Want more than views on Youtube? Of course you practise. Yous're a human with a pulse and a video to share! Information technology's simply natural.

YouTube is the globe'due south 2nd most visited website. More than two billion people use information technology every month — that's i-third of all internet users. 74% of adults in the U.Due south. are watching videos in that location. (We could keep, merely you tin can read all the latest YouTube stats on your own time.)

We've compiled this guide to point out all the easy wins that will amplify your make's bulletin on YouTube, merely nosotros're also going to item some of the more advanced techniques the pros use to get more than YouTube views.

To see how we're getting views on our YouTube channel (which nosotros started from scratch, considering yolo), bank check out our absurd video:

Psst: If you're starting from scratch likewise, nosotros accept a primer on how to create a YouTube aqueduct.

Now, let's get those views rolling!

Bonus: Download the free thirty-day plan to abound your YouTube following fast , a daily workbook of challenges that volition assistance y'all kickstart your Youtube aqueduct growth and track your success. Become real results afterward ane month.

What counts equally a view on YouTube?

Each time a viewer intentionally initiates the playing of a video on their device and watches for at least 30 seconds, that counts as a view. Pretty simple!

If you play your own video, that will be counted as a view.

If a viewer watches your video more than than once, each screening will be counted as a new view. (That being said, refreshing over and over again to try to game the organization will exist detected by Youtube.)

Whatever views that accept identify with embedded Youtube videos or Youtube videos shared on Facebook volition also be counted.

Live views are counted on YouTube, too.

Youtube analytics are updated every day or two, so if you're not seeing an instant reflection of your activity, cheque back subsequently.

What doesn't count as a view on Youtube?

Youtube's algorithm is designed to condone any plays that might look similar they were automatic. Information technology just wants to count the number of times a existent human being watched your video on purpose.

So when a single user or bot refreshes a video over and over, or if a website automobile-plays a video, these views are not counted towards your full view numbers.

xvi ways to get more YouTube views

Globally, people scout over ane billion hours of YouTube every single twenty-four hour period. If you want to stand out from the oversupply and snag some of those eyeballs, here's how to do information technology.

i. Ensure your YouTube basics are upward to snuff

First we walk, then we run. Take a look at your fundamentals and make sure you've ticked all the boxes. Read our list of beginner tips for YouTube, then come back to dig into our advanced tactics.

Your basic YouTube housekeeping includes:

  • A consistent visual identity (your channel icon, YouTube channel art, like in the Rupaul'south Drag Race instance below, etc.)
  • A completed and informative Most department (unless you are a breakout YouTube star like Joana Ceddia)
  • Up-to-date contact information (and so all your potential customers and future brand partners can get in touch)

RuPaul's Drag Race YouTube channel description

Source: Rupaul's Drag Race

2. Zero in on your specific niche (and your ideal audience)

If you're aiming to optimize your YouTube marketing strategy, y'all want to become precise and ruthlessly selective virtually your goals—and the content that volition go you in that location.

Because yous aren't making videos for everyone. You're here for someone special: your audition.

Yoga with Adriene has thrived because she makes ultra-specific videos with titles like "Yoga for Joy" and "Yoga for Courage," and even releases versions of her videos in Spanish. She's just 1 of the thousands of Youtube yoga instructors, walking people through poses, but her ultra-inclusive concepts and attitude accept struck a chord — she's got almost 10 million subscribers.

Pro tip: Have you worked up your audience personas yet? They're kind of like Dungeons & Dragons characters, except go far business organisation.

iii. Do your inquiry, and improve your video's search ranking

Yes, YouTube is a social platform, but it's also a search engine. And one of the top strategies for getting more than views is YouTube SEO, i.east. optimizing your videos for search.

In other words, when your platonic viewer types in your chosen keywords, you want your video ranking about the top of YouTube's results list. That means you need to know what your audience is looking for—tutorials, inspiration, or amusement.

YouTube results list keyword ranking

Ranking in search results is the best way to get brand new eyes—not just subscribers and people who are already interested in your channel (although we'll talk more near them later) — on your videos.

