People now spend quality time on YouTube as Youtube provides them value. They turn to YouTube for almost everything of their choice from knowledge to entertainment, from music to making a purchase decision, assigning YouTube as their preferred choice over traditional television. Youtube reach billions of people and generate views in billions too, hence Youtube is a power backed platform among creators as well viewers which creates value for the creators in the form of fame/awareness/money and in the form of entertainment/education/tips/news and what not.
In this blog, I am going to show you how exactly you as a Youtuber can get more views on your Youtube channel and stay ahead in 2021.
Get more views on your Youtube channel
Contents
- Strategy 1 - Write captivating / intriguing video titles
- Strategy 2 - Write compelling video description
- Strategy 3 - Use crisp video tags
- Strategy 4 - Design descriptive thumbnails
- Strategy 5 - Make videos on viral topics
- Strategy 6 - Design a catchy Intro
- Strategy 7 - Make good use of your End Screen
- Strategy 8 - Leverage YouTube cards
- Strategy 9 - Create playlists of similar videos
- Strategy 10 - Interact with your audience
- Strategy 11 - Cross Platform Promotions
- Strategy 12 - Use the Closed Captions feature and create Subtitles
Strategy 1 - Write captivating / intriguing video titles
Your video title plays a key role in increasing your Youtube views. Hence, it is not something you should take lightly. Your video title should be descriptive and keyword rich so that ranks better in the search engine of YouTube and also should have a great call to action in it. It should be such that it should generate a curiosity in the mind of the viewer, should encourage a user to click and watch your video. For example- you want to watch a video on SEO, which one of these two titles are you probably going to click? “learn SEO” or “SEO: 12 things you are missing out!”. Obviously, the latter! Adding a numerical figure in your video title also encourage a user to click on your video. Also, make sure that you use your keyword in the first half of the title. This helps Youtube search engine’s algorithm in associating your video to that topic’s niche and can help you in ranking. You can find relevant keywords using Google AdWords Keyword Planner.
According to Youtube “Well-written titles can be the difference between someone watching and sharing your video, or scrolling right past it”.
This is one of the crucial tips when it comes to getting more views on your Youtube channel.
Strategy 2 - Write compelling video description
Remember, video description is just another way to inform the viewers and the YouTube algorithm what your video is about. Anything you write in your video description has to add value for your viewer. It lets your viewer know what to expect from your video. It should be brief and accurate overview (summary) of your video.
YouTube says, “Well-written descriptions with the right keywords can boost views and watch time because they help your video show up in search results”.
Naturally add some keywords in your video description as well, as they help in boosting the ranking of your video apart from educating the viewers.
NOTE - Avoid keyword stuffing as it is going to harm the ranking of your video. You can also utilize your description to highlight your other videos as well.
Tip - Leverage relevant hashtags in your description box.
YouTube itself states, “You can use related hashtags (#) in video descriptions to help viewers find your video when they search for a specific hashtag.”
Strategy 3 - Use crisp video tags
Video tags are another way to tell the YouTube algorithm what your video is about. They contribute to understanding your video by the algorithm. It is advisable to use the main keyword and its variants as the tags. If your video is about “Video SEO” then form your tags around this keyword. For example- video SEO, YouTube SEO, SEO strategies, better ranking, more traffic etc. Using carefully planned video tags also helps in improving the rank of the video in the search and suggestion box and there by help you to gain views. Find the most popular video on YouTube on your topic, by using tools such as vidIQ, find out the tags used in that video. Use similar tags in your video so that when a user is watching that video, your video will pop up in the suggested window and it is likely that the user will watch your video as well.
Strategy 4 - Design descriptive thumbnails
The very first thing a user sees is your video thumbnail. Thumbnails act as viewer magnet, whether your videos appears in the search engine result pages or in the suggested window, therefore, you should always create a custom-made thumbnail that encourages a user to click instead of letting YouTube randomly generate one.
According to YouTube, “90% of the best-performing videos on YouTube have custom thumbnails.”
A good thumbnail should comprise of high-quality images and readable texts so that it clearly visible on the mobile as well as the desktop, all the while maintaining a good contrast with the colors of the website. This is will make your thumbnails stand out. A good intriguing thumbnail can be your key to increase your click through rate (CTR) and ultimately help you to get more Youtube views. Make sure your video title and thumbnails deliver on the promise, avoid resorting to clickbait techniques.
Strategy – 5 Make videos on viral topics
Making videos on burst or viral topics is a good way to attract huge audience towards your YouTube channel. It also helps you to boost to your watch hours and increase your views fast. Use simple tools like Google Trends to find out the trending topics and challenges in your niche and add a personal touch to make your viewers feel exclusive. In case of making burst videos as well, use tags similar to your competitors’ videos, so that your video pops up in the suggestion window while a viewer watches their videos, however always add your unique value to the video with respect to your core competence otherwise your video will be buried. Videos made on viral topics will definitely get you more views on Youtube channel and further increase your subscribers organically. You can also buy Youtube subscribers from the authentic resources which provide real, targeted, organic subscribers that are not bots at the initial level to get a kick start for your channel.
