Want more views on Youtube? Of course you lot do. You're a human being with a pulse and a video to share! It'due south only natural.

YouTube is the world'south 2nd nearly visited website. More than two billion people use it every month — that'southward ane-third of all cyberspace users. 74% of adults in the U.S. are watching videos at that place. (Nosotros could go on, but y'all can read all the latest YouTube stats on your own time.)

We've compiled this guide to betoken out all the easy wins that volition amplify your make's bulletin on YouTube, but nosotros're likewise going to item some of the more advanced techniques the pros use to go more than YouTube views.

To encounter how we're getting views on our YouTube channel (which we started from scratch, because yolo), cheque out our cool video:

Psst: If you're starting from scratch too, we take a primer on how to create a YouTube channel.

Now, let's get those views rolling!

Bonus: Download the free 30-twenty-four hour period programme to abound your YouTube following fast , a daily workbook of challenges that volition aid you kickstart your Youtube channel growth and track your success. Go real results later on one month.

What counts equally a view on YouTube?

Each fourth dimension a viewer intentionally initiates the playing of a video on their device and watches for at least 30 seconds, that counts every bit a view. Pretty simple!

If you play your own video, that will be counted as a view.

If a viewer watches your video more than once, each screening will be counted equally a new view. (That being said, refreshing over and over once more to try to game the arrangement will exist detected by Youtube.)

Any views that take place with embedded Youtube videos or Youtube videos shared on Facebook volition too be counted.

Alive views are counted on YouTube, also.

Youtube analytics are updated every twenty-four hour period or two, and so if you're not seeing an instant reflection of your action, check back later.

What doesn't count as a view on Youtube?

Youtube'south algorithm is designed to disregard whatsoever plays that might wait similar they were automated. It merely wants to count the number of times a existent human watched your video on purpose.

So when a single user or bot refreshes a video over and over, or if a website car-plays a video, these views are not counted towards your total view numbers.

16 means to get more YouTube views

Globally, people watch over one billion hours of YouTube every single solar day. If you want to stand up out from the oversupply and snag some of those eyeballs, hither'due south how to practice information technology.

1. Ensure your YouTube basics are up to snuff

First nosotros walk, so nosotros run. Have a look at your fundamentals and make sure yous've ticked all the boxes. Read our list of beginner tips for YouTube, then come back to dig into our avant-garde tactics.

Your bones YouTube housekeeping includes:

  • A consistent visual identity (your channel icon, YouTube channel art, similar in the Rupaul's Drag Race example beneath, etc.)
  • A completed and informative About section (unless you are a breakout YouTube star like Joana Ceddia)
  • Upward-to-engagement contact information (so all your potential customers and future make partners tin can arrive touch)

RuPaul's Drag Race YouTube channel description

Source: Rupaul'due south Drag Race

two. Null in on your specific niche (and your ideal audience)

If you're aiming to optimize your YouTube marketing strategy, you want to get precise and ruthlessly selective about your goals—and the content that will get you lot there.

Because you aren't making videos for everyone. You're here for someone special: your audience.

Yoga with Adriene has thrived because she makes ultra-specific videos with titles like "Yoga for Joy" and "Yoga for Courage," and even releases versions of her videos in Castilian. She's simply one of the thousands of Youtube yoga instructors, walking people through poses, but her ultra-inclusive concepts and attitude accept struck a chord — she's got almost 10 1000000 subscribers.

Pro tip: Have you worked up your audition personas yet? They're kind of similar Dungeons & Dragons characters, except make it business.

3. Practise your research, and better your video's search ranking

Yes, YouTube is a social platform, simply it'southward also a search engine. And i of the height strategies for getting more views is YouTube SEO, i.e. optimizing your videos for search.

In other words, when your ideal viewer types in your chosen keywords, y'all want your video ranking most the top of YouTube'southward results list. That means you lot need to know what your audience is looking for—tutorials, inspiration, or entertainment.

