We put together some of the most vital social media statistics for YouTube to help you understand the platform better. Let’s take a look.

• YouTube data and channel statistics
• YouTube usage statistics
• YouTube audience and demographics statistics
• YouTube advertising statistics
• YouTube video and marketing statistics
• YouTube influencer statistics

YouTube data and channel statistics

Before getting into general YouTube stats, let’s get personal. If you currently manage a presence on the platform, you can check your channel statistics using YouTube analytics. (Also, if you don’t have a brand account on YouTube, now’s a great time to create a channel.)

Access the YouTube analytics tool by going to studio.youtube.com or by clicking your profile icon and selecting “YouTube Studio.”

Once you’re in YouTube Studio, you can click on “Analytics” in the left hand panel to access your YouTube performance analytics. There are several reports available but if you’re just looking for a general overview of channel performance, check out the Channel Overview Report.

The Channel Overview Report will provide you with a graph measuring how your views, watch time and subscriber count are trending over time. On social media, consistency is key. If you’re updating your channel at a regular cadence, you should see gains in channel growth over time.

If you’re noticing a dip, check out these creative approaches to promoting your YouTube channel.

YouTube usage statistics

Understanding how people use YouTube will help you assess whether it’s a worthy investment. Things like how many people use the platform and how much time they spend can give you an idea of its standing among social media users.

1. YouTube has 2.49 billion monthly active users

According to the Digital 2024 Global Overview Report, YouTube’s potential ad reach totals 2.49 billion users. That’s half of the 5.04 billion social media users worldwide, making it the second most used social platform. This speaks volumes about the platform’s popularity among social media users.

2. YouTube now has 100 million paying subscribers

An increasing number of people are paying for the platform’s Music and Premium services. Based on the latest YouTube user stats, there are now 100 million paying subscribers on the platform.

3. People spend 48.7 minutes on YouTube each day

With a daily time spent of 48.7 minutes, people are spending more time watching YouTube videos in 2024. This indicates a growth in YouTube engagement, making the platform ideal for engaging your target audience.

4. Viewers watch 1 billion hours of YouTube videos per day on their TVs

On that same note, internal YouTube data shows that YouTube viewers are watching an average of 1 billion hours of content each day on their TVs. So there’s a need to focus on creating high-resolution videos suitable for TV viewing.

5. The average user spends over 28 hours on the YouTube app

Based on the Digital 2024 report, worldwide users spend an average of 28 hours and 5 minutes on the YouTube mobile app. While this data is only for Android users, it speaks volumes about the growing use of YouTube among mobile users.

YouTube audience and demographics statistics

Looking into YouTube stats on audience and demographics can help you understand who is using the platform. This gives you an idea whether the platform is ideal for reaching your target audience.

6. YouTube users skew male

Roughly 54.4% of YouTube users are men and 45.6% are women. (There’s no data on other genders available at this time.)

7. The largest age group using YouTube is between ages 25 and 34

Users aged between 25 and 34 account for 21.3% of YouTube’s user base, making them the largest age group to use the platform. The second largest age group is between ages 35 and 44. Additionally, YouTube is popular among young adults aged between 18 and 24, with this group making up 15.5% of the platform’s user base.

8. India has the largest YouTube audience, followed by the United States and Brazil

There are approximately 462 million active YouTube users in India, making it the network’s largest audience by country. The United States comes next with 239 million users while 144 million users are from Brazil.

9. The United States drives the most YouTube traffic

A high user count doesn’t necessarily translate to higher traffic. In fact, the U.S. contributes the most YouTube traffic (21.93%) compared to other countries. In comparison, India, in second position, contributes to just 8.11% of the platform’s traffic.

YouTube advertising statistics

If you’re planning to run YouTube ads, you need to gauge the platform’s advertising performance. Whether this involves looking into the ad revenue or the best ad formats, it’s essential to study a few vital YouTube advertising stats.

10. YouTube’s ad revenue crossed $30 billion in 2023

The platform’s annual ad revenue for 2023 amounted to $31 billion–up from the previous year’s $29.2 billion. This makes up 10.25% of Google’s global revenues.

11. Consumers find YouTube ads to be more relevant than linear TV advertising

YouTube ad targeting capabilities create a highly tailored experience for the end user. According to a 2022 study, 59% of respondents agree that YouTube ads are more relevant than ads on linear TV or other streaming apps.

12. Vertical video can increase conversions per dollar

Vertical video—meaning video filmed and viewed in portrait mode, rather than landscape—has exploded in popularity on the platform since the launch of YouTube Shorts. People have been watching YouTube on a variety of screen sizes for quite some time. Now, marketers have the tools they need to optimize for mobile viewing.

Tailoring YouTube ads to adhere to content consumption preferences can drive a noticeable lift in ROI. Vertical creative assets delivered 10% to 20% more conversions per dollar on YouTube Shorts when compared to landscape assets.

13. Skippable ads perform better than non-skippable ads

Consumers like having a choice, even when it comes to the ads they view. So it’s no surprise that giving viewers the option to skip an ad translates to better-performing ads.

Twenty-nine percent of marketers agree that pre-roll skippable ads are the most effective YouTube ad format. In comparison, only 7% believe that non-skippable ads are effective.

14. YouTube Shorts is quickly becoming a top video advertising platform

Advertisers are increasingly turning to video platforms for short-form video advertising. And YouTube Shorts is quickly gaining ground as one of the leading platforms for short-form video ads. In a survey of ad buyers, 43% say that their largest clients are advertising on YouTube Shorts.

So it’s time to reassess your YouTube ad campaigns to focus on short-form ads and stay ahead of the curve.

YouTube video and marketing statistics

You can learn a lot about YouTube marketing by looking at how other marketers are using the platform. Similarly, the types of videos people watch on YouTube will give you an idea of how to market on the platform. So let’s take a look at some key YouTube video stats in addition to the platform’s marketing statistics.

15. Marketers plan to increase their use of YouTube videos in marketing

Marketers are reassessing YouTube’s place in their marketing mix. About 66% of marketers intend to increase their use of YouTube videos. Additionally, 59% plan to increase their organic activities on the platform.

16. YouTube is the second most effective platform for B2C content marketing

The number of marketers using YouTube for organic content marketing increased from 55% to 67% between 2022 and 2023. This growing usage is a result of the platform’s effectiveness.

In fact, YouTube is the second most effective social platform for content marketing after LinkedIn. Eighty-six percent of content marketers consider it at least somewhat effective.

17. YouTube is the number one platform for viewing live content

Among social video viewers in the U.S., 52% use YouTube to watch live content. This makes it the most popular platform for watching live content, putting it ahead of Facebook and Instagram. So if live video is a part of your marketing strategy, YouTube Live is the perfect place to execute it.

18. YouTube Shorts averages 70 billion views per day

Speaking of the popularity of short-form videos, YouTube Shorts now gets an average of 70 billion views each day. Marketers can ride on this wave by creating more videos for YouTube Shorts to engage their audience.

19. YouTube Shorts is the top short-form video platform for discovery

With so many views each day, it comes as no surprise that YouTube Shorts is the #1 short-form video platform for discovering new products and brands. All the more reason to add YouTube Shorts to your video marketing strategy.

20. The most viewed YouTube video of all time is “Baby Shark Dance”

Parents, this one is probably more than familiar. The viral hit took off in 2016 and shot to the top of the list of most viewed YouTube videos of all time.

The video has almost 14 billion views, as of January 2024.

YouTube influencer statistics

Knowing the top influencers on YouTube helps you understand which influencers have an impact on the platform’s user base. This can then inform how you work with influencers on the platform. Additionally, it gives you an idea of the types of content that are popular on the platform. Let’s look at a few YouTube statistics on the platform’s top users.

21.  T-Series – 261 million subscribers

The most popular YouTube channel is T-Series with 261 million subscribers. According to the latest YouTube channel stats, T-Series has amassed more than 249 billion views for 20,000+ videos.

22.  MrBeast – 244 million subscribers

MrBeast ranks second overall with 244 million subscribers. His channel has amassed more than 44 billion views for just 780 videos.

23.  CoCoMelon – Nursery Rhymes – 173 million subscribers

Coming up next is the nursery rhymes channel, CoCoMelon with 173 million subscribers. Interestingly, the channel has more views than MrBeast at over 179 billion views. With the channel having uploaded 1,000+ videos, it could be an indicator that video posting frequency impacts your YouTube views stats.

24.  SET India – 169 million subscribers

Another Indian channel to make it to the list, SET India is the fourth most popular channel with 169 million subscribers. The latest numbers show that the channel has 160 billion views with 131,000+ uploads.

25.  Kids Diana Show – 120 million subscribers

Kids Diana Show ranks fifth with 120 million subscribers. The channel has a total of more than 100 billion views with 1,100+ videos.

Turning these YouTube stats into action

These key YouTube statistics give you insights into the platform and its marketing landscape. Transform these insights into action by downloading our useful YouTube strategy template.

The post 25 YouTube stats marketers should know in 2024 [Updated] appeared first on Sprout Social.

The term “influencer” might be synonymous with Instagram and TikTok these days. Thing is, YouTube creators predate both and are the blueprint for what an “influencer” is today.

And YouTubers have consistently built full-blown brands, media careers and product lines.

These aren’t just one-off success stories, either. From beauty and fitness to gaming and beyond, YouTube creators drive billions of views from any audience you can imagine.

And this speaks to the power of YouTube influencer marketing and sponsored content for brands.

This post digs into the top YouTube influencers of all shapes and sizes and why they’re notable.

Table of contents:

• Who are YouTube influencers?
• Top YouTube influencers overall
• Top YouTube fitness influencers
• Top YouTube makeup and beauty influencers

Who are YouTube influencers?

YouTube Influencers are creators with substantial followings and engaged communities. These creators’ personal brands are recognizable among their audiences and businesses.

While there’s no one-size-definition of what a YouTube influencer is, our criteria for this list includes:

• A sizable audience (100,000s or millions of subscribers)
• Videos that regularly earn 1+ million views
• Content that’s brand and collab-friendly

Brands primarily partner with YouTube influencers through sponsored videos and brand ambassadorships. Beyond paid partnerships, many creators will serve as affiliates for brands.

Consider that many YouTube influencers’ level of engagement dwarfs that of traditional ad channels. The platform’s largest creators drive millions of views in a matter of days.

These viewers are engaging with long-form content (hint: not 15-second ad spots). With so much content on YouTube, brands are spoiled for choice when it comes to finding the right influencers.

Top YouTube influencers overall

Below is our breakdown of some of the top YouTube influencers overall.

Bear in mind that subscriber count isn’t everything! While many of these channels represent some of the biggest YouTube influencers, we also share a few up-and-coming creators as well.

If you’re interested in learning more about how you can seamlessly find and manage influencer relationships, all the way from onboarding and project assignment through to execution, request a demo of Tagger by Sprout Social today.

Tagger by Sprout Social

Revolutionize your influencer marketing with data-powered social intelligence.

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1. MrBeast

With over 240 million subscribers, MrBeast is officially the biggest individual YouTube influencer.

His elaborate stunts and philanthropic videos are among the platform’s most viral content. The channel has inspired platform-wide trends including over-the-top thumbnails and “challenge”-style videos.

Inspiring so many copycat channels, MrBeast’s ability to establish trends and drive millions of views in minutes is what makes him the top YouTube influencer by a wide margin.

2. Lily Singh

Lilly Singh is a shining example of how to go from being a YouTube influencer to launching a legit media career and personal brand. With over 1,000 videos and 13 years on the platform, Singh highlights how far both YouTube and creators have come.

Over the years, her content evolved from cultural comedy skits to vlogs featuring Zendaya and The Rock. While Singh doesn’t publish as much long-form content these days, she posts plenty of YouTube shorts of her behind-the-scenes life as a celeb.

3. Marques Brownlee

Marques Brownlee is the mastermind behind MKBHD, breaking down cutting edge tech with super in-depth reviews. Brownlee’s 18+ million subscribers speak for themselves, as does the fact that his new review of the Apple Vision Pro has already amassed 26+ million views in a month.

His channel is the go-to place for the YouTube community to learn about the latest gadgets, phones, tech accessories, gaming consoles and more. What makes Brownlee notable is his welcoming presentation, making his content accessible to casual viewers and tech junkies alike.

4. Dude Perfect

Five YouTube influencers, one channel.

Despite being simply presented as five guys making videos, Dude Perfect is the blueprint for a successful comedy channel on YouTube. Their sketches and outlandish “trick shot” videos consistently go viral across social media, not to mention YouTube itself.

Getting hundreds of millions of views for flipping water bottles and making ping pong trick shots might seem impossible. That said, the personality of the Dude Perfect team is what really hooks viewers from the start.

5. Emma Chamberlain

Emma Chamberlain proves the power of day-in-the-life style content. Amassing 14+ million subscribers for her vlogs and lifestyle videos, Chamberlain presents her “real” self to viewers whether she’s filming her daily fits or exploring a new county.

Like all of the YouTube influencers on our list, her channel is a reminder that building an audience boils down to creating a legit emotional connection with your audience. Needless to say, Chamberlain has nailed it there.

6. Markiplier

Markiplier is a pioneer as a YouTube influencer in the gaming space. His channel blew up in the wake of horror game jump-scares and reaction videos taking off over a decade ago. 5,500+ videos later, Markiplier continues to create similar content with the occasional vlog or charity announcement in-between.

7. KallMerkis

KallMerkis’ channel is a perfect storm of what tends to trend across YouTube. That includes reaction videos, reviewing weird products and outlandish thumbnails. Her consistency and content variety has netted her nearly 11 million subscribers to date with no signs of slowing down.