Only, this is easier said than washed. So, what tin can you do to improve your videos' search ranking on YouTube?

Enquiry. Y'all're going to want to use a tool similar Google Keyword Planner (note that you'll demand to ready a Google Ads account) to exercise two things:

  • Find inspiration for your side by side video based on what people are already looking for (i.east., take a look at search patterns and run into what keywords accept a lot of search queries, but few videos, a.k.a. depression competition)
  • Have those relevant keywords and apply them in your metadata (i.east., your video title, tags, video description text, subtitles)

Pro tip: If you oasis't already, now is the time to familiarize yourself with how the YouTube algorithm works. This AI determines not just search results, but recommendations for that important "what'due south up side by side" suggested videos sidebar, too.

Only remember that information technology all comes dorsum to your ideal viewer: the algorithm doesn't care if your video is "good," it cares if a specific user wants to watch it. That existence said, users typically want to sentinel "good" videos.

four. Use metadata to get recommended after a popular video

If your goal is to get more than YouTube views, have a cue from the most popular videos in your niche.

Kickoff by taking a look at your top competitor's most popular video. (Go to their video library and sort by "most popular.")

YouTube'south main goal is to keep viewers on the platform for as long as possible (then that they'll see as many ads as possible.) Thus the algorithm'southward job is to feed viewers one (hopefully highly-seasoned) video after another.

Just how does YouTube figure out what people might like? The algorithm takes the following into consideration:

  • Videos that are oft watched together
  • Videos the user has watched in the past
  • Topically related videos (which requires some keyword finessing!)

The just point yous can control here is the 3rd.

So when you lot're choosing keywords, think like a librarian. Describe your video's topic and depict its overall category, and think of other words a person might employ to search for that topic. (Check out more tips on effective YouTube descriptions and keywords here.)

Need a little inspo? Y'all tin actually peek behind the scenes of a competitor'due south video to run into what keywords they use past right-clicking on the webpage and selecting View Folio Source. Then CTRL-F "keywords" until you lot notice the list.

popular video keywords

But before you become ahead and just copy-and-paste a more than pop video'due south metadata over to your similar video, think most your audience: they won't want to watch the same video once more. Possibly the starting time video raised a new question that needs answering, or there's an interesting tangent to be explored. How can your video add value to what they simply saw so that they'll want to click on information technology?

Take the brawl and run with it.

five. Increase your views with custom thumbnails

When your potential viewers are in discovery way—skimming through search results and recommendations—thumbnails are a major role of what they decide what to watch.

custom video thumbails

While a lot of advice out there is a graphic designer's nightmare — screaming fonts, cluttered information — let'due south get objective: what are the backdrop of an constructive thumbnail?

  • The thumbnail is articulate and authentic about the video it's describing (if your thumbnail misleads people into clicking, YouTube will know because your watch time will go down when the viewer gets bellyaching and stops watching. The algorithm won't like that.)
  • The thumbnail stands out.
  • The thumbnail works in tandem with the video'south title.

'Standing out' can exist as simple every bit picking a bright color. Or making certain your behemothic hi-res confront is making a weird expression in practiced lighting. Or, if your niche is full of shrill, high-fundamental visuals, and the best way your aqueduct can stand up out is by being the calm, minimalist voice of reason.

half-dozen. Multiply your views by creating playlists

Organizing and creating video playlists on YouTube is the best way to minimize the chances that a viewer will move on to another channel once they've consumed your content.

Why? Because playlists go past the aforementioned rules as Netflix: equally soon every bit i video ends, the next begins.

Since y'all've already done the hard work of helping your viewer find your video, click on it and sentry the entire thing, it makes sense to guide them towards the video content they're going to want next.

J.J. McCullough's YouTube content covers a range of cultural commentary, so he'southward divvied everything upward nicely into thematic playlists. His fans who love his content on world leaders (and who wouldn't?!) will be served up striking after hit.

