21 Proven Strategies for How to Increase YouTube Video Views

Unlock the Potential of Your YouTube Video Titles

• Craft video titles that grab attention and optimize for search engines by using target keywords at the beginning, ensuring clarity and clickability without resorting to clickbait.
• Titles influence click-through rate and are crucial in impressing both the YouTube algorithm and potential viewers.
• Utilize tools such as AI Title Generators to get creative, engaging title ideas optimized for viewer engagement.
• Include emotive words in titles to evoke emotions like curiosity, fear, and desire.
• Add numbers to video titles as they attract attention and are associated with factual information.
• Draw inspiration from viral videos in your niche and use emotion-driven phrases that encourage viewer curiosity.
• Use relatable language in video titles to start a conversation with viewers using shared lingo.
• Maintain YouTube video titles within a 60-70 character limit to ensure they display fully on most devices.
• Creators should ask themselves what value or benefit viewers will walk away with after watching the video and how the insights will change their everyday lives.
• Providing clear and specific context in video titles helps viewers understand what to expect and encourages them to watch the entire content.

Crafting Irresistible Titles

• Use shared lingo and relatable language that resonates with your target audience to craft irresistible video titles.
• Using a specific number in your video title can make it exponentially more interesting and clickable.
• Create titles that accurately summarize the video content and spark curiosity to compel viewers to click.

Title SEO Optimization

• Utilize keyword research tools like WordStream’s Free Keyword Tool or Google Keyword Planner to discover terms with a high search volume and low to medium competition, which are suited for video title SEO optimization.
• Align your video content with the most common search intents among your target audience, ensuring that selected keywords for video titles match what the viewers are seeking.
• Place relevant keywords at the start of the video title to improve visibility in YouTube search results, and use features like YouTube’s autocomplete to find popular search terms, along with including keyword variations to address different search intents and queries.

Avoiding Clickbait Pitfalls

• Titles should accurately represent content to avoid misleading viewers and harming the channel’s credibility.
• Titles with clear value propositions effectively communicate to viewers why they should watch, boosting engagement.
• Employing proven headline frameworks and straightforward how-to titles can lead to higher engagement, especially for educational content.
• Creating titles that pique curiosity while delivering on the promise keeps the viewer experience positive and enhances retention.
• Providing context using brackets and creating a genuine sense of urgency in titles can increase clicks without falling into the clickbait trap.

Enhance Viewer Engagement with Strategic Content Creation

• Audience engagement on YouTube is critical for fostering relationships with viewers and increasing organic and sustainable view counts.
• Creating ‘how to’ videos targeting the needs of the ideal customer base can significantly boost viewer engagement and views.
• Playlists on YouTube enhance the viewing experience by allowing for automatic playback of related content, which leads to longer viewing sessions and increased engagement.
• High audio quality in videos helps to eliminate distractions that can disengage viewers, thereby maintaining and potentially increasing audience retention.

Designing Content for Audience Retention

• Starting videos with a hook, such as asking a thought-provoking question or presenting a surprising fact, can captivate the audience’s attention right from the beginning.
• An entertaining intro, like employing humor, teasing stories, or showing important segments early on, reduces early drop-offs and sets the expectation for an engaging video.
• To keep the viewer engaged after the initial interest, use pacing strategies such as short videos while covering the content comprehensively and integrating pattern interrupters to maintain interest.
• Engagement analytics inform content design by revealing watch patterns that suggest when to use various editing techniques and storytelling elements to ensure viewers stay engaged.

Encouraging Interaction in Videos

• Encouraging viewers to interact can be done by presenting them with direct questions, either about their own experiences or to solicit their opinions, which can lead to increased commenting.
• Calls to action such as asking for future content ideas, initiating a pinned comment, hosting Q&A sessions, encouraging debate, or promoting contests can all drive increased engagement, comments, and shares.
• Analyzing previous videos that have achieved high interaction can help in replicating elements that engage the audience, thereby maintaining an active community in future content.

