Want more views on Youtube? Of course you practice. You're a human with a pulse and a video to share! It's only natural.

YouTube is the globe'southward 2nd most visited website. More than two billion people utilize information technology every month — that's one-third of all internet users. 74% of adults in the U.S. are watching videos there. (We could go along, merely you 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 dilate your brand's message on YouTube, but nosotros're also going to item some of the more advanced techniques the pros use to get more YouTube views.

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

Psst: If yous're starting from scratch also, nosotros have a primer on how to create a YouTube aqueduct.

Now, let'south go those views rolling!

Bonus: Download the costless 30-day plan to abound your YouTube following fast , a daily workbook of challenges that will help you kickstart your Youtube channel growth and track your success. Get existent results after one month.

What counts every bit 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 ain video, that will be counted as a view.

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

Any views that have identify with embedded Youtube videos or Youtube videos shared on Facebook will also be counted.

Live views are counted on YouTube, besides.

Youtube analytics are updated every day or two, and then if y'all're not seeing an instant reflection of your activity, check back later.

What doesn't count as a view on Youtube?

Youtube's algorithm is designed to disregard any plays that might wait similar they were automated. It just wants to count the number of times a existent human watched your video on purpose.

Then 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 total view numbers.

16 ways to get more YouTube views

Globally, people spotter over i billion hours of YouTube every single day. If you desire to stand out from the crowd and snag some of those eyeballs, hither'south how to practise it.

1. Ensure your YouTube nuts are up to snuff

First we walk, then we run. Take a look at your fundamentals and brand certain 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 consequent visual identity (your channel icon, YouTube channel fine art, like in the Rupaul's Drag Race instance below, etc.)
  • A completed and informative About section (unless you are a breakout YouTube star similar Joana Ceddia)
  • Up-to-date contact information (so all your potential customers and futurity brand partners can go far touch on)

RuPaul's Drag Race YouTube channel description

Source: Rupaul'due south Drag Race

2. Aught in on your specific niche (and your platonic audience)

If you lot're aiming to optimize your YouTube marketing strategy, you want to get precise and ruthlessly selective most your goals—and the content that will become you there.

Because you aren't making videos for everyone. Yous're here for someone special: your audience.

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 i of the thousands of Youtube yoga instructors, walking people through poses, simply her ultra-inclusive concepts and attitude have struck a chord — she's got almost 10 million subscribers.

Pro tip: Have you worked up your audience personas all the same? They're kind of like Dungeons & Dragons characters, except make it concern.

3. Practice your research, and improve your video'south 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.e. optimizing your videos for search.

In other words, when your ideal viewer types in your called keywords, you want your video ranking near the top of YouTube's results list. That ways y'all demand to know what your audience is looking for—tutorials, inspiration, or entertainment.

YouTube results list keyword ranking

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

But, this is easier said than done. And then, what can you do to improve your videos' search ranking on YouTube?

Research. You're going to desire to utilize a tool similar Google Keyword Planner (note that you lot'll need to set up a Google Ads account) to practice ii things:

  • Find inspiration for your next video based on what people are already looking for (i.e., accept a wait at search patterns and see what keywords have a lot of search queries, but few videos, a.k.a. low competition)
  • Take those relevant keywords and utilize them in your metadata (i.east., your video championship, tags, video clarification text, subtitles)

Pro tip: If you haven't already, now is the time to familiarize yourself with how the YouTube algorithm works. This AI determines not but search results, but recommendations for that important "what's upwardly adjacent" suggested videos sidebar, too.

Simply remember that it all comes back to your platonic viewer: the algorithm doesn't care if your video is "practiced," information technology cares if a specific user wants to spotter it. That being said, users typically want to watch "practiced" videos.

iv. Use metadata to go recommended afterward a popular video

If your goal is to go more YouTube views, take a cue from the most popular videos in your niche.

Get-go past taking a look at your top competitor'south most pop video. (Become to their video library and sort by "about popular.")

YouTube'south main goal is to keep viewers on the platform for as long every bit possible (so that they'll see as many ads as possible.) Thus the algorithm'south job is to feed viewers one (hopefully appealing) video after some other.

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

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

The just point yous tin can command here is the third.

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

Need a little inspo? You tin actually peek behind the scenes of a competitor's video to see what keywords they utilize by right-clicking on the webpage and selecting View Page Source. Then CTRL-F "keywords" until y'all find the list.

popular video keywords

But before yous go ahead and simply copy-and-paste a more pop video's metadata over to your similar video, call back about your audience: they won't want to watch the same video again. Maybe the first video raised a new question that needs answering, or there's an interesting tangent to be explored. How tin your video add value to what they just saw so that they'll desire to click on information technology?

Take the brawl and run with it.

5. Increase your views with custom thumbnails

When your potential viewers are in discovery mode—skimming through search results and recommendations—thumbnails are a major office of what they make up one's mind what to lookout man.

custom video thumbails

While a lot of advice out in that location is a graphic designer's nightmare — screaming fonts, chaotic data — let'south become objective: what are the properties of an effective thumbnail?

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

'Standing out' tin can be every bit elementary as picking a vivid color. Or making sure your behemothic hullo-res face is making a weird expression in proficient lighting. Or, if your niche is full of shrill, loftier-central visuals, and the best way your channel tin stand out is by being the calm, minimalist voice of reason.

6. Multiply your views by creating playlists

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

Why? Considering playlists go by the same rules as Netflix: every bit soon every bit one video ends, the next begins.

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

J.J. McCullough'due south YouTube content covers a range of cultural commentary, so he'southward divvied everything up nicely into thematic playlists. His fans who honey his content on earth leaders (and who wouldn't?!) will be served upward hit afterward hitting.

