You are a budding YouTuber struggling to promote your YouTube channel. And you know the increasing popularity of video marketing.
Here’s a fact: YouTube has around two billion active monthly users. That’s absolutely massive and you want to make the most of it.
You have good content, awesome strategies, and some great ideas. Yet the other 50 million YouTube creators do give you a chill down your spine?
Plus, attracting your audience towards your channel is another challenge. So how to make your video stand out?
Here is a tirelessly researched list of must-use ideas in 2019. Follow them to see higher views, higher watch time, and subscribers for your YouTube channel.
1. Let your content do the talking
The first step is to plan your script. Be very clear about the story you are going to present. It should answer all the questions of why, what, how, and for whom.
Do not use jargon or too many technical words in your video. Your audience may not be able to understand it.
Instead, both entertain and educate your audience by using everyday language. This way your audience will be able to relate to your video fully.
For example, if you are creating a college based video, you should use colloquial language. Or use some slang to make it engaging.
And in sentences the ‘short and sweet’ rule always works. You can check whether your sentence length is appropriate or not using the tool Hemingway.
2. Be real in your videos
Which videos do you think will attract more audience?
A human, speaking out loud the content. Or a simple slideshow containing information.
Of course, the former one, right?
Vlogging— as we call it—helps you engage directly with your audience. They will get to ‘know you’ and see your expertise in the respective field.
Similarly, instead of using texts, leverage text to speech online tools to give out details in your vlogs. With a human element attached to it, using voice overs can attract new visitors and enhance the overall engagement of your content.
You can also use tools like YouTube video Generator for creating videos. It offers wide range of templates and easy-to-use editing features. Keep your video short and crisp. Keep your video short and crisp. As per YouTube SEO, your vlog should range between 20-30 minutes.
What’s viral is what the audience likes the most. Right?
Track viral content on YouTube and respond to it. For example, ln summer 2014, ice bucket challenge became very popular on YouTube.
The Husky ALS Ice Bucket Challenge—a reaction video got around 1.5 million views.
You can create memes, good will, or animated reaction videos to promote your YouTube channel. And garner huge amount of views and likes.
4. Ensure high video quality
Everybody has smartphones today, right?
You can actually use your phone camera to shoot 4K (Ultra HD) videos. You just need a tripod to keep your video footage stabilized.
4K resolution is 4096×2160 and maintains color vibrancy throughout the video.
Plus, shoot the video in bright light for proper visibility. And if your video requires indoor setting, prefer using green screen.. Using the right software, you can replace the green background with special effects.
Instead of using your phone, use a good quality microphone to record voice clearly. There are many affordable mics available in the market.
Also, keep the mic close to the voice to be recorded. And listen through headphones while you shoot for voice check.
In addition, reduce background noises using free tools like Videoproc and VLC . This will make the voice clearly audible in the video.
Use the tips above to ensure that both video and sound quality are high.
5. An unusual title for unusual attention
Title is the first thing that your users see. Make it compelling for users to click and see your video.
Before deciding on a title, do proper keyword research. This will help you know what users are actually searching for.
For example, use power words like unbelievable, extraordinary, jaw dropping, etc. to captivate the audience. Or emotionally appeal your audience with words like passionate, best, rigorous etc.
Or words like ‘must have’, ‘must do’, etc. that create an urgency for your fans to click.
The title needs to be absolutely relevant to the content. Keep it simple, descriptive, and less than 60 characters.
6. Create a catchy thumbnail
Visuals attract more than text, right? And your thumbnail should compel the audience to click.
YouTube does provide some set of thumbnails. Yet, customize your thumbnail to entertain your audience completely.
For example, you can write the keyword of your video for a descriptive thumbnail. This will instantly tell your audience what the video is about.
Take a close up photo which is less than 2MB. And use a high resolution image.
As per Google SEO, your thumbnail should be 1280 x 720 pixels, with a minimum width of 640 pixels.
7. Write a proper description
Your description should exactly tell the topic of discussion in the video. So, use the focus keyword and some substitutes of it.
