How to Get More Views on YouTube: 20 Ways to Promote Your Channel

Find out “How to Get More Views on YouTube: 20 Ways to Promote Your Channel” YouTube has become a powerful platform for content creators to showcase their talent, share knowledge, and build a community. However, with the ever-increasing number of videos being uploaded, getting more views on your YouTube channel can be a challenging task. In this article, we will explore 20 effective ways to promote your channel and increase your viewership.

What counts as a view on YouTube?

Views refer to the total number of times your video or channel has been watched. Each time a viewer plays a video and watches it for at least 30 seconds, YouTube counts it as a view. If someone watches your video several times, each time is counted as a new view. This applies across all devices whether a person watches via smartphone or desktop. This also applies to embeds and videos shared on social media like Facebook.

When someone visits your channel page, you receive a view. If you use YouTube Analytics, you can go to the Overview tab to see how many views your YouTube channel received over the last 28 days.

Why are views important on YouTube?

Views are important because they influence the YouTube algorithm. If you get more views, the algorithm will push your video out to more people. Views are also part of how you can make money on YouTube, which we all want to see a return on investment and increased revenue.

Views are also vital on YouTube because it’s a way to boost awareness and build brand affinity. It may take some time to achieve your target viewership, but you’ll need to connect with top-of-funnel prospects to help reach your goals in the long run.

How to get more views on YouTube: 20 tips and tricks

1. Create Compelling Content

Creating high-quality videos is the foundation of a successful YouTube channel. Invest time and effort into developing videos that are informative, entertaining, or both. By delivering value to your audience, you will encourage them to watch more of your content, subscribe, and share it with others.

2. Craft Attention-Grabbing Titles and Thumbnails

Titles and thumbnails are the first things viewers see when browsing through videos. Craft compelling titles that accurately represent your content and pique curiosity. Incorporate relevant keywords while keeping the titles concise and engaging. Similarly, design visually appealing thumbnails that entice viewers to click on your videos.

3. Utilize Storytelling Techniques

Storytelling is a powerful tool for engaging viewers and keeping them hooked. Structure your videos with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Use narratives, anecdotes, or personal experiences to create a connection with your audience. Storytelling helps create a memorable viewing experience and encourages viewers to share your content.

4. Optimize Video Metadata

Optimizing video metadata plays a crucial role in improving your visibility on YouTube. Include relevant keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and tags to help search engines understand the content of your videos. Additionally, adding timestamps and captions can enhance accessibility and user experience. Don’t forget to include eye-catching end screens and annotations to encourage viewers to watch more of your content.

5. Leverage YouTube SEO Techniques

To attract more views, it’s important to understand and utilize YouTube’s search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. Conduct thorough keyword research to identify popular and relevant topics for your videos. Analyze your competitors’ videos to gain insights into their strategies and discover opportunities to differentiate yourself. Pay attention to video length and engagement metrics, such as watch time, likes, and comments, as they play a significant role in YouTube’s algorithm.

6. Promote Your Channel on Social Media

Social media platforms provide a fantastic opportunity to promote your YouTube channel and reach a wider audience. Share your videos on popular platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Engage with your audience by responding to comments, asking for feedback, and fostering conversations. Collaborate with influencers and other creators in your niche to tap into their existing audience base and cross-promote each other’s content.

7. Engage with Your Audience

Building a loyal community around your YouTube channel is vital for sustainable growth. Encourage viewers to like, comment, and subscribe to your channel. Take the time to respond to comments, showing your audience that you value their feedback and opinions. Ask questions, conduct polls, contests, and giveaways to keep your audience engaged and foster a sense of belonging.

8. Cross-Promote with Other YouTubers

Collaborating with other YouTubers can expand your reach and introduce your channel to a new audience. Consider collaborating on videos, providing shout-outs to each other, or even participating in guest appearances on other channels. Creating playlists and recommending other channels can also help you build relationships with fellow creators and provide additional exposure for your content.