Series Over Singles

• By hinting at a story within a video’s hook, viewers are made curious to see how the story unfolds, leading them to follow the series across multiple installments and maintaining their interest over time.
• Focusing on series content allows a deeper dive into topics than single videos, positioning the channel as an authoritative source on the subject matter and building credibility.
• Series enable easier cross-promotion and storytelling connections between videos, encouraging viewers to continue watching the next video in the series and thus promoting binge-watching behavior.
• Establishing a regular release schedule for series episodes creates a sense of expectation among viewers, who then become regular visitors to the channel, much like traditional TV show audiences.

Mastering YouTube SEO for Maximum Exposure

• Mastering YouTube SEO fundamentals is vital for improving video visibility in search results, with the algorithm taking into account video file names, titles, descriptions, and tags.
• The first step in YouTube SEO is to find target keywords, which are heavily weighted by the YouTube algorithm, especially in the video description’s first few sentences; keyword research tools can provide related terms.
• Optimizing video descriptions and tags helps YouTube’s algorithm understand the video content, aiming for 125-175 words in the description with tags that demonstrate relevance.
• Videos that rank at the top of YouTube’s search results typically have 78% more links and embeds than videos ranked lower, which can significantly increase discoverability.

Keyword Rich Video Descriptions

• Specific keywords in video descriptions help YouTube’s algorithm understand and categorize the video, leading to improved discoverability on the platform.
• Keyword research to select effective keywords can be done using tools like Google Ads’ Keyword Planner, Google Trends, and YouTube’s autocomplete feature.
• Analyzing successful YouTube channels for how they incorporate keywords into titles and descriptions can provide valuable insights for optimizing your own content.
• Understand your audience’s search intent—informational, commercial, navigational, or transactional—to match video content with what the audience is looking for.
• Primary keywords should be featured in the first three sentences of the video description for better visibility to YouTube’s algorithms.
• Descriptions should stay concise and focused, updating any video element can impact its ranking as YouTube reassesses videos frequently.
• Including timestamps in video descriptions with keywords can enhance a video’s SEO by enabling Google’s mobile search indexing and improving user navigation.
• Integrate subtitles and closed captions into videos to emphasize important keywords and broaden accessibility to wider audiences, improving overall SEO.

Tagging for Success

• For optimal discoverability on YouTube, use a combination of specific and broad tags, ensuring they are relevant to the content.
• YouTube’s algorithm may penalize videos with excessive or irrelevant tags by reducing their visibility.
• Tags that are specific to the video’s content help in achieving accuracy in search results.
• Broad tags categorize the video within larger topics, which aids in being discovered among related content.
• Synonyms included in tags allow for coverage of a wide array of potential search terms used by different users.
• Incorporating trending tags can place a video within current search trends, increasing the chance of discovery by new viewers.
• Tags play a role in helping YouTube’s algorithm suggest a video alongside similar content, enhancing the likelihood of discovery by interested audiences.

Channel Optimization Essentials

• Conducting keyword research and optimizing playlists, descriptions, and videos can enhance a channel’s discoverability on YouTube.
• Including target keywords in video file names and descriptions, alongside clear calls to action, contributes significantly to video SEO.
• Maintaining a regular video publishing schedule and adhering to a cohesive channel theme is key for retaining and growing an audience.
• The channel description should encompass a summary of the brand, relevant social links, a consistent upload schedule, and strategic keywords.
• Defining a content plan and selecting focused metrics are important for tracking progress in areas such as subscriber count, watch time, and viewer engagement.
• Understanding the YouTube SEO process and developing a content strategy that targets a specific audience can lead to more effective partnerships and content creation.

