There are currently over 1.68 billion people who use YouTube. That is a massive people group for you to reach online with your business or creative endeavor. Since its launch in 2005, YouTube has revolutionized the way video is released to the public.
Gone are the days of MTV and VH1 for all the hottest music videos. Gone are the days of only seeing trailers for new movies at the actual theater. Now you can find all of this stuff immediately on YouTube, and many times it's used as the primary outlet for these things.
What does that mean for you and your channel? It means there is a huge untapped market out there just waiting for you to take over. The problem is that you're not sure how to get more views on YouTube!
Fear not! We've got you covered. Keep reading for a complete guide on how to get more views on your YouTube channel!
How to Get More Views on YouTube: A Survival Guide
When used effectively, YouTube can be one of the greatest sources in the world to get your content out to the masses. But how can you go from 10 views to 1,000 views to 100,000? Here is everything you need to know to increase the views on your videos!
1. Make a Plan
Before you even start filming anything, figure out exactly what you want to happen in your video. Start with an outline and then shift into storyboarding everything you want in your video. This includes the order of events, any sound bites you want to include, any video clips you want to add, etc.
Know what you want to accomplish with your videos. Going in without a plan makes for an unorganized video, but more importantly and unprofessional one.
One of the most crucial components in your plan needs to be some sort of call-to-action. Give people something to do when they are done watching your video. Whether that's going to your website or connecting with you on social media, give your audience something to do immediately after they are done.
2. Write a Script
This may sound tedious, but you would be surprised at how much more polished your video will be if you follow a script. Even a loose script can help guide you into exactly what you want to say throughout your video.
Write your script for the specific audience you intend to reach. If your video is aimed at kids or teenagers, don't use terms or phrases they won't understand. If your video is aimed at book readers, make sure you are catering your speech to the literary crowd.
Make sure your script and your storyboard sync up well. If your script is way longer than your storyboard, that will make for very stale, slow-moving visuals. If your script is too short, then you may not be able to fit in all of the actual video content you want.
Take your storyboard step by step and work on the script for each section. You want to make sure your video flows well and isn't choppy or confusing.
3. Entertain or Educate
Nobody wants to watch a YouTube video of some random person talking about everyday life. Make your content interesting and engaging. Two huge ways of doing that are by either entertaining or educating your audience.
If your goal is to entertain, make sure you are approaching the topic of your video as if you were a viewer. What would keep your attention? What would make you laugh? What would keep you on the edge of your seat?
If your goal is to educate, make sure the content you are conveying to your audience is actually helpful. Do your research and set yourself apart. If your video isn't helping your intended audience, then it's pretty pointless.
One of the best things you can do is combine both of these. If you are able to entertain while simultaneously educating people, you will keep them coming back for more. Even video games are starting to incorporate an entertain and educate mentality.
4. Find a Trend and Use It
One of the best things you can do to increase your potential for views is to incorporate current viral trends into your videos. Viral trends already have a built-in market searching for content.
A perfect example of this would be the recent release of Avengers: Endgame. On its way to becoming one of the highest grossing movies of all time, it has opened the door for dozens and hundreds of YouTubers to capitalize off of the millions of people searching for more Avengers content.
Sometimes you can't always find a way to put a viral trend into your video. If you make videos about auto parts, it might be kind of hard to relate that to Avengers. But if you can find a clever way to capitalize on a current trend, it can definitely help boost viewership.
5. Optimize Prime
Optimizing your video for search engines is a crucial part of getting people to see your video. If you don't have any relevant information connected to your video, how are people going to find it?
There are 4 main ways to optimize your video.
The first way is with your title. It seems simple, but your title is crucial in people finding it with a quick search. Make sure that you are using relevant and important keywords within the title of your video.
The second way is through tags. Adding the proper tags to a video can make or break its chances of being discovered. If your video is about auto maintenance, you want to include tags for anything maintenance related.
Third on the list would be coming up with a proper description for your video. There is a very fine line you want to walk with this. You want to make sure you have all the information you need, but you also don't want it to be too lengthy or convoluted.
Last, but certainly not least, is the thumbnail for your video. Having a video thumbnail that is eye-grabbing from the beginning is so important in obtaining that almighty click. You can even create custom thumbnails as part of your channel branding.
6. Make a Playlist
We live in a generation of Netflix and Hulu where when you finish an episode of a show, you don't even have to do anything anymore. The next episode will instantly start playing about 15 seconds into the end credits. Use this to your advantage.
Creating a playlist on your YouTube channel creates less work for your audience, and allows them to dive into your rabbit hole of videos. If you have your videos in a queue, waiting to play, the chances of somebody watching more than one of your videos is going to greatly increase.
Don't feel like you have to have all of your videos in one playlist either. Creating specific, but smaller playlists will allow people to find exactly what they are looking for. It also decreases the chances of your viewers getting bored by a video that is unrelated to the one they started with.
7. Be Your Top Promoter
Do not underestimate the power of sharing your content on every platform you can think of. That means taking advantage of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, and other forums you find online. If you don't share your own content, who else is going to?
Sharing your own content also shows that you have confidence in its quality and are proud of what you've created. Don't be afraid to share videos more than once either. Sometimes your posts can get lost in people's newsfeeds, so posting regularly can help keep your content in front of their eyes.
Another thing you can do is utilize hashtags on certain platforms. Instagram and Twitter are places where hashtags can have a huge impact on helping your posts get in front of the right people.
8. Be a Part of Your Own Community
People have a hard time trusting those who speak, but don't act. Make sure you are joining in on the community around your area of interest. Join online groups and forums and have actual discussions with other people who love what you love.
Not only does this help you to stay up on all the latest information dealing with your topics, but it also opens the door for you to tell those people about what you do. Networking is a huge part of growing your audience.
Viewers also love interacting with the people they see online. Giving your audience a great experience on a personal level can help create a positive reputation for yourself. This can then lead to people being likely to share your videos with their friends and family.
Time to Go Viral!
Now that you know how to get more views on YouTube, it's time for you to get to work. Take the tips you've learned and incorporate them into your process and watch your audience grow and grow.
If you want to learn even more about the secrets of marketing, check out our Free Course. I'll see you on the other side of trending!