8. Jacksepticeye

Jacksepticeye is another example of a gaming YouTube influencer who got in early on reaction content and playthroughs. While many of his earliest and most popular videos also featured original animations, Jack has also branched out into meme reviews, reaction videos and everything in-between.

9. Morgan Drinks Coffee

Morgan Drinks Coffee’s Morgan Eckroth is a barista champion turned YouTube influencer who regularly publishes super creative branded content. Unsurprisingly, most of her content is coffee-themed. This includes long-form educational videos, recipes and product reviews.

Given that Morgan is also popular on TikTok (6.3 million followers), she makes a point to regularly crosspost her videos to YouTube Shorts where they likewise earn impressive engagement.

10. JaidenAnimation

JaidenAnimations is unique as the only animated YouTube influencer on our list. Many of her recent videos focus on video games and nerd culture along with her personal experiences. Combining humorous “storytimes” with stunning cartoons, her distinct style has earned her 12.4 million subscribers to date.

11. Davie 504

David504’s content is equal parts bizarre and mind-blowing. Combining memes with creative bass guitar solos and challenges, Davie’s channel is one of the biggest independent music YouTube influencers with an impressive 13+ million subscribers.

12. Adam Neely

Another music YouTube influencer, Adam Neely has one of the oldest channels of anyone on this list (with his first video published way back in 2006). Since then, Neely has consistently published deep-dives into music theory alongside live performances and vlogs detailing his life as a gigging musician.

13. SB Mowing

SB Mowings’ before-and-after mowing videos are also a perfect example of “oddly satisfying” content that tends to go viral on YouTube. Transforming untenable lawns into something with curb appeal definitely falls under that category as millions of viewers regularly tune in to see it happen.

Even more impressive is how the channel boasts its fair share of sponsored content. SB Mowing is a shining example of just how successful niche YouTube influencers can be.

Top YouTube fitness influencers

While there’s no shortage of them, here are a few notable YouTube fitness influencers to watch.

14. Yoga With Adriene

Yoga with Adriene is YouTube’s one-stop-shop for all things yoga. Her calm presentation and the fact that she has tutorials for all skill levels have only helped her viewership grow since. From bite-sized routines and full-blown classes to in-depth yoga pose tutorials, Adrienne has covered all of the above in detail in 700+ videos and counting.

15. Jeff Nippard

Jeff Nippard is different from many of the biggest YouTube influencers in the fitness space because of his background in chemistry. His recommendations go beyond anecdotal fitness advice with a focus on science and peer-reviewed data. Nippard’s videos combine practical muscle-building and diet recs with serious educational value that doesn’t skimp on the details.

16. Athlean X

Like Nippard, Athlean X’s Jeff Cavaliere takes pride in his “no BS” and science-backed approach to fitness advice. Serving as a celebrity trainer with decades of experience, Athlean X goes to great lengths to dispel common YouTube fitness myths. Much of the channel is dedicated to addressing weightlifting trends with the potential to cause injury.

17. Blogilates

Another example of how creators turn content into careers and products, Blogilates is an “OG” fitness YouTuber who also has a thriving activewear brand to her name. Her channel primarily consists of bodyweight exercise tutorials and ~15 minute workout routines for busy viewers.

18. Carla Rowena

Carla Rowena’s channel is a notable mix of both fitness and lifestyle content. Beyond traditional workout routines, she also uses her channel as a place to document her journey as a parent. She’s recently published a series of postpartum workout videos which highlights how creators can seamlessly reach multiple audiences at the same time.

Top YouTube makeup and beauty influencers

19. Michelle Phan

While Michelle Phan’s channel initially popped off thanks to her copycat celebrity makeup tutorials, the channel primarily focuses on product reviews and routine breakdowns. Not to mention founding EM Cosmetics along the way.

Her videos are seriously in-depth and border on ASMR with a soft and calm presentation. Phan sometimes publishes lifestyle videos and personal vlogs for the sake of variety.

20. Jackie Aina

Jackie Aina’s self-proclaimed goal is to change “the standard of beauty” and she delivers with her routine videos, vlogs and self-care videos. While Aina initially built her brand on beauty reviews, self-care has become the primary focus of the channel with makeup playing a supporting role.

Some of her more recent videos are sponsored by brands like CashApp, highlighting how YouTube beauty influencers are creating content powered by paid partnerships.

21. Taylor Wynn

Taylor Wynn has been posting beauty tutorials and reviews for over a decade. She continues to consistently post routine videos and recommendations alongside long-form vlogs. With many of her videos clocking at over 30+ minutes, she’s yet another example of a beauty vlogger who dives deep into her favorite finds at Ulta, Sephora and beyond.

22. NikkieTutorials

NikkieTutorials’ content is much more in-your-face than other beauty YouTubers but that’s 100% on-brand. Her 14.5m subscribers don’t lie!

Quick edits, memes and a great sense of humor help Nikkie’s content stand out from the crowd. Testing viral hacks and bizarre routines provides serious entertainment value while also showing off her skill as a makeup artist.

While Nikkie doesn’t post as many long-form videos these days, she’s still actively publishing bite-sized makeup applications and reaction videos.

23. Huda Beauty

Like many YouTube beauty influencers, Huda Beauty went from creating makeup tutorials to building her own cosmetics empire. Huda’s 4 million YouTube subs and ever-growing brand highlight her impact as both a beauty influencer and entrepreneur.

24. Christen Dominique

With 4+ million subscribers, Christen Dominique has mastered the art of creating long-form beauty videos. Most of her videos are ~20 minutes long with the occasional unedited videos that can last for over an hour.

Routines, hacks and GRWM videos are cornerstones of her content which gets seriously in-depth. The fact that Dominique continues to publish multiple videos per month is impressive for a creator of her size. Bonus points for keeping up that sort of volume and high production value.

Ready to start working with YouTube influencers?

The list above provides a taste of what YouTube has to offer in terms of creative talent. The amount of talented influencers on YouTube across industries and genres is staggering.

And this is great news for both creators and the brands that want to partner with them.

Especially as YouTubers continue to find super creative ways to feature brands in their content. Still, simply finding the right influencers is one of the toughest parts of getting started.

If you haven’t already, check out Sprout Social’s suite of influencer marketing features to see how the platform can help you reach your target audience with creators faster.

The post 24 Top YouTube influencers to check out in 2024 appeared first on Sprout Social.

Do viewers love your videos? Is your channel growing? Where do your views come from?

These are all questions that directly impact your content and approach to YouTube marketing.

And one of the best places to get answers to these questions is through social media analytics — specifically YouTube analytics.

YouTube’s native analytics provides heaps of data to uncover everything you need to know about your channel and content performance. However, it can all be overwhelming if you’re new to it.

Check out this complete guide to navigate YouTube analytics and use it to your advantage.

• What are YouTube analytics?
• Benefits of tracking YouTube analytics
• How to find YouTube analytics
• YouTube channel analytics and metrics to track
• YouTube video analytics and metrics to track
• YouTube ads earnings analytics and metrics to track
• How to see YouTube analytics for other channels
• YouTube analytics tools to level up your strategy
• Grow your channel with YouTube analytics

What are YouTube analytics?

YouTube analytics refer to the data and performance metrics of your channel. To name a few, these metrics include views, subscribers, watch-time, and comments. Understanding all YouTube metrics is crucial to understand how much you’re engaging your audience and whether your content is performing well.

Your performance data can be broken down by either channel-wide or video-specific metrics.

Benefits of tracking YouTube analytics

You can’t grow your channel if you don’t know how your audience engages with your videos.

And so the benefits of having a pulse on your YouTube analytics can’t be overstated.

1. Spot audience performance trends

Creators should be wary of blanket advice regarding what’s “optimal” on YouTube.

If you want to know what your specific audience does or doesn’t want, look no further than your YouTube analytics data to uncover insights. For example, do your viewers tend to prefer 10+ minute videos or YouTube Shorts? Do you notice an uptick in subscriber engagement when you upload less?

YouTube analytics can provide valuable information so you can create content with more confidence.

2. Learn what content resonates with your YouTube audience

While the YouTube algorithm feels like a mystery, one thing’s for sure: content formats have a massive impact on your videos’ engagement. Not to mention, it influences your ability to build an audience.

For example, you might notice that reaction videos get way more views than your explainer videos. “Create relevant content” isn’t actionable advice until you have benchmark video data.

3. Assess how assets affect performance

Remember that your actual YouTube content is only one piece of your video marketing strategy.

Consider how assets and publishing details can likewise impact your channel’s performance:

• Thumbnails
• Captions
• Hashtags and keywords
• Channel branding
• External links

Figuring out how these pieces impact your content is as simple as checking your dashboard.

How to find YouTube analytics

Before getting into the nitty-gritty, let’s start with the process of accessing your YouTube analytics.

The fastest way is through the YouTube Studio page via your desktop browser or its mobile app.

How to access YouTube analytics on desktop

To access the YouTube analytics tool, you can log in directly from studio.youtube.com. You can also click on your profile icon from your YouTube account and select “YouTube Studio.”

From your YouTube Studio dashboard, click on “Analytics” in the left-hand panel. Simple enough, this will open your YouTube analytics! Here you get an overview of your channel’s performance.

You can navigate further with the Content, Audience and Research tabs for more granular metrics, too. Click “See More” to get more detailed YouTube channel analytics for each.

How to access YouTube analytics on mobile

From the YouTube mobile app, select your profile picture and tap “Your Channel.” Then select the graph icon (next to “Manage videos”).

Alternatively, you can download the full YouTube Studio app which offers many of the same metric breakdowns as the desktop version. You can find a prompt to download the app at the bottom of your mobile YouTube analytics page.

YouTube channel analytics and metrics to track

In YouTube Studio, select the “Analytics” in the left-hand menu for your channel-wide data.

Below is a breakdown of the YouTube metrics you can see for your entire channel via Studio.

Channel overview and content metrics

Channel views. The number of total views your channel has received (defaults to the previous 28 days).

Channel watch time (hours). The amount of time viewers have spent watching your videos.

Channel subscribers. The number of subscribers gained within the past 28 days.

Realtime report. A live report of your subscriber and viewer count.

Top Content. A preview of your top three videos within the past 48 hours (you can also click to see an expanded list).

Impressions. The total number of impressions your channel has received in the previous 28 days.

Impressions click-through rate. The percentage impressions that resulted in a video view.

Average view duration. The average amount of time (in minutes/seconds) that viewers spend watching your videos.

Key moments for audience retention. A percentage breakdown of how many viewers are still watching specific videos at the 0:30 mark.

How viewers find your videos. A percentage breakdown of how people discover your content organized by suggested videos, browse features, playlists, YouTube search, channel pages and other sources.

Audience metrics

Returning viewers. The number of repeat viewers of your content within the past 28 days.

Unique viewers. The total number of unique (individual viewers) of your content within the past 28 days.

Videos growing your audience. A breakdown of videos that resulted in repeat views.

When your viewers are on YouTube. A breakdown of the times and days of the week that your audience is most engaged on YouTube.

Top geographies. The origin countries of your audience.

Age and gender. A breakdown of the age and gender of your YouTube audience.

YouTube video analytics and metrics to track

In YouTube Studio, select “Content” in the left-hand menu to see a list of all your videos.

Then, tap the Analytics icon next to the thumbnail for a breakdown of metrics for a specific video.

Engagement metrics

Views: The total number of views your channel (or video) received

Watch time: The total number of time (in hours) people watched your videos

Subscribers: How many new subscribers you’ve gained within a given timeframe

Average view duration: The average length (in seconds) of video playback

Average percentage viewed: The average percentage of a video watched during playback

Impressions: The number of times your video thumbnails or previews were presented to viewers

Impressions click-through rate: How often viewers clicked to view a video after seeing a preview or video suggestion for it

Likes (vs dislikes): The ratio of “thumbs up” versus “thumbs down” ratings on a video

End screen element click rate: How often viewers clicked your end screen following a video

Awareness metrics

How viewers find this video: Percentage of viewers from sources such as suggested videos, YouTube search, playlists, browse features and more

Impressions and how they led to watch time: A visual representation of how many thumbnail impressions a video received and the number of views that resulted from it

External sites or apps: Percentage of viewers that come from off-site source such as Reddit or Discord

Bell notifications sent: How many times your subscribers were sent notifications for your new videos

YouTube search terms: Which terms that viewers searched in YouTube to land on your videos

Content suggesting this video: The percentage of impressions received from content suggesting your video

Playlists featuring this video: The number of YouTube playlists featuring your content

Other metrics to track

Returning viewers: How many viewers of your videos have previously watched your content

Unique viewers: The number of individual viewers of a video or channel (not counting repeat viewers or loops)

Age and gender: The demographic breakdown of your viewership based on age and gender

Watch time from subscribers: The amount of time spent on your videos from viewers subscribed to your channel

Top geographies: A breakdown of the locations where your videos are viewed the most

Top subtitle / CC languages: The most common languages that appear in subtitles for your videos

YouTube ads earnings analytics and metrics to track

Unsurprisingly, you can also find heaps of data on your YouTube ads within the platform as well.

For the sake of your budget and performance, keeping a close eye on your paid YouTube analytics is crucial to make the most of your ad spend. Especially as Google continues to experiment with new ad types and formats.

Ad earnings: The total estimated earnings (net revenue) from all Google-sold advertising sources for the selected date range and region

Earnings: The total estimated earnings (net revenue) from all Google-sold advertising sources as well as from non-advertising sources for the selected date range and region

Red partner revenue: The total estimated revenue earned from YouTube Red subscriptions for the selected report dimensions. It reflects earnings from both music and non-music content

Ad type: The format of the ad in question and its buying platform

Ad impressions: The number of verified ad impressions served

Monetized playbacks: The number of instances when a viewer plays your video and sees at least one ad impression. A monetized playback is counted if a viewer is shown a pre-roll ad but quits watching the ad before your video ever starts.