Cultivating a Compelling YouTube Channel Aesthetic

• A strong brand identity on YouTube resonates with an audience’s values, enhancing the likelihood of brand loyalty and potentially leading to increased sales or subscribers.
• Visual branding on YouTube establishes a channel as more professional and trustworthy, essential for both first impressions and lasting subscriber relationships.
• The profile picture is a cornerstone of visual branding on YouTube, ensuring immediate recognition in comments, suggested videos, and other interactions on the platform.
• Channel art should not only reflect the brand’s personality but also be designed with complementary colors and high-quality graphics for cross-device visibility and prevention of pixelation.
• Consistent use of video bumpers featuring a channel’s name or logo at the start or end of videos fosters brand identity and aids in recognition among viewers.
• Employing the right trademark symbols with a channel’s name and logo projects seriousness and dedication to the brand, further solidifying a professional image on YouTube.
• Engaging thumbnails, marked by striking visuals and a design that stands out against YouTube’s interface, significantly contribute to the success of videos by attracting views.

Designing Custom Thumbnails

• Custom thumbnails should be created according to YouTube’s recommended dimensions to ensure they are engaging and lead to higher click-through rates.
• Using a grid system when designing thumbnails can help maintain a professional look and consistent element placement across different videos.
• Matt Diggity saw a significant increase in video views after implementing captivating thumbnails.
• MrBeast invests up to $10,000 in designing and testing custom thumbnails to maximize his views.
• Strategic thumbnail creation, which quickly communicates the video topic, can attract viewers and increase engagement.
• For YouTube Shorts, which does not have a default thumbnail feature, a representative frame from the video can be selected and edited to create an eye-catching custom thumbnail.
• BOGY Thumbnails, using specific colors such as blue, orange, green, and yellow, can be more eye-catching and could potentially lead to higher click-through rates.
• Creators can use tools like Simplified that offer a variety of templates and resources to help create compelling YouTube thumbnails.
• It is critical for video titles to align with the thumbnail, creating a consistent message that compels viewers to click and watch.

Consistent Branding Across Videos

• Consistent visual branding strategies, including elements such as video bumpers and channel art, establish a unified channel aesthetic that solidifies the channel’s identity.
• Uniform thumbnail designs serve as a visual cue for viewers, aiding in content discovery and fostering brand recognition which in turn can boost video views.
• Using a distinct custom color scheme for YouTube channel artwork, plus consistent custom thumbnails and profile pictures, makes the channel instantly recognizable to viewers.
• Maintaining consistency across different visual elements such as video bumpers, thumbnails, and profile pictures ensures a cohesive brand experience in every aspect of the channel.

Channel Art that Tells Your Story

• Channel art should be consistent with the overall branding of the channel, incorporating logos or taglines that are present in video bumpers, to narrate a unified brand story.
• Channel art serves as the visual front door to your channel and should effectively represent the channel’s theme and message to make a strong first impression on visitors.
• The channel art should have dimensions that ensure it looks great on multiple devices, contributing to an optimal visual experience for visitors no matter how they access the channel.
• Utilizing transparent custom shapes in the channel banner helps maintain focus on the essential message while avoiding a cluttered appearance.
• Incorporating a straightforward call-to-action within the channel art can prompt viewers to subscribe or engage further with the video content.

Leverage Social Media to Amplify Your Reach

• Promoting YouTube videos on social media leverages the advantage of reaching an audience that already enjoys and trusts your content.
• Utilizing existing social networks and audience connections can effectively drive more traffic to YouTube videos, leading to increased view counts.
• One effective strategy for using social media to boost YouTube views is to engage in conversations related to your video content and share your video link with relevant social media users.
• Using creative tactics on social media is important to differentiate your content and successfully promote new YouTube videos among the plethora of available content.

Sharing Video Teasers

• Teaser videos should be concise, ideally 30 seconds or less, while effectively conveying the brand’s essence and creating brand awareness.
• High-quality production and communication of the lifestyle associated with the brand are crucial components of teaser videos.
• Teaser videos should be goal-oriented and create interest without being overly promotional, focusing on generating anticipation for the product or event.
• There are various types of teaser videos, including explainer, hype, and event teasers, each serving distinct promotional goals.
• Social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram are effective channels for distributing teaser videos to a broad audience.
• Content from YouTube Shorts can be repurposed and shared across other social media channels like Facebook and Twitter to leverage the content’s reach.
• Including a clear Call to Action in teaser videos can guide the audience on the next steps to take, such as signing up for updates or completing a purchase.
• Incorporating teaser videos in email campaigns can add a sense of exclusivity and help in building a loyal brand community.
• Re-purposing evergreen content and re-sharing high-performing teaser content are resource-efficient ways to keep the audience engaged over time.