For example, if your video is a tour guide of New York you can use keywords like tour to New York, New York city travel, etc.
Note that do not stuff your description with different keywords. If you put around twenty keywords, that means you are discussing twenty different topics.
You should also add links of connected videos in the description box for comprehensive information.
Plus, definitely include call-to-action elements. Invite viewers to like, comment, and subscribe to your YouTube channel.
The video description should not be more than 5,000 characters.
Hashtags are an easy way to find videos on popular topics.
There’s a little homework required in this method. You need to thoroughly search YouTube for relevant hashtag.
That is, click on hashtags on a respective video title or description to know what people are searching for. And then include them in your title or description.
If they aren’t mentioned in the title, the first three hashtags in your description will show above the title.
For example, you are making a travelling vlog of Madrid, Spain. You can use hashtags like #spaincalling, #spaintravel, etc.
But as per YouTube policies, any hate speech, over-tagging, and derogatory language is strictly prohibited.
9. Provide all details that audience expect
If you have your website, provide the link in the video or the description box. This will help your fans know you better.
Similarly provide your contact details or social media links. In case your fans want to contact you, they have all the information already.
All this information will help your audience to assess you fully.
10. Keep the conversation going in the comments
In other words, be active in the comments section. Respond to both positive and negative comments. And, in a gentle tone, of course.
Your videos solely should not be a point of engagement. Interact with your fans to know them better. You can also like your favorite comments—a great way to shower love.
The more people comment on your video, higher the ranking on YouTube.
Show your viewers that they matter.
11. Get your account verified
Verification by YouTube makes your account authentic and real. You can get your account verified here.
Verifying your YouTube account comes with its own benefits.
You can upload videos longer than 15 minutes. And even create custom thumbnails.
12. A video series always helps
Curiosity is the word here. Make your fans wait desperately of what is coming next.
Upload your videos on a regular basis. Just like a television channel. This will make your fans keep coming back to your channel.
For example, keep a day and a particular time to upload your video. You can promise your fans that you will upload a video every Wednesday at noon.
According to YouTube experts, traffic is at peak between 2-6pm. So, you can schedule your video accordingly and promote your YouTube channel.
Note that it is very important for you to upload the video at the promised time. If not done, you will be risking their trust.
13. Go livestream with your video
Here is a fact–YouTube is the most famous among all other live stream platforms. It offers a free and easy live streaming option.
By using a live streaming platform like Muvi Live, you , you can engage with your audience well. Start a Question and Answer (Q&A) session to know their actual tastes and preferences, and likes and dislikes.
YouTube also offers time shifting feature. That is, your fans can dive into your stream whenever they want and see the whole video.
And the best part is your live stream URL itself becomes a recording after the event. This saves your time in uploading the video.
14. Pitch in influencers
Influencers have a strong online presence. And their following is huge.
So do thorough research before selecting one to promote your YouTube channel.
Keep a track of their writings, and follow their comments. Check out their blogs and see if they have a high Alexa rank.
And while you pitch to them, do not brag about yourself. Share your thoughts about their work or state a post that you liked best. This is a great way of building a fruitful relationship.
A right influencer will add credibility to your video.
When your fans see a likeable, popular face, the watch time will shoot up.
15. Keep an eye on your competitors
Track your competitors to maintain your edge.
Watch similar content videos on YouTube. This will give you an idea on what’s trending.
Also analyse videos that have large number of views. And see what type of elements and content attracted the audience.
And do not only stick to videos. Check the description box for the frequency of keywords, the kind of links mentioned, etc.
This will give you an idea of how your video ought to be.
Do not only restrict yourself to the YouTube world. Show how brilliant your video is by sharing it on other social media platforms.
Share video links on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and other social media platforms. Here you can actually upload ‘behind the scenes’ videos to grab attention.
Or if you run a blog, then you can insert video links in posts. This is one of the strategies to increase traffic on both—video and post.
As per 2019 data, social Media has 3.48 billion users. If your video hits more than 5 million views within a week, it will go viral!