Playback-based CPM: The estimated gross revenue per thousand playbacks

How to see YouTube analytics for other channels

Without using a third-party YouTube analytics or a competitive analysis tool, there’s limited data you can gather on competitors or creators in your space.

Natively, you can see limited data for other channels under the “Audience” through in your main YouTube Analytics dashboard. Here you get a snapshot of the activity and content preferences of your viewers.

• Channels your audience watches
• What your audience watches
• Formats your viewers watch on YouTube (videos, Shorts and Live)

Note that this data may be incomplete until you have a larger viewership to populate each field.

YouTube analytics tools to level up your strategy

Video marketers are spoiled for choice when it comes to YouTube analytics tools.

Although YouTube’s native data is pretty robust, third-party tools can fill in the gaps and uncover new opportunities to grow your YouTube channel. Many of these opportunities can stem from your social marketing efforts.

Sprout Social

Sprout offers powerful tools to analyze your YouTube performance. The platform lets you easily visualize your content performance across channels to see exactly where you stand. You can also gain video-specific insights to understand how to improve your publishing and engagement efforts.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics can give you a more detailed look into your channel performance as it pertains to your website. You’ll be able to track how people are interacting with your channel page and how they’re converting on the page. You can also track the traffic coming from your YouTube videos to your website.

Grow your channel with Youtube analytics

We get it: there’s a lot to take in!

But YouTube analytics can inform your strategy and amplify your marketing efforts. Consider using a tool like Sprout Social to help you step up your YouTube marketing. From cross-publishing and asset management and beyond, our platform allows you to seamlessly combine your YouTube presence with your social campaigns.

And if you haven’t already, you can take the first step by checking out our YouTube strategy template!

The post YouTube analytics: How to analyze your YouTube data appeared first on Sprout Social.

Earning billions of daily views and video searches, YouTube’s popularity speaks for itself.

And like any other type of social media engagement, competition on YouTube is fierce.

For brands big and small, growing a channel and dedicated audience is no small feat. Especially when performance is tied to the ever-changing YouTube algorithm.

The good news is that there are ways to increase your reach and move your video metrics in the right direction.

Below we explain how YouTube engagement is calculated, plus we provide 10 ways to increase your YouTube engagement rate.

• What is YouTube engagement?
• How to calculate your YouTube engagement rate
• 10 tips to improve your YouTube engagement rate
• Are you taking steps to increase your YouTube engagement rate?

What is YouTube engagement?

YouTube engagement refers to the level of activity associated with your channel and videos. This activity includes views, shares, “Likes,” comments and new subscribers. 

YouTube’s native analytics provide metrics to help channels understand how engaged your audience is. From there, you can draw insights to boost engagement. For example, increasing YouTube engagement starts by identifying trends such as the following:

• Which videos are retaining the most viewers?
• Where do most of a video’s views come from (ex: YouTube search vs. suggested videos)?
• Which videos yield the most subscribers?
• Which videos have the longest video duration?
• Which videos earning the most comments or likes?

Leveraging insights from YouTube analytics can uncover ways to optimize your content and channel’s for further engaging your target audience.  Below is a snapshot of how the platform analyzes unique viewer and engagement for any given video:

You can gather insights around YouTube engagement on both a video and channel-wide basis. You can keep a pulse on your top-performing content on your YouTube Studio dashboard.

Meanwhile, individual videos can be analyzed further via “Reach, “Engagement” and “Audience.”

Both big-picture and granular data points can clue you in on what videos are doing well. Also, which fell flat and the sorts of content your audience actually wants to see.

What factors impact your YouTube engagement rate?

Like any social algorithm, YouTube’s algorithm ranks content based on a variety of factors. One of these factors is the level of engagement of a video. A video with a higher YouTube engagement rate will likely rank higher on YouTube compared to other videos targeting the same demographic or audience with a lower engagement rate.

Some factors that contribute to a YouTube video’s level of engagement are more impactful than others. Here is a strong list for starters:

• Account activity. This includes how often you publish videos, respond to comments and engage with other YouTube accounts. Off-platform activity such as traffic from search engines or social networks can help you here, too.
• Video duration. This includes how long your videos are. Conventional wisdom says that “longer” videos (8-10+ minutes) earn more engagement. That’s because longer watch times result in more time spent on YouTube. There’s obviously exceptions to this, though.
• Video titles, descriptions and formats. These details help YouTube understand what your content actually is. Likewise, these details help ensure that your videos get suggested across other YouTube channels that serve a similar demographic or audience. This would make it more likely to attract a more highly engaged audience to your videos.
• Topics and target audience. Simply put, your YouTube engagement is largely dependent on your audience and industry. A SaaS company or niche channel will likely have a lower ceiling of potential viewership. That said, sticking to consistent themes and topics for a specific target audience will set you up for more engagement than making your channel a dumping ground for clips.

This list isn’t the be-all, end-all of YouTube engagement. How users engage with YouTube content formatting will be ever-evolving as the platform changes over time. That said, these are all factors that channels (mostly) have control over at the time of writing.

How to calculate your YouTube engagement rate

Here’s a simplified formula to figure out your engagement rate:

Total interactions / total impressions x 100 = engagement rate percentage

To calculate your YouTube engagement rate, start with your total video interactions. Interactions include views, shares, “Dislikes,” “Likes,” comments, new subscribers, and lost subscribers. If those are too many metrics to count to be relevant to the goals of your YouTube channel, it’s customary to narrow down your interactions to just “Likes,” comments, and shares. These three metrics are considered to be the most valuable metrics to determine engagement on YouTube.

Second, you’ll want to take your total number of interactions and divide it by your total impressions. Google tells us that “Impressions are counted if the thumbnail is shown for more than 1 second and at least 50% of the thumbnail is visible on the screen.”

You can find impressions in the “Reach” tab in YouTube analytics. Lastly, take the total video interactions divided by the total impressions and multiply that total by 100 to get your engagement rate percentage.

10 tips to improve your YouTube engagement rate

Let’s be super clear: there is no secret to succeeding on YouTube.

That said, there are common qualities between the top-performing channels and videos. While you can’t control the algorithm, you can tailor your content for more reach and views.

Below we dig into actionable ways to improve your YouTube engagement rate. These tips are based on recent trends, YouTube’s own best practices and what we’ve seen firsthand.

1. Prioritize platform and community engagement

Marketers love to debate YouTube’s status as a social network.

But the platforms’ ongoing Community features signal how the platform is getting more “social.”

Like any social app, interactions go hand in hand with reach and engagement. This includes:

• Responding to comments
• Engaging with other channels and users (via comments and “Likes”)
• Asking questions of your audience (in your video descriptions or content itself)

Consider that YouTube puts recent comments front-and-center in your analytics dashboard. The platform explicitly encourages timely responses and interactions. In YouTube Studio, you can actually reply to all of your unacknowledged comments without leaving the page.

If nothing else, posting updates via the Community tab ensures that more people see your videos. These posts can serve as a friendly nudge to your subscribers who’d otherwise miss your latest upload.

2. Promote your YouTube content across multiple channels

Content distribution is all the rage right now.

And rightfully so given the legwork it takes to create a YouTube video.

Reposting and cross-promoting your YouTube presence is a smart move. You might be surprised at which social networks or marketing channels result in more eyes on your content.

For example, consider the following ways to funnel more YouTube engagement to your channel:

• Embed videos on your website (via your homepage, landing pages or blog)
• Include a link to your YouTube channel in your Linktree or social bios
• Cross-posting YouTube links on platforms like Reddit, LinkedIn or Pinterest

YouTube actually keeps track of your off-platform traffic in the “External sites or apps” report in every video. Think of this as a sort of stripped down version of a Google Analytics report.

This report can highlight opportunities to drive YouTube engagement through other channels. Likewise, you can assess whether your YouTube SEO is on point (but more on that later).

3. Create more YouTube Shorts content

The fact that YouTube Shorts is amassing tens of billions of views daily on their own is staggering.

Likewise, it’s all the more reason to experiment with short-form content. Shorts represent YouTube’s response to TikTok and the popularity of “the endless scroll” when it comes to content.

Beyond the potential for engagement, Shorts serve as a way to organize your channel. That is, you can separate your long-form content on your main channel and bite-sized clips.

While this doesn’t guarantee YouTube engagement by default, it does provide more chances to get picked up by the algorithm. Especially YouTube really seems to be favoring Shorts right now.

If you’re new to Shorts, consider the following to kickstart your presence there:

• Recut long-form videos into short-form content
• Cross-post vertical video content such as TikToks or Instagram Reels
• Experiment with smartphone-only video ideas with Shorts

And hey, that last point leads us to our next tip.

4. Experiment with new video ideas

You’ll never know what actually drives engagement on YouTube until you test for yourself.

There’s no shortage of video ideas to fill your content calendar. If you’re in a creative rut or realize that your current video formats aren’t working, try something new. For example:

• “Versus” content (ex: comparing products, methods to do a task)
• How-to content and tutorials
• Review and reaction-style content

All of the above are proven formats that offer a lot of creative freedom. Not to mention they’re like candy to both the YouTube algorithm and Google.

Channels like Pianote publish a wide variety of content that fits into a few specific buckets. For example, they create a combination of lesson videos and gear videos targeting beginner pianists. Needless to say, they’ve found a winning formula primarily through educational content.

You may naturally want to avoid YouTube cliches or anything that borders on clickbait. That said, there’s a reason why many of the most popular channels follow similar formula that includes:

• Videos geared toward a specific audience (that still has appeal to general views)
• “Edutainment” that answers questions or piques viewers’ curiosity
• Longer-form videos that cover topics comprehensively

The takeaway here is to be open-minded to new ideas and test formats for yourself.

5. Create a consistent publishing schedule

Rarely do channels grow when they post at random.

Feeding the YouTube algorithm means sticking to a consistent content calendar. This doesn’t mean sacrificing quality for quantity with your content. YouTube specifically recommends creating Shorts because of their lower time commitment and potential for scale.

For example, you might find a balance posting one “long” video alongside three Shorts weekly. What matters most is sticking to a social media content calendar that’s reasonable long-term.

While there’s a link between YouTube engagement and timing, much data is anecdotal. YouTube Studio actually provides a breakdown of when your specific viewing audience is more active on the app. This can help provide context to the best time to post based on your channel.

6. Hook viewers with creative thumbnails

Food for thought: 90% of the top-performing videos on YouTube have custom thumbnails.

Creating an “optimal” thumbnail depends largely on your content and audience. That said, there are best practices that are likewise recommended by YouTube themselves:

• Make use of colors to catch viewers’ eyes (“dynamic colors” in Google’s words)
• Use clear text that’s easy to read across multiple devices
• Feature actual people in your thumbnails to make an emotional connection with viewers

Think of your thumbnail as part of your video’s hook. Random screengrabs are rarely going to excite viewers, especially people who’ve never seen you before.

7. Be strategic with YouTube ads

This is a straightforward tip that may or may not make sense depending on your goals.

That said, running YouTube ads can be an eye-opener for the sake of getting fast data about your audience. For example, you can test different formats, messaging and keyword phrases to see what hits. This serves as a faster way to gather audience data versus waiting for it organically.

8. Take action to improve your YouTube SEO

Paying attention to your YouTube SEO is a low-hanging way to improve your engagement rate.

The platform’s status as a search engine is well-documented, especially as more and more videos pop up in Google results. The goal of YouTube SEO isn’t to spam viewers. Instead, it’s to make small tweaks to your videos to make them more viewer-friendly and easier to find.

There’s a lot that goes into YouTube SEO, but here are starters to consider:

• Your video titles (think: “How-to” content pops up in the SERPs all the time)
• Including keywords in your video descriptions
• Making use of relevant YouTube hashtags
• Pointing traffic to your video content from external sources

Like everything else related to YouTube engagement, there’s no silver bullet here. Focus on taking small steps to optimize your content and channel to see what works.

9. Use timestamps to hold your viewers’ attention

If you spend much time in YouTube Studio, you’ll notice how much viewer retention is mentioned.

This metric is key to both YouTube and its algorithm. The more time people spend watching your videos, the more you signal your content as recommend-worthy.

Increasing viewer retention doesn’t require making long-form the only part of your video marketing strategy. Small steps like adding timestamps (which in turn create “Chapters”) on your videos can do the trick.

Timestamps can help viewers zero in on the exact information that they’re looking for. Most viewers would prefer to skip lengthy intros and get straight to the “meat” of your videos. That’s how timestamps create a better viewer experience and keep viewers from bouncing early.

10. Use the right YouTube management tools

YouTube’s native tools are a treasure trove of insight about your content.

That said, consider that there are other tools that can also elevate your channel faster.

For example, Sprout’s social media management tools can help boost your YouTube presence. Here are just a handful of ways which tie back to the tips above:

• Easy cross-promote your new YouTube videos across social networks in one platform
• Discover threads and trends between top-performing videos via in-depth analytics
• Align your YouTube content with audience conversations via social listening

Are you taking steps to increase your YouTube engagement rate?

Getting consistent engagement on YouTube doesn’t happen by accident.

Doing so requires a strategy and attention to detail.

Following all of the tips above might seem daunting. The reality, though? These best practices become second nature once you see just how much they impact your engagement rate.

Looking for more insights and tips on taking your video marketing presence to the next level?

If you haven’t already, check out our YouTube strategy template to grow your channel faster!

The post Increase YouTube engagement: 10 ways that actually work appeared first on Sprout Social.

