YouTube is constantly changing and evolving. Long gone are the days dominated by funny cat videos and dogs on skateboards. Today YouTube is also a place for marketers .

Over i billion hours of video are watched on YouTube daily — that's more than than Netflix and Facebook video combined.

1 billion hours of YouTube video daily

Just, hither's the kicker… 62 percent of businesses utilise Youtube equally a channel to post video content — which is crazy!

C razy-crawly for you that is — because when used effectively, YouTube is an extremely powerful concern tool. But in order to heave your sales , you've got to get more free YouTube views.

In this article, you'll learn eighteen ways to get more views on YouTube, build your brand, and boost your sales .

But first, let'southward talk quickly about how to make a video on YouTube.

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Post Contents

  • How to Make a Video on YouTube
  • How to Become More Views on YouTube
    • 1. Create Compelling Content
    • 2. Encourage Viewers to Subscribe
    • 3. Create Playlists to Keep People Watching
    • 4. Promote Other Videos with End Screens and Cards
    • 5. Add a Watermark to Your Videos
    • vi. Make Sure Your Videos Are Embedding Enabled
    • 7. Promote Your Videos on Other Social Channels
    • 8. Sympathize the Importance of 'Watch Time'
    • nine. Nurture a Customs
    • ten. Optimize Your Video Titles
    • 11. Optimize Your Channel
    • 12. Create a YouTube Trailer Featuring Your All-time Content
    • xiii. Create Compelling Thumbnail Images
    • xiv. Transcribe Your Videos
    • 15. Publish Your Videos at The Best Time
    • xvi. Invite Guest Vloggers
    • 17. Build an Influencer Community
    • eighteen. Know What'south Viral
  • Your Turn
  • Want to Learn More?

How to Make a Video on YouTube

  • Plan Your Video

Before you get-go making a video for YouTube you need to plan what you lot want to produce. Generate a storyboard outlining each scene or section of the video. Retrieve virtually the messaging y'all desire to portray to your audience and programme where in the video you will include calls-to-action . This is important as you need people to want to do something afterward watching the video.

  • Write Your Script

Based on your video plan, brainstorm writing your video script. Try to keep the language relatable and appealing to your audition. If your video is a beginners guide, don't use likewise many technical terms. If you are making an in-depth YouTube video, make sure to include terms that are specific to the industry to build trust with your viewers. Don't create a long script if your storyboard is short as it volition hateful a lot of lingering on screens that will not make for a skillful viewing experience.

  • Create a Shot List

Having a shot list volition encourage y'all to think about the smaller details, like lightning direction and camera placement. Make sure to create one once you're done writing your script. It should include all of the things that assist give a sense of direction to your production, such as the camera setup or activeness/dialogue each scene requires.

  • Organize Your Scene

Will your video be animated, live-activity, or real-time? What kind of props will you demand when making your video and so that your YouTube followers volition stay engaged during your whole video? These questions are important to reply equally they will help make your video await more professional person. Invest in branding to add together to the background of your videos and thumbnails then that your video looks tiptop quality .

  • Prepare Yourself

If you lot are starring in the video, or just directing it, it is of import to ready and do and so that the real thing will go off without a hitch. The devil is in the detail when it comes to making a YouTube video, so practicing will account for all the things that could go wrong when shooting.

  • Edit Your Video

Subsequently doing a few takes of each scene the magic starts – you can get-go editing your video to omit small mistakes or elements of scenes that don't fit. Take the time here to enquire whether each line sounds natural, and delete lines that don't fit into the overall video.

  • Upload YouTube Video

Inside the YouTube platform, you can upload your video, including a title, tags, and a description for your audition . These things volition assist your audience to find your video through. If you are planning to create more than than ane video on a particular topic, you can create a playlist and add information technology to this. Recall about adding cards and captions to your video to assistance users navigate more effectively effectually your channel.

  • [Additional Tip] Go Live

One time you have enough experience creating videos, why not try going alive and talking to your audience in existent-time. Answer questions from your audience in the moment and give your viewers the ultimate viewing experience.

