Want to get more views on YouTube?
There is no doubt the chance is there. In fact, Generation X alone watches 1.5 billion videos on YouTube ay by day. And the average audience watches more than an hour of video daily just on their mobile tool.
With numbers like that, it could be frustrating to see your own YouTube view counts remain painfully low. That is why we have made this simple guide to help you get more views on Youtube. Let’s get began.
1. Encourage existing viewers to subscribe
People who are already watching and enjoying your videos are an excellent source of potential views for future content. When they subscribe, they could select to be notified every time you add new content. It will bring in instant views every time you launch a new video.
The simplest method to get viewers to subscribe is to, well, ask them to subscribe. Add a call to action at the end of your video asking users to subscribe to your channel. And include a link in your video description that makes it simple for them to do so.
2. Ask your viewers what they want to see
“An amazing thing occurs when you ask people what they want and need and then you go and make it for them—they think you read their mind!”
That is what YouTube creator Graham Cochrane told Hootsuite in an extensive interview outlining how he racked up 23 million views.
Delivering the content your viewers want to see is a surefire method to build viewer loyalty and keep people coming back for more.
Cochrane gets ideas for new content by saving interesting comments from his social channels and site. When that list of ideas runs out, he asks his customers and followers what they want to see more of. Then he creates the videos they are asking for. Simple, right? And highly effective.
3. Use playlists to keep people watching
YouTube’s own numbers show that “top-performing brands on YouTube build and promote twice as many playlists as the bottom 25%.”
These top-performing brands understand the power of auto-play. It is much harder to pull yourself out of the online video rabbit hole when the videos just keep playing. You may not want to watch another video enough to click on play, however, do you want to stop watching enough to hit stop? If the content is good, you are probably going to keep watching.
How to create a YouTube Playlist
- Navigate to the first video you need to include in the playlist.
- Click on Add to.
- Choose an existing playlist, or select Create a new playlist (and then name that playlist).
- Select your playlist’s privacy setting. Because you are aiming for YouTube views, you will likely want to keep it Public.
- Click on Create.
4. Use cards, end screens, and watermarks to promote other videos or your channel
Cards and end screens are both chances to direct a viewer to your other videos, encouraging them to watch more. And watermarks offer a chance to promote your channel.
Cards function like pop-ups that appear during the video itself, while an end screen appears (you guessed it) at the end of the video. Watermarks appear at the same time in all videos, in the bottom right corner.
How to add cards
Take a look at this video for an overview of how to add cards to your YouTube videos.
Since your focus is getting more YouTube views, you will likely want to use a channel card to link to your channel. Or, you can use a video or playlist card to point viewers to your other videos and playlists (rather than a poll card, as in the example video). However, remember that the poll card function can be an effective way to ask viewers what they want to see from you, as described in tip number two.
How to add an end screen
- From your YouTube account, click on the Creator Studio link under your account icon.
- Click on Video Manager > Videos.
- Click on Edit on the video you want to add the end screen to, then click on End screen.
- Select whether to copy an existing end screen, make one using a YouTube template, or create one from scratch using the Add element option.
- Once you’re happy with your choices, click on Save.
How to add watermarks
This video describes how to add a watermark with a channel subscribe feature to your videos.
Remember that watermarks are an all-or-nothing function. They either appear on all of your videos or none of them—you can’t pick and select.
5. Focus on your niche
It is counterintuitive to think that focusing on smaller potential viewers could get you more YouTube views. However, that is exactly what Graham Cochrane does.
“I do not attempt to create content for EVERYONE,” he said. “I attempt to create content for a specific type of person and let THEM decide if they dig what I’m doing.”
Those who end up digging his content stick around and become loyal subscribers who’re eager to watch each new video he creates. Those who do not move on to something that interests them more—however, they weren’t the right fit for his brand anyway.
It is more helpful to get repeat views from loyal vỉewers who’re likely to turn into customers than a bunch of one-offs from people who never return.
To get a sense of what type of viewers you are likely to find on YouTube, take a look at the post on YouTube statistics that matter to marketers.
6. Create search-friendly (but still human-friendly) titles and descriptions
Before people could watch your videos, they have got to find them. Meaning your SEO strategies have got to be up to scratch.
When writing descriptions and titles, Cochrane recommends typing potential keywords into the search bar to see what comes up in the autocomplete. You may get ideas for related search terms you won’t have thought of. If they’re relevant to the video you’ve created, include them when appropriate. If not, you could have uncovered an idea for an entirely new video.
You could also click on the auto-completed search terms to see what types of videos (and how many) already exist for these keywords to get a sense of the competition.
Google Trends and the Google Adwords Keyword Planner will also help you uncover highly effective keywords to include in your title and description. However, do not include keywords that aren’t relevant to your video—YouTube will penalize you for doing so. You could also include up to 15 hashtags in your video description.
While you should use keywords to help your videos appear in search outcomes, you also need to appeal to the real humans who you want to watch your videos. YouTube says, “Titles that perform greatest are sometimes those that tell a story.” When you focus too heavily on appealing to the search bots, you will lose chances to offer compelling reasons why people should actually watch your video—which, after all, is the point.
Keep titles to around 60 characters to make sure they’re totally displayed in search outcomes.