How to get more views on YouTube [REAL]

Want more views on Youtube? Of course you do. You are a person with a pulse and a video to share! It `s naturally.

YouTube is still the world’s most popular video-sharing social network. More than 14 billion people visit the site every month – more than Facebook, Wikipedia, Instagram or Amazon. 62% of US adults visit Youtube every single day. (We could go on, but you can read all the latest YouTube statistics in your spare time.)

We’ve put together this guide to point out all the easy wins that will boost your brand’s message on YouTube, but we’re also going to detail some of the more advanced methods the pros use to get more YouTube views.

To see how we get views on our YouTube channel (which we started from scratch because YOLO), check out our cool video:

Psst: If you’re also starting from scratch, we have a guide to creating a YouTube channel.

Now let’s start those views!

What counts as a YouTube view?

Any time a viewer intentionally triggers a video to play on their device and watches it for at least 30 seconds, that counts as a view. Pretty simple!

If you play your own video, it will count as a view.

If a viewer views your video more than once, each view will count as a new view. (While updating again and again to try to play, the system will be detected by Youtube.)

Any views with embedded Youtube videos or Youtube videos hosted on Facebook will also be counted.

Live views count on YouTube as well.

Youtube analytics are updated every day or two, so if you don’t see an instant reflection of your activity, check back later.

20 Ways to Get More Views on YouTube

Worldwide, people watch over 694,000 hours of YouTube every minute. If you want to stand out from the crowd and grab attention, here’s how to do it.

1. Make Sure Your YouTube Fundamentals Are Qualified

First we walk, then we run. Take a look at your basics and make sure you tick all the boxes. Read our list of YouTube tips for beginners, then go back to our advanced tactics.

Your basic YouTube cleaning includes:

• Consistent visual identity (your channel icon, YouTube channel art, etc. – see how Architectural Digest managed to keep the branding consistent below).
• A complete and informative “About Us”section (unless you’re a YouTube star like Joana Seddia).
• Up-to-date contact information (so that all your potential customers and future brand partners can contact you)

2. Focus on your specific niche (and your ideal audience)

If you’re looking to optimize your YouTube marketing strategy, you need to be clear and ruthless about your goals and the content that will help you achieve them.

Because you don’t make videos for everyone. You are here for someone special: your audience.

The Deep Game Youtube channel, for example, creates content for an audience of basketball players who are interested in improving their game. It doesn’t get distracted by trying to offer soccer players or dodgeball players the same type of content: it’s b-ball all the time, and Deep Game’s 877,000 subscribers love it.

Pro tip: Have you worked out the images of your audience yet? They are somewhat similar to Dungeons & Dragons characters, only they make a business out of it.

3. Do your research and improve your video’s search ranking.

Yes, YouTube is a social platform, but it is also a search engine. And one of the best strategies for getting more views is YouTube SEO, i.e. optimizing your videos for search.

In other words, when your ideal viewer enters your chosen keywords, you want your video to rank at the top of the YouTube results list. This means you need to know if your audience is looking for tutorials, inspiration, or entertainment.

Ranking in search results is the best way to get new views—not just subscribers and people who are already interested in your channel (although we’ll talk more about those later)—on your videos.

But this is easier said than done. So what can you do to improve your YouTube search rankings?

Research. You’ll want to use a tool like Google Keyword Planner (note that you’ll need to set up a Google Ads account) to do two things:

• Find inspiration for your next video based on what people are already searching for (for example, take a look at search patterns and see which keywords have a lot of searches but few videos, meaning low competition).
• Take these relevant keywords and use them in your metadata (e.g. video title, tags, video description text, subtitles).

Pro Tip: If you haven’t already, now is a good time to get familiar with how the YouTube algorithm works. This AI not only determines the search results, but also the recommendations for that important “what’s next”video suggestion sidebar.

Just remember that it all comes back to your ideal viewer: the algorithm doesn’t care if your video is “good”. It is important for him whether a particular user wants to watch it. However, users usually want to watch “good” videos.

4. Use metadata to get recommended after a popular video

If your goal is to get more views on YouTube, take a cue from the most popular videos in your niche.

Start by watching the most popular video of your main competitor. (Go to their video library and sort by “most viewed”.)

The main goal of YouTube is to keep viewers on the platform for as long as possible (so that they see as many ads as possible). Thus, the task of the algorithm is to feed viewers one (hopefully attractive) video after another.

But how does YouTube figure out what people might like? The algorithm takes into account the following:

• Videos that are often watched together
• Videos the user has watched in the past
• Featured videos (that require keyword clarification!)

The only point you can control is the third.

So when you choose keywords, think like a librarian. Describe the topic of your video and its general category, and think of other words a person might use to search for that topic.

Need some inspiration? In fact, you can take a look behind the scenes of a competitor’s video to see what keywords they are using by right-clicking on a web page and selecting “View Page Source”. Then CTRL-F “keywords”until you find the list.

But before you just copy and paste the more popular video’s metadata into your related video, think about your audience: they won’t want to watch the same video again. Maybe the first video raised a new question that needs to be answered, or there is an interesting aspect that needs to be explored. How can your video add value to what they just saw so they want to click on it?

Take the ball and run with it.

5. Create the Perfect Headline

Your headline is where you put all those keywords to good use. The title of your Youtube video will make or break you: this is your chance to impress both the Youtube algorithm and the potential viewer.

As Youtube Creator Academy states, “Well-written titles can be the difference between who watches and shares or scrolls through your video.”

What is a well-written headline? You have come to the right place. Great name…

• Between 60-70 characters
• Accurately conveys content
• sparks of curiosity
• Often includes a number (for example, number of steps, current year, or number of tips)
• Often includes parentheses or parentheses (a clever way to add more information!)

For inspiration, just take a look at the Youtube homepage and think about which videos you want to click on. What qualities do the names have in common? Is “We Quit Alcohol for a Year, Here’s What Happened”any more enticing than “A Tutorial Made Easy?”

6. Pay serious attention to your description

We hinted at this above, but including keywords in your description matters a lot… and where you use them matters too. According to the Youtube Writers Academy, the first few sentences of a video description carry more weight due to algorithm and search, so make sure you take your time to create a crystal clear keyword intro.

Those first few lines should also intrigue people (not just Google bots!) because this is the preview users see when your video appears in search. Let them try what you have to offer: this is your chance to sell, sell, sell.

Beyond those first few lines, we recommend that you elaborate on what users are learning from your video. Aim for 125-175 words if you can (and include various keywords in your paragraphs. You know how!)

If you don’t have much to say about the video itself, this is also a great place to remind viewers what your channel is about and link to your website or social media.

Check out more tips for effective YouTube descriptions and keywords here.

7. Celebrate Like Never Before

Tags are another way Youtube understands what your video is about, so don’t neglect this powerful way to get more videos on Youtube.

Start with keywords and key phrases, but also add keyword variations – alternative terms that mean the same thing people might be looking for. You can also include broader categories in your tag… for example, if you have a video about a cake recipe, you can say “cake” or “desserts,” but adding “baking,” “cooking,” or “fun” would be either wise.

8. Increase views with custom thumbnails

When your potential viewers are in Explore mode—browsing through search results and recommendations—thumbnails are a major part of what they decide to watch.

In fact, Youtube reports that 90% of the most viewed videos on the platform use custom thumbnails.

While a lot of advice is a graphic designer’s nightmare – flashy fonts and messy information – let’s be objective: what are the properties of an effective thumbnail?

• The thumbnail clearly and accurately describes the video it describes (If your thumbnail is misleading people and YouTube finds out because your watch time will decrease when the viewer gets angry and stops watching. The algorithm won’t like that.)
• The thumbnail is highlighted.
• The thumbnail works in tandem with the video title.

Financial consultant Max Mitchell fills each thumbnail with intriguing visuals that hint at the chaotic comedy in each video. Curiosity = excitement.

Or, if your niche is full of poignant, vibrant visuals, the best way to stand out on your channel is to be a calm, minimalist voice of reason.

9. Multiply your views by creating playlists

Organizing and creating YouTube video playlists is the best way to minimize the chance of a viewer switching to another channel after watching your content.

Why? Because playlists work by the same rules as Netflix: as soon as one video ends, the next begins.

Since you’ve already done the hard work of helping a viewer find your video, click on it, and watch it in its entirety, it makes sense to direct them to the video content they’ll need next. Owl Crate (a subscription program for young bookworms) groups author’s chats, unboxing videos and reviews into its own playlists.

Don’t forget to put on your SEO hat when creating playlist titles! What combination of words will be most attractive to your viewers and help your playlist appear in search results?

10. Drive traffic to your videos with cards and end screens

In addition, playlists, cards, and end screens are the only two tools YouTube users can use to bypass the algorithm and directly influence our audience’s next choice.

Cards are clickable areas that appear at any time while watching a video. They come in a variety of formats that can be used for things like fundraising or selling merchandise, but in this case we’re interested in getting more views, so choose a card with a link to another of your videos, or better yet, playlists.

(Note: flashcards cannot be used in videos intended for children.)

Cards are pop-ups, so it’s important that they are useful. You don’t want viewers to feel like spam. The videos or playlists you link to must be up-to-date and contain additional information or entertainment.