This YouTube strategy template will show you how to: 

• Conduct brand and channel audits 
• Perform a competitor analysis 
• Define your goals and audience
• Conduct keyword research and performance analysis 
• Optimize your videos with YouTube SEO best practices

Not sure where to get started or looking to iterate your current YouTube strategy? Use this resource as a guide from pre-production to post-production and launch. 

The post YouTube Strategy Template: Optimize and Grow Your Presence appeared first on Sprout Social.

Staying relevant and capturing your audience’s attention is a constant challenge for marketers. And now that brands rely on video content more than ever, it’s critical to use the correct social media video specs and advertising video sizes.

To simplify marketers’ efforts, we created a complete guide of every single social media video spec and advertising video dimension.

Before we start, here are some additional resources that keep the information in one place:

• Easily reference our social media video specs in our always up-to-date Google Doc.
• Looking for image sizes? Check out our social media image sizes guide for help.
• Want to get better results with video? Download our social media video content workbook.

Social Media Video Specs & Ad Sizes By Network

We’ve gathered data on each social network’s specific video sizes and specs. Simply click the links below to jump to your desired network:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Twitter
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest
• Snapchat

Start your free trial

Facebook Video Specs

Facebook video is consumed at higher rates each year, so it’s no wonder why so many marketers search for the correct Facebook video specs.

There are simply so many types of videos you can share on Facebook and the platform updates its design frequently. Each video format has different dimensions and specs, which can make it confusing to know whether or not you’re uploading the correct format for organic or paid posts. Follow the specs below to optimize your posts.

In-Feed Shared Post Video (Landscape & Portrait)

The most common type of video on Facebook comes from shared posts. This type of video lives in your Facebook Feed, and can be shared by brands or your friends. While it’s not as easy to get organic reach on Facebook, it’s still a viable way to share video.

You can choose between two video orientations: Landscape and Portrait. Here’s a look at the video specs for both.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 1280×720, 720×1280
• Minimum width: 1200 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 16:9, 9:16
• Max file size: 10GB (3GB max in Sprout)
• Recommended video formats: MP4, MOV
• Video length: 1 second to 240 minutes (45 minutes max, if uploading in Sprout)
• Bitrate: 256kbps
• Frame rate: 30fps

360 Video

Facebook’s 360 Video allows users to get a complete 360-degree view by scrolling with a cursor on the web, by touch or turning the device on mobile.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution depends on the type of content:
  • Monoscopic: 5120×2560 maximum
  • Stereoscopic: 5120×5120 maximum
• Aspect ratio depends on the type of content:
  • Monoscopic: 2:1
  • Stereoscopic: 1:1
• Max file size: 10GB
• Recommended video formats: MP4, MOV
• Video length: 1 second to 30 minutes
• Frame rate: 30fp

Facebook Reels

The convenience of cross-posting your Instagram Reels to Facebook expands the reach of your videos. This format appears organically in feeds but often gets priority on Facebook feeds.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 1080p
• Aspect ratio: 9:16
• Max file size: No file size limit
• Recommended video formats: MP4
• Video length: 3 seconds to 90 seconds
• Frame rate: 24fps – 60fps (30fp recommended in Sprout)

Facebook Stories

Similar to Instagram Stories, you can post Facebook Stories to extend the reach of your posts. Users who may not follow you on Instagram will be able to view and interact with your Stories.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 1080p
• Minimum width: 500 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 9:16 and 4:5 to 1.91:1
• Max file size: 4GB
• Recommended video formats: MP4 or MOV
• Video length: 1 second to 60 seconds

Facebook Video Ad Specs

There are more than 10 million advertisers now on Facebook and having the right specs for your ads can be tricky. Each type of Facebook video ad is different, so let’s break down the specs for each type of video you can produce.

In-Feed Video Ads

These Facebook video ads are the sponsored equivalent of in-feed posts, and they follow similar guidelines to in-feed video posts.

Video guidelines

• Resolution: 1080×1080 minimum
• Minimum width: 120 pixels
• Minimum height: 120 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 1:1 (for desktop or mobile) or 4:5 (for mobile only)
• Max file size: 4GB
• Recommended video formats: MP4, MOV or GIF
• Video length: 1 seconds to 240 minutes
• Frame rate: 30fps

Character limits

• Primary text: 125 characters
• Headline: 27 characters
• Description: 27 characters

Carousel Video Ads

Facebook Carousel Video ads allow brands to showcase multiple videos (or images) and a landing page link within a user’s Facebook feed. It has grown in popularity because its unique scrolling feature allows users to see more content before clicking. In fact, Digiday estimated Carousel Ads to be 10x more effective than standard social media ads.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 1080×1080 minimum
• Aspect ratio: 1:1
• Max file size: 4GB
• Recommended video formats: MP4, MOV or GIF
• Video length: 1 seconds to 240 minutes
• Frame rate: 30fps

Character limits

• Primary text: 125 characters
• Headline: 32 characters
• Description: 18 characters
• Landing Page URL: Required

Collection Video Ads (Mobile)

The Facebook Collection ads showcase multiple images and a main video above it. This is perfect for displaying multiple products (or various colors of a single product) plus a video. The ad type has been popular so far with retailers and clothing companies as an instant storefront or lookbook.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 1080×1080 minimum
• Aspect ratio: 1:1
• Max file size: 4GB
• Recommended video formats: MP4, MOV or GIF
• Video length: 1 seconds to 240 minutes
• Frame rate: 30fps

Character Limits

• Primary text: 125 characters
• Headline max: 40 characters
• Landing Page URL: Required

Instant Experience Video Ads

Facebook Instant Experience ads open up a full-screen experience after the first click, which can be further customized with a variety of interactive features. This can include multiple video experiences, including features to auto-play on loop.

Video Guidelines

• Minimum width: 720 pixels
• Max file size: 4GB
• Recommended video formats: MP4, MOV
• Video length: Up to 2 minutes
• Frame rate: 30fps

Slideshow Video Ad

Facebook’s Slideshow videos were built for advertisers wanting to reach audiences with slower internet connections. Instead of a regular video, slideshows are just that–a slideshow of images or video in an ad display.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 1080×1080
• Aspect ratio: 16:9 or 1:1
• Recommended video formats: MP4 or MPV
• Slideshow duration length: 15 seconds

Facebook Stories Ads

Facebook added the Stories feature – photo or short video posts that are only available for 24 hours. In addition to user-generated organic posts, Stories ads are available to run between sets of posted Stories. While most users will be sharing immediate and organic updates from their phone’s camera, the guidelines for this format are similar for both paid and organic ad posts.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 1080×1080
• Minimum width: 500 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 9:16
• Max file size: 4GB
• Recommended video formats: MP4, MPV and GIF
• Video length: 1 second to 2 minutes
• Frame rate: 30fps

Character Limits

• Primary text: 125 characters
• Headline: 40 characters

For more information on the video specs for Facebook, visit the Facebook Help Center.

Instagram Video Specs

Instagram launched video capabilities in 2013 and quickly saw enough success to start advertising on the platform in 2015. Since then, video only continues to grow as an engaging social format. Needless to say, Instagram videos are absolutely worth the investment.

Carousel Video

Since 2015, Instagram crafted its video formats to allow three different styles: landscape, square and vertical. However, like the app, Instagram and how video is presented has evolve. Gone are the days of IGTV and Instagram Video. Video can be natively included as a post or carousel post, or they can be uploaded as Reels, but more on Reels later.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 1080×1080, 1080×1350
• Aspect ratio: 9:16
• Max file size: 4GB
• Recommended video formats: MP4, MOV
• Video length: 3 seconds to 60 minutes
• Frame rate: 23-60 fps

Instagram Reels

Introduced in 2020, Instagram Reels are another option for your video strategy on Instagram. These short-form, easily digestible videos are becoming the preferred type of content in Instagram feeds.

Fortunately for social content creators looking to easily generate a lot of content for Instagram, most of the video specs for Instagram Reels are fairly similar to other formats on the platform.

As Instagram has started to add separate tabs for different content types, thumbnails will be cropped differently on each view. If the viewer is on the first tab that has all content types, the thumbnail will be cropped to the traditional square post size of 1:1–center your subjects and plan to avoid undesirable vertical cropping.

Video Guidelines:

• Resolution: 720p minimum
• Aspect ratio: 0.01:1 to 10:1; 9:16 recommended
• Max file size: 4GB max (1GB in Sprout)
• Recommended video formats: MP4 or MOV
• Video length: 3 seconds to 15 minutes
  • Recording in-app is limited to 90 seconds; users can upload videos up to 15 minutes
• Frame rate: 23-60 fps

Cover Photo Size:

• Size: 420p x 654p
• Aspect ratio: 1:1.55

Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories are short-form videos that display for 24-hours on your profile. Followers and users can access your Stories directly from your profile; followers have the luxury of accessing your Stories directly from their feed, where Stories for accounts they follow display directly at the top of their screen.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 1080×1080
• Minimum width: 500 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 9:16
• Max file size: 4GB
• Recommended video formats: MP4, MOV or GIF
• Video length: 1 second to 90 seconds
• Frame rate: 23-60 fps

Character Limits

• Primary text: 125 characters

Consider leaving roughly 250 pixels of the top of the video free from text to avoid covering them with the profile icon.

Instagram Video Ad Specs

Instagram’s advertising revenue has significantly increased over the last year. In fact, Instagram reportedly earned $43.2 billion in ad revenue in 2022. The push for Instagram advertising is real and marketers have to be ready to take advantage with engaging videos.

Carousel Video Ad

Much like Facebook’s Carousel Ads, Instagram offers a similar feature. Carousel ads allow users to see more of a product or feature than a single image or video. With Instagram, your carousel video ads can have 2-10 cards with a full-width call to action below the ad.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 1080×1080
• Aspect ratio: 1:1
• Max file size: 4GB (video) 30MB (image)
• Recommended video formats: MP4, MOV or GIF
• Video length: 1 second to 2 minutes
• Number of Carousel cards: 2 (minimum) to 10 (maximum)
• Frame rate: 23-60 fps

Instagram Stories Ads

It didn’t take long for Instagram Stories to feature ads within users’ story feeds. Brands can seamlessly integrate their video content between other Instagram users’ Stories.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 1080×1080
• Minimum width: 500 pixels
• Aspect ratio: 9:16
• Max file size: 4GB
• Recommended video formats: MP4, MOV or GIF
• Video length: 1 second to 60 minutes
• Frame rate: 23-60 fps

Character Limits

• Primary text: 125 characters

Consider leaving roughly 250 pixels of the top of the video free from text to avoid covering them with the profile icon

If you’re looking for further information including images, check out our complete guide to all the Instagram ad sizes.

For more information on the video specs for Instagram, visit the Facebook Help Center.

TikTok Video Specs

TikTok has quickly gained attention in the social space. Fortunately, TikTok’s focus on easy to create and share videos means it’s not hard to start producing video content for the platform, and there are plenty of trends to inspire TikTok content creation.

TikTok In-Feed Videos

TikTok videos are all about the ease of creation, editing and sharing, so it makes sense that specs are more or less oriented around typical mobile phone dimensions. One key trait to keep in mind if you’re trying to repurpose video content across platforms is that videos uploaded from another file source, rather than recorded on the app, can be longer than 60 seconds.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 1080×1920
• Aspect ratio: 9:16
• Max file size: 72MB (Android users) and 278.6MB (iOS users)
  • 1GB maximum in Sprout
• Recommended video formats: MP4 or MOV
• Video length: Up to 3 minutes recorded in-app or 10 minutes when uploaded from another source
• Frame rate: 23-60fps

TikTok Feed Ads

TikTok ads are a rapidly evolving opportunity for brands. The in-feed option for paid TikTok content is fairly similar to the formatting for existing organic content. To fine-tune paid content for the best performance, be sure to consult TikTok’s business center for the latest tips.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 540×960, 640×640 or 960×540
• Aspect ratio: 9:16, 1:1 or 16:9
• Max file size: Up to 500MB
• Recommended video formats: MP4, MOV, MPEG, 3PG or AVI
• Video length: 5 seconds to 60 seconds
• Bitrate: 516 kbps minimum
• Frame rate: 23-60fps

Character Limits

• Ad description: 1-100 Latin alphabet letters and 1-50 Asian characters

Twitter Video Specs

X (formerly Twitter) is a popular space to share and interact with different social media videos. For marketers, it’s all about keeping a user’s attention with enthralling and click-worthy video content. In the sports and entertainment industry, Twitter is often the go-to for sharing video content, so it’s critical to learn the correct Twitter video specs.

Twitter Landscape & Portrait Videos

Twitter provides two formats of in-feed video content to share with your followers: landscape and portrait. These specific formats are only available for uploading video directly to Twitter, rather than sharing YouTube or other links.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 1280×720 (landscape), 720×1280 (portrait), 720×720 (square)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9 (landscape or portrait), 1:1 (square)
• Max file size: 512MB*
• Video length: 0.5 seconds to 140 seconds*
• Frame rate: 30fps or 60fps

*Twitter Pro Media users can upload files up to 1GB and videos up to 10 minutes.

Character Limits

• Maximum count: 280 characters.

Twitter Videos Ad Specs

Looking to promote your video through paid ads on Twitter? Luckily, you can use the same exact formats from Twitter organic videos. Stick to the same specs for both organic and paid video to ensure maximum visibility.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 1280×720 (landscape), 720×1280 (portrait), 720×720 (square)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9 (landscape or portrait), 1:1 (square)
• Max file size: 512MB
• Video length: 0.5 seconds to 140 seconds
• Frame rate: 30fps or 60fps

Character Limits

• Maximum count: 280 characters.

For more information on the video specs for Twitter, visit the Twitter Help Center.

YouTube Video Specs

As the second-largest search engine behind Google, YouTube is an essential network for video content. For marketers, YouTube is a great space to promote, educate and share video content around your brand.

As YouTube continues to grow as a destination for video content, it hosts everything from short-form promotional videos to full-length movies and TV. This means users are streaming content on all sorts of devices, which could have different levels of zoom or overscan.

While there’s no hard and fast rules from the platform on how to approach the video editing concept of “title safe” areas where text like titles and subtitles aren’t cut off, you do want to avoid placing these types of visual elements right at the edges of your video area. Read on for more specifics on each format available on YouTube.

Video Player (Standard YouTube Video)

While YouTube allows users to upload various types of media formats and use plenty of different dimensions, organically, there’s truly only one format for the video player. Organic videos should all follow a 16:9 ratio, but can be uploaded 4:3. However, the smaller ratio will automatically pillarbox the sides to still make it fit in the player.

YouTube has seven recommended dimensions and ratios for standard YouTube videos:

Video Guidelines

• Resolution:
  • 4320p (8k): 7680×4320
  • 2160p (4K): 3840×2160
  • 1440p (2k): 2560×1440
  • 1080p (HD): 1920×1080
  • 720p (HD): 1280×720
  • 480p (SD): 854×480
  • 360p (SD): 640×360
  • 240p (SD): 426×240
• Aspect ratio: 16:9 default
• Max file size: 256GB or 12 hours, whichever is less (5GB max in Sprout)
• Recommended video formats: MOV, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG4, MP4, MPG, AVI, WMV, MPEGPS, FLV, 3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm, HEVC (h265)
• Video length: Up to 12 hours, dependent on file size
• Frame rate: 24, 25 or 30fps

YouTube Shorts

Introduced late 2020, YouTube Shorts have recently made its debut as another short-form video feature. These videos are a new way to watch, create and discover short-form content. Because people are watching more short-form videos globally, using Shorts is a new way to reach wider audiences to entertain or educate.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution:
  • 4320p (8k): 4320×7680
  • 2160p (4K): 2160×3840
  • 1440p (2k): 1440×2560
  • 1080p (HD): 1080×1920
  • 720p (HD): 720×1280
  • 480p (SD): 480×854
  • 360p (SD): 360×640
  • 240p (SD): 240×426
• Aspect ratio: 9:16 or 1:1
• Recommended video formats: MOV, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG4, MP4, MPG, AVI, WMV, MPEGPS, FLV, 3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm, HEVC (h265)
• Video length: Up to 60 seconds

For more information on the video specs for YouTube, visit the Google Help Center.

YouTube Video Ad Specs

Standard YouTube videos are pretty straightforward, but there are a few video ad formats to learn if you want to advertise on the network. According to data from Google, brands advertising on YouTube with Discovery ads see incremental conversions.

Skippable, Non-Skippable, Mid-Roll, Bumper Video, In-Feed Display Ads

We’ve put these five YouTube video ads specs together because in the end, they all play through the standard YouTube video player. That means all of these ad types follow the same dimensions as the non-ad videos, but only differ in video length. Let’s look at each ad type:

• Skippable Video Ad: This YouTube ad type is played before, during or after the content and becomes skippable after 5 seconds. This ad format is the only one allowing advertisers to monetize views from any viewing device.
• Non-Skippable Video Ad: This YouTube ad type is played before the content and users must watch the full 15 seconds maximum ad (can also be added during or after video).
• Mid-roll Video Ad: This YouTube ad type is played mid-view (like TV commercials) and is only available for videos 8 minutes or longer. Ads are added either manually or automatically. Mid-rolls can be skippable, but users must watch 30 seconds or the entire ad (whichever is shorter).
• Bumper Video Ads: This YouTube ad type is played before the content. This short 6-second max video cannot be skipped and is usually optimized for mobile views.
• Display Ads: These ads are shown in users’ search queries and sometimes appear in the right video column when watching a video. These ads are static, which means they don’t automatically play. However, once the video is clicked, the type of content displayed can simply follow the standard video player guidelines.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (horizontal), 1080 x 1920 (vertical), 1080 x 1080 (square)
• Aspect ratio: 16:9 (horizontal), 9:16 (vertical), 1:1 (square)
• Max file size: 256GB
• Recommended video formats: MPG
• Video length:
  • Skippable Video Ad: No maximum, but recommended 15 – 20 seconds for awareness, 2 – 3 minutes for consideration, and 15 – 20 seconds for action.
  • Non-Skippable Video Ad: 15 or 20 seconds, depending on marketing
  • Mid-roll Video Ad: 30 seconds minimum
  • Bumper Video Ad: 6 seconds maximum
  • In-Feed (Display) Video Ad: 15-20 seconds for awareness, 2-3 minutes for consideration

For more information on the video specs for YouTube, visit the Google Help Center.

LinkedIn Video Specs

With 66% of consumers finding short-form video the most engaging type of in-feed social content, LinkedIn adopted the use of video on the platform. If you’re looking to incorporate video into your LinkedIn marketing strategy, then it’s important to do it with the right specs. While some technical requirements may match other networks, there are some specs that are specific to LinkedIn.

LinkedIn In-Feed Video

While before the only video format you were able to upload was a shared video, LinkedIn has expanded its capabilities to upload your own videos into the platform.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 256×144 (min) and 4096×2304 (max)
• Aspect ratio: 1:2.4, 2.4:1
• Max file size: 5GB (5GB max in Sprout for Company and Personal Pages)
• Recommended video formats: AAC, ASF, FLV, MP3, MP4, MPEG-1, MPEG-4, MKV, WebM, H264/AVC, Vorbis, VP8, VP9, WMV2, WMV3
• Video length: Up to 10 minutes
• Frame rate: 60fps
• Bitrate: Up to 30mbps

For more information on the video specs for LinkedIn, visit the LinkedIn Help Center.

LinkedIn Video Ads

As of 2018, LinkedIn now offers video ads. The requirements are a little bit different than in-feed video, so be sure to consider them when developing ads for your paid campaign.

Video Guidelines

• Recommended dimensions and resolutions:
  • Vertical (4:5): Min 360 x 450 pixels, Max 1536 x 1920 pixels
  • Vertical (9:16): Min 360 x 640 pixels, Max 1080 x 1920 pixels
  • Landscape (16:9): Min 640 x 360 pixels, Max 1920 x 1080 pixels
  • Square (1:1): Min 360 x 360 pixels, Max 1920 x 1920 pixels
• Aspect ratio:
  • Vertical: 4:5, 9:16
  • Landscape: 16:9
  • Square: 1:1
• Max file size: 200MB
• Recommended video formats: MP4
• Video length: 3 seconds to 30 minutes
• Frame rate: 30fps

Character Limits

• Ad name: 255 characters
• Headline: 70 characters recommended; 200 characters maximum
• Introductory text: 150 characters recommended; 600 characters maximum

For more information on the video specs for LinkedIn ads, visit LinkedIn Marketing Solutions Help.

Pinterest Promoted Video Specs

Pinterest allows video upload for business accounts only, so they have specs designed for brands to get the most out of the highly visual and inspirational lifestyle content frequently shared on the platform.

Shared Video Pins and Standard Width Video Ads

In addition to ads, Pinterest Business Accounts can upload organic video content. There are two formats: standard and max width video. Below are the dimensions for standard width video ads and standard Pins.

Video Guidelines

• Aspect ratio: 1:1, 2:3, 4:5, 9:16
• Max file size: 2GB
• Recommended video formats: MP4, MOV or M4V
• Video length: 4 seconds to 15 minutes

Character Limits

• Title: Up to 100 characters
• Description: Up to 500 characters

Max Width Video Ads

Pinterest allows you to publish standard width and maximum width video ads. Maximum width videos expand across mobile users’ entire screens. These specs apply only to maximum width video ads; standard video ad specs can be found above. Note that maximum width video ads are only paid ads.

Video Guidelines

• Aspect ratio: 1:1
• Max file size: 2GB
• Recommended video formats: MP4, MOV or M4V
• Video length: 4 seconds to 15 minutes

Character Limits

• Title: Up to 100 characters
• Description: Up to 500 characters

For more information on the video specs for Pinterest ads, visit Pinterest Business Help.

Snapchat Video Specs

Snapchat is still an active network for younger generations to share video content. Whether it’s through FOMO-inducing filters, Snapchat is a hotbed for video sharing.

Single Videos and Single Video Ad

This video format is the most common across the channel and is the main way users communicate back and forth through the app. However, your business can post videos to its story so others can see what your business is up to. Just follow these specs:

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 1080×1920
• Aspect ratio: 9:16
• Max file size: 1GB
• Recommended video formats: MP4 or MOV
• Video length: 3 seconds to 180 seconds

Character Limits

• Brand: 25 characters
• Headline: 34 characters

Long-Form Story Video Ad

Snapchat currently offers one main video format for ads, which is known as the Story Ad. However, the Snapchat Story Video Ad is what users see in between viewing users’ Stories.

Video Guidelines

• Resolution: 1080×1920
• Aspect ratio: 9:16
• Max file size: 1GB
• Recommended video formats: MP4 or MOV
• Video length: 3 seconds to 180 seconds

Character Limits

• Brand: 25 characters
• Headline: 34 characters

For more information on the video specs for Snapchat, visit the Snapchat Ads Help Center.

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The post Always Up-to-Date Guide to Social Media Video Specs appeared first on Sprout Social.

Because there’s a big window of opportunity for monetizing videos.

YouTube’s audience is massive. Viewers are logging in daily on the platform, watching hours upon hours of content each week.

Not to mention YouTube’s ad revenue is predicted to reach a staggering $30.4 billion in 2023.

Thing is, translating views into cash doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not just about uploading videos or promoting your YouTube channel. You need a strategy.

That’s why we wrote this breakdown of how to make money on YouTube and what to expect along the way. Along with the classic monetization techniques, we’ve included fresh, innovative ways to earn money on the platform in 2023.

10 ways to make money on YouTube (that actually work)

Recent YouTube stats show the platform is a goldmine for creators. But monetizing content on YouTube can be tricky.

Creators shouldn’t sacrifice entertainment value or authenticity for dollars and cents.

The good news? There is no “right” or “single” way to monetize your videos. You have multiple options based on your content, audience and promotional strategy.

Let’s dive into 10 opportunities to make money on YouTube and how they work.

1. Join the YouTube Partner Program

No surprises here! The YouTube Partner Program allows creators to earn revenue with ads run on their videos.

Let’s look at a quick snapshot of YouTube’s Partner criteria. Assuming you’re in line with the platform’s monetization policies, you need:

• 4,000+ authentic public watch hours within the past year or 10 million valid public Shorts views within the past 90 days
• 1,000+ subscribers
• An active and linked Google AdSense account

Chances are you’ve seen your fair share of YouTube ads. From in-video to pre-roll, ads are a relatively hands-off way to make money on YouTube.

In terms of how much money you can make from ads, there are too many variables for a straight answer. These variables include:

• Your viewers’ demographics such as location and age
• Whether there are relevant advertisers for your videos
• Your content and industry

According to YouTube themselves, there are “no guarantees” for payouts or revenue share. Most information floating around is totally anecdotal.

While “$1 per 1,000 views” used to be the norm, times have changed. As the YouTube algorithm has evolved, so have the Partner Program and ad policies.  For example, the platform has explicit restrictions for advertising on YouTube Kids. Many major ad categories and targeting features are removed from videos intended for children.

You’re essentially looking at a numbers game regardless. You need to be earning thousands (or millions) of views per video to see any meaningful revenue.

Not sure about running ads on your channel? Totally understandable. Again, monetizing videos shouldn’t hold back your channel’s growth.

Stuffing your videos with unskippable ads makes them borderline unwatchable. That said, a few ads here and there is totally fair game.

2. Earn support from subscribers with a channel membership

YouTube’s channel memberships are specifically designed to support creators looking to make money.

Think of memberships like a Patreon or Twitch subscription. Subscribers pay a monthly fee in exchange for channel-specific perks. This might include exclusive content, chat badges and more. These benefits vary based on your membership tier.

This feature is most relevant to creators that primarily post content to YouTube rather than treat it as a secondary channel. If you’re doing regular live streams or posting daily, memberships make perfect sense. Currently, the eligibility for channel memberships is almost identical to the Partner Program.

3. Put promotional links in your video descriptions

Promo links are a low-hanging way to make money on YouTube without running ads.

Your video descriptions are valuable real estate and YouTube gives you 5,000 characters to work with. Funneling your YouTube viewers to relevant links is a no-brainer. For example, a creator might link to:

• A lead magnet (such as a free course or downloadable resource)
• Their website
• Their merchandise or ecommerce shop

Below is an example of how creators can promote their own products in a video description. If nothing else, links can turn YouTube traffic into on-site traffic.

4. Feature sponsors in your videos

Sponsored YouTube videos are popular among big and up-and-coming creators alike.

Through sponsored content, you’re specifically promoting a brand within your video. These call-outs are typically done at the beginning and end of a video. Since these forms of ads are literally part of your content, they can’t be skipped.

In the example above, Binging with Babish’s Andrew Rea bookends his sponsorship from Cash App at his video’s beginning and end. He also highlights the sponsorship in the video description.

Audiences are sometimes critical of sponsored videos when the sponsorship is totally irrelevant to the creator, their content or viewership. The best sponsored videos represent some sort of creative tie-in that doesn’t distract from the creator’s style. This sponsored video from Beauty Within featuring skincare brand Whind is a good example.

These sorts of promotions are a win-win for creators and advertisers alike.