9. Utilize YouTube Features

YouTube offers various features that you can leverage to increase your views and engagement. Explore YouTube ads and promotions to reach a broader audience and drive traffic to your channel. Livestreaming allows you to interact with your viewers in real-time, fostering a sense of community and boosting engagement. Creating playlists based on specific themes or topics can encourage viewers to watch multiple videos, increasing their watch time on your channel.

10. Harness the Power of SEO Outside of YouTube

Don’t limit your efforts to YouTube alone. Optimize video titles and descriptions when sharing your content on external platforms, such as your website, blog, or other social media channels. Embedding your videos on relevant web pages or blog posts can drive additional traffic to your channel. Consider utilizing email marketing to promote your videos to your existing subscribers or mailing list.

11. Engage in Community Interactions

Actively participating in relevant forums, discussion groups, and online communities can help you connect with your target audience. Share valuable insights, answer questions, and contribute to discussions. Attend and organize YouTube-related events, conferences, or meetups to network with fellow creators and industry professionals. Engaging in live chats and hosting Q&A sessions can also provide a platform for direct interaction with your audience, allowing you to build stronger relationships and gain valuable feedback.

12. Analyze and Refine Your Strategy

Regularly monitoring and analyzing your YouTube analytics is crucial for understanding your audience, identifying trends, and refining your content strategy. Pay attention to viewer demographics, watch time, engagement metrics, and the performance of individual videos. Identify your top-performing videos and try to replicate their success by understanding what made them resonate with your audience. Adapt and adjust your strategies based on feedback and data to continuously improve your channel’s performance.

13. Utilize YouTube Advertising

YouTube offers various advertising options that can help you reach a wider audience and increase your channel’s visibility. Explore paid advertising campaigns, such as TrueView ads or display ads, to target specific demographics or interests. Track the performance of your ads and optimize them to maximize their impact on driving views and engagement.

14. Collaborate with Brands and Sponsorships

As your channel grows, you may have opportunities to collaborate with brands and secure sponsorships. Seek out brand partnerships that align with your content and audience. Create sponsored content that maintains transparency and authenticity, providing value to both your viewers and the sponsoring brand. Building strong relationships with brands can not only provide additional revenue streams but also open doors to new opportunities and collaborations.

15. Engage with Niche Communities

Identify and engage with niche communities that align with your channel’s content. Tailor your videos to cater to the specific interests and preferences of these communities. Share your content in relevant forums, Facebook groups, or subreddits. Foster relationships with influential members of the community to expand your reach and gain credibility within that niche.

16. Increase engagement with calls to action

Sometimes simply asking for engagement is the best way to get your videos noticed, especially when you consider the immediacy and connection that video content can create.

Not everyone who enjoys one of your videos is going to remember to drop a like or become your subscriber, so it’s common to put these reminders in the description or in the video itself.

Especially if you’re an up-and-coming channel, there’s no shame in asking for some love directly. In fact, asking visitors a question to answer in the comments suggestion or to check out another video are perfect ways to keep the engagement rolling. You can likewise link to other videos or drop an external link to your site to serve as a sort of CTA.

17. Give live streaming a try

Live video is one of the biggest social media trends and it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. With apps like Facebook, Periscope and Instagram making it easier than ever to stream live video, more and more brands are getting on board.

YouTube has been offering live videos for years but has only recently started picking up steam. You can take a look at some popular YouTube Live videos to get a sense of how other brands are using the platform.

Some examples of how you can use YouTube Live are:

• Webinars
• Live tutorials
• Q&A sessions
• Product demonstrations

Don’t worry if your streams don’t go as smoothly as you’d like. Part of the fun (and risk) of live video is you never know what’s going to happen. The unpolished, organic nature of live video is exactly what makes it compelling. For more tips on how to get started with YouTube Live, check out Google’s introduction to live streaming.

18. Collaborate with other creators and brands

A tactic some of the biggest YouTube stars used to grow their following is collaborating with other users. Each collaboration gives you exposure to a new audience. And the best part is those new viewers are more likely to subscribe to your channel since you’re working with a content creator they already know, like and trust.

