How to Get More Views on YouTube Videos (Really)

Know where to focus your efforts to get more views on YouTube videos. Tips are from leading experts and include on-channel and off.

You’ve worked hard on the video: planning, shooting, editing – oh, the editing. Minutes, hours, and even days later, you find yourself checking the stats (it’s okay, we all do it). How many view? How much ad revenue have you made?

Dismal views. The comments section is barren. The ad revenue is non-existent.

You create great content, have excellent audio, and might have even bought a snazzy intro. Why aren’t they watching?! Well, you have a lot of noise to break through in your journey to make money blogging and vlogging.

YouTube Statistics to Blow Your Mind

HALF of all social views take place on YouTube followed by Facebook at 36%! Source
One billion hours are watched DAILY on YouTube! Source
300 HOURS of video are uploaded to YouTube every MINUTE Source

It’s because of that last shocking statistic that I find myself offering this article on how to get more views on YouTube videos.

How to Get More Views on YouTube Videos: Off YouTube

Before we get to how you can get more views on YouTube videos using the platform itself, let’s chat about what we can do off of the world’s favorite video platform.

First things first: repurpose blog content to video as fast as you can. If you’re stuck for ideas on what videos to make, read about the 9 types of videos for bloggers to level-up growth.

From Your Site:

ALWAYS link your YouTube video back to your blog (not your home page, but directly to a post) and use the same keywords.
Be sure to include a YouTube link your social follow buttons.
Send out your videos to your newsletter subscribers. Hint: use a video image (a still image with a big, red “Play” triangle) to get more clicks. How much? 200-300% more! Source

Fellow Bloggers:

Ask for views (start-to-finish, if possible) in share threads. Note: if you do this, be sure to ask for only views if the video is more than a couple minutes.
Join (or create) Facebook video groups to promote videos.
Find Facebook pages to cross-post videos on Facebook.

Social Media:

Understand hashtags for your niche and when to use them.
Set up a subscribe buttons on your Facebook page (it will take a reader directly to your channel and increase views).
Create short promotion videos or “ads” for your videos (45-60 seconds).

How to Get More Views on YouTube Videos: On YouTube

Using the YouTube platform itself, there are very specific actions you can take to help get more views on YouTube videos. A few of my clients swear by TubeBuddy. I haven’t tested it myself, so I’m sharing it as something for you to check out. There is a free version (so you can test if it works better to grow your channel).

Naming Your Video Matters:

Before uploading to YouTube, be sure your video title is punchy and has your desired keywords. Do some YouTube research before you upload to find out what comes up on the topic. This research can help you determine where those videos have holes which maybe you can fill with your name and description.

The Description is the Party:

Invite everyone to your video by fully utilizing the description box to your advantage. You can repeat the title in the description, but you can also use alternate keywords (learn about LSI and alternate keywords).

But don’t stop there. In your description, be sure to link to any of your other videos (or blog posts) on the same topic or a very closely related one.

Get Social:

Using the share buttons below your video, be sure to share from YouTube. The big exception here is Facebook – it’s best to upload a video directly to help with organic reach.Note: if it applies, be sure to share your video on LinkedIn, as they’re trying to “up their social game” and have been making big changes lately.

Tell Them What to Do:

Give.Them.A.Task. Create the same call to action and present it in different ways:

Use the annotation service to embed a clickable link.
Remind your viewer in the video to take your call to action (beginning, middle, and end of the video).
Quickly and clearly state the call to action within the description of the video.

Playlists, Baby:

Playlists allow you to organize your content and that’s handy, but there’s a much bigger benefit to a viewer. Auto Play is a YouTube marketer’s best friend, especially when it’s built into a playlist. Keep them on YOUR channel instead of any recommendations along the side bar.

When you don’t have a long playlist of your own content, be sure to add in videos from others (yes you can, and should, do that). Plus it yields a bonus: you never want people to leave YouTube on YOUR video because that metric is measured in the YouTube algorithm.

Participate:

I know, I know – you need another online social platform like you need a boat with a hole. But… YouTube likes interaction. To get it, you should give it.

Additional Reading and Viewing

One of my favorite places to learn is YouTube, so it’s no wonder I’m subscribed to a few of the YouTube certified educators. Below are a few of my favorite videos and channels.

Sarah Nenni-Daher – Wait, that’s me! Go ahead and subscribe. It’s quick and painless and hey – you’ll get some pretty amazing content.
Video Creators – Tim Schmoyer has a GREAT channel and provides tips on how to get more views on YouTube video.
Derral Eves – Showcased in the above video, Darrel tours around and hires out his expertise. Start with his “How To” playlist.
Sunny Lenarduzzi – First, she’s plucky and second, delivers things with a dose of ‘real.’ Sunny has so many tips to help you level-up your channel and your on-camera presence.

Summary

You can and will get more views on YouTube videos if you prioritize this platform. Be diligent with your preparation, calls to action, and structure.

Please pin these YouTube tips to your favorite blogging or vlogging board on Pinterest.