When we speak of video content, the first platform that comes to mind is YouTube. As the second-largest search engine in the world, YouTube is difficult to ignore, especially since more and more people have shifted from textual content to video content. If you are one of these people and you have a YouTube channel, we will give you some tips to increase the number of your YouTube views.

Let’s start with those tips I promised earlier:

1.Optimize your videos for SEO

YouTube marketing is no different from conventional textual content marketing. You still need to use SEO strategies to rank better and reach more people. If you are making a video about fitness, make sure that you include popular search terms in your video title, description, and metadata.

Optimize your description too by making it as detailed as possible. You can also add links to your website and other social media accounts. Don’t forget to use hashtags to make your videos more searchable.

2. Search for trending topics

Every marketer has a niche to cater to. They have to make sure that their videos address this niche’s needs and issues, but exploring trending topics won’t hurt their video content strategy.

Check out how Fortnite is being used even by video creators who aren’t into gaming. A lot of personalities and brands rode on the online game’s popularity, amassing millions of views as a result.

YouTube, Twitter, and keyword research tools can give you ideas about trending topics.

3. Make your thumbnail standout

By default, YouTube lets you select your thumbnail from three images. However, you can create your own thumbnail and use it on your videos. Just make sure that they are appropriate since using misleading thumbnails is against YouTube’s terms of service. Check out the video below to learn how to create a thumbnail on YouTube.

The thumbnail should give viewers an idea of what the video is all about, and not be there as clickbait.

4. Tweet about your videos

Hashtags are heavily used on Twitter which gives you another effective way of promoting your videos. Tweet about your video, and include hashtags. You may also search for popular hashtags and create video content based on them to ride on their popularity.

5. Share it on Facebook

As Facebook is the largest social media site, you have to cross-promote your videos on this platform as well. Most people that aren’t active on YouTube are on Facebook, so it’s an effective way of reaching out to potential subscribers and viewers. 

6. Upload videos regularly

Sporadically uploading on YouTube will not let you gain more views. It will bury your channel and videos among millions of other videos. Make it a point to upload videos on a regular schedule, like once a week or every other week. This way, your audience will know when they’ll see another upload, and they will look forward to it.

7. Don’t forget your CTAs

There are viewers who subscribe to your channel after watching your video without the need to ask them. Only a few though will do it. It’s then important to include a call-to-action (CTA) and remind them to subscribe to your channel and like your videos. Include a CTA for them to watch the next video as well.

8. Include end screens

The final 10 to 20 seconds of your video is crucial since it’s where most viewers decide what to watch next. Putting end screens are therefore important since you are suggesting to your viewers what videos to watch without having to scroll down. End screens are particularly effective for mobile users since all they need to do to get to the next content is to click on the end screen. Here’s how you can add and edit end screens:

9. Create Playlist

Playlists are a series of videos that viewers can continuously watch without YouTube’s algorithm interrupting the flow. When your video is done playing, another one of yours will automatically play, keeping viewers on your YouTube channel. You can create multiple playlists to cover subcategories within your niche.

10. Embed the videos on your blog

If you already have a blog, the number of your YouTube views can greatly improve if you embed the videos in your blog posts. You can create blog posts related to the video, or look for an existing one and update it with an embedded video.

If you don’t have a blog yet, think about starting one if you are promoting a brand or a product. Blogs can drive traffic to your YouTube videos and create backlinks.

These are just a few tips that you may have known already but aren’t implementing in your video content marketing. Several successful YouTube channels are doing these, and you will do well if you follow them.