Impactful YouTube video descriptions can boost views, watch time, and encourage growth on the platform.
A well-written YouTube description is helpful for YouTube SEO to generate maximum organic traffic to the channel.
However, making the descriptions work is harder than it looks.
So, in this post, we will share some of our favorite tips for writing accurate video descriptions on YouTube.
We will see how you can maximize your earnings with the least risk possible.
A YouTube description is of two types:
Be it an explainer video script or the copy of your latest YouTube video ad, when it comes to making words have an impact, a set of steps needs to be followed.
It’s a similar story in the case of YouTube Descriptions or the descriptions of videos posted to alternative platforms to YouTube like Vimeo.
Below, we have provided the techniques that will help you write and optimize your YouTube video descriptions for maximum impact.
Do a thorough research on keywords relevant to your video.
We can’t stress this enough as to how important this is from a video marketing perspective.
Utilize smart AI tools like TubeBuddy to find out keyword enrichment, rank potential, and other parameters.
The recommendations from such tools can guide you to craft your own keywords as well.
Start with a hook line that grabs the attention of the audience.
Include at least one primary keyword before the read more sign (aka the fold.)
Let the people know what the YouTube video is about and keep them engaged.
Remember, you only have the initial 2-to 3 lines to make an impression, and various YouTube Statistics back this up.
These lines are a huge contributor to a higher CTR (click-through rate), so write wisely.
Give a summary of all the key points discussed in the video.
Make it short, sweet, and relevant to the video.
If you face any problems in writing concisely you can always try an AI summarizer.
Such tools will quickly generate a boiled-down version of the script for your video’s description.
Write your descriptions with a sprinkle of keywords.
Manage at least two to three related keywords in the channel and YouTube description.
But, the video title should always take the main keyword.
No matter if you’re writing a title for your YouTube Shorts or a caption for your Instagram Videos, your main target keyword should always come first in your title to make it more SEO-friendly.
Strategizing keyword placement can make your videos stand out from others.
The YouTube algorithm will top rank your video, luring in heavy audiences to your channel.
But remember not to spam your descriptions with repetitive or vulgar keywords as that is against YouTube’s community guidelines.
Which might result in your videos getting demonetized.
Have a look at your YouTube Banner and see what catches your eye immediately.
Still guessing? It’s the aesthetics.
Having clear aesthetics can help your audience consume your content more easily.
When it comes to your YouTube descriptions, provide extra guidance to your viewers by adding timestamps and creating segments to your videos.
This will help them navigate to the part of the video they want to see.
This trick is useful for “people in a hurry”, which in Youtube’s case is a majority of the audience.
Thus, timestamps can be a good idea to keep the audience engaged.
Asking rhetorical questions in the description is a fun way to keep the audience engaged.
A line of questioning, in the context of the video’s content, can help actualize a CTA (call to action.)
Consider the following example.
Video title: “How to Make The Best YouTube Shorts?”
The appropriate line of questioning: "Do you still find the process too difficult? Well, worry not, because our custom animated videos will have you covered..."
Add links to other platforms, like Patreon, Social Media, portfolio website, etc. to your video description.
This will create a robust internal link with other platforms and increase your users’ dwell time.
Remember that the links to your other platforms are hyperlinked.
This will make it easier for your audience to land on your pages.
To keep viewers watching your content for longer, add links to your YouTube Playlists in the description.
This gives viewers an incentive to binge-watch your content and increases your watch time in the process.
Hashtags help in categorizing your video according to your video’s content, niche, and genre.
For instance, if you are making gaming videos on YouTube, then you can add hashtags like #Gaming, #Newgame2024, #PS5, and so on.
The hashtags help viewers discover your content and search-optimize your channel and videos on YouTube.
It’s one of the best ways to unlock visibility and grow your YouTube channel along the way
Your videos get indexed on top more often than others.
However, stressing too much about them is also not recommended.
Notice how popular YouTube creators put emphasis on their YouTube Intros or what YouTube Thumbnail Font makes their videos stand out.
These are all efforts to build and maintain a brand image that’s visible from a mile away.
Write the slogans or catchphrases in the description that you use in your videos.
This will ensure consistent branding, helping you establish your name in the industry.
