So, you’ve been using all this extra time during the corona pandemic to make some amazing content: short films, tutorials, podcast interviews, style vlogs, etc. and your brand is killing it, yes!!...except for some reason your incredible Youtube videos barely have ANY VIEWS?! whyyyy😭😰 don’t worry, I got you, bb! it’s time for a little lesson on YouTube SEO:

1. Be Strategic with Your youtube video Titles

Fun fact: YouTube works like Google. It’s a search engine! So that means that it’s SO important that you are aware of what people might search for in order to find your video, right? That means that while your artsy title might be cool, it’s probably not going to help you get views on your video. 

Think about who might like your video. What would they be typing in the search box? What words and phrases would they use? THOSE are the words you need to use when creating your video title. You can literally test your ideas out on Youtube right now! Just go to the search box and start typing in your idea...if it pops up as a suggestion, that means it’s something other folks are looking for too!

Now, obviously, make sure that your title is appropriate for the topic of your video, otherwise your viewers will be really annoyed when they start watching and it’s about something totally different than what they thought. But, you’re going to be so much better off and find new fans of your work if you think about your title in reverse and make it easy to find! 

2. use the year to your advantage

So within the Youtube search engine, one of the factors the program is taking into consideration is how CURRENT the information is. So for many topics, the program is going to try to provide users with the most timely and up-to-date information. Now, yes, the date of your upload will be noted, however, that’s not something that’s pulling a lot of weight in terms of the search algorithm. 

To combat this problem, all you have to do is add the current year in parenthesis at the end of your video title like this —> (2020). So just parenthesis, then 2020, then parenthesis. That’s it. What this does is mark your video as instantly more current or relevant than your competitors.

3. Where to Use Your Keywords

So, while the title is really important, it’s ALSO important to use those main keywords in other elements of your video for improved success rates. 

First, you want to make sure that you’re saying your keywords frequently in your video. Yep. Youtube automatically transcribes every word in your video now, and that information is used to help determine the strength of your videos and how they rank on Youtube. So, make sure that you’re mindful of using those keywords that your viewers might search for. For example, if you’re doing a video about your audition experience for a film that you booked, be sure to be really clear about that when introducing the video. Use words like audition tips, my audition process, and the name of the project to give yourself a boost. 

Next, you’re going to want to include them in your description. Now I’m not saying just to copy and paste a list of key phrases in the description. That’s weird and not helpful. You should actually write out a brief description of what your video is about and find relevant places to use those keywords. 

Finally, you’ll want to use the keywords as tags! This is easy peasy. Just pop each one into the tags section when you’re filling out the information after you upload.  

4. create an eye-catching cover photo

If you’re serious about getting more views on Youtube, I highly encourage you to take the extra time to create a cover image for your video. You know how they’ll give you a few options of stills from the video you uploaded to use as the cover? Yeah, don’t do that. Instead, select the option to upload your own cover photo. 

These cover photos are the first, and possibly only thing users might see to determine whether they want to click on your video. And attention spans these days are SHORT, people. So I want you to think about what images, colors, and words are going to grab their attention and make them want to click to watch. 

Best practices typically lean towards keeping it fairly simple. Don’t go overboard with too many colors and images - pick one eye-catching image on a bright background. Then craft a short slogan that makes folks want to click & watch. You’ll want to make sure these words are large and easy to read in the tiny preview cover. This is a powerful way to increase your chances of getting more views!

5. Encourage Engagement on your video content

Last but not least, you want to encourage viewers to engage with your video.That means likes, comments, and shares. Engagement lets Youtube know that your video is interesting, entertaining, educational, or generally of some sort of value to the viewers. This basically gives you brownie points in Youtube’s system and marks your video as strong and potentially valuable to other users, too. It can absolutely boost your video’s chances of success.

Just like on social media, the best way to get this kind of engagement is to ask for it. Don’t be shy! Ask a question and have users respond in a comment, or just remind them politely to like the video if they learned something or if they agree with your thought. If you don’t ask, you don’t receive! 

Want to harness the power of marketing for your career but don’t know where to start? I’d love to join your team. Whether it’s through my self-guided course Marketing for Creatives 101 or my one-on-one or group coaching options, there’s something for everyone.