Cross-Promotion Tactics

• Content creators collaborating on YouTube can grow their audience by leveraging the trust and endorsement that comes from established relationships with other content creators.
• Creating an effective cross-promotion strategy on social media requires customizing content for each platform, using tools for routine task automation while maintaining personal engagement, and strategically sharing content to maximize visibility.
• Understanding the lifespan of posts on various social media platforms is crucial for optimizing the timing and frequency of cross-promotional posts.

Utilizing Paid Social Advertising

• A Facebook video ad campaign should begin with a clear campaign objective that aligns with marketing goals and utilize audience targeting based on the buyer’s persona, with options to geo-fence ads for localized targeting, avoiding too narrow targeting that can lead to ad fatigue or waste budget.
• Setting up a campaign on Facebook involves choosing the right video placements and using tools like Guided Creation for easier setup, with a final review crucial before the ad begins delivering impressions.
• Ad copy should be crafted to speak in the audience’s voice with variations to determine the most effective version for cost per view and CTR, while budgeting can be controlled with daily or lifetime caps and adjusted after an initial assessment period.
• Ad placements must be strategically chosen to align with the video’s content, format, and the viewing habits of the targeted audience, to optimize engagement and effectiveness.

Interactive Features to Boost Video Views

• Using YouTube cards and end screens influences the audience’s next choice and can link directly to other videos, playlists, or prompts for subscription, thus boosting overall session time and views for the channel
• Mid-video cards can alert viewers to related content at strategic points, such as when there’s a natural audience retention drop, without disrupting the viewing experience
• End screens can effectively maintain viewer interest when they include high conversion rate videos, clear calls to action like subscribing, and are designed to be uncluttered and easily actionable
• Regularly editing and tracking the performance of end screen elements, based on YouTube analytics data, allows for optimization and better engagement over time

The Power of Cards

• To keep viewers engaged and address points where audience retention drops, strategically insert cards to suggest other relevant videos.
• YouTube cards can be used to link to other relevant content, like additional videos or playlists, offering more information or entertainment related to the content being watched.
• Optimize the viewer experience by previewing videos to ensure cards appear at desired times and by crafting compelling teaser text that communicates the benefits of watching the linked content.
• Cards can contribute to the increase of subscribers by featuring interactive thumbnail overlays at the appropriate moments, and video chapters can boost watch time by allowing viewers to navigate directly to their points of interest.

Optimizing End Screens for Engagement

• End screens are visual calls-to-action used to encourage viewers toward the next step, such as promoting other videos or playlists.
• YouTube playlists can increase views because the next video plays automatically, delivering mini content experiences to the audience.
• Playlists capitalize on the auto-play feature, leveraging the cognitive bias of loss aversion to keep viewers watching.

Inviting Collaboration Through End Screens

• Guest vloggers can attract new viewers and followers who share similar interests, leading to more views and bringing creative ideas and videography techniques that may result in increased views on the YouTube channel.
• Featuring collaborations and guest YouTubers on end screens can extend audience reach by encouraging cross-audience viewership.
• Adding a channel link on end screens during collaborations can direct viewers to discover the collaborator’s content, further promoting engagement and potential subscriber growth.

Smart Publishing: Timing Your Video Releases

• The best days to post on YouTube are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, with content performance improving as the weekend approaches.
• The worst days to post on YouTube are typically Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays when viewers may have less time to watch videos due to work or school commitments.
• The best times to post a video on YouTube in 2023 are typically between 2 PM and 6 PM (EST) on weekdays and from 9 AM to 11 AM on Saturdays and Sundays.
• The worst time to post on YouTube is before 8-9 AM or after 7 PM, taking into account the primary audience’s time zone.
• Uploading videos during the audience’s peak activity increases the likelihood of immediate engagement, which is favorable for the YouTube algorithm.