5. Publish product-focused promotional videos

Branded videos are created with the specific intent to promote a product or service. These videos can fall into a few categories where:

• A brand compensates the creator in exchange for their content or a review
• The brand has provided talking points and instructions to the creator (think: influencer or brand ambassador content)
• The creator is making a video to highlight a brand and earn affiliate revenue

These types of videos are common among beauty and skincare brands where creators unbox PR packages on camera.

Below is another example from a creator going into detail about Liquid IV and how it works.

In the video’s description, the creator’s promotional link is front-and-center.

These types of videos aren’t as common because they can feel a bit direct when it comes to promotion. That said, they’re relevant to industries like beauty, health and fitness where audiences like to hunt for products via YouTube.

6. Leverage affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is all about leveraging your influence to drive sales for other brands. As a creator, you can partner with brands to promote their products or services within your content.

The idea here is simple. You discuss products in your videos and then provide a direct way for viewers to check them out.

Every time a viewer clicks on your link and makes a purchase, you earn a commission. It’s a win-win: brands get more visibility and sales, and you get a cut of the profits.

This tactic is extremely popular among review channels and creators making “how-to” content. For example, this video from MyLifeOutDoors breaks down tips for getting better sleep while camping…

…and provides affiliate links to the products mentioned in the video.

See how that works? The key here is that the products themselves are not the sole subject of the video. Some creators call out their affiliate links within their content and others don’t. The choice is yours!

Note: Affiliate links are totally allowed and don’t violate YouTube’s TOS. However, the platform does have an explicit policy for external links. Make sure to review YouTube’s guidelines before dropping links in your videos.

7. Take advantage of crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is a great way to build community while funding your content creation. It’s like having your fans chip in to support your next big project.

Platforms like Patreon allow your supporters to contribute a monthly amount in exchange for exclusive content and perks, like BTS footage, shoutouts or early access to new videos.

For example, the cooking channel Made With Lau offers three membership tiers on Patreon:

They also make sure to promote their Patreon link in the descriptions of all their videos.

You could also look into other crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo to fund your creative projects.

Just make sure to share a link with your viewers and always deliver on your promise.

8. Sell merchandise and custom products

Selling branded items on YouTube is a smart way to earn money, boost visibility and build a closer relationship with your followers.

But this type of social shopping works best if you already have a loyal fan base willing to spend money on your merch.

Depending on your niche, you could sell custom t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, caps or art. Got an inside joke? A catchphrase? A logo? Use it to create unique designs for your supporters.

There are plenty of tools you can use to design and ship merch without storing any inventory yourself. Here are a few merch sites popular with YouTubers:

• Printify
• Teespring
• Bonfire

You can also hire freelance designers on Fiverr or use Canva to create your own creative designs to hand over to suppliers.

9. Enable YouTube Super Chat & Super Stickers

A cool thing about YouTube is you can engage with your audience directly and get paid for it—thanks to Super Chat & Stickers.

Here’s how it works.

During a live stream, viewers can pay to have their messages highlighted in the chat. They can also send Super Stickers—paid animated images that float up in a live chat.

If you host regular live sessions, Super Chats and Stickers are a fantastic way to boost YouTube engagement, earn extra revenue and make your audience feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Turn on Super Chat by heading over to your monetization settings. Make sure you thank and appreciate viewers who support your channel and pay to get your attention.

10. License your content to external media companies

If you happen to create a viral video—or something unique or newsworthy—other platforms or media outlets might want a piece of it.

Licensing allows them to use your content, but for a fee.

It’s a way to earn from content you’ve already created and can amplify your content’s reach beyond your channel.

Proactively reach out to media agencies or wait for them to approach you. Or, list your content on Junkin Media where TV channels and news sites can find and buy it.

Making money on YouTube: Fast facts and FAQ

To wrap things up, let’s look at some common questions we get from people trying to figure out how to make money on YouTube.

How many views do you need to make money on YouTube?

There is no set amount of views you need to make money on YouTube.

Again, there are a lot of variables involved and dollar figures are anecdotal.

Data from Influencer Marketing Hub notes that the average YouTuber makes $18 per 1,000 views, which translates to $0.018 per view.

Creator Shelby Church shared an in-depth breakdown of a video that earned 2.2 million views and $743 from ads. This equates to about 33 cents per 1,000 views. She notes that factors like presentation, age and demographics of viewership impacted the payout.

In short, more YouTube views don’t always equal more money in your pocket.

How many subscribers do you need to make money on YouTube

There is no exact number of subscribers you need to make money on YouTube.

Creators that make careers out of YouTube are the ones uploading consistently and fostering communities.

Piggybacking on the point above, a higher subscriber count doesn’t automatically result in bigger payouts.

The inner workings of YouTube’s ad platform mean there is no “right” answer here. We can use YouTube tools like SocialBlade to give us a ballpark figure but the range of estimated earnings is massive. For example, the monthly earnings estimation for a creator with 90,000 subscribers is anywhere between $200 and $3,400.

Our advice? Don’t look at your subscribers as dollar signs. Focus on fostering a community before worrying too much about monetization.

How to make money on YouTube without posting videos

While it’s technically possible to make money on YouTube without posting videos, it’s definitely not the ideal way to approach YouTube.

Think about it. Brands don’t grow on Instagram by only posting on TikTok and vice versa. Every platform has different content types, styles and expectations. YouTube is the same way.

Sure, there are some steps you can take such as repurposing or cross-posting content to YouTube. This includes:

• Republishing Reels or TikToks as YouTube Shorts
• Taking webinars, presentations or slideshows and turning them into videos
• Taking streams from Twitch or Instagram Live and uploading them as long-form content.

Grow your presence to make money on YouTube

Making any level of income from YouTube requires conscious effort and consistency.

That said, countless creators are making it happen with their content. Whether through ads, sponsorships or crowdfunding, there are plenty of opportunities to monetize your videos. Hopefully, these tips can help you find a way that makes sense for you!

And if you haven’t already, check out our in-depth guide to YouTube marketing to take your channel to the next level.

The post How to make money on YouTube in 2024 (and what creators should expect) appeared first on Sprout Social.

Why “now,” though?

For starters, YouTube is the second most-visited site on the web, and when we’re spending up to six hours per day consuming video, the writing is on the wall. If you want to stand out on YouTube, you need to take advantage of as many promotional tactics as possible.

We’ll go into detail on each of these tactics for how to grow your YouTube channel and maximize your viewership. Whether you’re just getting started or want to see your numbers tick further upward, these tips are all fair game.

• What counts as a view on YouTube?
• Why are views important on YouTube?
• How to get more views on YouTube: 17 tips and tricks
• 4 resources for growing your YouTube channel
• How do you promote your YouTube channel?

What counts as a view on YouTube?

Views refer to the total number of times your video or channel has been watched. Each time a viewer plays a video and watches it for at least 30 seconds, YouTube counts it as a view. If someone watches your video several times, each time is counted as a new view. This applies across all devices whether a person watches via smartphone or desktop. This also applies to embeds and videos shared on social media like Facebook.

When someone visits your channel page, you receive a view. If you use YouTube Analytics, you can go to the Overview tab to see how many views your YouTube channel received over the last 28 days.

Why are views important on YouTube?

Views are important because they influence the YouTube algorithm. If you get more views, the algorithm will push your video out to more people. Views are also part of how you can make money on YouTube, which we all want to see a return on investment and increased revenue.

Views are also vital on YouTube because it’s a way to boost awareness and build brand affinity. It may take some time to achieve your target viewership, but you’ll need to connect with top-of-funnel prospects to help reach your goals in the long run.

How to get more views on YouTube: 17 tips and tricks

This article covers 17 tips to attract more viewers to your videos and channel. In the video below, Jamia walks through 10 ways to promote your YouTube channel for more views and subscribers.

1. Write engaging, must-see titles

YouTube marketing is all about presentation.

Titles are make-or-break when it comes to your video’s performance. Ask yourself: are you presenting your content as “must-see” or “meh?”

The key to crafting killer titles is grabbing your audience’s attention without resorting to clickbait headlines. People crave content that’s entertaining, and they likewise want to know what your video is about from the word “go.”

For example, you can take a page out of the playbooks of YouTube giants like BuzzFeed and WhatCulture. Such videos often rely on listicles, question-based titles or hyperbole (“insane,” “…of all time”) to rack up the views.

Athlean X’s fitness-based videos are another good example. The channel’s content manages to sneak in relevant keywords in its titles while also coming across as conversational.

“Best-of” lists and “how-to” titles are always a safe bet, too. Food channel Tasty uses click-worthy titles like this:

The takeaway here is that you should definitely spend time mulling over engaging titles rather than sticking with the first idea that pops into your head.

In terms of specifics, many have observed that the optimal YouTube video title length should be around 70 characters. Meanwhile, tools such as CoSchedule’s headline analyzer recommends 55 characters for an engaging headline. CoSchedule’s tool isn’t specifically meant for video titles but is awesome for brainstorming YouTube-friendly titles to help promote your YouTube channel.

Publish on YouTube with Sprout Social

The opportunities are virtually endless on YouTube, and you can now publish to YouTube directly from Sprout.

Host long-form video on your channel, extend reach through YouTube’s extensive search capabilities, and track how your performance stacks up to other social networks.

Start a free trial to give our YouTube publishing features a try.

2. Optimize your videos for visibility

Here’s some food for thought: YouTube videos show up in 70% of the top 100 Google search results.

Heck, see for yourself. Any given product or “how-to” query on Google will return something from YouTube.

In fact, YouTube results sometimes even pop up before traditional blog posts or websites. Listen: YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world in and of itself. Just like people search for products and need problems solved via Google, the same rings true on YouTube.

Think of your YouTube videos like any other piece of content that needs to be optimized in terms of keywords, tags and so on.

In order to increase your chances of showing up, you’ll want to follow some of the best practices for YouTube SEO:

• Titles and description: Include target keywords in your titles and descriptions. You can use a tool like Keywordtool.io to help you find keyword ideas.
• Mention keywords in your video: According to Brian Dean of Backlinko, saying your target keywords in your video can help YouTube better understand what your video is about.
• Engagement: YouTube uses engagement (likes, comments, views) to help determine where videos rank in its search results.
• Categories: Use categories to help YouTube get a better understanding of who to show your videos to.
• Tags: In addition to categories, you can also add tags to your videos to give YouTube more context about your content. You can use quite a few tags, so add as many as you can think of.

Just like with SEO for your website, don’t keyword stuff. Use keywords when it makes sense, not just for the sake of having them.

3. Figure out what your audience wants

With any type of content you produce, you want to make sure it’s aligned with what your audience wants. Whether you’re writing a blog post or creating a video, start by getting to know your audience and what type of content they want to see from you.

If you’re just starting to promote your YouTube channel, take a look at your competitors or other video creators in your industry. Look at which of their videos get the most views and engagement. This will give you an idea of what topics your audience wants to learn about and what style of videos they prefer.

Another solution is to look at your YouTube Analytics if you’ve already uploaded videos. YouTube gives you detailed information on audience demographics, location, engagement and other helpful stats. You can also take your strategy a step further with YouTube reporting in Sprout Social and see how your content stacks up to other social videos you’ve produced.

Want to better understand your YouTube metrics? Download our video metrics cheat sheet to learn the most important metrics to track and get ideas for video content tailored to your marketing goals.

Download our Social Media Video Metrics Cheat Sheet

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4. Engage with the YouTube community

Although you might not think of YouTube as a social network per se, the platform does represent a thriving community where users are engaging via content, profiles, “likes” and comments.

Sounds pretty “social” if you ask us.

As noted earlier, any sort of interaction with your viewers is seen as a positive signal to YouTube. If nothing else, engaging with your subscribers can help you foster a stronger connection with your audience. “Liking” comments only takes a few seconds, as does pinning a top comment as a sort of personal note to your subscribers.

For example, music channel Artists Of Morality regularly likes and responds to comments on its recent uploads. The channel’s creator regularly engages with subscribers to show appreciation and answer questions, too. She even posts a call to action or challenges in her pinned comments like in the one below:

Just as you’d respond to comments and engage with your followers on any other social network, YouTube is no different.

5. Customize your thumbnails

One of the simplest yet effective tactics to promote your YouTube channel is creating custom thumbnails. Think of your title and thumbnail as a sort of one-two punch to grab a viewer’s attention.

By default, YouTube snags a screenshot from any given video and uses it for the thumbnail. Unfortunately, sometimes the image it grabs will be a blurry shot of you adjusting the camera or a transition.

Not a good look, right?

Creating thumbnails yourself not only makes your videos look more appealing at a glance but also signals a certain sense of professionalism.

Thumbnails don’t have to be rocket science, either. You can even create a template with a particular font and style to make it more consistent and on-brand. This is made especially easy with the help of image creation tools such as Canva. Here’s a good example from Binging with Babish:

If you’re looking for simple social media templates to get started with Creator Studio, check out our free YouTube banners that you can download today!

6. Cross-promote your own videos on YouTube

Chances are you’re covering similar topics on YouTube that overlap with each other. To squeeze more out of your older content, make a point to cross-promote your videos when it makes sense.

For example, you can drop links in the description of a video and encourage viewers to check them out as a sort of call-to-action. Although some might be disappointed by the removal of YouTube’s annotation system, linking in your description encourages viewers to watch your videos all the way through without clicking away.

7. Target Google search results

As noted, YouTube is totally killing it when it comes to SEO.

And while you shouldn’t totally create content for search engines versus people, you should promote your YouTube channel with SEO in mind.

Specifically, product reviews, how-to’s and long-form (10+ minutes) videos covering keyword-specific topics tend to rank well in search engine results pages (SERPs). If you’re strapped for content ideas or want to capitalize on a trending buzzword in your industry, consider how you can do so through your YouTube channel marketing.