How to Become More Views on YouTube

At present let'south jump straight into the specifics of getting more views on YouTube.

one. Create Compelling Content

It won't affair how many hacks or ads you utilize if your videos aren't skilful. Then how tin you create compelling content that will get more views on YouTube? Well, i of the best ways is to create 'how to' videos :

How-to Videos

Simply place what your ideal customers almost desire to know, so create videos that meet their needs. Does this work? You lot bet. YouTube creator Graham Cochrane racked upwardly 51 million YouTube views past focusing on how-to content.

How-to YouTube Videos

Cochrane finds video ideas in the comments of his social channels. If that doesn't work, he asks his community what they'd like him to brand videos about.

Simple, right?

Cochrane said , "An amazing thing happens when you inquire people what they demand and want, so you become and brand it for them — they retrieve you read their mind!" Bottom-line: Consistently create content that solves your ideal customer'due south problems or meets their needs. Information technology'south the fashion to develop a loyal community of fans and get more views on YouTube.

two. Encourage Viewers to Subscribe

Accept you ever heard the saying, "Your best new customers are your old customers"? In other words, retaining customers can be a powerful way to grow your business. Well, the aforementioned holds true for YouTube views.

Which is why ane of the easiest ways to get more views on YouTube is to encourage your current viewers to subscribe because gaining subscribers will increment the number of views on each new video that you release. How practice y'all get viewers to subscribe?

The all-time way is simply to ask at the showtime and end of each video!

YouTube Subscribe to Channel

But don't simply enquire viewers to subscribe to your YouTube aqueduct. Make certain that you also prompt them to plow on the notification bell subsequently they've clicked 'Subscribe.'

YouTube Notification Bell

This manner, once a viewer subscribes, they'll be notified every fourth dimension you upload a new video. Growing your subscribers is vital to getting more free YouTube views, and then start asking your viewers to subscribe now!

3. Create Playlists to Keep People Watching

YouTube's own statistics bear witness that "top-performing brands on YouTube build and promote twice as many playlists as the lesser 25%."

YouTube Playlists

Why practise playlists work so well? Auto-play. It takes attempt to pull your attention away from videos you lot're enjoying when they only keep playing. In fact, there's a cognitive bias at work called 'loss aversion.'

Loss disfavor states that the pain of losing something is twice as bad as the pleasance received from gaining something equivalent. For example, loss aversion suggests that people will piece of work twice as hard to keep $100, as they volition gain $100. Auto-play uses loss aversion to reframe the situation.

The question is no longer, "Do you want to watch another video enough to actively click play?" Now, the question is, "Do y'all want to stop watching plenty to actively click away?". Information technology's subtle but powerful, and if your content is expert, viewers will often keep watching. Too, playlists can assistance improve search rankings, as playlist titles are another opportunity to target keywords.

The easiest way to create a YouTube playlist is to navigate to each video you'd like to add together and click the '+' icon underneath the video.

Add YouTube Video to Playlist

Then you can create a new playlist or add together it to an existing playlist. To get more than views on YouTube, create a playlist of your best content and start promoting information technology today!

iv. Promote Other Videos with Finish Screens and Cards

Cards and end screens are tools that you lot tin can use to promote your videos to get more views on YouTube. First, you'll need to verify your YouTube account to access these features. To practice this, click on your profile picture in the top right, and then click 'Creator Studio'. Next, click on the 'Status and features' tab:

YouTube Creator Studio

On this folio, yous're able to view extra YouTube channel features and set them upward. Now let'south have a closer look at end screens and cards.

An end screen is a dedicated frame that y'all can place at the end of your videos to wrap things upwards, and highlight calls-to-action.

Cards are a tool that you can fix to pop-up anytime in the video. You tin can ready these to direct people to another video or playlist, or you tin can create a poll bill of fare which is a bully way to ask viewers what they'd similar to run into more of (remember tip number ane?).

To add terminate screens and cards to your videos, go to the Creator Studio and click 'Video Managing director,' and then click 'Videos.' Observe the video that you want to add the terminate screen card to and click 'Edit.' One time you're on the video editor page, you can add terminate screens and cards by clicking the menu items at the top of the page:

Add YouTube End Screen and Cards

End screens and cards are powerful tools, so make sure you use them to present calls-to-action in your YouTube videos.

