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So many people want to grow their channel... what they are really asking for is to get seen on YouTube. A more seasoned creator will ask how to get more impressions (as 'impressions' are physically the act of being seen on YouTube). This is a little difficult to explain as there are several topics to cover and they can really differ between creators. One guy may be making absolutely stellar Family Fishing content and maybe he is just terrible at writing compelling titles. On the other hand there may be a graphic-artist wizard out there who makes the best thumbnail on the platform... but just isn't very good on camera or really doesn't have good videos in general. Two completely opposite issues, each with the same result. No views.
For most new creators the answer to this question can be relatively basic, and that is what I'm writing about today. The act of getting seen on YouTube when you are just starting out. So for everyone here 200+ videos... well you don't have to go home but you can't stay here (I'm kidding... I'd love to know your thoughts and insight in the comments below).
As someone who has recently started their channel (I'm thinking your at less than 18 months in or more importantly have less than 100 videos) you should have already decided what your channel is about... or at the very least you need to be well on your way to figuring that out. If you haven't you seriously need to take a morning, have a sit-down with yourself and anyone who is even remotely involved with your channel (like your parents, your partner or loved ones) and figure out what your channel is about. You need your niche. You need to be an authority on the subject that is covered when people come to your channel.
If you are not then this really isn't going to work out.
There are different ways to get 'discovered' on YouTube but for the most part this discovery is out of your hands. Home, Browse and Suggested discovery comes when you make a video that is both really performing well and YouTube just happened to put in front of a really reactive audience. This type of discovery comes down to you making the right video at the right time and involves a certain amount of luck. While you can influence this luck (by focusing on trending topics or making just an absolute BANGER of a video) it does come down to luck and there is only so much you can do about that. So let's focus on what you can influence in order to get seen on YouTube; Search.
This is how discovery happens via Search. A viewer picks up their phone and opens up either Google or YouTube and types in 'How to Bake Cookies' in the search field. A series of results pop up and that viewer clicks on the thumbnail of the most delicious looking chocolate-chip cookies because that is what they want their cookies to look like.
Notice, that viewer did not click on the creator's name. They didn't vet the skills of that creator. It is likely that they read the title to ensure this was the tutorial they wanted and probably looked at the timestamp because they want to know how to make their cookies look like this but they only want to spend 3 minutes learning how to do so. So in this circumstance you can see several things:
1. The value of an AMAZING thumbnail
2. Consider the external factors that this viewer is considering when they find you in search
3. You need to be an Authority on the subject... but you do not need to be THE authority on the subject.
The discovery process is not over yet. The viewer has clicked on the video and now they are testing the waters. The phone is still in their hands and you have precious few seconds to convince them that this was the right video for them otherwise they can back out. They only want to spend 3 minutes watching the video and they are not going to waste thirty seconds of that watching an intro with your movie-maker spinning logo. They would much rather spend then next 15 minutes searching for other videos to find that magic 3 minute video. There are different things that you can do here to manipulate their response. A lot of creators put in a few seconds of absolutely amazing footage to try and hook the viewer. It's common to see a creator give a compelling reason as to why there is value in sticking around towards the end, while others rely on the quality of their work and simply explain to the viewer 'Today I am going to show you how to make the most delicious chocolate-chip cookies and it's only going to take 3 minutes... so let's get started.'
Exactly what the viewer was looking for. They want those chocolate-chip cookies to take to the barbecue at Sharon's house this afternoon and they have to be absolutely perfect because they are tired of hearing how amazing Sharon's stupid brownies are. This is the video they needed, so they are committed to watching it. They set the phone on the counter and start watching.
You've been discovered, but they didn't subscribe. They are going to watch this video, they are going to bake these cookies and then they are going to take them to Sharon' barbecue and seven mojitos later they will never remember who you are or how they made those cookies. You have three minutes to gain them as a subscriber... what do you do?
'Please make sure to like and subscribe and click that notification bell but hit the second option because otherwise YouTube doesn't give you...'
Wrong.
Ok, not entirely wrong. This is referred to as a Call to Action (CTA) and you do need to do that. But seriously... we've all heard this line enough times that it falls on deaf ears. Get creative. Spell out 'Please Subscribe!' in cookie dough or something. It is important to have a CTA but it is more important to give a valid, compelling reason as to why they should subscribe.
'These cookies are amazing but if you REALLY want to impress people at that backyard barbecue then you need to subscribe because I have a couple more recipes that are going to blow Sharon's brownies out of the water!'