The key to a successful YouTube collaboration is finding the right partner. You want to collaborate with content creators that share similar passions with your brand so your video comes off as authentic. This now-classic collaboration between BuzzFeed and Purina is a prime example of a thoughtful collaboration that doesn’t feel overly promotional.

19. Run a paid YouTube ad campaign

With marketing in general becoming more pay-to-play, you always have the option to get more visibility through paid YouTube ads. YouTube offers a variety of ad formats to choose from:

• Display ads: These ads show up on the right-hand sidebar of videos, and are only available on desktop.
• Overlay ads: These are semi-transparent ads that are displayed on the bottom part of a video. They’re only available on desktop.
• Skippable and non-skippable video ads: These ads show up before, during or after a video. Skippable ads can be skipped after five seconds, but non-skippable ads have to be watched all the way through before the viewer can watch their video.
• Bumper ads: These are non-skippable ads that have to be watched before the viewer can watch their video. They can be a maximum of six seconds.
• Sponsored cards: These are cards that get displayed within relevant videos. You can use them to promote your products or other content.

For your ad creatives, you can either use an existing video or create something new for a specific campaign. The advantage of using an existing video is you can choose a clip you know has been effective in the past. If a video has already gotten a lot of views and engagement organically, running paid ads can amplify your results.

On the flip side, creating a new video for your ads will allow you to create a more targeted piece of content that you have more control over. For instance, you can create an ad with a specific call-to-action at the end to direct viewers to a landing page or another video. You can learn more about YouTube’s video ad formats here.

20. Regularly publish your YouTube content to social media

It’s no secret that video content crushes it on social media in terms of engagement and performance.

As a result, you should regularly promote your YouTube channel to your social followers to encourage them to become subscribers. As soon as a video goes live, make a point to let your followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn know about it. You can likewise create snippets or previews for each social platform that also link to your latest production.

With the help of Sprout Social, you can schedule your content and cross-promote it without having to jump from platform to platform. Features such as ViralPost® can also help ensure that your content goes live based on when your social audiences are engaged.

Conclusion

In conclusion, getting more views on YouTube requires a multi-faceted approach. Creating compelling content, optimizing video metadata, leveraging SEO techniques, and promoting your channel on social media are essential strategies. Engaging with your audience, collaborating with other YouTubers, utilizing YouTube features, and exploring SEO outside of YouTube can further enhance your channel’s visibility. Analyzing data, utilizing advertising, collaborating with brands, engaging with niche communities, and continuously refining your strategy are key to long-term success on YouTube.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Q: Can I buy views to increase my YouTube channel’s popularity?
   • A: It is not recommended to buy views as it violates YouTube’s policies and can lead to penalties or account termination. Focus on organic growth through high-quality content and effective promotion strategies.
2. Q: How long does it take to see results from promoting my YouTube channel?
   • A: The time to see results can vary based on various factors such as your niche, competition, and consistency. It’s important to be patient and consistent in your efforts while continuously analyzing and adjusting your strategies.
3. Q: Is it necessary to be active on multiple social media platforms to promote my YouTube channel?
   • A: It’s not necessary to be on every social media platform. Choose platforms that align with your target audience and focus on building a strong presence there. Quality engagement is more important than quantity.
4. Q: How important is it to engage with my audience through comments and replies?
   • A: Engaging with your audience helps build a sense of community and loyalty. Responding to comments and fostering conversations can strengthen relationships, encourage more engagement, and attract new viewers.
5. Q: Can I monetize my YouTube channel once I have more views?
   • A: Yes, once you meet the eligibility requirements, such as reaching 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the past 12 months, you can apply for the YouTube Partner Program and start monetizing your YouTube channel. However, keep in mind that views alone may not guarantee substantial revenue. Focus on building a loyal audience, creating valuable content, and exploring additional revenue streams like brand collaborations and sponsorships.

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