Creating a popular YouTube video involves a combination of creating valuable content, optimizing it for discovery, engaging your audience, and promoting it effectively. Here are some best practices gathered from various sources:
1. Content is King
- Create Value: The most crucial element is making content that viewers genuinely want to watch and find valuable. Understand what problems or interests your target audience has.
- Know Your Audience: Research what your target audience is interested in. Look at successful competitors in your niche to understand what topics and styles resonate.
- Unique Angle: Try to offer a unique perspective or create content that isn’t readily available elsewhere.
- Consider Series: Think about creating video series around a topic rather than just one-off videos. This encourages viewers to watch more of your content.
- Video Quality: Aim for good production quality with clear audio and visuals (HD resolution like 1280×720 or higher is standard).
2. Optimize for Discovery (YouTube SEO)
- Keyword Research: Identify keywords people use to search for topics related to your video. Use YouTube’s search suggestions, competitor analysis, and keyword research tools. Consider both broad and specific (long-tail) keywords.
- Compelling Titles: Write clear, engaging titles that include your main keywords, ideally near the beginning. Keep titles relatively concise (under 50-60 characters is often recommended). Using numbers or bracketed text (e.g., “[Tutorial]”) might increase clicks.
- Hook Viewers Early: Grab attention within the first 10-30 seconds, as viewer retention drops significantly after that point.
Read our article “5 Killer Ways to Hook YouTube Viewers in the First 5 Seconds“ - Calls to Action: Encourage viewers to like, comment, share, and subscribe directly in your video and description.
- Branding: Consistently use your channel branding (logos, intros/outros) to build recognition.
- Eye-Catching Thumbnails: Create custom thumbnails that stand out. Use clear, high-quality images, vibrant colors, bold text, and potentially faces showing emotion. Thumbnails are crucial for attracting clicks.
- Closed Captions (Subtitles): Add captions to make your videos accessible and help YouTube understand your content better.
- Detailed Descriptions: Write keyword-rich descriptions (aim for 150+ words) that accurately summarize your video. Place important keywords and links early. Include timestamps for longer videos and calls-to-action (like subscribing or visiting a website).
- Relevant Tags: Use tags that accurately reflect your video’s content, including your main keywords and variations.
3. Engage Your Audience
- Respond to Comments: Interact with your audience in the comments section to build community.
- Use Cards and End Screens: Direct viewers to other videos, playlists, or your subscribe button using YouTube’s interactive features.
- Create Playlists: Group related videos into playlists. This encourages binge-watching as the next video plays automatically.
4. Promote Your Videos
- Cross-Promote: Share your videos on other social media platforms, your website or blog, email newsletters, and relevant online communities (like forums, Reddit, Quora, where appropriate).
- Collaborate: Work with other YouTube creators to reach new audiences.
- Accompany with Blog Posts: Writing a blog post that embeds and discusses your video can drive traffic from search engines.
- Consider Paid Ads: Use YouTube ads to boost visibility if your budget allows.
5. Leverage Analytics
- Monitor your video performance using YouTube Analytics.
- Experiment with different formats and styles based on viewer feedback.
- Adjust your strategy to focus on what works best for your channel.
6. Consistency is Key
- Upload videos regularly to keep your audience engaged.
- Stick to a schedule so viewers know when to expect new content.
By focusing on creating great content and implementing these best practices for optimization and promotion, you can significantly increase your chances of making popular YouTube videos.