Not totally fair; you can't predict a viewers personal issues like this but you get the point. This is the single most compelling thing that can be said for this viewer. But they don't want their subscription/home feed littered with cookie videos. Instead they just look at the logo and name of the channel. Is the name easy enough to see? Is your logo memorable? Often times a viewer will watch several videos before they decide whether they want to risk accidently losing track of this creator and this is why it is important that these things are splashy and memorable. What's more memorable to you? X_x Katshin FYRE Kichen Krue 6977108 x_X or HowToBasic? We'll run with HowToBasic in this example.
They are watching and they have subscribed but you can be easily forgotten. Taking someone from being a subscriber and turning them into a fan happens here and this is an important step. They subscribe for the value you provide... but they are a fan because of the personality that you bring this value with. Personality is the onscreen persona of your character but it is also the style of your editing, the type of music that you choose, your dialect and the local flavor that you bring to the content you provide. So in this example; the viewer is watching this HowToBasic video on these amazing chocolate chip cookies and watches closely as they recreate every single motion and ingredient and step of the recipe being shown on screen. They aren't sure why you need a full rotisserie chicken for the cookies but maybe that is a critical, secret ingredient that makes them amazing. Not sure how throwing it into the bowl with the dough helps... and when the eggs start getting thrown into the bowl those shells are going to be a pain to get out... why is there Ramen in the bowl and what the hell is he doing mixing that in the toilet?!!!
For those of you who have never seen a HowToBasic video you really need to at least once. It is an amazing experience. But for this viewer it is not the personality that they were looking for. They wanted a genuine, experienced baker to show them how to make the cookies needed to cream ol' Sharon's brownies and that is not what they got. They might have laughed; it was definitely different and they are probably going to pass the channel along to their friends when they are in need of a recipe channel. Which is the next step of discovery.
This doesn't have so much to do with YouTube and Search... but it is something that few creators focus on when trying to get discovered. That is their Shareability. How many viral videos have we seen which are the result of magic just happening on camera. There are a plethora of exceptional examples on Tik Tok... from Bella Poarch's little nose-thingy to that guy who was skateboarding with the cranberry juice or anything that Khaby Lame does. These videos are are the viral success that they are because they are so shareable. You want to pass them along to your friends or write about them in the article you put in the TubeBuddy forums. That is hard to manufacture... but it should be a consideration when you make your content. How are you going to make something that gets seen not only by that viewer... but then handed from that viewer to their friend?
The most important thing you can take away from this is that you need to be more mindful of the viewing experience through the eyes of the human being watching it. The more you figure that out the better you will do not only with the optimization of your SEO for the sake of discovery but also in the quality of content that you will be delivering. I promise you; as you start to figure this out the views and subscriptions will increase exponentially. It will make a massive impact on the progress and growth of your channel.
For most new creators the answer to this question can be relatively basic, and that is what I'm writing about today. The act of getting seen on YouTube when you are just starting out. So for everyone here 200+ videos... well you don't have to go home but you can't stay here (I'm kidding... I'd love to know your thoughts and insight in the comments below).
As someone who has recently started their channel (I'm thinking your at less than 18 months in or more importantly have less than 100 videos) you should have already decided what your channel is about... or at the very least you need to be well on your way to figuring that out. If you haven't you seriously need to take a morning, have a sit-down with yourself and anyone who is even remotely involved with your channel (like your parents, your partner or loved ones) and figure out what your channel is about. You need your niche. You need to be an authority on the subject that is covered when people come to your channel.
If you are not then this really isn't going to work out.
There are different ways to get 'discovered' on YouTube but for the most part this discovery is out of your hands. Home, Browse and Suggested discovery comes when you make a video that is both really performing well and YouTube just happened to put in front of a really reactive audience. This type of discovery comes down to you making the right video at the right time and involves a certain amount of luck. While you can influence this luck (by focusing on trending topics or making just an absolute BANGER of a video) it does come down to luck and there is only so much you can do about that. So let's focus on what you can influence in order to get seen on YouTube; Search.
This is how discovery happens via Search. A viewer picks up their phone and opens up either Google or YouTube and types in 'How to Bake Cookies' in the search field. A series of results pop up and that viewer clicks on the thumbnail of the most delicious looking chocolate-chip cookies because that is what they want their cookies to look like.
