While 360 videos are cool (Mark Zuckerberg certainly thinks so), making sure viewers look in the right place at the right time can be challenging. Especially when creating narrative-based video.

However YouTube has made life a little easier for creators, with new tools showing where viewers look during their 360 and VR videos.

Now Look Here

YouTube now offers a heat map which shows creators which areas of their videos are drawing the most eyeballs.

You can also break it down to see how long viewers are looking at specific parts of your videos.

At the moment, the heat map is only available for videos with over 1000 views.

Baby steps

As part of the update, YouTube also released some best-practice tips for 360 success.

The first tip is pretty straightforward: focus on what’s in front of you. While 360 lets you look in any direction, viewers still spend 75% of their time within the first 90 degrees of a video.

Secondly, try and create immersive experiences. So while most of the viewer’s attention is focused on the front, they want to experience what the medium can offer. This means creating scenes that span the full 360 range – which can be achieved using audio cues, markers, and animations.

Finally, remember that people view 360 on different devices including mobile, desktop, and headsets. YouTube says viewers on headsets usually need a few seconds to get orientated, so in this case hold off on the action happening straight away.

Have you produced or experienced 360 video? Would it work for your brand? Let us know below.