So social media has a lot of potential. Exploit it as much as possible.
If you are a serious print media marketer, you should know what QR Codes are. They are advanced level barcodes that can store a lot of information.
You can easily create a QR Code. And encode your YouTube link in it. Then, print your QR Code on the advertising material.
Your audience can scan it via a smartphone. They will then get quick access to your content.
Plus, you can actually track the performance of your campaign. By creating dynamic QR Codes. Click here to know more.
And do not think that QR Codes are just black-and-white. You can actually customize your QR Codes—add your company’s logo or change the background image.
Instead of mentioning the link on print material, just paste the QR Code. This will provide quick access to your video link.
18. Build a YouTube community
Take YouTube as a social networking site. And build connections, scroll through different channels, start conversations, and comment on different videos.
In other words, find your own home in the community. The more active you are, the better it is for you.
Plus, channels with more than 1,000 subscribers get access to the Community Tab. Here, you can engage actively with your fans—start conversations, conduct polls, share GIFs and much more.
YouTube Community builds a bridge between you and your fans. And helps you promote your video actively.
19. Use the Auto play feature
The Autoplay feature has both its pros and cons. So, YouTubers be really careful in handling this feature.
Auto play will make it easy for your viewer to watch the next video automatically. This saves time to decide what to see next.
Plus, the total number of views on your channel will increase. And your viewers will know the kind of content you produce better.
But many people may not prefer it. Some find it irritating and disturbing.
So act smartly! Connect only those videos that are really relatable to the previous ones. Otherwise the whole essence will be lost.
At the end it all comes to your main aim. And what is it?
Obviously, to grow your YouTube channel by increasing subscribers.
Since subscription button calls for an action, customize it to strengthen this aspect.
You can decide on a good layout of the button. And choose the right position so that it is readily visible. Do not send your fans on a scavenger hunt.
21. Make YouTube playlists
Playlists help fans to see all your content. Put a playlist thumbnail that compels people to click.
Series playlists create a tendency among your users to binge watch. This increases the number of views and ultimately the watch time.
Group existing videos with a common theme in one category. And try creating one playlist once a week.
Determine your content based on the number of views your previous playlist got. That is, according to what your audience prefers the most.
Also YouTube SEO pushes channels with playlists in ‘Suggested Videos’. Add relative keywords in your playlist for best results.
22. Use Pinterest as your promotional tool
Give your followers easy to click links. You can not only pin images but also video links on Pinterest.
And what is amazing is that you can use third party tools to create GIF’s. These type of graphics catches viewer attention. And will increase your viewers.
Also, when you pin your video link on Pinterest, you automatically create a backlink. And according to SEO, the more backlinks you have from trusted sources, the higher is the ranking.
Pinterest has around 250 million users. Think about that.
23. Promote your channel too
YouTubers—don’t restrict yourself to videos. Your channel is important too.
Make your channel look polished, competent, and professional. A good logo and banner image builds trust. The best size for your logo is 1280 x 720 pixels.
Add a background music to all your videos. The YouTube audio library has an array of royalty-free music to choose from. Choose the one that complements your video best.
Also, preview your channel on multiple devices. Check for user interface errors.
Your channel carries a visual appeal. Make it as attractive as possible
24. Go for bumper ads
Bumper Ads are just a six-seconds ad, appearing at the start of the video. You can also place it at the end.
It is unobtrusive and are meant to complement the actual message. Since it is of a minimal time, your fans will not leave your channel.
These ads are non-skippable and can prove to be very effective.
25. Add end screens for a thanks giving vote
Your video has to be at least twenty five seconds long to have an endscreen.
Show your audience how grateful you are to them. Appreciate the time they spent in watching the video.
Also promise them another dose of video if possible. With a request to like and subscribe to your YouTube channel.
You can also promote your other videos here.
End screens can be five to twenty seconds long. Since they are placed at the ending, they are impactful.
So marketers, you have just read some exhaustive points that will help your channel grow. If you follow them tirelessly, you will make it big on YouTube.