8. Run a contest or giveaway

If there’s one thing YouTube users love, it’s a giveaway. Host a YouTube contest or giveaway to encourage people to subscribe to your channel and engage.

To keep your contests simple, have people like your video, leave a comment and subscribe to your channel to enter.

Follow some of our best practices for running any social media contest:

• Make sure you’re following YouTube’s policies.
• Give away a gift that’s related to your brand: you want to attract more than just freebie-seekers.
• Get creative by incorporating user-generated content and other non-traditional entry requirements.

Be careful with hosting frequent YouTube contests, though. You want to make sure you’re getting results from your efforts: otherwise, you’ll end up wasting time, money and resources. After doing one contest, wait a while and look at your subscriber drop-off rate and engagement numbers. If you aren’t bringing in engaged subscribers, you could just be attracting people who want free prizes.

9. Encourage viewers to follow your series

A smart way to promote your YouTube channel is by creating a specific video series that covers a recurring theme or topic. For example, Sprout Social’s YouTube channel has a variety of different series that make up our YouTube presence, like our “Always On” videos.

Series are a win-win for creators and viewers alike. For creators, you hold yourself accountable for creating fresh YouTube content and don’t have to rack your brain for ideas. For your audience, they have something to look forward to and likewise a reason to keep returning to your channel.

10. Embed your YouTube videos

Some of the best places to promote your YouTube channel are beyond YouTube itself.

Case in point, video content is proven to improve conversion rates and lower bounce rate on-site. If you want visitors to stick around a product page or blog post longer, embed a video (like we did below).

Remember: any opportunity you have to funnel your on site (or social!) traffic to YouTube is a plus.

11. Create playlists to organize your YouTube content

The more videos you create, the more difficult it becomes for people to navigate through your channel.

That’s why playlists are so important. Not only do playlists allow you to group your videos into categories to organize your channel, but also appeal to your viewers’ desire to binge.

For example, Beardbrand’s grooming channel has amassed hundreds of videos covering tons of topics. The channel’s various playlists help guide subscribers to relevant content without having to dig for it.

12. Increase engagement with calls to action

Sometimes simply asking for engagement is the best way to get your videos noticed, especially when you consider the immediacy and connection that video content can create.

Not everyone who enjoys one of your videos is going to remember to drop a like or become your subscriber, so it’s common to put these reminders in the description or in the video itself.

Especially if you’re an up-and-coming channel, there’s no shame in asking for some love directly. In fact, asking visitors a question to answer in the comments suggestion or to check out another video are perfect ways to keep the engagement rolling. You can likewise link to other videos or drop an external link to your site to serve as a sort of CTA.

13. Give live streaming a try

Live video is one of the biggest social media trends and it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. With apps like Facebook, Periscope and Instagram making it easier than ever to stream live video, more and more brands are getting on board.

YouTube has been offering live videos for years but has only recently started picking up steam. You can take a look at some popular YouTube Live videos to get a sense of how other brands are using the platform.

Some examples of how you can use YouTube Live are:

• Webinars
• Live tutorials
• Q&A sessions
• Product demonstrations

Don’t worry if your streams don’t go as smoothly as you’d like. Part of the fun (and risk) of live video is you never know what’s going to happen. The unpolished, organic nature of live video is exactly what makes it compelling. For more tips on how to get started with YouTube Live, check out Google’s introduction to live streaming.

14. Collaborate with other creators and brands

A tactic some of the biggest YouTube stars used to grow their following is collaborating with other users. Each collaboration gives you exposure to a new audience. And the best part is those new viewers are more likely to subscribe to your channel since you’re working with a content creator they already know, like and trust.

The key to a successful YouTube collaboration is finding the right partner. You want to collaborate with content creators that share similar passions with your brand so your video comes off as authentic. This now-classic collaboration between BuzzFeed and Purina is a prime example of a thoughtful collaboration that doesn’t feel overly promotional.

15. Run a paid YouTube ad campaign

With marketing in general becoming more pay-to-play, you always have the option to get more visibility through paid YouTube ads. YouTube offers a variety of ad formats to choose from:

• Display ads: These ads show up on the right-hand sidebar of videos, and are only available on desktop.
• Overlay ads: These are semi-transparent ads that are displayed on the bottom part of a video. They’re only available on desktop.
• Skippable and non-skippable video ads: These ads show up before, during or after a video. Skippable ads can be skipped after five seconds, but non-skippable ads have to be watched all the way through before the viewer can watch their video.
• Bumper ads: These are non-skippable ads that have to be watched before the viewer can watch their video. They can be a maximum of six seconds.
• Sponsored cards: These are cards that get displayed within relevant videos. You can use them to promote your products or other content.

For your ad creatives, you can either use an existing video or create something new for a specific campaign. The advantage of using an existing video is you can choose a clip you know has been effective in the past. If a video has already gotten a lot of views and engagement organically, running paid ads can amplify your results.

On the flip side, creating a new video for your ads will allow you to create a more targeted piece of content that you have more control over. For instance, you can create an ad with a specific call-to-action at the end to direct viewers to a landing page or another video. You can learn more about YouTube’s video ad formats here.

16. Regularly publish your YouTube content to social media

It’s no secret that video content crushes it on social media in terms of engagement and performance.

As a result, you should regularly promote your YouTube channel to your social followers to encourage them to become subscribers. As soon as a video goes live, make a point to let your followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn know about it. You can likewise create snippets or previews for each social platform that also link to your latest production.

With the help of Sprout Social, you can schedule your content and cross-promote it without having to jump from platform to platform. Features such as ViralPost® can also help ensure that your content goes live based on when your social audiences are engaged.

17. Incorporate pre-production best practices

Put your producer hat on and incorporate some pre-production best practices. There’s a lot that goes into creating video before the camera records, but using these methods will streamline your content production.

• Create a contingency plan. What will you do if there’s an issue with your shooting location? What if your talent becomes sick? Proactively plan so you’ll be prepared for the worst.
• Plan the video concept from start to finish. Use a storyboard to outline each part of the video. Use this outline to mark visual jokes, animations, call to actions, etc.
• Create a shot list. A shot list will help you consider important details like lighting, location and camera angles. Once your script and storyboard is complete, make a list of every scene and note the action and dialogue required for each. Mark the type of setup you want (e.g. wide angle vs. a close up).

Streamlining your content production means you’ll likely be able to produce more video because your process is a well-oiled machine versus one that is always in need of repair. Having a set process will also help ensure each video is striking the right cord because you’ve taken the time to think through important visual details and logistics that will add value to viewers. Since you’ll be able to create more relevant videos, you’ll get more views over time.

4 resources for growing your YouTube channel

In addition to the 17 tips above, make sure you’re up on all things YouTube. Maximize your efforts with these guides:

• How to create a YouTube channel for your brand in 5 steps – Simplify setting up and perfecting your business channel.
• 11 Tips for writing YouTube descriptions – Differentiate your videos and ensure they’re super findable with optimized descriptions.
• YouTube SEO: How to boost your videos’ rankings – YouTube has become one of the world’s biggest search engines. Follow these tips to make sure you’re meeting audience needs.
• YouTube hashtags: How to use hashtags to increase video views – Demystify how hashtags work on YouTube and get more eyes on your videos.

And with that, we wrap up our guide to how to get more views on YouTube!

How do you promote your YouTube channel?

Growing a YouTube audience doesn’t happen by accident. And yes, it can certainly feel like a grind if your space is crowded with competition.

That’s exactly why it pays to have a variety of promotional tactics in your back pocket. Although some of the tips above require more effort than others, each one can help you get more eyes on your channel and more subscribers as a result.

If you’re ready to ramp up your YouTube presence and start seeing real business results, Sprout Social’s YouTube integration has features to help you seamlessly schedule and publish content. Plus, with our integration, you can dive even deeper into analytics to improve your video strategy.

The post How to get more views on YouTube: 17 ways to promote your channel appeared first on Sprout Social.

Part discovery machine, part social platform, YouTube touts over 2 billion monthly active users. And as the world’s second-largest search engine, it’s a key platform to use to connect with new audiences, grow brand awareness and more.

If you’ve been wondering how to start a YouTube channel but haven’t jumped in yet, this is your sign to get started. Use this step-by-step guide so you can get started in minutes.

How to create a YouTube channel in 5 steps

Whether you need the 101-level breakdown, or just a refresher, feel free to go straight to whichever section you need most.

With that, here’s all you need to learn how to make a YouTube channel:

• Sign into Google
• Create a new YouTube channel
• Customize your channel’s layout
• Customize your channel’s branding
• Customize your channel’s basic info
• How to make a YouTube channel that’s discoverable

1. Sign into a Google account

Before you start a YouTube channel, you need to sign into Google.

If you have a Google account that you already want to use for your channel, you’ll be prompted to sign in.

I recommend creating a new, dedicated account specifically for your YouTube channel. This way, you can share it with multiple people. This also limits any security issues tied to your personal account.

Once you create a Google account, head to YouTube and click Sign in. 

2. Create a new YouTube channel

Head over to YouTube’s homepage. Click on the avatar icon in the top right corner of the screen. Then, select Create a channel from the drop-down.

You’ll then be prompted by the following screen, which asks you to create a channel name.

Now, you can stop here. Or, you can create two channels: one for your Google account and a separate one for your brand. To do this, go to your Settings > Create a new channel > you’ll be prompted by this window.

Unless you’re a creator, dedicating your YouTube channel to a brand account makes the most sense and allows you to add multiple managers.

Pro tip: Make your account extra secure by setting up two-step verification. Head to your Google Account > click Security in the navigation panel > click 2-Step Verification > click Get Started under the “Signing in to Google” section and follow the steps.

Voila—your account is created, and secure! Now, you’re ready for the fun part.

3. Customize your channel’s layout

To get started, click the “customize my channel” button at the top of the screen.

From here, you’ll be taken to the YouTube studio where you’ll see options for customizing your channel, including Layout, Branding and Basic Info.

Let’s start simple with your Layout. This enables you to organize what content people see first. Let’s go through each of these elements:

Video spotlights

This is the first piece of content that appears on your channel. There are two types you can add. A channel trailer plays for people who haven’t subscribed to your channel.

A featured video plays for your subscribers, but only for those who haven’t seen it yet.

Featured sections

Choose up to 12 featured sections that will appear on your channel. These organize the content your visitors see first.

This defaults to a Short videos section and a Videos section. But click the + ADD SECTION button to choose from more.

The playlists and sections you choose will depend on how you use your channel. If you go Live often, the “Live Now,” “Past Livestreams” and “Upcoming Livestreams” sections would be winners.

For example, Monterey Bay Aquarium features a playlist full of relaxing livestreams that their channel is known for.

Once you’ve customized your layout, hit the Publish button in the upper right. Or, continue on to the next step: Branding.

Pro tip: If you don’t plan on uploading frequently, choosing the Feature channels section can make your channel look more active. This also positions you as an industry leader, and shows fellow YouTube creators some love.

4. Customize your channel’s branding

There are three areas you can adjust your channel’s branding:

• Picture (aka profile pic) appears on your channel, next to your videos and on comments you write.
• Banner image is the large graphic at the top of your YouTube channel.
• Video watermark appears in the bottom right corner of your videos. You can choose when and for how long it appears.

These visual elements should match your branding. For example, notice how Headspace’s visual elements all share cohesive designs, colors and shapes.

Resources like Canva will help you craft correctly-sized images in a matter of minutes with templates tailor-made for YouTube. Before you create images, confirm the dimensions for YouTube images:

• Profile picture: 800 x 800 px
• Channel banner: At least 2048 x 1152 px, but the safe area for mobile and web without cropping is 1546 x 423 px

YouTube will show you a preview so you can see if anything is getting cropped out on various views.

There’s no one right way to approach YouTube images—just pick visuals that reflect your brand.

5. Customize your channel’s basic info

Customizing this info will help you make a stronger impression with your channel. It’s also your ticket to funneling channel visitors to your website, other social profiles and more.

Let’s go through each piece of basic channel information you can adjust:

• Name: This should represent your channel, brand or you.
• Handle: A short and simple, yet memorable and searchable version of your name. This will also appear in your public URL.
• Description: With up to 1,000 characters, add a little personality to your channel description. You can also add versions of your description in multiple languages. Include popular search keywords relevant to your channel and content.
• Channel URL: Your channel’s web address as it displays with your user ID.
• Links: Include links to funnel visitors to your website and social channels.
• Links on banner: Choose up to five links to appear in the lower right corner of your banner. Just be careful that these links aren’t covering important information or text in your cover image graphic.

• Contact info: Include a public-facing email where people can contact you for business or press inquiries.

Once you hit publish, congratulations—your channel is officially set up, and you’re ready to add videos.

How to make your YouTube channel discoverable

Now that you know how to create a YouTube channel, it’s time to make yourself discoverable. This is an ongoing process of optimizing your channel and content.

Let’s get into some tips to attract new viewers and traffic to your channel. And if you want to dive deeper, check out these resources once you’ve finished this article:

• YouTube SEO
• YouTube hashtags
• 16 ways to promote your YouTube channel for more views
• YouTube analytics
• YouTube descriptions

Post videos regularly

An active channel means more chances to keep your audience engaged and growing.

If you’re not ready to create new videos for YouTube, start with what you have.  For example, when I managed social for Shedd Aquarium, we repurposed a video from a viral Tweet on YouTube, where it also racked up impressive views.

Then, we built an entire playlist based on the successful, viral videos.

Start building your library with videos that have performed well on other channels. Successful Reels and TikTok videos, for example, can be uploaded as YouTube Shorts.

Optimize your videos

Remember: YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine.