Pro Tip: If you have a noticeable retention problem with significant audience dropout at a certain point in one of your videos, try inserting a link card at that point.

Meanwhile, end screens are visual calls to action that you can add to the end of your video (in the last 5-20 seconds) to encourage viewers to move on to the next step. They are valuable because you know that if a person has gotten to the bitter end of your video, they are probably very interested in your great content.

Using end screens to encourage viewers to subscribe to your channel or visit your website is a good choice. But if you want more views, your best bet is to use an end screen to promote your other videos or playlists. For example, YouTuber J. J. McCullough ended his video about mascots with a link to another of his videos about quirky cultural trivia.

Helpful Tip: Be careful when choosing an end screen video that is related to the content of the video you just watched. For example, if someone was interested in watching a video about caring for horses, suggest that they watch the following video, “10 Best Horse Braids,” not “10 Accounting Hacks.” This will increase the likelihood that your viewer will linger.

(Please note that to use end screens, you will need to add a few extra seconds at the end of your video when you are editing it.)

11. Go beyond the tutorial video (i.e. make videos that no one else makes)

Chances are, when you research your target keywords (as we did in point #3), you will see a lot of search terms that include the phrase “how.” (The title of this article is included, ahem.) This is because there is a high volume of search for how-to content.

But while you must work to attract new views, you must also find time to preach to converts. On YouTube, additional features of your brand are presented in the form of content that is meaningful to people who are already your fans.

12. Build relationships with your viewers

“Audience engagement” is another term for relationship building. The end goal here, of course, is really just a realistic, organic, and sustainable path to more YouTube views.

That is, interacting with other YouTube users (creators or commenters) will increase the likelihood that they will be interested in your brand, subscribe to your channel (see #12), and watch more of your videos overall.

Ideas for breaking the fourth wall and forging a two-way conversation might include:

• Turn on comments… and reply to them (it’s polite!)
• Host a contest on YouTube
• Make reaction videos
• Include other people’s content in your videos (with their permission)
• Ask questions and request ideas
• Greet followers and fans in your videos

Advice for professionals. This guide on how to engage your YouTube community with Hootsuite’s commenting and sharing features will save you time building your audience.

13. Partner up

Crossovers, guest appearances, mashups, covers: people love this push of strangers. Find a Real Man for She-Ra of your brand; and Billy Ray Cyrus to your Lil Nas X.

Maybe you’re a brand on a budget and hiring a creator with your followers is the obvious choice. But if you’re a creator yourself or aspiring to become an influencer, getting more views is your first step towards making money on YouTube, not spending it. In this case, it is best to collaborate with like-minded authors.

Ideally, your potential partners should have approximately the same values, popularity and charm. And you really like them. And you have fun together, and it shows, and it makes people happy seeing you happy, and so on, and so on, and so on. See how fun Katy Perry and Lego team up. Easy, right?

Pro Tip: If you’re creating a crossover that includes several different videos – for example, one from your partner’s point of view for live streaming on their channel, and another from your own, and perhaps some supporting footage, any backstory needed and so on – make a playlist to collect them so that interested viewers can listen to it all.

14. Promote your YouTube videos on all your social networks.

You’ll want to take full advantage of social media to promote your YouTube channel.

But if you want more YouTube views, DO NOT do the following:

• Go to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok and post a text or image with a link to your YouTube video. Linking to YouTube makes perfect sense, but the problem is that social platforms want to keep people on their platforms (just like YouTube does). Therefore, their algorithms most likely will not give preference to a text message with a link outside the platform. In other words, your impressions and CTR will be low, as will your YouTube views.
• Upload all your video to these platforms. This is what Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter want you to do (Instagram Reels is a direct competitor to YouTube, not @me). Posting your full video is likely to get you a lot of attention and reach on these platforms. But organic video views on Facebook can’t be monetized, right? And they won’t get you YouTube views.

Instead, promote your video like this:

• Post a short teaser video on your social media accounts with your own video and add a link to the full YouTube video.

Please note that you will not want to post the same thing on your social media.

You can also promote your channel using the Youtube API to create Youtube icons for your website. Marketplaces like Quora or Reddit can be effective

Pro tip: Other than hiring an assistant to manage your social media, a scheduling tool like Hootsuite is the best way to create and schedule those posts for your followers.

15. Ask your viewers to subscribe to your channel

Your subscriber count matches your organic reach on YouTube. The more subscribers your channel has, the more views your videos will immediately get when you click Publish.

Especially if these subscribers have notifications turned on.

Increasing the number of subscribers is a separate task with its own tactics, but it is closely related to the increase in the number of views. For this reason, we have a complete guide on how to get more YouTube subscribers.

