YouTube is becoming ever richer in content every single day. It is said that every minute that passes, hundreds of hours of video footage is uploaded making it actually impossible for an individual to ever physically view everything on the platform, and it is growing more and more every second!
YouTube has become such a giant in the video space, in fact it is the second most visited website on the entire internet. So how do you make your videos stand out, and earn views against competing videos?
FIVE RULES TO FOLLOW
YouTube host vastly complex algorithms that quite frankly, no one really fully understands. You get people claiming to have hacks to the YouTube algorithm and what not, but the reality is, no one really knows.
There are certainly strong stats to support certain claims and there is certainly an element of common sense.
Having created content for various size channels we have found the following 5 things hugely important:
THUMBNAILS
Everyone says it, and let’s be honest this is certainly in the common sense segment, Thumbnails.
If I have a handful of results pop up and one Thumbnail looks more inviting/professional than the others, I am way more likely to click it.
PROVIDE VALUE AND HAVE AN OBJECTIVE
What is the purpose of this YouTube video? What value are you providing the viewer? Are they going away knowing something they didn’t already? Are you giving a conclusive summary?
If the content is a load of waffle, the viewer will just shut off and they certainly wont watch any of your other content.
Subsequently that has to be a red flag for any algorithm in the background.
IMPACTFUL INTRO
As per the video snippet above, make your intro gripping. One thing we do know is watch time and audience retention is hugely important with YouTube.
Try and do something a little special to start your video, get them hooked.
VIDEO LENGTH
Finally, and to lead on from the last point, don’t make your items longer than they need to be. Don’t include footage that doesn’t provide anything extra. So many people just blanket upload everything they shoot, don’t do it. Majority of people don’t have a lot of spare time so don’t waste it.
AND FINALLY…
Be brutal with your footage and cut out anything that isn’t sparking an emotion, anything that isn’t adding value or in some way entertaining.
A good exercise here is to go through some of your old videos and work out what your objective for the video was, and then what you could cut out for it still to achieve it. (Have a look at the full Peugeot e-208 YouTube video below)
I hope this short overview gives you some areas to work on with your videos. If you would like to discuss your channel or any of the services we provide please click the buttons below: