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

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

1 billion hours of YouTube video daily

But, hither's the kicker… 62 percent of businesses apply Youtube equally a aqueduct to post video content — which is crazy!

C razy-awesome for yous that is — because when used finer, YouTube is an extremely powerful business organisation tool. Only in gild to boost your sales , you've got to get more than free YouTube views.

In this article, you'll learn 18 ways to go more than views on YouTube, build your brand, and boost your sales .

But first, allow's talk quickly about how to make a video on YouTube.

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Mail service Contents

  • How to Make a Video on YouTube
  • How to Get More than Views on YouTube
    • 1. Create Compelling Content
    • 2. Encourage Viewers to Subscribe
    • three. Create Playlists to Proceed People Watching
    • 4. Promote Other Videos with End Screens and Cards
    • 5. Add a Watermark to Your Videos
    • 6. Brand Sure Your Videos Are Embedding Enabled
    • 7. Promote Your Videos on Other Social Channels
    • eight. Understand the Importance of 'Watch Fourth dimension'
    • 9. Nurture a Customs
    • 10. Optimize Your Video Titles
    • 11. Optimize Your Channel
    • 12. Create a YouTube Trailer Featuring Your Best Content
    • 13. Create Compelling Thumbnail Images
    • 14. Transcribe Your Videos
    • 15. Publish Your Videos at The Best Fourth dimension
    • 16. Invite Guest Vloggers
    • 17. Build an Influencer Customs
    • xviii. Know What's Viral
  • Your Turn
  • Desire to Larn More than?

How to Make a Video on YouTube

  • Plan Your Video

Before you outset making a video for YouTube you need to plan what you want to produce. Generate a storyboard outlining each scene or department of the video. Think about the messaging you want to portray to your audience and plan where in the video you will include calls-to-action . This is of import as yous need people to want to do something subsequently watching the video.

  • Write Your Script

Based on your video plan, begin writing your video script. Endeavor to proceed the linguistic communication relatable and appealing to your audition. If your video is a beginners guide, don't use too many technical terms. If you are making an in-depth YouTube video, make sure to include terms that are specific to the manufacture to build trust with your viewers. Don't create a long script if your storyboard is short as it will mean a lot of lingering on screens that will not make for a good viewing experience.

  • Create a Shot List

Having a shot list volition encourage you lot to recall about the smaller details, like lightning direction and camera placement. Brand sure to create 1 once yous're done writing your script. Information technology should include all of the things that assistance give a sense of direction to your production, such as the camera setup or activity/dialogue each scene requires.

  • Organize Your Scene

Volition your video be animated, live-action, or real-time? What kind of props volition y'all demand when making your video so that your YouTube followers will stay engaged during your whole video? These questions are of import to answer as they will assistance make your video look more than professional. Invest in branding to add together to the background of your videos and thumbnails so that your video looks elevation quality .

  • Prepare Yourself

If y'all are starring in the video, or just directing it, it is important to gear up and practice so that the real affair volition go off without a hitch. The devil is in the particular when information technology comes to making a YouTube video, so practicing will business relationship for all the things that could go wrong when shooting.

  • Edit Your Video

After doing a few takes of each scene the magic starts – you lot can commencement editing your video to omit small mistakes or elements of scenes that don't fit. Accept the time here to ask whether each line sounds natural, and delete lines that don't fit into the overall video.

  • Upload YouTube Video

Within the YouTube platform, you can upload your video, including a championship, tags, and a description for your audience . These things will assist your audience to find your video through. If you are planning to create more than one video on a particular topic, you can create a playlist and add it to this. Recall about adding cards and captions to your video to assistance users navigate more than finer effectually your channel.

  • [Additional Tip] Get Live

Once y'all take plenty experience creating videos, why not endeavor going live and talking to your audience in real-fourth dimension. Reply questions from your audience in the moment and give your viewers the ultimate viewing experience.

How to Get More than Views on YouTube

Now allow'southward jump straight into the specifics of getting more views on YouTube.