Besides, when you write in your own style, it connects well with the audience.
They treat your channel as their own, making the community bond stronger.
Formatting the description is important to keep the audience interested.
This means using bullets, points, and numbered lists.
Just like a bumper ad, your format needs to make sure all the important bits are visible at first glance.
Also, use line breaks to neatly present all things at once and improve the readability of your descriptions.
This is quite useful for educational YouTube channels that want to provide a concise context to their videos using their descriptions.
However, trying an online invisible character tool can easily provide spaces/line breaks for the formatting.
Include your personality when you write your description.
Talk to your audiences as if they’re your friends and convince them to listen to what you have to offer.
Write in a conversational tone and avoid using hard language.
Don’t sound like a robot, but an actual human being who has something to offer to the people.
Post regular updates in the descriptions about the status of the topic you covered.
If your given knowledge has become outdated, let your audiences know so.
People love such personalization and appreciate concern with content.
It becomes a driving factor for them to revisit your videos and enjoy your work.
People don’t have time to go through complex work.
So, write your descriptions in an easy language to encourage the audience to read.
Or, you can try an AI paraphraser that automatically changes complex sentence structures and vocabulary to simpler ones.
Such factors appreciate engagement with the video, and ultimately, you’ll gain a massive fan base.
Emojis are YOUR feelings to the audience.
They can make a description personalized by showing true emotions.
Plus, stickers, emojis, and other similar elements are visually attractive.
They are often used in descriptions as attention-grabbing devices.
However, people tend to overlook if you overuse emotive language in your work.
So, try to find the right balance to successfully engage your audience.
Cut out any offensive terms or words that may land you in trouble.
Don’t use copied content in the description.
Otherwise, you will get flagged with copyright claims.
Review YouTube’s community guidelines and ensure that your written and video content meets them.
Or else you run the risk of facing demonetization from YouTube.
If not, then change the flagged words/terms in the description and republish.
Whether it's your YouTube descriptions of your YouTube videos, a good presentation always catches the eye.
Analytics Dashboard in YouTube Creator’s studio. (Source: Freecodecamp.org)
Check the performance of your videos through Google Analytics, or any other tool you deem fit.
See the views on the video and correlate the number with the clicks on your other platforms.
If the correlation is high, your description is proving to be impactful.
If not, reiterate the steps mentioned above.
Please don’t make the grave mistake of reusing old descriptions without changing them for the new videos.
Always try to explore new ways to target the audience and have something for the new fans.
Always write descriptions that don’t misrepresent your video.
Avoid using clickbait titles or irrelevant keywords in your videos.
Otherwise, you’ll lose your loyal following.
For instance, if you are a channel that covers sports news, don’t write something that a player never said.
In the long run, clickbait can tarnish your reputation and severely harm your search rankings on YouTube.
Adding default settings for YouTube uploads can automate some description writing tasks and help you focus on other essentials.
These may include writing brand links, socials, company overviews, etc. – the boring things that you’re tired of.
You can utilize AI chat models like ChatGPT and Gemini to get quick ideas for your YouTube descriptions.
Just describe your writing tone, audience, and video topic and the AI models will do the job.
However, double-check the AI-generated content for coherence, tone, and fact accuracy.
Finally, proofread your description and check for the overall flow.
For better results, you can simply rewrite sentences for more clarity.
It would automatically fix any written mistake of your description.
Furthermore, you can easily rewrite your description text by selecting the professional mode.
Ensure that the formatting is good and that all the links are added.
Always check your work with a keen eye and see if there are any edits to be made.
It is also necessary to verify that your content is original and free from AI similarities that could lead to copyright issues or potential bans.
So, make use of online tools to detect AI content to ensure your writing or descriptions are unique, and be sure to follow all content guidelines for description writing.
Polish your description as much as possible to make it highly impactful.
In this post, we saw 21 ways in which you can create impactful descriptions for your YouTube videos.
The key to it all is to be able to connect with the audience in the best manner possible.
Think of them as fellow human beings and have interesting conversations.
Entice the viewers to watch your videos and hence, you’ll increase your presence on the platform.
Soon, your huge fanbase will take you to many places!