YouTube results list keyword ranking

Ranking in search results is the best mode to get make new eyes—non just subscribers and people who are already interested in your channel (although we'll talk more about them later) — on your videos.

But, this is easier said than done. So, what can yous practice to improve your videos' search ranking on YouTube?

Research. Yous're going to want to use a tool like Google Keyword Planner (note that you'll need to set up a Google Ads account) to practice two things:

  • Find inspiration for your next video based on what people are already looking for (i.e., take a look at search patterns and see what keywords take a lot of search queries, but few videos, a.yard.a. depression contest)
  • Take those relevant keywords and employ them in your metadata (i.e., your video title, tags, video clarification text, subtitles)

Pro tip: If y'all haven't already, now is the time to familiarize yourself with how the YouTube algorithm works. This AI determines not merely search results, merely recommendations for that of import "what's up side by side" suggested videos sidebar, too.

Just remember that information technology all comes back to your ideal viewer: the algorithm doesn't intendance if your video is "skillful," information technology cares if a specific user wants to watch information technology. That being said, users typically desire to watch "good" videos.

4. Use metadata to get recommended after a popular video

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

Showtime by taking a look at your superlative competitor'southward most popular video. (Go to their video library and sort past "well-nigh popular.")

YouTube'south primary goal is to continue viewers on the platform for as long as possible (then that they'll run into as many ads as possible.) Thus the algorithm's job is to feed viewers one (hopefully highly-seasoned) video after another.

But how does YouTube effigy out what people might like? The algorithm takes the post-obit into consideration:

  • Videos that are often watched together
  • Videos the user has watched in the past
  • Topically related videos (which requires some keyword finessing!)

The merely point you tin can control hither is the third.

So when you're choosing keywords, think similar a librarian. Describe your video'due south topic and describe its overall category, and think of other words a person might use to search for that topic. (Cheque out more tips on effective YouTube descriptions and keywords hither.)

Demand a piffling inspo? You can actually peek behind the scenes of a competitor'southward video to see what keywords they utilize by right-clicking on the webpage and selecting View Page Source. And so CTRL-F "keywords" until you find the list.

popular video keywords

But before you go ahead and just copy-and-paste a more than pop video's metadata over to your similar video, think nearly your audience: they won't want to watch the same video again. Maybe the first video raised a new question that needs answering, or there's an interesting tangent to be explored. How can your video add value to what they just saw so that they'll want to click on information technology?

Take the ball and run with it.

5. Increase your views with custom thumbnails

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

custom video thumbails

While a lot of advice out there is a graphic designer'due south nightmare — screaming fonts, cluttered data — let'southward get objective: what are the properties of an effective thumbnail?

  • The thumbnail is clear and accurate about the video information technology'southward describing (if your thumbnail misleads people into clicking, YouTube will know because your lookout fourth dimension will go down when the viewer gets bellyaching and stops watching. The algorithm won't similar that.)
  • The thumbnail stands out.
  • The thumbnail works in tandem with the video's title.

'Standing out' tin be as elementary as picking a bright color. Or making certain your giant hi-res face is making a weird expression in adept lighting. Or, if your niche is total of shrill, high-key visuals, and the all-time mode your channel can stand out is past being the calm, minimalist vocalisation of reason.

vi. Multiply your views past creating playlists

Organizing and creating video playlists on YouTube is the all-time way to minimize the chances that a viewer will motion on to another channel once they've consumed your content.

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

Since yous've already done the difficult work of helping your viewer observe your video, click on information technology and lookout the entire thing, it makes sense to guide them towards the video content they're going to want next.

J.J. McCullough'southward YouTube content covers a range of cultural commentary, so he's divvied everything up nicely into thematic playlists. His fans who love his content on earth leaders (and who wouldn't?!) will exist served up hit afterward hitting.

J.J. McCullough playlists

7. Straight traffic to your videos using cards and end screens

Besides playlists, cards and terminate screens are ii of the only tools that YouTubers tin can use to featherbed the algorithm and directly influence our audition'southward adjacent choice.