1. Create Compelling Content

Information technology won't thing how many hacks or ads you use if your videos aren't good. So how tin can yous create compelling content that will get more than views on YouTube? Well, one of the best means is to create 'how to' videos :

How-to Videos

Merely place what your platonic customers about want to know, and and so create videos that meet their needs. Does this work? You bet. YouTube creator Graham Cochrane racked up 51 one thousand thousand YouTube views by 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 make videos about.

Elementary, right?

Cochrane said , "An amazing thing happens when y'all ask people what they need and want, and then you get and make it for them — they think you read their listen!" Bottom-line: Consistently create content that solves your ideal client'due south problems or meets their needs. Information technology'due south the way to develop a loyal community of fans and get more than views on YouTube.

2. Encourage Viewers to Subscribe

Have you lot e'er heard the saying, "Your best new customers are your one-time customers"? In other words, retaining customers tin be a powerful style to grow your business organisation. Well, the aforementioned holds truthful for YouTube views.

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

The best way is simply to ask at the beginning and cease of each video!

YouTube Subscribe to Channel

But don't simply inquire viewers to subscribe to your YouTube aqueduct. Brand sure that you besides prompt them to turn on the notification bong afterwards they've clicked 'Subscribe.'

YouTube Notification Bell

This fashion, once a viewer subscribes, they'll be notified every time you upload a new video. Growing your subscribers is vital to getting more free YouTube views, so beginning asking your viewers to subscribe now!

3. Create Playlists to Keep People Watching

YouTube's ain statistics testify that "height-performing brands on YouTube build and promote twice as many playlists every bit the lesser 25%."

YouTube Playlists

Why do playlists work so well? Auto-play. Information technology takes attempt to pull your attention away from videos you're enjoying when they just continue playing. In fact, in that location'southward a cognitive bias at work called 'loss aversion.'

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

The question is no longer, "Exercise you desire to watch another video enough to actively click play?" At present, the question is, "Do you desire to stop watching enough to actively click away?". Information technology'south subtle but powerful, and if your content is practiced, viewers will oftentimes keep watching. Besides, playlists tin can help improve search rankings, every bit 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 lot tin create a new playlist or add together it to an existing playlist. To become more views on YouTube, create a playlist of your best content and start promoting information technology today!

four. Promote Other Videos with End Screens and Cards

Cards and cease screens are tools that you lot can use to promote your videos to get more views on YouTube. First, y'all'll need to verify your YouTube account to admission these features. To practice this, click on your contour picture in the summit right, so click 'Creator Studio'. Next, click on the 'Status and features' tab:

YouTube Creator Studio

On this page, you're able to view extra YouTube channel features and set them up. Now let's take a closer look at cease screens and cards.

An stop screen is a dedicated frame that you can identify at the end of your videos to wrap things upward, and highlight calls-to-activity.

Cards are a tool that you can set to pop-up anytime in the video. You tin set these to direct people to another video or playlist, or you can create a poll card which is a great way to ask viewers what they'd like to run into more of (remember tip number 1?).

To add terminate screens and cards to your videos, get to the Creator Studio and click 'Video Manager,' so click 'Videos.' Find the video that you lot want to add the terminate screen bill of fare to and click 'Edit.' Once you lot're on the video editor page, you can add end screens and cards by clicking the menu items at the top of the folio:

Add YouTube End Screen and Cards

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

5. Add together a Watermark to Your Videos

Watermarks allow you to gain more subscribers and free YouTube views by promoting your channel across all of your videos. Essentially, a watermark is just an prototype that you can set to appear on all of your videos — well-nigh brands use their logo. When a viewer hovers their mouse over a watermark, it prompts them to subscribe. Which is why the Shopify YouTube channel has chosen a watermark saying 'subscribe':

YouTube Watermark

Once over again, you need to verify your YouTube account to exist able to upload a watermark. Information technology's worth pointing out that you tin't choice and cull which videos display watermarks and which don't — they either announced on all of your videos or none of them.

To add a watermark to your videos head 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 aqueduct.