J.J. McCullough playlists

7. Direct traffic to your videos using cards and terminate screens

Besides playlists, cards and end screens are two of the only tools that YouTubers can utilize to featherbed the algorithm and directly influence our audition'southward side by side choice.

Cards are clickable, interactive areas that appear whatever time during the video. They come in a variety of formats that can be used for things like fundraising or selling merch, but in this case, we're interested in increasing views, and so choose a card that links to some other ane of your videos — or even better, playlists.

(Annotation: cards aren't bachelor to utilise on videos identified equally for kids.)

Cards are pop-ups, so it's very important that they add value. Y'all don't desire viewers feeling spammed. The videos or playlists you link to need to be relevant to the moment and provide additional information or entertainment.

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

Pro tip: If you lot have a noticeable retentivity problem with significant audience driblet-off at a specific point in one of your videos, endeavour inserting a link carte at that moment.

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

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

(Note that to employ end screens, you'll need to include a few extra seconds at the end of your video when you're editing it.)

Youtuber SssniperWolf features finish cards that direct to four more than of her videos. It's like a choose your own run a risk for… whatever her shtick is.

SssniperWolf end cards with related videos

8. Go beyond the how-to video (i.e., brand videos no i else is making)

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

Merely while yous must piece of work to concenter new optics, you likewise want to make fourth dimension to preach to the converted. On YouTube, your make's value-added features come up in the form of content that is meaningful to people who are already your fans.

Youtube chef Tabitha Brown, for example, doesn't merely share her vegan nachos recipe… she sits downwards with her husband to talk nearly their human relationship, giving fans an intimate await into her personal life. (And if they happen to go inspired to whip upwardly their own batch of guac in the process? That'due south a bonus.)

nine. Build relationships with your viewers

"Audience engagement" is simply another term for building relationships. The stop goal here, of course, is actually just the realistic, organic and sustainable path to getting more YouTube views.

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

Bonus: Download the free xxx-24-hour interval plan to abound your YouTube following fast , a daily workbook of challenges that will assist you kickstart your Youtube aqueduct growth and track your success. Get real results after one calendar month.

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Ideas for breaking the fourth wall, and creating a two-mode chat might include:

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

Pro tip: This tutorial on how to engage your customs on YouTube using Hootsuite's comment and sharing features volition relieve you time as you build your audience.

x. Partner up

Crossovers, guest appearances, brew-ups, covers: people love that jolt of unfamiliar familiarity. Find the He-Homo to your brand's She-Ra; and the Billy Ray Cyrus to your Lil Nas X.

Possibly you're a make with a budget, and hiring a creator with their own following is an obvious choice. But if yous're a creator or aspiring influencer yourself, getting more views is your outset step on the manner to making money on YouTube, not spending information technology. In which case your best bet is to partner with agreeing creators.

Ideally, your potential partners are fairly aligned in values, popularity, and charm. And yous actually similar them. And y'all take fun together, and it shows, and it makes people happy to run across you happy, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Easy, right?

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

Pro tip: If y'all exercise a crossover that involves a bunch of different videos—like 1 from your partner's perspective to live on their aqueduct, and 1 by you to live on yours, and mayhap some supporting outtakes, any necessary background, etc.—make a playlist to compile them so 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 channel.

But, if yous want more YouTube views, DON'T exercise the following:

  • Go to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok and mail service text or an image with a link to your YouTube video. Linking to YouTube makes objective sense, but the problem is that social platforms desire to go on people on their platform (just like YouTube does). So their algorithms will not promote a text-only mail service with an off-platform link. In other words, your impressions and CTR are going to be low, and then 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 direct competitor for YouTube, don't @ me). Posting your full video volition probably get you bully engagement and reach on those platforms. Just organic Facebook video views aren't monetizable, are they? And they aren't going to get yous YouTube views.

Promote your video by doing this instead:

  • Post a short teaser video to your social accounts equally native video, and add a link to the total video back on YouTube.

Note that you are not going to want to post the same affair across your social channels.

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

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

12. Ask your viewers to subscribe to your channel

Your subscriber count corresponds to your organic reach on YouTube. The more subscribers your channel has, the more than views your videos will become right off the bat when you hit publish.

Especially if those subscribers have their notifications turned on.

Growing your subscriber count is its ain challenge with its own tactics, only ane that is intertwined with increasing your views. For that reason, we accept a full guide on how to go more YouTube subscribers.

It'southward common practice to ask viewers to "like and subscribe" every bit a sign-off in a video, but many YouTubers — like beauty pro Patricia Bright — even include this call to action as a visual at the end, also.

Patricia Bright like and subscribe call to action

13. Enable embedding

Give your fans a take chances to help spread the good word about your piece of work by enabling embedding. The more fresh eyeballs see your video, the more views you rack up (and perchance even 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 equally a view, there are benefits to getting viewers to stick around longer.

If yous can go people to watch your video for longer, Youtube will larn that you've got some content with quality. And videos with higher Watch Time are favored by the Youtube algorithm, giving you a leg up 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 appealing to the 69 percent of people who watch mobile video with the sound off.

Having a transcript besides makes translation an option, opening your video up to international audiences. Global views! Can y'all imagine!?

Youtube'southward help page can walk you step-past-step through just how to prep your transcript file — you just need a .txt document.

YouTube transcript file

16. Post your video at the right time

Dropping your video at the exact moment your biggest audience of subscribers is online means that they'll all receive that sweetness, sweetness "new post" warning right when it goes live.

Just what if that's in the middle of the dark? Or while you're on holiday? That's where the power of a scheduling tool like Hootsuite comes in. Tee your video up to go out at the exact predetermined time of your choice to fit with your content agenda, and and then go on and live your life.

Grow your YouTube audience faster with Hootsuite. Schedule videos and moderate comments in the same place yous manage all your other social networks. Try information technology free today.

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