You’ve put so much work in your YouTube video. Time, sweat, tears, effort, money … caffeine. But your views are blah at best. So, how can you get more views on YouTube? We’ve got tips for you!
Picture the scenario. You’ve spent time and budget to create a great video. You upload it to your clients’ corporate YouTube channel and wait for the likes and comments to flood in. (After all, it was a great video.)
Only they don’t. Your YouTube channel is a sad and lonely landscape with tumbleweed blowing across it.
If that’s you, you’re definitely not alone. It happens! But at Contentworks Agency we use a number of hacks to get more YouTube views on client videos. In this article, I’m going to tell you my best tips to get more YouTube views.
Types of YouTube Videos That Get the Most Views
If you’re still in the content creation stage, listen up. Creating videos that people want to watch is the key to getting more views. It’s easier to get views if you get the basics right from the start.
Unboxing videos
Show your customer or team member unboxing a product and explaining what’s inside. Add some suspense and a link at the end to purchase!
Educational videos
Short and easy-to-understand educational videos are a win on YouTube. You can explain how your product or service works or give related tips. If you’re selling paint, then produce a playlist on how to paint different objects. Get straight to the point, though, or users will skip!
“Best of” videos
Compile your team’s best moments, funniest fails, press highlights, or top events of the year. Creating a fun mashup with a good soundtrack is a surefire view grabber.
Tag or challenge videos
Just like on TikTok, YouTube video viewers love a challenge. Get viewers to comment, answer a question, or tag a friend in the comments. This is even more likely to work if there is a prize involved.
OK, overview over! Let me show you my top hacks to get more YouTube views.
1. Write Keyword-Rich Descriptions
I promise I won’t go on about content marketing being the center of the marketing universe. (It is.) But it’s important to write great descriptions and titles on your YouTube videos.
You need to start viewing YouTube as a video search engine, then thinking about whether your videos will show up. Users tend to search for short, relevant keywords using type or voice search. Thanks to Google snippets (position zero), YouTube videos can and will show up at the top of a search if they’re relevant.
For example, I searched for apple pie recipe, and right near the top are these three YouTube videos. All of which have nailed their titles, descriptions, and tags. Notice the emphasis on these being the best and only apple pie recipes you will need. Why would I keep searching?
Check out Natasha’s Kitchen below:
Natasha repeats keywords like apple pie, apple pie recipe, and a recipe for Thanksgiving. She also pins relevant comments and replies promptly to users who find her video:
It’s important you take the time to research the keywords and phrases people use to search for your product.
Trust me, people won’t be searching for X brand CEO talks about X brand product. Your video title is especially important. Research shows that titles should be short and captivating while they also include essential keywords. If you have a specific brand or product hashtags you should include them. They count on the search and pull through to social when the video is shared.
Takeaway: Even if your videos have been live for a while, it’s never too later to overhaul them. Go through your channel and optimize your video descriptions, tags, and descriptions.
YouTube Tip: If you’re creating new YouTube videos, keep them short. 33% of viewers will stop watching a video after 30 seconds with 45% leaving after one minute and 60% by two minutes. If consumers leave early, YouTube’s algorithm will not rank you well.
2. Tap into Micro-Influencers
No, we’re not hitting up Kylie Jenner to beg for a mention. I’m talking about collaborating with micro-influencers, partners, nearby businesses, and brand ambassadors to maximize your client’s (and your) video views.
Bringing in other experts for a guest spot is the YouTube equivalent of an Instagram takeover and it really works. Wellness influencer Candice Kumai frequently demonstrates this on her YouTube channel by introducing complementary brands and personalities. In this video, Zoë is learning how to do her makeup for video calls and conferences. So, she’s tapping celebrity makeup artist Katey Denno.
And the tagging and mentions continue in the description below. What this means is the Well+Good YouTube channel will receive attention from Zoë and Katey’s fans.
In fact, there’s a whole playlist dedicated to Zoë on Well+Good’s channel. The great thing about doing this is it allows social media managers to cover a broader range of topics, attract more fans, and keep content fresh and engaging.
You can also create an expert roundup video where you ask experts in your field why they use your product. Or, you could ask them for insights and tips. Their combined social media reach will amplify your video and instantly add more views. Check out this great Agorapulse expert roundup.
And speaking of playlists…. Always create playlists to keep viewers on your channel. When they watch one video in the playlist, they will then automatically drift into the next rather than disappearing into someone else’s channel.
If you have a budget set aside for influencer marketing, then definitely dedicate a chunk of it to your YouTube videos.
Micro-influencers on YouTube are channels with 10K-50K subscribers. They often have a niche and engaged audiences who respond well to their messaging. Watch a few of their videos to see if they are a good match for your brand and then approach them to discuss a collaboration.
If you don’t have a budget, tag the coffee shop you’re in and mention how great their coffee is. Talk about your location, and mention a few awesome landmarks or thank a specific person or company for their service. This takes a few seconds, is a thoughtful act, and could result in an influencer share.
YouTube Tip: Always create KPIs for any influencer marketing you perform. You should understand why you’re doing it and what you hope to gain for your budget.
3. Use High-Quality Images
As with your website or blog, images matter. Google and YouTube search engines prioritize high-quality images. Image thumbnails appear in search results and display on social sharing, so it matters.
Additionally, if your image is low quality or the font is unreadable, you have wasted a significant opportunity to get viewers. Nailing your thumbnails and covers not only benefits your SEO, but it also adds to the overall aesthetic of your channel.