Tip: Design a watermark that is square, transparent, and in a higher place 50×50 pixels. As YouTube shrinks downwards watermarks when displaying them in the corner of the videos, creating a larger one will assistance ensure your branding is visible to your target audition .

six. Brand Sure Your Videos Are Embedding Enabled

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

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

* Gulp*

Assuasive viewers to embed your video on their websites and blogs is an effective way for your brand to accomplish new audiences and become more views on YouTube. If a video has embedding enabled, when a viewer clicks 'Share' underneath the video window, YouTube volition show them the 'Embed' pick:

YouTube Video Embed

One time they click on this, they'll be able to copy the video's embedding code 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's edit page.

So click 'Avant-garde Settings' and scroll down to the "Distribution options" and make certain the "Let Embedding" is ticked:

Allow YouTube Video Embedding

Bottom-line: Make certain your videos accept embedding enabled to encourage viewers to share your content.

If you have followers on other social channels, let them know each fourth dimension you upload a new video to YouTube. A expert way to do this is with a short teaser video. For example, you can create a minute-long teaser for a new YouTube video, and then mail service information technology on your Facebook folio with a link to the full video on your YouTube channel .

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

And don't forget most email marketing . With an industry boilerplate open charge per unit of xviii percent and a purchase rate of 66 pct, email marketing is a powerhouse when it comes to sales conversions. It doesn't demand to be too complicated either.

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

YouTube isn't a standalone social aqueduct, then brand sure to cross-promote your videos through your gratuitous marketing channels .

8. Sympathise the Importance of 'Watch Fourth dimension'

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

  • On the homepage
  • Equally suggested videos
  • In search results
  • Under the Subscriptions tab
  • Through notifications that viewers take created

What'due south more than, the algorithm doesn't just impact individual videos, but unabridged YouTube channels. YouTube's algorithm is complex, but the about of import affair to understand is that information technology's heavily based on 'Watch Time.' In fact, according to YouTube , "Each video uploaded — likewise as every channel on YouTube — is 'ranked' by watch time."

Sentry Fourth dimension is how much fourth dimension people spend actually watching your videos:

YouTube Watch Time

Bottom-line: YouTube rewards quality. The ameliorate your videos are, the more time people spend watching them. This volition increase your Watch Time minutes and so YouTube will favor your videos and aqueduct.

I more matter: Your YouTube channel can too earn 'sentry time credits' for referring viewers to other videos. It'due south basically like chapter marketing .

In summary: Focus on retaining viewers for as long as you lot tin, and don't be afraid of promoting other YouTube channels in your niche!

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

How? The best style is to just respond to comments — particularly if someone asks a direct question. Considering other viewers will be more than likely to comment themselves if they know they'll receive a response. It only takes a 2d, and you can do it while you're browsing your comments for new video ideas (remember tip number 1?).

Too that, endeavor to be an agile member of your niche customs. Subscribe to other channels in your niche, get out comments on their videos, and share any that your own audition might enjoy. In other words, give before you get.

If you engage generously and authentically, viewers will notice and it will be much easier to institute your make in a niche of passionate fans. And remember, promoting other videos will score you lot Lookout man Time credits, which will help to boost your channel in YouTube'southward algorithm. Lastly, yous can also involve viewers directly.

Ane of the easiest ways to practice this is to hold a contest or prize draw. For instance, you could ask viewers to share your video on Facebook and leave a comment to be entered into a draw to win ane of your products. Growing a loyal, active community is a surefire way to get more views on YouTube.

10. Optimize Your Video Titles

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

YouTube's algorithm takes multiple items into business relationship 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, yous need to know which keywords you want your videos and aqueduct 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 utilise costless 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 go along your titles between 60-70 characters long . This gives you the about room to create a compelling title, while also ensuring that it won't be cutting short in search results. Lastly, don't forget the humans!

Certain, you need to utilize keywords to help your videos rank in search results, but to get more than costless YouTube views, you too need your video titles and descriptions to appeal to viewers. In general, aim for a balance between accurate, informative, and attending-grabbing.