Strategy – 6 Design a catchy Intro
The intro of your video should be about a few seconds long. It makes sure that the viewer is hooked for the rest of the video. It also gives you a good chance to brand your channel. The intro to your video should be short and catchy consisting of transitions, catchy tunes and graphics. A video intro helps you to increase the audience retention (stickiness to the video and channel) which increases your watch hours, establishes credibility in the eyes of the Youtube, improves the ranking of your video, making your video more discoverable to the viewers and helps you get more views on your YouTube video.
Strategy – 7 Make good use of your End Screen
If a viewer stuck around till the end of the video, they will probably want to watch more of your content. End screens are a good way to encourage your viewer from your video towards more videos of your YouTube channel by embedding the links of your other videos in it. You can promote up to four elements in your end screen including videos, playlist, merchandize, crowdfunding campaigns etc. This will not only increase your views but would also boost your watch hours. Make sure you embed links of videos you think a viewer would want to watch after the current video or the video which earned you the most views.
YouTube states, “When you add a card or end screen, ensure it points or gives context to the thing that your viewer may want to do next.”
It is also a good way to reiterate the message of your video and promote your videos before the YouTube algorithm suggests some other video and drives the viewer away from your videos. End screens also allow you to rebrand your channel.
Strategy – 8 - Leverage YouTube cards
YouTube cards are the links that pop up on the top right corner while you are watching a video. These are clickable links that take you to another, instantly on the video as you click on them. You get the luxury to choose exactly when you want the card to pop up during your video.
Use YouTube Analytics to find out the average audience retention on your videos and place the card when you think the viewer will drop the video.
This helps you to keep the viewer on your channel. Videos that pop up in the YouTube cards should be relevant to the video you are currently watching. YouTube itself states, “Cards work well when they are placed in conjunction with scripted calls to action or when they are relevant to your video content.” This is a great way to redirect traffic onto your other videos. This helps you to maximize your views and also increases your watch time. YouTube cards can also be used to hold polls for your viewers during the video.
Strategy – 9 Create playlists of similar videos
If a viewer likes your video, they will probably want to watch more and similar content. Thus, if you have a few videos that you think a viewer would want to watch in continuity or would complement each other, put them together in a playlist.
YouTube says, “You can use playlists to help them easily find more of what they like on your channel.”
It is always advisable to write descriptions for your playlists as well to let your viewers know what the playlist is about and also use relevant keywords in the description as well. Use compelling titles for your playlists as well and use different layouts for your playlists to make them look appealing to the eye. Hence, playlists make a smart way to multiply your views and increase overall watch time on your YouTube channel. Leveraging playlists on your Youtube channel will definitely gain you more views on your channel.
Strategy – 10 Interact with your audience
The YouTube algorithm measures the engagement on your video by observing the like-dislike ratio, comments, shares and subscribers. The better the engagement on your videos, the more boost YouTube search engine will give to your video, making it more discoverable to viewers. It is also advisable to heart and reply to as many comments as you can. This will increase your engagement ratio and make your viewers more dedicated towards your channel. By interacting with your viewers in the comment section and the community posts section, you show your viewers that they hold the prime importance for you. You also get to know what else they would like to watch and hence, you find ideas for your next video.
According to YouTube, “viewers who have received a heart on their comments are three times more likely to click on the notification, potentially leading more viewers back to the channel”.
Strategy – 11 - Cross Platform Promotions
It is true that majority of the traffic is received from the YouTube searches and suggested videos section. But promoting your videos on social media platforms other that YouTube can do wonders for your traffic footfall. Join the communities and dedicated groups on platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, WhatsApp etc. which are of your particular niche and interest, posting and promoting your videos to these groups will definitely multiply your views and reach.
Tip - You can also drive traffic towards your YouTube channel from Quora or by embedding the links of your videos in your blogs.
By promoting your videos on different platforms, you can easily increase your views organically and generate more watch time for your channel.
Strategy – 12 Use the Closed Captions feature and create Subtitles
Closed captions are the written transcriptions of the spoken words in the video. These help you to reach people with hearing problems, or help out if someone is in a loud environment and cannot hear what is been said in the video or if someone cannot turn on the sound. Subtitles are the translations of the spoken language in the video in to other languages. Both closed captions feature and subtitles help you to reach more audience and gain more viewers. They also make your video keyword rich and helps your video get indexed in the search engine of YouTube in yet another way.
YouTube itself says, “Translated titles and descriptions can lead to greater discoverability by viewers who speak other languages because they are indexed in search results. Translating your title and description works best when you have corresponding subtitles in the same language too.”
All YouTubers desire only one thing- views. The ladder leading to “how to get more views on YouTube” is pretty straight forward, but what creators seem to forget is that creating good- quality content and encourages engagement from viewers is the most important factor of all. Other factors, all the while, being crucial, but are more like catalysts that aid organic reach improvement of your YouTube channel. Thus, all the factors go hand – in – hand with great content, and will help your channel reach great heights.
The process of getting more YouTube views may seem a bit tedious but one step at a time will go a long way and benefit you immensely in the long run. Keeping in mind these few tips, you can also boost your YouTube views in 2021. Feel free to share this knowledge with others and best of luck for your Youtube channel!