5. Add a Watermark to Your Videos

Watermarks allow you to gain more subscribers and gratuitous YouTube views past promoting your channel beyond all of your videos. Essentially, a watermark is just an image that you can set to appear on all of your videos — virtually brands utilise their logo. When a viewer hovers their mouse over a watermark, it prompts them to subscribe. Which is why the Shopify YouTube channel has called a watermark saying 'subscribe':

YouTube Watermark

One time once again, you need to verify your YouTube business relationship to be able to upload a watermark. Information technology's worth pointing out that you tin't choice and choose which videos brandish watermarks and which don't — they either appear on all of your videos or none of them.

To add together a watermark to your videos caput to the Creator Studio and click 'Branding.'

Add YouTube Watermark

So click 'Add a Watermark' and upload your image.

In summary, use this simple tool to promote your brand on your YouTube channel.

Tip: Blueprint a watermark that is square, transparent, and above 50×50 pixels. As YouTube shrinks down watermarks when displaying them in the corner of the videos, creating a larger ane will help ensure your branding is visible to your target audition .

6. Brand Certain Your Videos Are Embedding Enabled

You've spent ages creating an awesome video and at present your viewers desire to share it on their websites and blogs!

…but they can't. Because you forgot to enable embedding.

* Gulp*

Allowing viewers to embed your video on their websites and blogs is an effective manner for your brand to accomplish new audiences and get more views on YouTube. If a video has embedding enabled, when a viewer clicks 'Share' underneath the video window, YouTube will bear witness them the 'Embed' option:

YouTube Video Embed

Once they click on this, they'll be able to re-create the video's embedding lawmaking and paste it onto their blog or website.

YouTube Video Embed Code

To enable embedding, head to the Creator Studio and navigate to the video'southward edit page.

And so click 'Advanced Settings' and scroll down to the "Distribution options" and make sure the "Permit Embedding" is ticked:

Allow YouTube Video Embedding

Bottom-line: Make sure your videos take embedding enabled to encourage viewers to share your content.

If you lot accept followers on other social channels, let them know each time you upload a new video to YouTube. A skilful style to do this is with a short teaser video. For example, you lot tin create a minute-long teaser for a new YouTube video, then mail it on your Facebook folio with a link to the full video on your YouTube channel .

To make things easier, try using a social media scheduling tool like Hootsuite or Buffer . Simply don't just stick to social channels. You can as well embed your YouTube videos in relevant blog posts and pages on your website.

And don't forget about email marketing . With an industry average open rate of 18 percent and a purchase charge per unit of 66 percent, electronic mail marketing is a powerhouse when it comes to sales conversions. Information technology doesn't demand to be likewise complicated either.

(Psst! If you haven't already, make certain to subscribe to our newsletter to learn more about how to build your online business concern.)

YouTube isn't a standalone social channel, so make sure to cross-promote your videos through your free marketing channels .

8. Sympathise the Importance of 'Watch Time'

YouTube describes their algorithm as a " search and discovery system ."  This algorithm determines which videos are shown:

  • On the homepage
  • As suggested videos
  • In search results
  • Nether the Subscriptions tab
  • Through notifications that viewers have created

What's more, the algorithm doesn't just impact individual videos, just unabridged YouTube channels. YouTube's algorithm is complex, but the well-nigh important thing to understand is that it'due south heavily based on 'Sentinel Time.' In fact, according to YouTube , "Each video uploaded — as well as every channel on YouTube — is 'ranked' by scout time."

Lookout man Fourth dimension is how much time people spend actually watching your videos:

YouTube Watch Time

Bottom-line: YouTube rewards quality. The ameliorate your videos are, the more than fourth dimension people spend watching them. This will increase your Sentinel Time minutes and so YouTube will favor your videos and channel.

I more than thing: Your YouTube channel tin can likewise earn 'scout time credits' for referring viewers to other videos. It'southward basically similar affiliate marketing .

In summary: Focus on retaining viewers for as long as yous can, and don't exist afraid of promoting other YouTube channels in your niche!