Cards are clickable, interactive areas that appear any fourth dimension during the video. They come in a variety of formats that can be used for things similar fundraising or selling merch, but in this case, nosotros're interested in increasing views, and so choose a card that links to another one of your videos — or even better, playlists.

(Note: cards aren't available to use on videos identified as for kids.)

Cards are pop-ups, then it's very important that they add value. You lot don't desire viewers feeling spammed. The videos or playlists you link to need to be relevant to the moment and provide boosted information or entertainment.

For a super-meta instance, check out how this All About Cards video has a menu itself near learning near different kinds of cards.

Pro tip: If you have a noticeable retentiveness problem with significant audience drop-off at a specific point in 1 of your videos, effort inserting a link menu at that moment.

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

Using end screens to encourage viewers to subscribe to your aqueduct or visit your website are both skilful choices. But if you want more views, using your stop screen to promote your other videos or playlists is the best choice.

(Note that to use stop screens, you lot'll need to include a few extra seconds at the stop of your video when yous're editing it.)

Youtuber SssniperWolf features end cards that direct to four more of her videos. Information technology'south like a cull your own adventure for… whatever her shtick is.

SssniperWolf end cards with related videos

8. Go beyond the how-to video (i.east., make videos no one else is making)

Chances are, when you lot're researching your target keywords (like nosotros did dorsum at point #3), y'all're going to see a lot of search terms that involve the phrase "how to." (The championship of this article included, ahem.) This is because at that place's a lot of search book for how-to content.

But while you must work to concenter new eyes, you lot too desire to make time to preach to the converted. On YouTube, your make's value-added features come up in the class of content that is meaningful to people who are already your fans.

Youtube chef Tabitha Chocolate-brown, for case, doesn't just share her vegan nachos recipe… she sits downwardly with her husband to talk about their human relationship, giving fans an intimate wait into her personal life. (And if they happen to get inspired to whip upward their own batch of guac in the process? That'due south a bonus.)

nine. Build relationships with your viewers

"Audition date" is only another term for building relationships. The end goal here, of course, is really just the realistic, organic and sustainable path to getting more YouTube views.

That is, engaging with other YouTubers (creators or commenters both) will increment the chance that they'll care about your make, that they'll subscribe to your channel (see #12), and watch more than of your videos overall.

Bonus: Download the gratis 30-twenty-four hours plan to grow your YouTube following fast , a daily workbook of challenges that will assistance you kickstart your Youtube channel growth and runway your success. Get real results after 1 month.

Become the free guide right now!

Ideas for breaking the quaternary wall, and creating a two-mode chat might include:

  • Answer to comments (it's polite!)
  • Run a YouTube competition
  • Make reaction videos
  • Include other people's content in your videos (with their permission)

Pro tip: This tutorial on how to appoint your community on YouTube using Hootsuite's annotate and sharing features will relieve you time as y'all build your audience.

x. Partner upward

Crossovers, guest appearances, brew-ups, covers: people love that jolt of unfamiliar familiarity. Find the He-Human being to your brand'due south She-Ra; and the Billy Ray Cyrus to your Lil Nas 10.

Maybe you're a make with a upkeep, and hiring a creator with their own following is an obvious choice. But if you're a creator or aspiring influencer yourself, getting more than views is your first step on the style to making money on YouTube, not spending it. In which case your best bet is to partner with like-minded creators.

Ideally, your potential partners are fairly aligned in values, popularity, and amuse. And you lot actually like them. And you have fun together, and it shows, and information technology makes people happy to meet you happy, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Easy, right?

This video is like a super crossover: two elevate queens plus east.l.f. cosmetics plus Chipotle all get in on the mix. The cross-promotion opportunities are quadrupled, past our count.