Keywords really are key when it comes to YouTube discoverability. Use them in your video titles, descriptions and chapter titles. Explore common search terms with YouTube’s built-in keyword and search tool. Find it in YouTube Studio > Analytics > Research to explore.

Also use the right tags. YouTube tags—not to be confused with YouTube hashtags—help YouTube’s algorithm determine what your video is about, and therefore how to rank it in search and who to show it to.

Create eye-catching thumbnails

Video thumbnails create interest and help you stand out in search results—90% of the best-performing videos have custom thumbnails.

Using bold thumbnails that include text (Think: your videos’ titles or themes) and feature a person all help grab attention. Unbounce uses all of these tricks, plus indicates which videos are in a different language.

Use playlists to categorize your videos

Playlists organize your content and make it easier for visitors to find the content that interests them and binge it—just remember to update them.

This also helps you extend the life of older videos by pairing them with more updated content.

If you’re not sure how to do this, check out our article on how to make a YouTube playlist.

Cross-promote your YouTube content on other channels

You have an existing audience on your other channels. Share your YouTube content across your social channels, and on channels outside of social—like on your website, blog and in email newsletters.

Doing so helps drive your existing audience to your budding YouTube channel.

Keep an eye on your analytics

From average view duration to followers gained, YouTube analytics give you a deeper understanding of what videos work, and which fall flat.

The analytics tab in YouTube Studio is a goldmine of analytics. But a tool, like Sprout Social’s YouTube Report, provides a more customized look at how your content performs.

Start your free Sprout trial

Put your knowledge of how to create a YouTube channel to the test

Learning how to make a YouTube channel is just step one. Mastering YouTube takes time.

By sticking to the tips outlined in this guide, your channel will be up and running in no time.

Once you create a YouTube channel and have your videos up and running, your next step is to get the word out there. After you build your channel, read our article all about how to promote your YouTube channel to get the word out, and the views up.

The post How to create a YouTube channel for your brand in 5 steps appeared first on Sprout Social.

We get it. Getting your channel off the ground is a struggle.

By learning about YouTube marketing and SEO, you can make your videos more searchable and expand your channels’ reach.

Recent YouTube statistics tell us the platform is currently the second-largest search engine in the world. Meanwhile, video consumption is at an all-time high.

And despite popular belief, learning YouTube SEO doesn’t require a bunch of technical know-how or spammy tactics.

In this article, you’ll learn what YouTube SEO is and how it works. We’ll also introduce you to top YouTube SEO strategies and tools to help you succeed on the platform.

Table of contents

• What is YouTube SEO?
• How does YouTube SEO work?
• YouTube SEO strategies
• Essential YouTube SEO tools

What is YouTube SEO?

YouTube SEO is the process of optimizing your videos and channel to rank higher in YouTube’s search results. It involves using a variety of strategies and techniques to attract more organic traffic and put your content in front of your target audience.

How does YouTube SEO work?

SEO for YouTube works a bit differently from regular SEO.

While search engines can’t exactly watch video content, they can crawl the text components of those videos. These include closed captions, transcripts, titles, descriptions and tags.

Incorporating relevant keywords and phrases into these text components is an essential part of any YouTube SEO strategy.

Additionally, optimizing these elements on top of creating high-quality, engaging content helps you improve viewer experience, which directly contributes to your video’s popularity.

If your content is a hit with your audience, YouTube’s algorithm is more likely to bring it to the top of search results.

YouTube SEO strategies

In this section, we’ll look at several SEO strategies for YouTube to help you get your videos to the top of search results.

1. Perform keyword research

First things first: digging into video topics that people are looking for.

By default, YouTube does a pretty solid job of cluing creators into what viewers want. Simply type a keyword or term into YouTube’s search bar and you’ll see a slew of keywords from actual viewers.

The purpose of keyword research isn’t necessarily to copycat the keywords that are already out there. Instead, you can use these terms to explore new potential topics and see what other keyword opportunities are out there.

For example, let’s say you’re a fashion YouTuber interested in making a video about distressed jeans. Simply by looking at the top results, we can see that peripheral terms like “DIY” and “denim” pop up alongside our primary keyword.

Digging into other related terms, you can narrow down the niche of your video and find a unique angle beyond just “distressed jeans.”

For example, you might talk about a specific tool or technique (“scissors,” “knife,” “sandpaper”) or perhaps a certain style of distressed jeans (“big holes”). Niching down your videos means that you’re targeting a more defined audience and are less likely to try to compete against more established videos and channels.

Another place to conduct video SEO research is through Google. That’s because YouTube videos rank in Google results, meaning that videos that pop up in a search are more than likely already optimized for SEO. Take note of what these sorts of videos do in terms of their titles and thumbnails (but more on that later).

Finally, you can also conduct keyword research via Google’s Keyword Planner tool. Although not related to video SEO per se, the added bonus of using Google is that you can uncover real-world search terms that people are actually using.

The purpose of keyword research is both to brainstorm ideas and figure out what viewers want. Including keywords and related terms throughout your content is a low-hanging way to boost your rankings versus videos that totally ignore YouTube SEO.

2. Add hashtags to your videos

Hashtags are a great way to get your videos more exposure. You can add relevant hashtags to your video titles and/or descriptions. Just like on other social media platforms, users can click on or search for hashtags on YouTube to view content related to specific topics.

Be careful with the number of hashtags you use. Don’t use too many or your content may come across as spammy. Stick to 2-3 of the most relevant terms, such as your company name, brand name, and main topic or keyword.

3. Create a playlist

Playlists help keep viewers on your channel for longer, which can improve your overall watch time and potentially lead to a higher ranking in search results.

Organizing your content into playlists on YouTube also makes it easier for viewers to find and watch related videos.

Finally, playlists help YouTube understand the theme and content of your channel, which can help improve your search visibility on the platform.

To optimize your playlists for SEO, you can use descriptive titles that include relevant keywords, add appropriate tags and make regular updates.

4. Optimize your video titles and descriptions

An enticing title and description can make or break your video. They are also great spots to highlight your keyword.

How to optimize YouTube video titles

Conventional wisdom says that ~75 characters is the sweet spot for titles, so you need to choose your words wisely.

Below are some examples of title formats that stick with our best practices of headline writing tips and allow you to seamlessly integrate your keyword ideas:

• Pose a question (“Why…” or “What is…”)
• Make a listicle (“Top 5…” or “5 Reasons Why…”)
• How-tos and tutorials (“How to…”)
• Compare and contrast (“Ranking the 5…” or “Best to Worst…”)

Channels like DFB Guide almost exclusively follow the formats above and their view-count speaks for itself.

Although these aren’t the only types of titles you’re restricted to, they’re arguably the safest options for both piquing people’s curiosity and ease-of-use for keywords.

As a side note, try to avoid writing clickbait headlines–audiences are increasingly familiar with and fatigued by these tactics, meaning they may reduce trust in your content.

How to optimize YouTube video descriptions

Descriptions are definitely a big deal when it comes to YouTube SEO.

With 5,000 characters to work with, it might be tempting to stuff keywords here.

However, that’s obviously not what this space is for (and keyword stuffing could land you in trouble).

There are plenty of ways to naturally integrate keywords into your YouTube descriptions minus any sort of spam. Also, your descriptions are crucial for funneling traffic from YouTube to your website, landing pages and social media channels.

In short, don’t let this space go to waste. Here’s a combination of elements to include in your description:

• A brief summary of your video which integrates your primary keyword
• Links to other relevant, keyword-specific videos on your channel
• Timestamps on your video which integrate relevant search terms
• Links to your website, social channels or other promotions

Let’s look at some examples of solid descriptions that stick within the best practices of YouTube SEO without being totally spammy.

This description for Beardbrand integrates multiple keywords throughout, including links to other videos which translates into more engagement and longer watch-times (all good for video SEO).

This description for Elgato manages to target keywords for their specific products, a smart move if you’re looking to tie the ROI of your YouTube channel to purchases on-site.

This straightforward example from Food Wishes proves that including keywords in your descriptions doesn’t have to be complicated (note that this video ranks #1 for “Baklava recipe”).

Here’s an awesome example from JHS Pedals which manages to integrate specific product-related keywords through timestamps. As a side note, including timestamps in your videos is great for engagement as it keeps your viewers from bouncing by allowing them to zero in on the most relevant parts of your videos.

Finally, this example from SEMrush does all of the above with a keyword rich-description, timestamps and links to useful resources on their site.

5. Make the most of YouTube tags

Tags are a subtle aspect of YouTube SEO that your audience more than likely will never see, but they can help improve your visibility and ranking.

But again, that doesn’t mean you should go stuffing tons of tags in your videos.

The concept behind YouTube tags is simple: by tagging your videos with descriptive terms, you’re helping YouTube understand the content of your videos and recommend what’s relevant to viewers (think: “DIY jean distressing” or “distressed jeans scissors”).

Although YouTube themselves don’t specify how many YouTube tags are considered “optimal,” five or so seems to be fair game for most channels.

If you’re interested in example tags or want to see what tags your competitors are using, figuring both out is simple. Simply go to a video, view the page source (CTRL-U) and then search (CTRL-F) “keywords” to uncover the tags.

6. Create compelling thumbnails

Although thumbnails aren’t directly tied to video SEO, they’re crucial for grabbing the attention of viewers and therefore scoring clicks.

As a rule of thumb (ha!), here are some best practices of YouTube thumbnails for most channels:

• Striking colors (either via text or background)
• Bold text which highlights the video’s title (or a benefit)
• A person or some sort of action

Here are some examples from Upright Fitness:

Thumbnails are important for establishing your brand’s identity and giving your channel a much-needed sense of professionalism. Even if you’re not a design expert, you can create consistent, eye-popping thumbnails with the help of the following template tools:

• Canva
• Bannersnack
• Visme

7. Promote your content across networks

Let’s talk about some less technical YouTube SEO tips for boosting video engagement both on the platform and off of it.

Increasing clicks, views and subscriptions to your channel are all signals to the YouTube algorithm that can improve your overall visibility, and should be a goal of your video SEO strategy.

Asking for engagement in-video

When you’re trying to get more YouTube engagement, anything you can do to get a reaction from your viewers is a plus. Some tips for doing so include:

• Asking for comments, “likes” and subscribers (don’t be shy about this but also don’t be obnoxious)
• Include some sort of call-to-action in your video (pose a question, for example)
• Add a call-to-action or question in the first line of your video description

You don’t have to beg for likes or comments, by the way. Just include a passing mention at the beginning or end or include an in-video prompt that doesn’t interrupt your viewers. Here’s an example from Emergency Awesome:

Sharing and promoting your content beyond YouTube

Pointing viewers to your YouTube content means consistent promotion across as many channels as possible. This might include:

• Embedding videos on-site or within blog posts
• Promoting your video content to your email subscribers
• Sharing your videos via social media

The last point is a big one. Video content performs well on social media, which is exactly why businesses make a point to share their latest videos time and time again across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and/or Pinterest.

You can use tools like Sprout’s social media publishing platform to queue up and promote your videos as soon as they’re ready to go live. Additionally, Sprout’s built-in YouTube publishing allows you to push content directly to YouTube without having to leave our app.

8. Leverage analytics to find what’s working

The last piece of YouTube SEO is analyzing your results.

Through your YouTube analytics, you can assess your content’s performance to understand what’s doing well and what isn’t in terms of SEO.

For example, your YouTube dashboard can clue you in on the following:

• Which keywords are you ranking for?
• Which types of videos perform well? (think: how-tos versus listicles)
• How long are your top-performing videos?
• Which videos result in the most traffic and off-platform engagement?

If you want to know where your YouTube SEO strategy should go, you need to know where you’ve been. Based on your data, you can explore new topics and keywords which brings us full-circle.

Essential YouTube SEO tools

Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a social media management platform that offers a range of tools for managing and analyzing social media activity, including YouTube management.

You can optimize your YouTube channels and videos for search with in-depth analytics, keyword and tag suggestions, and the ability to track performance and engagement.

Sprout Social also offers features for scheduling and publishing YouTube content, as well as the ability to collaborate with team members and clients.

YouTube autocomplete

YouTube autocomplete is the platform’s built-in tool that helps you identify top keywords related to your content. Simply type something in the platform’s search bar and view a list of suggested search terms.

This gives you valuable insight into popular topics and content types on the platform. Use this to tailor our own content to better meet the needs and interests of your audience.

Ahrefs Keyword Research

Ahrefs is a powerful keyword research tool that can help you optimize YouTube videos for search. With Ahrefs, you can see the search volume and competition level for different keywords, as well as the keywords your competitors are ranking for.

This information can help you identify the most relevant and valuable keywords to target in your video titles, descriptions and tags. Additionally, Ahrefs provides data on the types of queries that are driving traffic to your channel, as well as the specific keywords that are driving the most views to your videos.

TubeBuddy

TubeBuddy is another powerful tool that you can use to optimize your channel and videos for improved visibility and performance.

Some of the key features of TubeBuddy include the ability to see what tags and keywords your competitors are using, the ability to bulk edit video titles and tags, and the ability to see detailed analytics about the performance of your videos.

AnswerThePublic

AnswerThePublic is a tool that allows you to enter a keyword or phrase and generates a list of questions that people are asking about that topic online. It’s a useful resource for understanding the interests, needs and concerns of your YouTube audience.

Ready to put your YouTube SEO knowledge into action?

SEO for YouTube doesn’t have to be rocket science.

By sticking to the tips and principles above, you’re already way ahead of the curve when it comes to optimizing your videos for more reach.

And remember: video content is among the most-shared on social media. Find out how to use video to reach and engage your audience with current data and innovative tactics in our free Social Media Toolkit.

The post YouTube SEO: Strategies to optimize your videos for search appeared first on Sprout Social.