As the famed copywriter David Ogilvy once wrote , "When you accept written your headline, you have spent 80 cents out of your dollar." And then whatsoever y'all practise, pay shut attention to your video titles.

eleven. Optimize Your Aqueduct

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

Daniel Wellington YouTube

Let'southward speedily run through some of the chief components:

Create a stiff, consistent brand aesthetic.

Ensure that your YouTube branding is consequent with your website and other social channels. This ways using the aforementioned logo, images, and colors . Your profile picture should be 800 10 800 pixels. Information technology should also nevertheless expect expert when displayed smaller. Your banner art should be at to the lowest degree 2560 10 1440 pixels, and at that place's a template to aid y'all design your banner art in YouTube'southward Creator Academy .

Optimize your YouTube channel description.

This is shown on your aqueduct'southward 'About' tab. You lot but become ane,000 characters, so make 'em count. What should you write in your YouTube channel clarification? Well, first with a quick clarification of your brand and the benefits of your products.

Then tell viewers why they should lookout your YouTube videos. Are you teaching them something? Or is your channel mostly about entertainment? Bottom-line: Tell viewers what's in information technology for them. But similar your individual video titles, make sure that you include your targeted keywords in your YouTube aqueduct description.

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

In other words, make it easy for viewers to find out more nigh your brand.

Add channel keywords.

Once you've researched and decided on the keywords yous desire your channel to rank for in the search results, click "Channel," and so "Avant-garde." Then only input your keywords into the box titled "Aqueduct Keywords."

YouTube Channel Keywords

Lastly, enable related channels.

"One of the biggest mistakes I run into business organisation channels make is that they turn off the 'related channels' feature on YouTube," said Syed Balkhi , the founder of List25 (which has over 2.3 meg subscribers and 582 one thousand thousand views).

Past turning it off, yous remove your channel from YouTube'due south recommendations. As a consequence, you'll lose the network effect that makes YouTube such a powerful tool.

In summary, make sure that yous optimize your YouTube channel and that all of your information is complete.

12. Create a YouTube Trailer Featuring Your Best Content

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

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

There are no specific rules around the trailer'southward maximum length, simply about YouTubers go on 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'southward my background"? "What do I hope to reach"? "What compelled me to create a YouTube channel"?

Keep the nearly interesting things y'all have to say reserved for the first few seconds, but sprinkle your personality throughout the trailer, like international series entrepreneur Peter Sage did:

To create your trailer, go to your channel homepage and click "Customise Aqueduct." This will redirect y'all to a page where yous can upload your trailer'southward footage. Once washed, write a description, enter your SEO tags, and click "Publish."

how to create a YouTube trailer

After publishing, head back to your aqueduct homepage and click the Customise Channel push button again. The trailer should now be nowadays in your video library. Set it equally your YouTube trailer by clicking the "For New Visitors" tab.

And that's it. Your channel trailer is ready to make an affect. Let information technology practise the legwork of impressing whoever decides to check out your channel.

13. Create Compelling Thumbnail Images

A thumbnail is a video's preview paradigm. This trivial image is extremely important if you lot want to get more costless YouTube views. When you upload a video, you tin can choose one of the auto-generated thumbnail images.

Don't. Instead, create and upload your ain custom thumbnail image. YouTube reports that xc per centum of the top-performing videos on YouTube use them — and for adept reason.

YouTube Custom Thumbnails

(If you oasis't yet, you need to verify your YouTube account to access this feature.)

An effective thumbnail image can help your videos stand out.

YouTube Video Thumbnails

YouTube says , "Thumbnails crave an art director'southward eye for branding, and shouldn't exist an afterthought." In fact, they recommend that yous think virtually your thumbnail before you offset filming. That way, you can make sure you capture the footage needed to create a compelling thumbnail epitome. A good thumbnail is 1 that is eye-catching, compelling, congruent 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 — like a small logo or watermark

Okay, what almost the technicalities? Your thumbnail should:

  • Use a xvi:9 aspect ratio, every bit this is the near used aspect ratio in YouTube players
  • Have a resolution of 1280×720
  • Have a file-size of less than 2MB
  • Be formatted as a .JPG, .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG

You can likewise use a gratis epitome editing and graphic design tool like Canva to create your thumbnails. Remember, thumbnails are one of the best ways to catch the attention of people browsing YouTube, so make sure that yours are effective and compelling.

