youtubeYouTube has around two billion monthly users and, according to Brandwatch, 6 out of 10 people now prefer online video platforms instead of LIVE TV. Alone on mobile devices, the Google platform reaches 18 to 49-year-old as news channel and cable television. Users can navigate YouTube in 80 different languages, which covers around 95 percent of the online population. It is therefore no surprise that many companies are now using YouTube as an advertising platform. Thousands of new channels are created there every day with the aim of generating high reach numbers there.

Considering some of the following tips might help to start growing you own channel:

Find appropriate topics and niches

It is advisable to choose a specific topic you are an expert in and happy to talk about as basis of the channel. If the community grows through the content, you can start focusing more on personal branding to build sustainability. As said, YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world after Google itself. People search for a specific topic and are shown suggested videos depending on their relevance. That’s why it is so important to start in a niche: there are 31 million channels, all contending for range, and if you are dealing with a common or generic topic the chances are high that you are competing with companies that have a larger fan base.

In general, YouTube is looking for reliable content creators and rewarding them for regular uploads, since that improves the user experience of your community and allows Google at the same time to make money with Google Ads. So, if they make your channel more visible, they also hope for increased earnings that will not be available if you no longer upload. Hence, it is advisable to set fixed upload days and times, and to stick to them as long as you actively build the channel. As a rule of thumb, you should publish one or two videos a week on your channel in order to be noticed at all.

Focus on the viewer

Good content is characterized by the fact that it solves problems and entertains the viewer at the same time. Arrogance, long advertisements and promotions of yourself or your own company should therefore be avoided. Such content should only be casually integrated into videos. On the other hand, DIY instructions or explanatory videos are very popular if the search function is intended to attract new subscribers on a permanent basis.

Choose proper equipment

A YouTube video should meet a certain quality standard, such as resolution: bring at least 1080p, preferably 4K, to get viewed to the end and to get users come back. In addition, it is highly recommended to work with a clip-on microphone or a fishing rod to make sure they are created to fulfill the basic quality standards. The video does not necessarily have to be of TV quality, but no one wants to see a blurred iPhone video with noise. A digital entry-level camera and a tripod are best suited for taking pictures.

Do not make videos too long

The rule of thumb that applies is “as long as necessary”! Try to make shorter and more concise videos and don't unnecessarily drag the videos out with phrases and phrases. Think of your own user behavior: when you are looking for a video, you tend to click on the shortest of the search results, which is still high up, right? That’s because you don't want to waste time and hope to be able to process the information quickly. Watch time is also one of the most important indicators of the success of your video. If viewers switch off after 10 -20% of your video, the YouTube algorithm finds out that your video appears to be boring or does not do what the title promises. As a result, it is shown to fewer people and appears lower in the search results.

Get headlines and tags right

According to experts, the title of a video accounts for approximately 20% of video success, therefore, it is important to consider beforehand which question someone might have, and which problem could be solved. Get to the point and sort the important keywords at the beginning of the sentence. The tags must also match the video since YouTube transcribes the videos internally and recognizes what is being talked about. That is why the title, description and content of a video should contain the named tags in some form, and the balancing act between the incentive and the so-called "clickbait" must be considered, too.

Thumbnail and endcard are expedient

The thumbnail is the first impression that should attract attention and therefore have been added to the title of the video. Be sure to show emotions, faces, gestures and facial expressions, since they ensure faster identification. Last but not least, an endcard should come at the end of your video that tells the viewer the upload time and refers to other videos by you. It's best to link a playlist that gives the opportunity to watch several of your videos directly afterwards. Formulate the CTA (call-to-action) directly here too: e.g. a request for a subscription, a like or a comment.

By Daniela La Marca