Build Videos Around a Single Keyword/Topic
It may seem obvious, but building your video around a single topic/keyword is the best way to get the traffic you want and grow your audience. Many people who are unaware of SEO best practices skip this step, but it’s crucial if you want your videos to get the maximum amount of viewers. Try using a keyword tool like KeywordTool.io, which is specific to YouTube, to look for the most searched keywords in the niche you’re looking to target.
It’s important to pick your keyword before you even build your video content because it helps you construct the best information around that specific topic. It also helps you remember to include your keyword naturally throughout the content so YouTube picks it up when closed captions are added. Once you’ve chosen your keyword, check out the videos that are currently ranking for that topic to make sure you’re on the right track in terms of intent, and don’t forget to optimize your title and descriptions. Despite popular myths, the most successful videos on YouTube are typically less than 5 minutes long, so don’t feel you have to make a film or write a novel. Keep it short and sweet.
You probably already have a broad topic in mind, but you’ll also need to plan future content and videos around your overall channel theme.
There are both free and paid tools to help you do this, but we’ll focus on the two most powerful, which also happen to be free.
- Use Answer the Public
- Use the YouTube Search Bar
Be Searchable
Focusing on a keyword or main topic for each video is an important first step, but to be searchable, you’re going to have to take things a step further.
In addition to choosing the right topics, you’ll have to incorporate your chosen keywords in the video.
There are several ways to do this:
- Include the keyword in your title.
- Include the keyword in your description, preferably in the first sentence.
- Include the keyword and variations in the tags. You’ll be prompted to create tags when you upload your video. If you need inspiration for tags to use, go to a competitor’s channel that has a lot of subscribers and see which tags they’re using. Then consider using similar tags.
Reformat Existing Quality Content
Of course, the easiest way to grow your channel is to build great content. But that content doesn’t always have to be built from scratch. Some of your best videos can be built from engaging, valuable, useful and actionable content you’ve already created. Many people go to YouTube to find answers and how-to tutorials for the issues they’re facing, so content that solves problems is a great fit. Look at the blogs, guides, and other high-performing pieces you currently have and think about how to make them into cool videos.
Link to Yourself
YouTube creators, from novice to expert, often make the mistake of treating each video as a standalone piece of content.
They fail to realize that there’s a huge opportunity to promote your other videos and even your other online properties by linking to them in your video and your description.
We’ll talk about ways to add end screens and cards in a bit, and there are even more effective ways to grow your channel and your other social media properties.
Here’s a big one: in each video description, include any links to your Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn profiles, as well as your blog, landing page, website.
Make Playlists
The Netflix era has introduced us to binge-watching, and YouTube has adapted to this cultural phenomenon perfectly by adding the playlist feature.
When you upload a video, you’ll have the option to create a playlist. This allows you to group related topics. Viewers will automatically be taken to the next video on your playlist without having to think about it.
Use Your End Screen
End screens are a golden opportunity to capture the attention of people who made it to the end of your video. These people are going to be the most engaged. They watched your entire video! Now, they need to be told what to do next.
You have a lot of options, but the best end screens tells your visitors to do three things:
1. Subscribe to your channel.
2. Watch a recent video.
3. Watch a video that’s automatically recommended to the viewer based on their preferences.
You’ll have to do the initial step of creating your end screen, but after you’ve done it one time, you can keep using the same template for each video.
For example, here’s a blank template that you can add to the end of your video in your video editing software:
When you’re done uploading your video into YouTube, you’ll be prompted to add an end screen. You can handpick the videos you promote here or let the algorithm do the work.
Here’s what the end product looks like:
Engage with Your Audience
It’s important not to overlook the fact that YouTube is a social media channel, and therefore demands social interaction. If you’re just posting videos without encouraging comments and discussion, you’re missing a trick. YouTube rewards channels with great engagement, including overall time spent on channel, watch time, likes and dislikes, and most importantly, comments. Try to respond to every comment you receive (if possible!) and ask users to engage with audio/visual prompts.
Get Branded
So your content is great. But is your channel itself visually appealing? If you want visitors to take your YouTube channel seriously and subscribe to your channel, you need to look professional. Branding your channel will also help users immediately recognize your content. If you have a blog or website, you probably already have some sort of look and feel you use to differentiate yourself from other individuals and/or companies, so it only makes sense to carry over that branding to your YouTube channel as well. Here’s an example from fashion brand ModCloth.
Consistent branding is key to ensuring that people who land on your channel know who you are. Have a logo and color scheme as well as a font family.
If you stylize your video with a filter or animations, those elements should also be consistent.
HubSpot illustrates this concept perfectly. Their professionally edited videos feature their brand colors and fonts throughout the video. Check out these screenshots from a video taken about working remotely.
In addition to visual branding, don’t forget to add custom URLs to your channel header – and to write an interesting bio about who you are and what your videos are about.
Promote Your YouTube Videos on Other Social Channels
One of the beautiful things about social media is that you can cross-promote content on different channels. Promoting your YouTube videos on your other social channels is the easiest way to grow your audience. What channels are you on? Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, Pinterest? There are many from which to choose. And if there’s a channel (such as Facebook) on which you want to post videos directly, you can always do a teaser for the full-length video on YouTube so that you have optimum engagement on all channels. Don’t forget about your blog; you can post your videos there as well!
Just like you can share your social media profiles in your YouTube videos, it’s even more powerful to share your YouTube videos on all of your social media accounts. Post your latest creations anywhere you hang out online, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Telegram, podcast show notes, etc.
You can also embed the videos on blogs and other websites where you have editor access.
One of the best places to do this is in your video descriptions. Not everyone bothers to read the description in a video, but those who do are true fans. You can also let your viewers know that they can find you on social media by clicking on any of the links in the video’s description.
Show Up
If you’re running YouTube by yourself or as part of a small organization, it can be extremely beneficial to put your own face on screen. When you put a face to a brand, your audience can more easily connect with you as an individual. This is especially important for bloggers; fitness, life, or business coaches; and solopreneurs. Every video you make doesn’t need to include your face, but you should reach out personally to your audience every few videos or so. Additionally, if you are this type of YouTuber, use a photo of yourself on your channel (not your logo). See the example still from marketing guru Adam Erhart below.
Post Great Thumbnails
They may seem like a small thing (because they are), but thumbnails can have a big impact. YouTube advertises other videos via thumbnail in its sidebar, so you want yours to stand out among the pack. The same goes for YouTube search. Videos with a catchy title and appealing thumbnail usually rank higher, even if the content itself isn’t as valuable, because they have a higher click-through-rate (CTR). To get your CTR where it needs to be, try using tactics such as highlighted areas, arrows, large text, and unexpected or unusual images. See the example below from Neil Patel.
Think of a thumbnail like a book cover. When you pick up a book, it’s natural to judge it by its cover (even though an antiquated saying advises not to do that).
Your thumbnail immediately conveys to someone browsing YouTube three things:
1. Quality – a professional thumbnail suggests a professional video
2. Relevance – does the thumbnail convey the topic of the video and is that a video your viewers want to watch?
3. Relatability – people want to feel a connection with the thumbnail. Does it speak to their mood or style?
While there’s some debate about thumbnail best practices, there are some rules of thumb that you should follow, especially as you’re working on growing your YouTube channel:
- Consider using text in the thumbnail to help you stand out and show what the video is about.
In the example below, compare the performance of these two videos, which were both published around the same time. The top video has a much more compelling headline and a “pretty” thumbnail, but the second video has almost ten times more views.
People tend to look at the thumbnail images first. Then they look at the title and description. By communicating in the thumbnail that there’s going to be an “epic salad dressing recipe,” the promise is clear.
The top image, although pretty, doesn’t speak to what the video is about.
If you’re looking for a free tool to create great thumbnails, check out the PhotoDirector Essential image editing app! It’s packed with easy-to-use effects, masking, and title creation tools perfect for creating eye-catching YouTube thumbnails!
Leverage YouTube Cards
We’ve already discussed the fact that YouTube rewards channels that keep viewers on their pages longer. These longer average watch times mean people are truly engaged with your content. (You can see how long people are staying on your videos by using YouTube analytics). By adding YouTube cards, you can add additional recommended videos at the exact point where users are currently dropping off. Though they may abandon that video, users will be taken to your other content and stay on your channel, increasing your channel’s ranking.