16. Enable embedding

Give your fans a chance to share your work by allowing embeds. The more new viewers your video sees, the more views you’ll get (and maybe even get a couple of new subscribers in the process).

By default on Youtube, embedding is allowed in all domains, but if you have previously restricted embedding, you can disable it by going to the Studio Content Manager. Select “Content”from the menu on the left, tap the pencil icon next to video settings. Scroll down and click “Show More”, then find the “Allow Embedding”checkbox and turn it on.

17. Increase your viewing time

While Youtube considers anything over 30 seconds a watch, there are benefits to making viewers stay longer.

If you can get people to watch your video longer, Youtube will know that you have quality content. Youtube’s algorithm prioritizes videos with higher watch times, which gives you an advantage in the recommendation engine.

How to make someone watch longer? Make watchable content. Check out our complete Youtube marketing guide to get your creative wheels spinning.

18. Transcribe your videos

Adding captions to your videos helps hearing-impaired viewers follow them and makes your content more appealing to the 85 percent of videos that are muted.

Having a transcript also makes translation possible, opening up your video to an international audience. Global Views! Can you imagine!?

Youtube help page will guide you step by step to prepare a transcript file – you just need a document. txt.

19. Post your video at the right time

If you drop your video exactly when your largest audience of subscribers is online, that means they will all get that sweet, sweet “new post” alert right after it goes live.

But what if it’s in the middle of the night? Or while you’re on vacation? This is where the power of a planning tool like Hootsuite comes in. Launch your video to come out at the exact pre-determined time of your choice to match your content calendar, then get on with your life.

20. Play your analytics

Your Youtube analytics can reveal a lot about audience behavior.

One key piece of data that can help keep your pageview count? Audience retention.

If you look at your data to see where audience retention falls, you might insert a suggested video card at exactly that moment… hopefully it will encourage someone to click through to another of your videos, rather than leave your page altogether.

Frequently Asked Questions About YouTube Views

Can YouTube identify fake views?

Youtube’s algorithm is designed to ignore any games that might look like they’re automated. It just wants to count how many times a real person specifically watched your video.

So when a single user or bot updates a video over and over again, or if a website automatically plays the video, those views don’t count towards the total views count.

Youtube can also detect content that exists solely to encourage likes, comments, and views, so don’t you dare indulge in watch bait. Channels that do not follow Youtube’s policies may be removed, warned by Youtube, or closed altogether. Be cool guys!

How much does 1 YouTube view cost?

As with most money-related aspects of social media, the answer to this question is an infuriating “it depends.” The money you will earn per view as a Youtube creator varies based on factors such as the total number of views your video has received, the number of clicks on ads in your video, and the length of the video.

YouTubers earn between $0.01 and $0.03 per view, with an average of $0.018 per view, according to Intuit research. Sure, big-name creators can make over $200,000 from AdSense revenue alone (in addition to lucrative sponsorships or partnerships), but your average Joe Tuber usually makes $3 to $5 per 1,000 AdSense views.

Ready to make your modest fortune? Check out our guide to making money on Youtube.

How to get more views on YouTube shorts?

In 2022, Youtube decided to compete with TikTok by releasing its own short format for mobile devices: Youtube Shorts. Vertical videos of 15-60 seconds are created using smartphones and uploaded directly to “Tube”through the Youtube app. Creators edit from there and then share with their loving, attention-starved fans.

According to Youtube, Shorts actually have a completely different recommendation algorithm than classic Youtube videos… so interacting with one doesn’t affect the other in any way.

“The effectiveness of a short film depends on whether people want to watch or not skip videos in the short film feed. Audience engagement often builds over time rather than instantaneously,” explained Youtube Product Manager Piers Vollucci in a recent Creator Insiders video.

So while getting more views for your YouTube shorts has nothing to do with the rest of your channel, there are still plenty of things you can do to help your shorts get their fair share of attention: namely: they are fun and energetic.

Grab the audience’s attention. Make the first few seconds an exciting introduction. None of the typical meandering five-minute “Hey guys!”verbal essays dominate the platform: it’s time to get down to business!

…And keep that attention. You must keep it fast. Use music videos as inspiration and cut new scenes and angles quickly and often.

Bring some value to your viewer. Don’t make a short just for the sake of making a short. Every video should entertain, educate, or inspire, even if it’s only 15 seconds long. You must give the viewer a reason not only to watch, but also to review, share, save, like or comment.

Get the right vibe. Over the decades, Youtube videos have taken on a distinct aesthetic… but shorts are completely different. The production values, tone, speed, and editing techniques common in shorts are more in line with the vibe of Snapchat or TikTok. Follow what’s happening in these places for inspiration.

We’re only scratching the surface here – dig deeper with our guide to everything you need to know about Youtube Shorts.