To larn more well-nigh the perfect YouTube thumbnail size and best practices, check out our guide here.

fourteen. Transcribe Your Videos

Creating videos is slap-up, but sometimes your audition will demand a transcription due to linguistic communication constraints or inability. YouTube allows for airtight captions where a transcript is added as subtitles to a video. Viewers can toggle these subtitles on and off at will. If you lot programme on opening your videos to an international market, transcriptions tin can be a nifty idea. Translating scripts are useful for helping those with other language abilities to empathize your videos better.

How do you lot create a transcription document for upload to YouTube? It is quite elementary really. You lot create a SubRip Subtitle file, SRT for brusque, which includes the start and cease times next to the text.

SRT Subtitle File

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

SubRip Subtitle File

In one case uploaded to YouTube, or any other video platform, double 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 all-time time is when your target visitors are watching your videos. Fortunately, this is no longer a mystery as YouTube tracks the hours and days when your audience is on YouTube. You lot can dig into your "When your viewers are on YouTube" study to identify peak times and publish content in an hour or two before those peaks. Publishing earlier volition give your audience a chance to discover your new videos, resulting in more free views.

To access the report, go to your channel homepage, click Customize Channel, select Analytics from the left-hand tab below your channel profile picture show, and click the Audience tab. You should now see the option to generate a "When your viewers are on YouTube" report. If you don't have plenty daily views to generate this written report, then you can try publishing in the hours we've mentioned in our mail The All-time Fourth dimension to Mail service on Social Media in 2021 .

xvi. Invite Guest Vloggers

Guest blogging is a cracking way to proceeds new followers and viewers. Identifying influencers who have a like audience to yours will open your channel upwardly to potential viewers who have the aforementioned interests as you. Edifice a close 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 great not merely for costless ways to go more views but also to add more variety to your videos. Having another person to brainstorm video ideas with tin open up the door to artistic videography which will, in turn, create more views on your YouTube channel.

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

guest invite free YouTube videos

For sure, it'southward not merely his audience tuning in and sharing these videos, merely the influencer's too.

Following on from invitee vloggers, building a strong influencer community that shares community content and works together to help everyone involved is a great way to get more than views on your YouTube channel. Beingness an influencer tin can be very lonely and competitive. Reaching out to influencers similar to yourself to share knowledge and data can assistance to build a community of influencers that look afterwards each other and help people who are struggling.

Identifying similar influencers through tools like Unamo or Buzzsumo and reaching out to them volition commencement the ball rolling but be sure to have a goal and compelling reason to maintain contact so that it is a reciprocal human relationship and non one-sided.

xviii. Know What's Viral

Keeping up to engagement with things happening in your industry tin be the difference between condign popular or sinking into the groundwork. Those with a deep understanding of what is happening in their globe can create videos that are current and interesting to those researching the niche. Just this cognition of your manufacture besides helps you identify viral content as it happens so you tin share information technology with your post-obit before anyone else. Being the first to share information volition place yous every bit a leader in your field, leading to more than exposure to your content and more views.

FAQ about 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 least 30 seconds. Repeat views also stand up up to a certain indicate (around 4-5 views), after which YouTube stops counting repeated playback from the user'south business relationship or device.

Where is the best identify to share YouTube videos?

At that place'southward no one best place to share your videos, equally you can become a bigger attain by distributing them on multiple platforms. Here are some websites where you 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 the relevant YouTube video.
  2. Tap the "Share" icon and copy the video URL.
  3. Paste the URL on the platform where yous desire to share the video.

If you choose to share the video on a specific platform, tap on that platform's name instead of copying the video URL. Then select the contact you wish to share the video with, and let YouTube handle the rest.

Your Plough

There you lot have information technology: 18 ways to get more views on YouTube!

In summary: Kickoff, focus on creating slap-up content that your target audition volition love.

And then do your best to optimize your content and aqueduct, 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 use commencement to get more YouTube views? Go out a comment below and let the states know!