Notice, that viewer did not click on the creator's name. They didn't vet the skills of that creator. It is likely that they read the title to ensure this was the tutorial they wanted and probably looked at the timestamp because they want to know how to make their cookies look like this but they only want to spend 3 minutes learning how to do so. So in this circumstance you can see several things:
1. The value of an AMAZING thumbnail
2. Consider the external factors that this viewer is considering when they find you in search
3. You need to be an Authority on the subject... but you do not need to be THE authority on the subject.
The discovery process is not over yet. The viewer has clicked on the video and now they are testing the waters. The phone is still in their hands and you have precious few seconds to convince them that this was the right video for them otherwise they can back out. They only want to spend 3 minutes watching the video and they are not going to waste thirty seconds of that watching an intro with your movie-maker spinning logo. They would much rather spend then next 15 minutes searching for other videos to find that magic 3 minute video. There are different things that you can do here to manipulate their response. A lot of creators put in a few seconds of absolutely amazing footage to try and hook the viewer. It's common to see a creator give a compelling reason as to why there is value in sticking around towards the end, while others rely on the quality of their work and simply explain to the viewer 'Today I am going to show you how to make the most delicious chocolate-chip cookies and it's only going to take 3 minutes... so let's get started.'
Exactly what the viewer was looking for. They want those chocolate-chip cookies to take to the barbecue at Sharon's house this afternoon and they have to be absolutely perfect because they are tired of hearing how amazing Sharon's stupid brownies are. This is the video they needed, so they are committed to watching it. They set the phone on the counter and start watching.
You've been discovered, but they didn't subscribe. They are going to watch this video, they are going to bake these cookies and then they are going to take them to Sharon' barbecue and seven mojitos later they will never remember who you are or how they made those cookies. You have three minutes to gain them as a subscriber... what do you do?
'Please make sure to like and subscribe and click that notification bell but hit the second option because otherwise YouTube doesn't give you...'
Wrong.
Ok, not entirely wrong. This is referred to as a Call to Action (CTA) and you do need to do that. But seriously... we've all heard this line enough times that it falls on deaf ears. Get creative. Spell out 'Please Subscribe!' in cookie dough or something. It is important to have a CTA but it is more important to give a valid, compelling reason as to why they should subscribe.
'These cookies are amazing but if you REALLY want to impress people at that backyard barbecue then you need to subscribe because I have a couple more recipes that are going to blow Sharon's brownies out of the water!'
Not totally fair; you can't predict a viewers personal issues like this but you get the point. This is the single most compelling thing that can be said for this viewer. But they don't want their subscription/home feed littered with cookie videos. Instead they just look at the logo and name of the channel. Is the name easy enough to see? Is your logo memorable? Often times a viewer will watch several videos before they decide whether they want to risk accidently losing track of this creator and this is why it is important that these things are splashy and memorable. What's more memorable to you? X_x Katshin FYRE Kichen Krue 6977108 x_X or HowToBasic? We'll run with HowToBasic in this example.
They are watching and they have subscribed but you can be easily forgotten. Taking someone from being a subscriber and turning them into a fan happens here and this is an important step. They subscribe for the value you provide... but they are a fan because of the personality that you bring this value with. Personality is the onscreen persona of your character but it is also the style of your editing, the type of music that you choose, your dialect and the local flavor that you bring to the content you provide. So in this example; the viewer is watching this HowToBasic video on these amazing chocolate chip cookies and watches closely as they recreate every single motion and ingredient and step of the recipe being shown on screen. They aren't sure why you need a full rotisserie chicken for the cookies but maybe that is a critical, secret ingredient that makes them amazing. Not sure how throwing it into the bowl with the dough helps... and when the eggs start getting thrown into the bowl those shells are going to be a pain to get out... why is there Ramen in the bowl and what the hell is he doing mixing that in the toilet?!!!
For those of you who have never seen a HowToBasic video you really need to at least once. It is an amazing experience. But for this viewer it is not the personality that they were looking for. They wanted a genuine, experienced baker to show them how to make the cookies needed to cream ol' Sharon's brownies and that is not what they got. They might have laughed; it was definitely different and they are probably going to pass the channel along to their friends when they are in need of a recipe channel. Which is the next step of discovery.
This doesn't have so much to do with YouTube and Search... but it is something that few creators focus on when trying to get discovered. That is their Shareability. How many viral videos have we seen which are the result of magic just happening on camera. There are a plethora of exceptional examples on Tik Tok... from Bella Poarch's little nose-thingy to that guy who was skateboarding with the cranberry juice or anything that Khaby Lame does. These videos are are the viral success that they are because they are so shareable. You want to pass them along to your friends or write about them in the article you put in the TubeBuddy forums. That is hard to manufacture... but it should be a consideration when you make your content. How are you going to make something that gets seen not only by that viewer... but then handed from that viewer to their friend?
The most important thing you can take away from this is that you need to be more mindful of the viewing experience through the eyes of the human being watching it. The more you figure that out the better you will do not only with the optimization of your SEO for the sake of discovery but also in the quality of content that you will be delivering. I promise you; as you start to figure this out the views and subscriptions will increase exponentially. It will make a massive impact on the progress and growth of your channel.
