YouTube is a wonderful source of side income nowadays. This video platform provides us with the chance to talk about what we love, and make money doing it. Many would even argue that it’s taking over from blogging in the popularity stakes. The trouble is, YouTube takes more time and, potentially, money than writing a blog post. Making videos is a time-consuming task. Equally, you may need to invest in camera equipment if you don’t already have any.
That’s why there’s more pressure to make money back fast on this platform. You may be able to play the long game with your blog, but doing the same here could see you out of pocket. To make sure that doesn’t happen, it’s essential you cozy up to the elusive YouTube algorithms in the hope of getting more YouTube subscribers and boosting your earnings.
In an ideal world, you should even aim to appear on YouTube’s recommended front page. This is the highest chance you have of attracting viewers, and it’s an accolade any YouTuber works towards.
The question is, how do you get on YouTube’s right side? In many ways, this is a lot like Google’s SEO. Many would even argue that pleasing YouTube is easier. Still, if you’re to stand any chance at front page fame, you need to implement the following.
Take titles to the next level
We tend to think less about YouTube titles than we might, say, the titles of blog posts. Most times, YouTube titles are what they say on the tin. But, by getting clever here, you could give your videos the edge over your competitors. For the most part, this is because catchy and clickbait titles are sure to gain more views. And, the more views your videos get in a short time, the more chance you have of catching YouTube’s eye. Evidence also suggests that, like Google, YouTube favors relevant titles which use keywords. That’s because videos like these are easy to pick out and easy to target. Make sure, then, that your titles are catchy and relevant at all times.
Appeal to as many people as possible
As we touched on in the above point, videos which appear on front pages tend to be those which gain the most interest. It should be obvious to say, then, that you want to appeal to as many people as possible. One of the best ways you can do that is to make sure your videos are accessible and understandable to viewers worldwide. On a basic level, that could mean captioning your videos with a variety of subtitles. Let’s face it; you’re never going to appeal to a Spanish audience unless you take care of Spanish captioning. The more you take care of matters like these, the better chance you have to stand out. It may also be worth avoiding cultural references in your videos as much as possible. These run the risk of alienating those watching for elsewhere. As well as increasing your watch count, efforts like these get YouTube onside. For obvious reasons, they want to recommend videos which appeal to as many people as possible. All the better for advertisement coverage which benefits both them and you.
Keep viewers watching
It’s also worth noting that YouTube seems to favor videos which keep their viewers watching. This is a point which was highlighted last year when they changed their AdSense scheme to apply only to videos with long watch times. YouTube wants people to stick around. As a general rule, longer is best. You definitely want to keep people watching for at least seven minutes, though. Of course, keeping people around is often easier said than done. For the most part, making interesting content should see you through here. It’s also worth mentioning at the start of your video things which you don’t go into until the end.
Encourage engagement
Last, you need to encourage engagement. A report released by Philip Zeplin at Novel Concept suggested that YouTube favor videos with high participation. That means likes, comments, and even dreaded dislikes. In many ways, that’s because people only engage with content which gets them passionate. And, YouTube obviously wants to harness passion. As corny as it seems, then, don’t be afraid of the old ‘like comment, subscribe,’ refrain of your favorite YouTubers. It’s also worth asking viewers to get involved with discussions or tell you what they think in the comments. That way you can interact, and impress YouTube at the same time.