YouTube isn't just a video search engine. It's also a social network. So to get more views on YouTube, you need to use it like other social networks. In other words, it isn't enough to simply regularly share videos, you also need to actively engage your audience.

How? The best manner is to simply respond to comments — especially if someone asks a straight question. Because other viewers will be more likely to comment themselves if they know they'll receive a response. It simply takes a second, and you tin do it while yous're browsing your comments for new video ideas (remember tip number 1?).

Besides that, try to be an active member of your niche community. Subscribe to other channels in your niche, go out comments on their videos, and share whatever that your own audition might enjoy. In other words, give before yous get.

If y'all engage generously and authentically, viewers will notice and it will be much easier to establish your brand in a niche of passionate fans. And recollect, promoting other videos will score y'all Lookout man Time credits, which will assist to boost your channel in YouTube'due south algorithm. Lastly, you can besides involve viewers straight.

One of the easiest ways to exercise this is to hold a contest or prize describe. For example, y'all could enquire viewers to share your video on Facebook and leave a comment to be entered into a describe to win i of your products. Growing a loyal, active customs is a surefire way to become more views on YouTube.

10. Optimize Your Video Titles

YouTube is a search engine. Which means search engine optimization (SEO) matters.

YouTube'southward algorithm takes multiple items into account when selecting videos for search results. And the platform provides a number of opportunities to optimize your aqueduct and videos — including video file names, titles, descriptions, and tags.

So include as much information as possible. Crucially, you need to know which keywords you lot desire your videos and channel to rank for.

Keywords in YouTube Video Titles

YouTuber Graham Cochrane discovers relevant keywords by typing potential keywords into the search bar to encounter what appears in the autocomplete. You can also utilize free keyword tools like Google Trends and Google Ads Keyword Planner .

But beware… YouTube will penalize you for including keywords that aren't relevant to your video. Also proceed your titles betwixt 60-seventy characters long . This gives you the about room to create a compelling title, while likewise ensuring that information technology won't be cut short in search results. Lastly, don't forget the humans!

Sure, you need to use keywords to aid your videos rank in search results, merely to go more free YouTube views, you also need your video titles and descriptions to appeal to viewers. In full general, aim for a balance between accurate, informative, and attention-grabbing.

Every bit the famed copywriter David Ogilvy once wrote , "When y'all have written your headline, you lot have spent fourscore cents out of your dollar." So whatever you do, pay shut attention to your video titles.

eleven. Optimize Your Channel

Optimizing your aqueduct is vital to strengthening your brand and boosting your YouTube views. And YouTube provides plenty of ways to optimize your channel. Hither's how Daniel Wellington has done it:

Daniel Wellington YouTube

Allow's quickly run through some of the master components:

Create a potent, consistent make aesthetic.

Ensure that your YouTube branding is consistent with your website and other social channels. This means using the same logo, images, and colors . Your profile picture should be 800 x 800 pixels. Information technology should besides nevertheless look good when displayed smaller. Your banner fine art should be at least 2560 x 1440 pixels, and in that location's a template to help you design your imprint art in YouTube'due south Creator Academy .

Optimize your YouTube channel description.

This is shown on your channel's 'Near' tab. You lot only get 1,000 characters, then brand 'em count. What should you write in your YouTube channel description? Well, start with a quick description of your brand and the benefits of your products.

So tell viewers why they should watch your YouTube videos. Are y'all teaching them something? Or is your channel more often than not about amusement? Bottom-line: Tell viewers what's in information technology for them. But like your individual video titles, brand sure that you include your targeted keywords in your YouTube aqueduct description.

Add your social channels, links to your website, and a way to get in contact.

In other words, make it easy for viewers to find out more than nearly your make.

Add channel keywords.

One time you've researched and decided on the keywords you desire your aqueduct to rank for in the search results, click "Channel," and then "Advanced." Then simply input your keywords into the box titled "Aqueduct Keywords."

YouTube Channel Keywords

Lastly, enable related channels.

"One of the biggest mistakes I run across business organization channels make is that they plow off the 'related channels' feature on YouTube," said Syed Balkhi , the founder of List25 (which has over 2.3 1000000 subscribers and 582 million views).