Pro tip: If you do a crossover that involves a bunch of different videos—similar 1 from your partner'south perspective to live on their channel, and 1 by you to alive on yours, and maybe some supporting outtakes, any necessary background, etc.—make a playlist to compile them so that interested viewers can stan information technology all.

11. Promote your YouTube videos across all your social media channels

You're going to want to leverage all of your social media might to promote your YouTube channel.

Merely, if yous want more than YouTube views, DON'T practice the following:

  • Get to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok and mail text or an image with a link to your YouTube video. Linking to YouTube makes objective sense, but the trouble is that social platforms want to go along people on their platform (just similar YouTube does). Then their algorithms will not promote a text-only mail with an off-platform link. In other words, your impressions and CTR are going to be low, so will your YouTube views.
  • Upload your entire video onto those platforms. This is what Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter want y'all to practice (IGTV is a direct competitor for YouTube, don't @ me). Posting your full video will probably get you great engagement and achieve on those platforms. But organic Facebook video views aren't monetizable, are they? And they aren't going to become you YouTube views.

Promote your video by doing this instead:

  • Mail service a short teaser video to your social accounts equally native video, and add together a link to the full video back on YouTube.

Notation that you are not going to want to post the same thing beyond your social channels.

Financial counsellor Max Mitchell puts a little trailer for his money-themed Youtube videos on his Instagram feed to pique interest, and links to the full video in his bio.

Pro tip: Short of hiring an assistant to handle your social media, a scheduling tool like Hootsuite is the best way to craft and schedule those posts for your followers.

12. Ask your viewers to subscribe to your aqueduct

Your subscriber count corresponds to your organic reach on YouTube. The more subscribers your channel has, the more than views your videos will go right off the bat when you hit publish.

Especially if those subscribers accept their notifications turned on.

Growing your subscriber count is its own challenge with its own tactics, but i that is intertwined with increasing your views. For that reason, we take a full guide on how to become more YouTube subscribers.

It's common practice to ask viewers to "like and subscribe" equally a sign-off in a video, but many YouTubers — like dazzler pro Patricia Vivid — even include this call to action as a visual at the terminate, also.

Patricia Bright like and subscribe call to action

13. Enable embedding

Give your fans a chance to help spread the good word nearly your piece of work past enabling embedding. The more fresh eyeballs encounter your video, the more views you rack up (and peradventure fifty-fifty snag a new subscriber or two in the process).

To enable embedding, go to Youtube Studio and click Content. Select your video and tap Edit. Select Embedding, and toggle on or off.

channel content embedding YouTube Studio

xiv. Amp upwards the spotter time

While Youtube counts annihilation over xxx seconds as a view, at that place are benefits to getting viewers to stick around longer.

If you tin get people to sentinel your video for longer, Youtube will learn that you've got some content with quality. And videos with higher Watch Time are favored by the Youtube algorithm, giving you a leg upwardly in the recommendation engine.

audience retention analytics

15. Transcribe your videos

Adding captions to your videos helps hearing-dumb viewers follow along, and makes your content more appealing to the 69 percent of people who watch mobile video with the sound off.

Having a transcript also makes translation an option, opening your video up to international audiences. Global views! Can you imagine!?

Youtube'south help page tin walk you step-by-step through but how to prep your transcript file — you lot only need a .txt document.

YouTube transcript file

xvi. Post your video at the right time

Dropping your video at the exact moment your biggest audition of subscribers is online means that they'll all receive that sweetness, sugariness "new post" alert right when information technology goes live.

But what if that'due south in the center of the night? Or while you're on holiday? That'due south where the power of a scheduling tool like Hootsuite comes in. Tee your video up to go out at the exact predetermined time of your choice to fit with your content calendar, and and so keep and live your life.

Grow your YouTube audience faster with Hootsuite. Schedule videos and moderate comments in the same identify you manage all your other social networks. Try it free today.

Get Started

Grow your YouTube channel fast with Hootsuite. Easily moderate comments, schedule video, and publish to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Try information technology for Free