YouTube video production is literally a game of numbers—not just the number of your subscribers but, more importantly, the number of views and the amount of engagement your content is receiving.
The more visible you are, the more your channel grows, and the more the YouTube algorithm takes notice of your videos, recognizing them as valuable and pushing them to more viewers.
However, grabbing those views isn’t easy. With so many videos being uploaded to YouTube every minute, you need to stand out.
You need to make your presence felt in your client’s YouTube feed and ensure your videos appear at the top of search queries related to your brand, product, or marketing segment.
Sounds daunting? It doesn’t have to be.
In this blog, we’ll break down how to get more views on YouTube in a simple and easy-to-understand way.
Let’s dive in!
Image Credit: VidIQ
The audience will stick around and watch your video only if it resonates with them and offers some value. So, understand what they are seeking.
If you are just starting out and have competitors targeting the same audience segment, learn from them.
Analyze the kind of content they are creating and see which of their videos are getting the most views and engagement. This step will help you identify popular video topics and styles that can work for you.
You can use tools like VidIQ to track your competitors' performance.
If you already have videos uploaded, dive into YouTube Analytics, which provides insights into your audience’s demographics, locations, engagement levels, and more.
For a deeper understanding, check out our detailed blog on how to make a YouTube video.
Image Credit: Salesforce
YouTube video marketing is all about presentation, and the first step in that presentation is the ‘title.’
Ask yourself three key questions about your YouTube title:
But remember, getting attention and being engaging doesn’t mean using clickbait titles.
While clickbait might attract viewers to click on your video, if they don’t get what they expect, they’ll quickly leave within seconds. Worse, it can harm your brand image and position it in a negative light.
What you can do instead is focus on creating optimal YouTube video titles. The ideal title length is around 70 characters. You can use:
The key is to have a clear idea of your video content, brainstorm multiple title ideas, and avoid settling for the first one that comes to mind.
Check out the above-linked picture and see how Salesforce uses question-based headings in its YouTube video titles.
As another example, check out how Grammarly posts videos on YouTube.
Notice how they focus their titles on relatability, actionable benefits, and quantitative results.
Image Credit: Microsoft
Thumbnails are as important as your YouTube titles when it comes to gaining a viewer’s attention.
If you’ve uploaded a video and haven’t added a custom thumbnail to it, YouTube automatically selects a screenshot from your video and uses it as the thumbnail.
This default thumbnail is often a blurry frame caught during a transition, making it less effective in conveying the selling point of your video.
To avoid having an unappealing thumbnail, create a custom one that clearly highlights the key message of your video.
A well-designed thumbnail not only grabs attention but also helps establish a professional image of your channel in the minds of viewers.
To maintain brand consistency, consider creating a thumbnail template for your channel with specific colors, fonts, and styles that reflect your brand.
Here’s a resource to guide you in choosing the best YouTube thumbnail fonts.
Image Credit: CyberLink
YouTube isn't just a video platform; it's the second-largest search engine in the world.
In fact, YouTube videos appear in 70% of the top 100 Google search results.
As a brand, it's essential to properly optimize your YouTube videos to increase visibility.
By using the right keywords, tags, and structure, you can improve your chances of showing up in search results.
Here's how to do it effectively:
Image Credit: AXIOMQ
More engagement increases the visibility of your videos. So, end your videos with CTAs encouraging viewers to like your video and leave a comment.
Not everyone watching your video will think to like it, but a simple reminder in the video or its description can prompt them to do so.
To encourage more comments, ask viewers a question in the video and invite them to share their answers in the comments section.
YouTube isn’t like your traditional social network, but it’s still bustling with vibrant communities. Here, people interact through content, profiles, likes, and comments.
So, don’t just ask viewers to engage with your video—engage with them yourself too!
You can like their comments, reply to their comments, or pin a top comment. These small actions can go a long way in making your subscribers feel appreciated.
Platforms like YouTube thrive on interactions, so don’t shy away from making them!
Image Credit: Google
According to Statista, nearly 30% of internet users worldwide watched live-streaming content weekly in the last quarter of 2023.
This highlights the growing trend of live videos. As a brand, you should capitalize on this trend as well.
For inspiration, you can explore the types of live videos brands are creating. Some popular YouTube live content includes product demos, live tutorials, webinars, and Q&A sessions.
The unpredictable and authentic nature of live streams is what makes them a viewer favorite, so don't focus too much on perfection in your live-streaming videos.
Image Credit: Cisco
Since the rise of TikTok, short-form videos have become a must for everyone. YouTube has its own version of this vertical video format—YouTube Shorts.
With a time limit of 3 minutes, Shorts can be the perfect solution for brands looking to capture their audience’s attention.
Here’s how you can make the most of this format:
You can also repurpose your longer videos into bite-sized Shorts to expand your reach and boost brand awareness.
Just add a CTA at the end of the Short to encourage viewers to check out the full video on your channel.
If you’ve created videos that touch on similar topics to what you’re discussing now, cross-promoting them is a smart strategy.
Simply add links to your related videos in the description and invite viewers to check them out.
To demonstrate, whenever we publish new explainer videos we make for our clients on our YouTube channel, we make sure to add links to other client videos in the description:
We also include related blogs too to improve the credibility of our YouTube videos even more.
All in all, It’s a simple CTA that can boost engagement while keeping viewers focused on your content without distractions mid-video.
This approach is a great way to get more value from your older content and keep your audience exploring your channel.
Image Credit: Sprout Social
While your YouTube content should be people-centric, it doesn’t mean you should ignore how search engines work.
YouTube is a powerhouse for SEO, and keeping that in mind when creating content can be a smart move.
Focus on videos like product reviews, how-to guides, or long-form content (10+ minutes) built around specific keywords. These formats often rank well in Google search results.