By turning information technology off, you remove your channel from YouTube's recommendations. As a effect, you lot'll lose the network outcome that makes YouTube such a powerful tool.

In summary, make sure that you lot optimize your YouTube aqueduct and that all of your data is complete.

12. Create a YouTube Trailer Featuring Your All-time Content

Your YouTube trailer is a brusque video that's shown to new visitors on your channel. It's a fantastic opportunity to:

  • Testify viewers what kind of content you lot create,
  • Highlight the benefits your aqueduct provides,
  • And, encourage them to subscribe.

At that place are no specific rules around the trailer's maximum length, but near YouTubers go along it between 25-30 seconds.

What makes a fantastic YouTube trailer? A nice short video that conveys your story, ambitions, and vision. So, when thinking of ideas for your trailer, ask yourself, "What's my background"? "What do I hope to accomplish"? "What compelled me to create a YouTube channel"?

Go on the most interesting things you have to say reserved for the first few seconds, only sprinkle your personality throughout the trailer, like international serial entrepreneur Peter Sage did:

To create your trailer, go to your channel homepage and click "Customise Channel." This volition redirect you to a page where you tin can upload your trailer'south footage. One time done, write a description, enter your SEO tags, and click "Publish."

how to create a YouTube trailer

Afterwards publishing, head back to your channel homepage and click the Customise Channel button once again. The trailer should at present exist present in your video library. Gear up it as your YouTube trailer by clicking the "For New Visitors" tab.

And that'south it. Your channel trailer is ready to brand an touch on. Let information technology practise the legwork of impressing whoever decides to check out your channel.

thirteen. Create Compelling Thumbnail Images

A thumbnail is a video'southward preview prototype. This little image is extremely important if yous want to go more than free YouTube views. When yous upload a video, you can cull i of the auto-generated thumbnail images.

Don't. Instead, create and upload your ain custom thumbnail image. YouTube reports that 90 pct of the peak-performing videos on YouTube use them — and for skilful reason.

YouTube Custom Thumbnails

(If you haven't notwithstanding, you need to verify your YouTube business relationship to admission this characteristic.)

An constructive thumbnail image can aid your videos stand out.

YouTube Video Thumbnails

YouTube says , "Thumbnails require an fine art director's eye for branding, and shouldn't be an reconsideration." In fact, they recommend that you retrieve about your thumbnail earlier you commencement filming. That mode, you can make sure you capture the footage needed to create a compelling thumbnail image. A proficient thumbnail is i that is eye-communicable, compelling, coinciding with your brand, and accurately represents the video's content.

In general, try to include:

  • Brightly colored backgrounds
  • Close-ups of faces
  • Text overlays
  • Subtle branding — similar a small logo or watermark

Okay, what about the technicalities? Your thumbnail should:

  • Utilise a 16:9 aspect ratio, as this is the most used attribute ratio in YouTube players
  • Have a resolution of 1280×720
  • Take a file-size of less than 2MB
  • Be formatted as a .JPG, .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG

You lot can also use a free paradigm editing and graphic pattern tool similar Canva to create your thumbnails. Think, thumbnails are one of the best ways to catch the attention of people browsing YouTube, so brand sure that yours are effective and compelling.

To learn more about the perfect YouTube thumbnail size and best practices, check out our guide here.

14. Transcribe Your Videos

Creating videos is great, but sometimes your audience will demand a transcription due to language constraints or inability. YouTube allows for closed captions where a transcript is added every bit subtitles to a video. Viewers can toggle these subtitles on and off at will. If you plan on opening your videos to an international market, transcriptions can be a not bad idea. Translating scripts are useful for helping those with other language abilities to sympathize your videos amend.

How practice you create a transcription document for upload to YouTube? Information technology is quite simple actually. You create a SubRip Subtitle file, SRT for short, which includes the start and finish times next to the text.

SRT Subtitle File

This can then be saved as a file with timings included so that text displays at the right time in the video.

SubRip Subtitle File

One time uploaded to YouTube, or whatever other video platform, double bank check your timings are right and viola, you've got yourself a closed caption video.