Analyzing Peak Viewing Times

• YouTube Analytics provides insights on ‘When your viewers are on YouTube,’ which can assist creators in finding the best times to post their videos.
• To identify peak viewing times, creators should check the ‘Real Time’ report in YouTube Analytics for the last 48 hours or 60 minutes.
• Posting videos during peak viewer activity, as indicated by traffic by time analytics, can maximize engagement and the likelihood of being recommended by YouTube.
• External tools such as TubeBuddy offer detailed analyses with scores for each hour of the week, aiding in pinpointing the most effective times for channel engagement.

Scheduling for Global Audiences

• When scheduling video releases, it’s crucial to consider the time zone where the majority of your audience resides to maximize their active viewing times.

The First 48-Hour Impact

• The first 48 to 72 hours after publishing a video are crucial for YouTube’s recommendation system which is more likely to promote new content marked with a ‘new’ tag to potential viewers.
• To maximize the impact within the first 48 hours, it is advised to schedule video posts 1-2 hours before the peak of audience engagement.

Building a Community Around Your Channel

• Having more subscribers leads to a higher number of initial views when videos are published.

Engage with Your Viewers

• Engage viewers by asking questions in videos to start conversations and deepen the relationship by responding to their comments.
• Increase engagement and watch time by hosting contests or giveaways that require viewers to interact with video content by answering questions.
• Respond promptly to viewers’ comments to create a welcoming environment and encourage a culture of continuous conversation on your channel.
• Use language and slang that resonate with your specific audience to show you understand their interests, enhancing the connection and engagement.
• Write with an authentic brand voice aiming for a human audience to foster genuine user engagement.
• Comment on and engage with other creators’ content, as this can lead to reciprocal engagement and increase visibility within the creator community.

Create Viewer-Centric Content

• Including Q&A sessions as part of your YouTube content can directly engage your audience in the creation process.
• Q&A sessions cater to the audience’s needs and interests while fostering a participatory environment.
• YouTube Shorts offer a unique platform for incorporating user-generated content, making personal recommendations and reviews that resonate with audience authenticity.

Rewarding Loyalty

• Running subscriber-exclusive giveaways or contests is an effective way to thank loyal viewers and encourage more viewers to subscribe for a chance to participate in these special rewards.
• Creating subscriber-exclusive content, like behind-the-scenes videos or Q&A sessions, provides value to dedicated fans and shows appreciation for their support.
• Thanking subscribers during videos and providing shoutouts to regular commenters strengthens viewer loyalty by acknowledging their continued support.
• Engaging with the audience by responding to their comments and feedback helps build a sense of community and values each viewer’s interaction.
• Featuring subscriber content, such as fan art or video responses, allows viewers to play a more active role in the content and fosters a deeper connection with the channel.

Diversifying Content with YouTube Shorts

• YouTube Shorts can reach a wider audience, particularly on mobile devices, contributing to over 30 billion daily views globally and offering significant potential for audience growth and brand exposure.
• YouTube Shorts allows creators to explore new content ideas in a format up to 60 seconds long, suitable for testing engagement strategies and delivering concise, impactful messages.
• YouTube Shorts provide a lasting impact on the platform with their permanent presence, unlike temporary stories on other platforms, leading to sustained viewer engagement.
• Content creators can repurpose old content into engaging, brief YouTube Shorts, integrating them with their video strategy for additional views.

Embracing the Short-Form Format

• YouTube Shorts can appeal to the changing needs of audiences who are increasingly favoring quick, digestible content over longer videos.
• Reacting to trends and creating Shorts can attract new viewers and drive engagement on the platform.