If you’re out of content ideas, consider leveraging trending topics in your industry. Brainstorm ways to use your YouTube channel to tap into that buzz.
Image Credit: GiveawayListing.com
YouTube contests and giveaways are a great way to encourage people to subscribe, like your videos, and engage with your channel.
Simply ask your audience to take these actions in exchange for the chance to win prizes.
However, keep these things in mind when running a contest or giveaway:
Remember, don’t overdo it with frequent contests. After hosting one, take a cooling-off period to evaluate the results.
Did you gain engaged subscribers or just short-term participants looking for freebies? This analysis will help you determine if running more contests is worth your time and resources.
A glimpse into our “Best Animated Videos” series (Source)
A smart way to promote your YouTube channel is by creating a video series that focuses on a recurring theme or topic.
For example, Mailchimp has a popular animated comedy series called "All in a Day’s Work," which shows the ups and downs of life as an entrepreneur or small business owner.
By using a video series like this for your brand, you give your audience a reason to keep coming back to your channel, fostering consistent engagement.
Image Credit: Broadcast2World
As you upload more and more videos, it can become harder for your viewers to navigate through all of them and find what they’re looking for on your channel.
That’s where playlists become your savior.
Playlists help you organize your videos into categories, making it easier for viewers to navigate your content.
Plus, they cater to your audience’s love of binge-watching.
For example, Broadcast2World's channel has hundreds of videos on different topics, and their playlists make it simple for subscribers to find the content they’re interested in without having to search
Check out our blog on how to create a YouTube playlist.
As a B2B brand, you can collaborate with industry professionals and bring them onto your channel to provide your audience with valuable content.
This can engage your existing viewers and attract new ones who are interested in that professional.
The key to a successful YouTube collaboration is finding the right partner.
You want to collaborate with someone who shares similar passions with your brand so the video feels authentic.
Image Credits: LeadProInfotech
You can significantly boost your visibility with paid YouTube video ads, which offer several ad formats to choose from:
You can use either an existing video or create a new one for your ads.
Using an existing video allows you to repurpose content that’s already proven to engage viewers.
If a video has done well organically, paid ads can amplify those results.
On the other hand, creating a new ad gives you more control and lets you customize it with a specific call-to-action, such as directing viewers to a landing page or another video.
Take your YouTube channel promotion outside of YouTube, as sometimes that’s the best way to promote it.
It’s well-known that video content can boost conversion rates and reduce bounce rates on websites.
As a brand, you’ll have an official website, and you’ll want visitors to spend more time on product pages or blog posts.
Try embedding a YouTube video on those pages to make that happen. Not only will it benefit your website, but it will also drive traffic to your YouTube video and channel.
Image Credit: wikiHo
Video content performs exceptionally well on social media, driving high engagement.
So, it’s really important to share your YouTube videos with your social media followers. This way you can encourage them to subscribe to your channel.
Whenever you upload a new video, make sure to promote it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
You can also create short snippets or previews tailored for each platform, linking to the full video.
Image Credit: Backlinko
Suggested videos are related videos that YouTube promotes next to the video you're watching.
You might be surprised to learn that many successful YouTube channels get a significant portion of their views from Suggested Videos.
In fact, Suggested Videos can sometimes drive more views than YouTube search results.
For example, Brian Dean discussed his channel stats on the Backlinko blog and revealed that his channel gets around 34.8% of its views from search traffic, but 38.2% from Suggested Videos. That’s a significant difference!
So, how can you, as a brand, make the most of Suggested Videos and increase your views?
One effective strategy is to use the same tags as popular competitors. YouTube uses your video metadata (like the title, description, and tags) to determine which videos get suggested.
By matching the tags of a popular video, your video has a higher chance of being recommended alongside it.
Image Credit: Backlinko
Tags play a vital role in video SEO because they help YouTube understand the topic of your video. Using the right tags can improve your video’s visibility.
Here’s how to get more views on your YouTube videos using MVC Formula:
By using this formula, you can help YouTube better understand your video's content and improve its chances of appearing in relevant searches and suggested videos.
Image Credit: Backlinko
Session Time (or "Session Watch Time") refers to the total amount of time someone spends on YouTube after watching your video.
And it's a metric YouTube really cares about.
If someone watches your video and leaves YouTube right after, that lowers your Session Time.
But if they stick around and watch more videos, your Session Time goes up.
To boost your Session Time, promote your best videos on your channel page.
Highlighting engaging content will further encourage viewers to stay on your channel longer.
Each time someone watches your video for at least 30 seconds, a view is counted.
When someone replays your video, each viewing is counted as a new view.
This applies whether viewers are watching on a phone, desktop, or through an embedded video on other platforms like Facebook.
Additionally, every time someone visits your YouTube channel, it also counts as a view. You can check how many views your channel has received in the last 28 days using YouTube Analytics.
Views play a major in growing your YouTube channel.
The more views your videos get, the more likely YouTube’s algorithm will recommend them to others.
This is the cycle that leads to your channel’s increased visibility, more subscribers, and faster growth.
Views also affect your ability to earn on YouTube. More views mean more ad revenue. Plus, the more you earn, the more you can reinvest into your channel to create even better content.
Lastly, views help increase your brand's reach. Each view is an opportunity to connect with potential customers, and over time, a higher view count can boost brand awareness and help you achieve your business goals.
And that's how to have more views on YouTube!
Start by figuring out what types of videos your target audience enjoys. Choose topics and styles that align with your interests.
When you upload your video, make sure your titles, thumbnails, and tags follow best practices.
Don't forget to optimize the video for YouTube and promote it on your social media and website.
And remember, keep refining your YouTube strategy to stay on top of trends, and you'll start seeing more views!