Cards are interactive clickable links that you can place in a video. They’re an ideal way to keep viewers on your channel, but that’s not all.
You can place cards at any point in your video, and there are four different actions that the cards can instruct viewers to do:
1. Click to watch a different video on your channel or any video on YouTube.
2. Click to be directed to a playlist on your channel.
3. Click to be directed to someone else’s channel (or maybe another channel you own).
4. Click to be directed to a link that you own, like a website or blog.
In addition to controlling these options, you also have the choice to create teaser text. This text will provide more information about what the card is and where clicking on it will take you.
In the example below, when the creator gets to a point where she discusses a tailor, a card appears suggesting a prom dress fitting video. When the viewer clicks on the card, they’re shown various related videos they can watch.
This strategy might seem counterintuitive at first. Why, you ask, would you want someone to leave your video to watch something else?
The answer is that it’s not unusual for people to drop off at a specific portion of your video. You can view your analytics to see when that part is. Then, instead of risking them closing your video altogether, this strategy gives you another chance to redirect them to something that might interest them more.
There are two ways to add YouTube cards to a video:
1. Add the card when you upload the video.
2. Edit a video that’s already been published. This can be done directly on the YouTube platform.
Having that second option available is powerful because it means that even if you didn’t create cards when you first uploaded a video, it’s never too late to go back and do it.
Further, if you want to change the call to action or link on a card, you can do it at any time. Let’s say you recently launched a course and you want to promote it. By temporarily switching out a YouTube card, you can do exactly that.
Push for Subscriptions
One of the ways you know for sure that viewers are engaged with your channel is when they “subscribe’ to see any new videos that are posted. Ask viewers to subscribe to your channel in each video that you upload, and keep engaged with your existing subscribed users. (You can see your list of subscribers, here). Never pay for subscribers. This will only bring down your engagement and hurt the authenticity of your account in the long run. Remember, if you don’t ask your viewers to subscribe, you may be missing out on a lot of potential followers.
Expert YouTube creators know that the best way to grow their subscriber base is to ask people to subscribe.
One of the best places to ask for the subscription is at the beginning of the video. You can say something along the lines of, “If you like this topic and want to be the first to know when I release new videos, make sure you subscribe to the channel and don’t forget to like/thumbs up this video.”
There are a lot of creative ways that people make this request. Perhaps our favorite is Davie504. His catchphrase is, “Slap Like Now,” and he finds creative ways to tell people to like his videos several times in a single piece of content.
The “slap” wording is especially clever because Davie504 is a slap bass player (a type of bassist that creates a different, almost percussion-like sound by altering the hand and finger movements when playing the instrument).
Increase Your Uploading Frequency
This tip may sound intimidating at first, but to grow your audience, you need to increase your posting frequency to at least one video a week. Don’t worry; you don’t need a design firm or fancy advertising budget to get this done. Today’s smartphones offer excellent video recording ability, and tools such as Animoto make editing videos easy for anyone. Consistency is of the utmost importance. Try to post at the same time each day or week (depending on your frequency), and keep your subscribers updated about when new videos will arrive. Then stick to your schedule.
Remember, driving engagement with quality content is what develops engaged followers and subsequently. advocators of your brand! Be true to yourself and your brand, and communicate with your audience along the way.
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The more videos you upload, the more views you’ll get, and the faster your channel will grow. While frequency is important, consistency is perhaps even more so.
By uploading a video at a specific day and time each week, you’re telling the algorithm that you’re showing up. This predictability comes with benefits. Plus, your subscribers will appreciate knowing when they can look forward to a video.
When you’re just starting out, the idea of creating a lot of videos can seem intimidating. You might feel like you need the best camera, expensive sound equipment, and a fancy set.
Nothing could be further from the truth! Today’s smartphone cameras do an incredible job. And, editing software is easier to use and more economical than ever.
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Conclusion
There’s no denying the popularity of YouTube as a means to promote your business or service. That’s not what this article is about, though (but it’s an important question and we’ll get to it). This article is about how to grow your channel beyond just getting views to delivering page views and even customers for you.