J.J. McCullough playlists

7. Directly traffic to your videos using cards and finish screens

Besides playlists, cards and end screens are two of the only tools that YouTubers tin can use to bypass the algorithm and straight influence our audience's adjacent choice.

Cards are clickable, interactive areas that appear any time during the video. They come in a variety of formats that can be used for things similar fundraising or selling merch, but in this instance, we're interested in increasing views, so choose a carte du jour that links to another one of your videos — or even better, playlists.

(Note: cards aren't available to use on videos identified equally for kids.)

Cards are pop-ups, so information technology'southward very important that they add value. Yous don't want viewers feeling spammed. The videos or playlists you lot link to need to be relevant to the moment and provide additional data or entertainment.

For a super-meta example, cheque out how this All About Cards video has a bill of fare itself about learning most different kinds of cards.

Pro tip: If you take a noticeable retention problem with significant audience drop-off at a specific signal in one of your videos, try inserting a link menu at that moment.

Meanwhile, stop screens are visual calls-to-action that you can add to the end of your video (in the final 5 to 20 seconds) to encourage viewers towards a next step. They're valuable because you know if a person has reached the bitter cease of your video, they are probably pretty interested in your slap-up content.

Using cease screens to encourage viewers to subscribe to your channel or visit your website are both practiced choices. But if you want more views, using your end screen to promote your other videos or playlists is the best option.

(Note that to use stop screens, you lot'll demand to include a few extra seconds at the stop of your video when you lot're editing information technology.)

Youtuber SssniperWolf features end cards that direct to four more than of her videos. It's similar a choose your own adventure for… whatsoever her shtick is.

SssniperWolf end cards with related videos

eight. Go across the how-to video (i.eastward., brand videos no ane else is making)

Chances are, when you're researching your target keywords (similar nosotros did back at point #3), you're going to see a lot of search terms that involve the phrase "how to." (The title of this article included, ahem.) This is because there's a lot of search volume for how-to content.

But while you must work to attract new optics, you lot likewise want to make time to preach to the converted. On YouTube, your brand's value-added features come up in the class of content that is meaningful to people who are already your fans.

Youtube chef Tabitha Brownish, for instance, doesn't simply share her vegan nachos recipe… she sits down with her husband to talk nigh their relationship, giving fans an intimate look into her personal life. (And if they happen to get inspired to whip up their own batch of guac in the process? That'south a bonus.)

9. Build relationships with your viewers

"Audition date" is just some other term for building relationships. The terminate goal here, of course, is really just the realistic, organic and sustainable path to getting more than YouTube views.

That is, engaging with other YouTubers (creators or commenters both) will increase the chance that they'll care about your make, that they'll subscribe to your channel (encounter #12), and picket more than of your videos overall.

Bonus: Download the free thirty-24-hour interval plan to grow your YouTube following fast , a daily workbook of challenges that will help yous kickstart your Youtube channel growth and runway your success. Get real results after one month.

Become the gratuitous guide right at present!

Ideas for breaking the fourth wall, and creating a two-style conversation might include:

  • Reply to comments (it's polite!)
  • Run a YouTube contest
  • Brand reaction videos
  • Include other people'south content in your videos (with their permission)

Pro tip: This tutorial on how to engage your community on YouTube using Hootsuite's comment and sharing features will save y'all time as y'all build your audition.

x. Partner upward

Crossovers, guest appearances, mash-ups, covers: people love that jolt of unfamiliar familiarity. Detect the He-Man to your make's She-Ra; and the Baton Ray Cyrus to your Lil Nas 10.

Maybe you lot're a make with a budget, and hiring a creator with their own following is an obvious selection. Merely if yous're a creator or aspiring influencer yourself, getting more views is your first step on the way to making money on YouTube, not spending it. In which example your best bet is to partner with agreeing creators.

Ideally, your potential partners are fairly aligned in values, popularity, and charm. And you lot actually like them. And yous have fun together, and it shows, and it makes people happy to see you happy, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Easy, right?

This video is similar a super crossover: two drag queens plus e.l.f. cosmetics plus Chipotle all arrive on the mix. The cantankerous-promotion opportunities are quadrupled, by our count.

