make them stop, what would make them know this video is for them, and what emotional signal you need to give right away. From there, you build everything around that—your opening line, your visuals, your pacing—so the viewer doesn’t have to figure out if they should care, they know immediately. 

But I know this isn’t always easy to apply. This approach to video is different from what most people online are teaching. That’s why I break it down inside Make Videos That Stick and Sell. On page 10, I walk you through how your viewer processes your video and how to build from that point so your content actually gets watched.

Symptom #2: People aren’t finishing your videos

This is the one where it feels like you’re close. You’re getting views, so clearly something is working, but people aren’t staying long enough to actually get the full message. You can literally see where they drop off, and it’s frustrating because you know the part they’re missing is the part that matters. This is often when you start wondering what’s wrong with your videos, because you know the content is valuable, but you can’t get people to stay long enough to see it.

Diagnosis

The video isn’t giving them a reason to keep watching. A lot of videos are clear and informative, but that’s not the same thing as being engaging. People don’t stay just because something is well explained, they stay because something is pulling them forward. In your freebie, you talk about this as leading your viewer through a deliberate emotional and psychological experience, not just delivering information. And more specifically, you mention using tension and pacing to create connection and meaning. If that’s missing, your viewer leaves as soon as they feel like they’ve gotten enough.

Solution

This is where you have to rethink how your video is structured. Instead of organizing your content around getting through your points, you need to build it around keeping your viewer moving from one moment to the next. That means creating open loops, introducing ideas that haven’t fully paid off yet, and making sure there’s always something unresolved that keeps them watching. Each part of your video should naturally lead into the next, so it doesn’t feel complete too early. When you do this well, your viewer isn’t deciding whether to stay, they just keep going because they want to see what happens next.

But I also understand that this is easier said than done. Most people are taught to focus on clarity and information, not on how to build momentum inside a video. That’s exactly why I broke this down inside Make Videos That Stick and Sell. You can find this on page 14, where I walk you through how to design your videos as an emotional journey so people actually stay and watch until the end.

Symptom #3: Your videos get views but don’t create connection

This one is a little harder to spot, because technically your videos are “working.” You’re getting views, maybe even some engagement, but nothing really comes from it. People watch and move on. They don’t follow, they don’t binge your content, and they don’t really stick around. This is usually the point where you start wondering what’s wrong with your videos, because on paper, it looks like they should be working.

Diagnosis

The video isn’t changing anything for the viewer. It’s giving them information, but it’s not creating a shift. And without that shift, there’s no reason to stay connected to you. Like you say in your freebie, people remember how your video made them feel far more than what you said. That’s the missing piece. If nothing about their perspective or feeling changes while they’re watching, the video doesn’t leave an impression.

Solution

This is where you have to shift from delivering information to creating an experience. Instead of asking, “What do I want to teach?” you start asking, “What do I want them to realize, feel, or see differently by the end of this?” That means building in moments where something clicks, where you reframe something they already believe, or where they feel understood in a way they haven’t before. Those are the moments that actually create connection, because they stay with the viewer after the video ends. When you start creating those shifts intentionally, your videos stop being something people just watch and become something they remember.

But I also understand that this is easier said than done. Most people are taught to focus on giving value, not on shaping how that value is experienced. That’s exactly why I broke this down inside Make Videos That Stick and Sell. You can find this on page 17, where I walk through how to use emotion and perception to create videos that actually connect and make people want to come back.

Symptom #4: You’re consistent but nothing is growing

This is the one that usually leads to burnout. You’ve been showing up, posting regularly, doing what everyone says to do, and still, it doesn’t feel like anything is building. You might get the occasional video that does okay, but there’s no real momentum, and that gap between effort and results starts to feel bigger over time. At this point, it’s natural to start wondering what’s wrong with your videos, because from the outside, it looks like you’re doing everything right.

Diagnosis

There’s no clear direction behind the content. Consistency on its own doesn’t create growth, it just amplifies what’s already there. And like you point out in your freebie, the industry focuses so much on volume and visibility instead of clarity and direction. If your videos don’t have a clear experience behind them, posting more of them won’t fix that, it just means you’re repeating the same problem more often.

Solution

This is where you have to shift from posting consistently to creating with intention. Instead of asking, “What should I post today?” ask, “What is this video meant to do?” Get clear on the role each video plays, how it should feel, what it should move your viewer toward, and how it fits into the bigger picture of your content. When every video has a purpose behind it, your content stops feeling random and starts building on itself, which is what actually creates momentum.

But I know this isn’t always easy to apply. Most people focus on showing up instead of directing what their content is actually doing. That’s exactly why I broke this down inside Make Videos That Stick and Sell. You can find this on page 13, where I walk you through how to create with purpose and shape perception so your consistency actually leads to growth.

So what’s actually wrong with your videos?

When you look at all of this together, it’s not four separate problems. It’s one pattern showing up in different ways. Low views, low watch time, lack of connection, and inconsistent growth aren’t isolated issues, they’re all symptoms of the same thing happening underneath.

Your videos aren’t being directed with enough intention.

Right now, they’re being built around what you want to say, instead of how your viewer experiences them. And that might not seem like a big difference, but it changes everything. Because your viewer isn’t watching your video the way you created it. They’re scanning it, interpreting it, deciding how they feel about it in real time.

So when that experience isn’t intentional, the results feel inconsistent. One video works, another doesn’t, and there’s no clear reason why. But once you start building your videos around the experience you want to create, how it should feel, what should stand out, what should shift, that’s when things stop feeling random and start becoming repeatable.

That’s the difference between posting content and actually directing it.

Where to start

If you’re reading this and you’re thinking, “okay, this is exactly what’s been happening,” don’t try to fix everything at once. That’s usually where people get overwhelmed and end up right back in that same cycle of changing too many things without really knowing what made the difference.

Instead, just pick the symptom that felt the most familiar. The one where you immediately thought, “yes, that’s exactly what’s happening with my videos.” That’s your starting point.

Then go download Make Videos That Stick and Sell and go straight to that section. Don’t just read it, actually apply it to your next video. Build it differently. Think through it differently. That’s where this starts to click.

And if you have any questions as you’re going through it or trying to apply it, just let me know.

Because this isn’t about doing more. It’s not about posting more often, editing more, or trying harder.

It’s about finally fixing the right thing.

And once you do that, you make your videos work the way they’re supposed to.