10 Tips to get more views on YouTube
How to get more views on YouTube
According to YouTube for Press, 500 hours of content is uploaded on the platform every minute.
So getting noticed out there isn’t an easy task, but if you understand how the platform works and aim to add value with your uploads, your channel will start to grow.
Now, first things first… how do you go about understanding the platform?
Well, you can start by learning about the key metrics.
1. Track the right metrics
Let’s start with a basic question…
What happens when you upload a video?
When you upload a video, it gets shown to an early audience (your recent viewers and subscribers).
If the video performs well, it will get shown to more people in this group, and if it keeps doing well, your content will become visible to people who aren’t subscribed to your channel.
This can snowball and result in a viral moment.
After this peak, the views tend to naturally decline. This phenomenon is what’s called the YouTube lifecycle.
Now, this doesn’t just apply to channels with massive followings, it’s true for small ones too.
And because your content’s success depends heavily on the algorithm, you should keep track of your key metrics to analyze and improve your videos as you move forward.
The key metrics are:
- Watch time
- Retention
- Click-through rate (CTR)
If you can get at least 4 minutes of watch time with a 50% or above retention rate, and a 10-20% CTR, your video will have a solid chance of going viral.
Watch time
Watch time is the amount of time people spend watching your videos. Simple, right?
The YouTube algorithm relies on this metric quite a bit. So, it’s better if people spend more time watching your videos.
Not convinced about its importance? Here’s the same advice straight from the horse’s mouth.
Pro tip: use your YouTube analytics to understand and compare your views and watch time to gain a better understanding of content performance.
Retention
This metric is the average percentage of a YouTube video that your viewers watch.
Videos with high retention rates get more visibility on the platform.
If you have a 10-minute long video and your audience watches it for an average of 5 minutes, then the retention rate on that video is 50%.
Click-through rate (CTR)
Your impressions click-through rate is equal to clicks divided by impressions.
The number shows you what percentage of your impressions on YouTube turned into views.
If your CTR is low but your overall views and watch time are increasing, then don’t worry. This can happen when some of your views come from sources with no thumbnail impression. For example from links outside of YouTube.
Now that you’re familiar with the YouTube algorithm’s holy trinity, you can begin working on improving these metrics.
2. Improve content based on key metrics
Boost watch time and retention
To improve these metrics, you could give your content a makeover.
Here’s how…
Structure your video content
Well-structured content can keep people’s attention.
Here’s the layout:
Hook → context → set up
With this structure in place, you’ll cover the following:
- What the video is about
- Why you’re covering this particular topic
- What the viewer can expect
This isn’t a hard-and-fast formula but it’s something to try out.
Mindful pacing
Audiences browsing online have low attention spans, so be mindful of how you pace your videos. Stay away from dull moments and keep it tight.
Reward your viewers
Reward your viewers by adding value to your content. If your content is informative, leave your audience with actionable tips.
Drive CTR
If you’ve already got great content, you can improve your YouTube CTR with metadata.
Working on metadata will help your video rank on Google.
And the best part is that high-ranking YouTube videos can show up in the top ⅓ of the results page.
But to land that coveted spot, you need to understand metadata basics.
What is metadata?
Metadata includes your titles, descriptions, thumbnails, tags, captions, and cards.
You can add all of these in YouTube Studio when you’re uploading your content.
To learn more about each one, keep reading.
3. Write compelling video titles
For search engine optimization, find relevant keywords with a tool like Google’s Keyword Planner and add them to the title.
Most importantly, don’t forget the human element. Write intriguing titles that promise value.
4. Focus on your descriptions
The description tells the search engine and the viewers what your video is all about. So, put your best copywriters to work and write something inviting and SEO friendly.
If your viewers get hooked, your click-through rate will increase, and, as we mentioned early on in the post, the algorithm loves that. This will give your content a boost and your YouTube video views will increase.
You can also leave a link and ask your viewers to follow you off the platform. If you use short linkers for tracking, you’ll also be able to find out which description links are getting clicks.
5. Create eye-catching thumbnails
Thumbnails can drive clicks because they give you the opportunity to intrigue people. So create a custom one.
The recommended thumbnail resolution is 1280×720 with a minimum width of 640 pixels and size limit of 2 MB.
You can upload the image as a JPG, GIF, or PNG.
Careful not to go too overboard with thumbnails because if your content doesn’t match up to your viewers’ expectations, your reputation will take a hit.
If you’ve heard of Mark Rober, you’ll know how amazing his content is, and his thumbnails reel you in.
They sometimes seem clickbaity, but the content always delivers so viewers don’t have a problem with it.
In fact, Mark Rober’s YouTube channel is an excellent case study if your goal is to grow your channel, get more views, and become popular on the platform.
Watch this video to learn more.
Some creators think tags aren’t all that necessary, but their general purpose is to help YouTube understand what your video content is mainly about. So adding them won’t hurt.
Make sure your tags are relevant and don’t go overboard. YouTube may suppress your video or mark it as spam if you use them excessively.
- Log in to YouTube Studio
- Hit CREATE and upload your video
- In the window, scroll down and click on SHOW MORE
- You’ll find the tags field where you can insert your tags
7. Take advantage of A/B testing
With the help of certain tools, you can A/B test your thumbnails, titles, tags, and descriptions.
TubeBuddy is a great option and can help you take a closer look at analytics and A/B test variations.
8. Add captions and subtitles
Closed captions are the text version of the spoken part of your video and make your content more accessible. For example, a person will be able to understand what’s happening if for some reason they can’t hear the audio.
You could also add subtitles in various languages if you have a more international audience.
Adding closed captions and subtitles is a great tactic to increase video views and enables people from all sorts of backgrounds to get engaged.
It’s not clear if adding captions improve your video or channel’s ranking, but, as mentioned above, it does have its advantages.
9. Use cards to help your viewers discover more
Cards are a great optimization tool. Here’s how you can use them within videos.
- Link to your other videos
- Link a poll and have your audience participate in it
- Add a link to your website
Whenever you put out a video on YouTube, share it across your social platforms.
When people discover your content through these channels and are funneled to YouTube, your video will get a boost from the algorithm and it’ll improve your organic ranking.
Pro tip: Create short snippets and previews of your video to share on social media. This type of video distribution strategy works really well for a long-form video.
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