Shorts SEO Tactics

• Shorts are recommended to viewers based on personalization, which includes the viewer’s watch history and topics of interest, influencing the discoverability of the content.
• Engagement with trending audio is a significant factor in the Shorts recommendation algorithm, and creating content that resonates with current trends can improve discoverability.
• Incorporating trending songs or popular sounds from the YouTube Audio Library in Shorts can increase the likelihood of being featured on sound pages, potentially resulting in more views.

Integrating Shorts into Your Video Library

• Creating YouTube Shorts can drive engagement by providing quick, entertaining content that encourages viewers to check out longer videos.
• To effectively integrate YouTube Shorts with existing video content, creators should keep videos concise by getting straight to the point and tailoring clips to their specific audience on the platform.
• Adding value with YouTube Shorts means focusing on the audience’s needs, providing takeaways they can use, and ensuring the content aligns with the brand’s goals like increased engagement or sign-ups.

Advanced Analytics to Refine Your Strategy

• To optimize video performance, it’s crucial to understand the key metrics in YouTube Analytics such as watch time, audience retention, engagement, and click-through rates from impressions.
• Analyzing spikes and trends in audience retention graphs helps understand what parts of the video content are most engaging, which can inform the creation of future content.
• Audience demographics provided in YouTube Analytics allow for the customization of content to match viewer age, gender, location, and preferences, enhancing content relevance and viewer appeal.
• Engagement reports, reflecting likes, dislikes, comments, and shares, are instrumental in assessing viewer reactions and provide direction for content optimization and community interaction.
• Knowing where the audience comes from using traffic source analytics—whether through YouTube search, suggested content, or external referrals—guides strategic decisions to improve video discovery.
• Adapting content for compatibility and optimal viewing experience on diverse devices and platforms is informed by device and operating system analytics.
• Data on playback locations, such as the YouTube watch page or embedded players, can help identify effective promotional channels or potential content collaboration opportunities.

Identifying Patterns and Trends

• YouTube analytics can reveal which videos perform well and which do not, informing content themes and viewer preferences.
• Studying audience retention graphs shows what keeps viewers engaged and highlights parts of the video that may need adjustments.
• Analyzing the ‘Top Posts’ feature can guide creators in replicating successful aspects of their most viewed and interacted with videos.
• Retention spikes and higher engagement instances discovered in audience retention analytics can be crucial for crafting compelling video series.
• The ‘Real Time’ analytics feature provides an early performance report, crucial for adjusting the initial promotional strategies of a video.
• Tracking which keywords are driving traffic using YouTube Analytics allows for focused efforts on the most impactful terms for SEO.

Adjusting Content Based on Metrics

• Metrics like ‘Average view duration’ and ‘Watch time’ are critical for understanding how well videos engage viewers, which is key to adjusting your video approach to maintain or increase viewer interest.
• Utilizing ‘Key moments for audience retention’ analytics helps creators fine-tune their videos to maintain viewers’ attention, significantly impacting the video’s performance in YouTube’s recommendation algorithm.
• Targeted metrics such as subscriber count, impressions, and viewer engagement are essential for aligning content creation with specific goals of audience growth and heightened engagement.
• Observing subscriber behavior through metrics provides insights into successful strategies and helps in devising a consistent posting schedule to maximize engagement and guide content production.

Learning from Competitor Analysis

• Conducting a competitive analysis helps to learn from the success of top creators within your category, allowing you to adapt your strategy regarding video length, style, and promotion.
• Regular updates on competitor activity are crucial for staying informed about new trends and audience preferences for continuous channel enhancement.
• Studying competitors’ use of keywords in video titles and descriptions along with their tags can offer insight into effective SEO practices.
• Evaluating competitors’ content allows for the identification of content gaps and can inspire new video ideas that connect with the target audience.
• Analytics can reveal key insights by showing popular content and channels within your target audience, suggesting direction for new collaborations or content.
• Using advanced tools like VidIQ or SocialBlade provides a deeper look into how your channel’s performance compares to competitors, refining your strategic approach.