Check out Jamie Oliver’s playlist thumbnails below. Everything is categorized, on-brand, and easy to find:
His thumbnails show up on Google search:
And if we hit share on one of Jamie’s videos, this is what we see. Notice how Jamie’s great captions and hashtags pull through to social media.
YouTube tips:
- Your YouTube profile or channel icon should be 800 x800 pixels.
- The ideal size for a thumbnail image is 1280 x 720 pixels.
- The recommended cover image size on YouTube is 2560 x 1440 pixels. However, it’s essential that your cover video works with the “safe area” as shown below. This might take a bit of wrangling but it’s worth getting it right.
4. Repurpose Content to Maximize Each Video
If you’ve spent time creating an awesome video, uploading it to YouTube is only a tiny percentage of the work you need to do. The problem is that most marketing departments consider the publication of the video to be its finish line.
Repurposing your content makes sense financially, plus it will reap more views and subscribers in the long run.
Here are some YouTube hacks for repurposing your video content.
Embed videos into your blog posts
Simply click SHARE, then Embed. From the box that appears, copy the HTML code and paste it into your blogs HTML. The video can then be played from within your blog easily linking to your YouTube channel.
Create GIFs from your videos
GIFs are easy to share and drive high engagement. They also act like a sweet little promo for your full-length YouTube video.
To create a GIF from a YouTube video, select the YouTube URL at the top of your browser. Add the word “gif” before the domain name so it reads, com/[your-video-tag]. This will bring you to gifs.com, with your video already uploaded and ready for editing. Here, you can add captions, chop time off, edit the colors, and add tons of other fun effects. Pick a funny moment or intriguing shot to captivate your audience. Then post the GIF with a link to the full YouTube vid.
Add text
If you’re making videos in English, you are limiting yourself to English speakers. Translating your content into multiple languages by adding a transcript will open your brand up to a global market. To add other languages; Open the video, click the icon on the far right for “Subtitles/CC.” (CC stands for “Closed Captions.) Set your language then upload or paste your alternative language transcript.
Did you know … Around 38 to 41 million people in the USA speak Spanish. By uploading transcripts of your video in both languages, your video will start appearing in English and Spanish YouTube searches. Yay!
5. Understand Your Channel Analytics
As a social media manager, you need to understand your clients’ channel analytics. Doing so allows you to work smarter, not harder. The Analytics tab of the YouTube Studio offers data about how your videos and channel are performing. While looking at this data doesn’t get you views, it does tell you what’s working and what isn’t.
The Analytics tab shows you:
- Channel views and subscribers
- Video view numbers and engagement
- Average view times for each video
- Drop-off points where many viewers exited the video.
- Audience demographic information
- Traffic source and related stats
YouTube’s analytics is like Google Analytics, logical as it’s now a Google-owned product. Here’s a quick peek at what an Analytics tab on YouTube looks like.
Notice how our video is only 32 seconds long and the audience drops away at 0.22 seconds on average.
YouTube Tip: Always track your YouTube links when you post them to other channels. Doing this will allow you to monitor what works and what doesn’t.
More Quick YouTube Hacks
Here are a few more quick hacks that are easy to implement and completely free.
Promote your other videos with cards and end screens
Cards and end screens are video overlays you can add in “Creator Studio.” (You can compare Creator Studio vs. Agorapulse in this article.) What they do is tempt the viewer into clicking into a similar video rather than leave your channel. Here’s a great example from Ben & Jerry’s.
Ask viewers to subscribe
Yes, really. Just ask them. Prompt them at the end of the video like Top Tenz. The history and biographical channel verbally reminds viewers to subscribe at the end of each video and backs it up with onscreen reasons to do so. You can also invite fans from other channels to subscribe to your YouTube channel. Just make sure the content there is original or they will not see the benefit.
Incentivize views with a giveaway
Nothing will get more YouTube views like a contest or giveaway. If you are launching a new product or celebrating a business milestone then this could be a good time to try it out. Create FOMO with an end date and be sure to give clear instructions in your description. This video from Beauty Line Cyprus hits the sweet spot. It’s timely, creates FOMO, and has a clear CTA.
Create helpful how-tos
Videos that answer audience questions will get more YouTube views than simply trying to sell products. But you can do both. I love this video from cult hair brand Bleach London. It showcases products with a working demonstration.
Still on the Fence About YouTube?
You have a ton of channels to manage. So, in the grand scheme of things, just how important is YouTube and why should you care?
- YouTube is owned by Google who bought the site in November 2006. YouTube now operates as one of Google’s subsidiaries.
- The platform has 2 billion + monthly users.
- This video hub reaches more 18- to 49-year-olds than any broadcast or cable network on mobile. Yes, more than TikTok!
- YouTube is the Internet’s second-largest search engine so it can help improve your SEO and overall brand presence.
- YouTube users watch around one billion hours of video every day.
- Cisco predicts that video will account for 82% of all Internet traffic by 2022.
- 54% of consumers want to see more videos from a brand they trust with 72% preferring to learn about a product through video over text.
So, YouTube is valuable for SEO, branding, and acquisition. But, not without video views.
In Conclusion
Getting more YouTube views might mean going back over some of your previously uploaded videos. But that’s also an opportunity to add fresh new content or archive anything that no longer works. Once you’ve created some style rules, be sure to document them to maintain consistency going forward. It’s also a good time to review how YouTube fits into your social media strategy and how you will utilize it in the future for your clients.
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