Upload YouTube Subtitle File

15. Publish Your Videos at The Best Time

The best time is when your target visitors are watching your videos. Fortunately, this is no longer a mystery every bit YouTube tracks the hours and days when your audition is on YouTube. You can dig into your "When your viewers are on YouTube" written report to place acme times and publish content in an 60 minutes or two before those peaks. Publishing earlier will requite your audience a chance to discover your new videos, resulting in more costless views.

To access the study, get to your channel homepage, click Customize Channel, select Analytics from the left-hand tab beneath your channel profile flick, and click the Audience tab. Y'all should now meet the option to generate a "When your viewers are on YouTube" report. If you don't take enough daily views to generate this report, then yous can try publishing in the hours we've mentioned in our post The Best Time to Post on Social Media in 2021 .

16. Invite Guest Vloggers

Invitee blogging is a great way to gain new followers and viewers. Identifying influencers who have a similar audience to yours will open up your channel up to potential viewers who have the same interests as you. Edifice a shut relationship with these influencers after creating a video with them will mean that they will share your videos with their followers if you do the same for them. This reciprocity is a surefire way to gain free new views on YouTube.

Guest Vloggers are nifty non just for complimentary ways to get more views but too to add more multifariousness to your videos. Having another person to brainstorm video ideas with tin open the door to creative videography which volition, in turn, create more views on your YouTube aqueduct.

Digital marketer and author Hashemite kingdom of jordan Platten often records videos with influencers:

guest invite free YouTube videos

For sure, information technology'due south non simply his audition tuning in and sharing these videos, but the influencer'south too.

Following on from guest vloggers, building a strong influencer community that shares community content and works together to help everyone involved is a corking way to get more views on your YouTube channel. Existence an influencer can be very lone and competitive. Reaching out to influencers like to yourself to share knowledge and information can assist to build a community of influencers that wait after each other and assistance people who are struggling.

Identifying similar influencers through tools like Unamo or Buzzsumo and reaching out to them will start the ball rolling only be sure to have a goal and compelling reason to maintain contact and so that it is a reciprocal relationship and not one-sided.

xviii. Know What's Viral

Keeping up to date with things happening in your industry can be the deviation between becoming popular or sinking into the background. Those with a deep understanding of what is happening in their world tin create videos that are current and interesting to those researching the niche. But this knowledge of your industry also helps you identify viral content as it happens so you tin can share information technology with your following before anyone else. Being the first to share information will place you as a leader in your field, leading to more than exposure to your content and more views.

FAQ near getting views on Youtube

What counts equally a view on YouTube?

A view counts on YouTube when a user intentionally plays a video and watches it for at to the lowest degree 30 seconds. Echo views also stand upwards to a sure bespeak (around 4-5 views), afterwards which YouTube stops counting repeated playback from the user'south account or device.

Where is the best identify to share YouTube videos?

There's no one best place to share your videos, as you can get a bigger attain past distributing them on multiple platforms. Here are some websites where you tin can share or promote your YouTube videos:

  1. Reddit
  2. Facebook
  3. Instagram
  4. Twitter
  5. Pinterest
  6. LinkedIn
  7. Quora
  8. Medium
  9. Digg
  10. Personal website/blog
  11. Newsletter
  12. BoredPanda
  13. Niche forums
  14. Wimp
  15. Stumbleupon

How do I share a YouTube video from my mobile?

  1. Open up the relevant YouTube video.
  2. Tap the "Share" icon and copy the video URL.
  3. Paste the URL on the platform where you lot want to share the video.

If you cull to share the video on a specific platform, tap on that platform'due south name instead of copying the video URL. Then select the contact you wish to share the video with, and permit YouTube handle the balance.

Your Turn

There you have it: 18 ways to get more views on YouTube!

In summary: First, focus on creating bully content that your target audience will love.

And so exercise your best to optimize your content and channel, and promote your content through other channels.

Lastly, get involved in your niche community and nurture relationships with your viewers!

Which one of these tactics are you going to utilise get-go to get more YouTube views? Leave a comment below and allow u.s.a. know!