Pro tip: If y'all do a crossover that involves a bunch of dissimilar videos—like one from your partner's perspective to live on their channel, and ane past you to live on yours, and maybe some supporting outtakes, whatsoever necessary groundwork, etc.—make a playlist to compile them then that interested viewers can stan it all.

11. Promote your YouTube videos across all your social media channels

You're going to want to leverage all of your social media might to promote your YouTube aqueduct.

But, if you desire more YouTube views, DON'T exercise the following:

  • Go to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok and mail text or an prototype with a link to your YouTube video. Linking to YouTube makes objective sense, just the problem is that social platforms want to keep people on their platform (but similar YouTube does). So their algorithms will not promote a text-simply postal service with an off-platform link. In other words, your impressions and CTR are going to exist low, and so will your YouTube views.
  • Upload your entire video onto those platforms. This is what Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter desire you to do (IGTV is a straight competitor for YouTube, don't @ me). Posting your full video volition probably get you smashing appointment and attain on those platforms. But organic Facebook video views aren't monetizable, are they? And they aren't going to go you YouTube views.

Promote your video by doing this instead:

  • Mail a brusk teaser video to your social accounts equally native video, and add a link to the full video back on YouTube.

Notation that you are non going to want to postal service the aforementioned thing beyond your social channels.

Fiscal counsellor Max Mitchell puts a little trailer for his money-themed Youtube videos on his Instagram feed to pique interest, and links to the full video in his bio.

Pro tip: Brusk of hiring an assistant to handle your social media, a scheduling tool like Hootsuite is the best style to arts and crafts and schedule those posts for your followers.

12. Inquire your viewers to subscribe to your channel

Your subscriber count corresponds to your organic reach on YouTube. The more subscribers your aqueduct has, the more than views your videos volition get right off the bat when you lot hitting publish.

Especially if those subscribers have their notifications turned on.

Growing your subscriber count is its own challenge with its own tactics, merely one that is intertwined with increasing your views. For that reason, we take a full guide on how to get more than YouTube subscribers.

Information technology'south common exercise to enquire viewers to "similar and subscribe" every bit a sign-off in a video, but many YouTubers — like beauty pro Patricia Bright — even include this call to activeness every bit a visual at the end, too.

Patricia Bright like and subscribe call to action

13. Enable embedding

Requite your fans a chance to help spread the good word near your work by enabling embedding. The more fresh eyeballs see your video, the more than views you rack up (and maybe fifty-fifty snag a new subscriber or two in the process).

To enable embedding, go to Youtube Studio and click Content. Select your video and tap Edit. Select Embedding, and toggle on or off.

channel content embedding YouTube Studio

14. Amp up the lookout time

While Youtube counts annihilation over 30 seconds as a view, at that place are benefits to getting viewers to stick around longer.

If you can get people to lookout man your video for longer, Youtube will learn that you've got some content with quality. And videos with higher Watch Time are favored by the Youtube algorithm, giving you a leg upward in the recommendation engine.

audience retention analytics

15. Transcribe your videos

Adding captions to your videos helps hearing-impaired viewers follow along, and makes your content more than highly-seasoned to the 69 pct of people who watch mobile video with the sound off.

Having a transcript also makes translation an selection, opening your video upwardly to international audiences. Global views! Tin you lot imagine!?

Youtube's help page tin can walk you pace-past-stride through merely how to prep your transcript file — you just need a .txt document.

YouTube transcript file

xvi. Mail service your video at the correct time

Dropping your video at the exact moment your biggest audience of subscribers is online means that they'll all receive that sugariness, sweetness "new post" alert correct when information technology goes alive.

But what if that's in the heart of the nighttime? Or while yous're on vacation? That'south where the power of a scheduling tool like Hootsuite comes in. Tee your video up to get out at the exact predetermined fourth dimension of your choice to fit with your content calendar, and then go on and live your life.

Abound your YouTube audience faster with Hootsuite. Schedule videos and moderate comments in the same place you manage all your other social networks. Try it free today.

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