How to Promote Your Youtube Channel? 10 Ways to Go Viral

Many social media platforms have risen in popularity, but soon got dethroned by some other social media platforms. But, when we talk about a video-sharing platform, there’s been only one undisputed king: YouTube. It is the second most visited website in the world with over 2.1 billion users across the globe. 

Needless to say, it is also an amazing platform to make money by monetizing your videos. However, to monetize your videos on YouTube, you need to have a certain amount of subscribers and watch time. Making money is a whole different story.  

To make a living off of YouTube, your videos must have a good amount of views and engagement. And getting views on YouTube is getting harder every day because of the platform’s strict guidelines. So, how to promote your YouTube channel to make a decent amount of money? We have put together some tips and tricks to make your YouTube channel pop. But, if you are also wondering how to promote your YouTube channel for free? We have got those too. All of our tips and tricks are free and will not cost you a dime. Each tip is simple yet effective. So, let’s get your channel to blow up. 

1. Choose Google-friendly Keywords

Great SEO is the foundation of a great YouTube channel. Just like search engine optimization, great SEO starts with understanding what the user is looking for. 

People just don’t search for videos on YouTube, they search them on Google as well. Also, now Google has prioritized video over other forms of content for a lot of searches. 

There isn’t any rule as to which keyword will help you rank your video, but a little bit of reverse engineering may help a lot. Here’s how you can find Google-friendly keywords: 

• Use a tool such as Google Ads Keyword Planner to find out possible keywords.
• Google one of the keywords you found from the tool.
• See whether the results on the Search Engine Results Page are in a video format or in web page format. 
• Modify your keywords and search again. If you are having trouble finding results with video results, try adding “How to” or “Tutorial.”
• Pick a keyword that is relevant to your video and content. 

For instance, if you search for “photoshop tutorial,” it will show video results first, but if your search “photoshop tips,” it will direct you to a web page. 

Another great way to find popular keywords is to use YouTube’s autocomplete feature. Search for a certain theme or topic and see what YouTube recommends. 

2. Use Concise, Descriptive Video Titles

Even if your video ranks, the first thing a user sees is your title. And if it is not appealing to the user, there’s a good chance they are going to skip your video. Here are some tips on writing eye-catching YouTube video titles:

• Keep it short and crisp: Videos with short titles work great on YouTube. Keep it to 60 characters or less, otherwise, the title may get chopped when displayed. 
• Include your keyword(s): Include your keywords in the first half of your title. Online readers tend to read the beginning of the sentence. 
• Avoid clickbait: A clickbait may get you clicks, but when a viewer finds out it is a clickbait, they will lose interest in the video and leave it. This will damage your channel’s reputation. 

3. Create Custom Thumbnails

Thumbnails are important, perhaps even more important than titles. This is because our eyes directly look at the visuals first. Nonetheless, YouTube generates thumbnails for all videos, but they can be simple or in some cases blurry. 

The best way to get eyes on your videos is to create attractive thumbnails. Here are some tips on thumbnails. 

• Keep the resolution at 1280x720 px. Any 16:9 aspect ratio will work, but the width should be 640 px. 
• Use .PNG, .GIF, .JPG format. 
• The size limit should be 2 MB
• Add text to encourage clicks
• When in doubt, use a stock photo
• Be consistent with branding

4. Fill Out Your Profile Information

A lot of YouTubers leave the profile section empty and just start churning out content. They forget that a compelling profile is one of the best ways to promote their YouTube channel and boost their SEO. Here are some best practices: 

• Be consistent: Use the same color palette, layout, and writing style on your YouTube channel, social media channels, and your website.  
• Optimize the description of your YouTube channel: It is a great way to add some keywords, but make sure you don’t stuff the description with tags as YouTube might penalize you. Just add a couple. 
• Keep viewers coming back: Keep your viewers engaged by letting them know when and how often you are going to post new content, and stick to the schedule. 
• Include contact info: Make it easy for people to reach you. You never know a great partnership might be on the way. 

5. Optimize Your Video Descriptions

A video description is a great way to tell your audience what this video is going to be about. It is also a great way to boost the SEO of the video. Here’s what you should consider while writing the description:

• Add a few keywords in the description as well as the title.
• Ensure that the description is under 5000 characters, but insert all the important information in the first 100 to 150 words, which is above the “Show More” button. 
• Create timestamps to help your audience navigate easily within your video. 
• Add relevant links in the description.
• Add a few relevant hashtags. 

6. Don’t Forget About Metadata

The metadata guidelines created by YouTube mainly focus on two things:

• Be honest.
• Pick the quality, not the quantity.

These guidelines are also applicable to tags and categories. Include the tags only in the tags section and not the description of the video. Add a category or two to help YouTube comprehend who to recommend your videos to. 

7. Offer Real Value

It goes without saying, but we are going to say it anyway. Quality of the video matters. 

If you offer great content to your viewers and keep them engaged, you are going to rank well in YouTube searches. How? YouTube’s ranking system concentrates on the viewer’s experience. 

Before you upload a video, ask yourself:

• Does this video solve any problems?
• Is it entertaining?
• Will it add value to a viewer’s life in any way?

If you are uploading a video explaining how to use a tool, it might be of value to the viewer. If you are uploading a funny video, it might entertain your viewers. Provide real value to your viewers and you will receive real engagement. 

8. Create High-quality Videos

How to promote your YouTube channel? Create high-quality videos.

The funniest video can be undermined if the quality of the video is poor. Even the editing of the video matters. So, ensure that you create professional videos. Use the best camera you can afford, add some background music, and edit the videos as professionally as you can. 

Obviously, not everyone is a born filmmaker, but as you do it again and again, you will get a hang of it. 

9. Interact With Your Fans

Content creation is just the beginning. Real engagement begins when you start to interact with your audience. Almost all successful YouTubers interact with their fans. 

Respond to the comments on your videos, even the ones you don’t like. Heart a few comments and pin a comment if you like it. Leverage analytics to find out who is your top fan and interact with them personally. Post a response video if possible. That’s how you gain loyal subscribers.

10. Try a Q&A

If you post videos on a regular basis and you’ve built an audience, they will ask questions about you in the comments section. Making a Q&A video after selecting a few questions is one of the most effective ways to build a community. 

Another way is to ask your subscribers to send their questions via emails, tweets, or other social media channels. Then address those questions in a video. By showing your fans that they are important, you will gain more subscribers, increase views, and boost watch time. Also, Q&A can be a lifesaver when you are out of ideas to create fresh content. 

To Conclude

YouTube is a great medium to make money. Many content creators have created other businesses based on the loyalty of their YouTube community. Granted, it has a learning curve and in the beginning, you will not be that great in front of the camera, your editing will not be up to the mark, and your camera angles will be off. But, with time you will learn these skills, which will serve you for your lifetime. So, if you are still wondering about how to promote your YouTube channel? Follow the tips above and you’ll be set.

REIN

REIN Digital is a leading global marketing and advertising firm focused on providing the best services and partnership. Our journey began in 2015 in Gurgaon, and since then we have been believing in putting in every ounce of effort in order to bridge the gap between our client's present and hopeful future. 

Throughout these years, we have collaborated with businesses from India as well as other nationals including Australia & the USA.