How To Get More Views on YouTube

Considering YouTube is owned by Google, it’s no surprise that it leads the way for music discovery. Whether you’re using YouTube for the purpose of marketing, monetizing your music, or both, the number of views you accumulate is important. So, how can you boost the number of views without digging deep into your budget? Here are some tips to help you out…

How To Get More Views on YouTube

Have a Searchable Title

In order for your video to be ranked higher in search engines, make sure the title of the video is clear, concise, and includes keywords. Keywords are words that directly relate to the content of your video but are also “highly searchable”. That means if your title includes words that people don’t often search for, it is unlikely the video will rank high in search results.

An easy way to test out if keywords are good enough is by utilizing the YouTube search auto-fill feature. Just start typing your keyword in mind and see if that keyword automatically fills in when typing.

🌱PRO TIP: Search engines are also sensitive to the order in which your keywords are placed. Therefore, place your most searchable and important keywords in the beginning. Many times, this means placing your artist name first followed by the song title at the end.

Use an Eye-Catching Thumbnail

Having a thumbnail for your video that catches the attention of potential viewers is just as important, if not more important in some cases, than your video’s title. Most people scroll through YouTube choosing what to watch SOLELY based on which thumbnail catches the eye first. 

That being said, your thumbnail should be a bold, distinct, high-resolution image that honestly depicts what the viewer can expect when watching your video. A misleading thumbnail will have people clicking away from your content as soon as they began, or may even violate YouTube’s spam policies.

Collaborate with Other Artists or Content Creators

As a musician, one of the best ways to cross-promote is by collaborating with other artists or content creators. In doing so, you can pull in new audiences that you may not have been able to otherwise. A couple ways you can do this includes:

• Featuring other artists in your music or video content
• Collaborating with non-artists to reach different audiences
• Adding other channels to your “Featured Channels” section of your channel
• Promoting on co-creator’s social media, blog, or newsletter

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Sharpen your skills…

Understanding Your Audience Engagement on YouTube

Comparing Video Distribution Pricing So You Don’t Have To

8 Types of Repurposed Content You Can Create From Your Music Videos

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Share Your Video Everywhere

We mean everywhere. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are the more obvious platforms that are responsible for a large amount of videos going viral, and YouTube has made it incredibly easy to do so with the click of a button.

🌱PRO TIP: Did you know that whether you post a link to your video or directly upload it to Facebook makes a big difference on its performance? Because Facebook posts with images see 2.3 times more engagement than those without, how your video shows up in the feed can make or break its engagement.

Now, it’s a given that you should be sharing your video the day of its release, but we recommend you announce when the video will be premiered days to weeks to even months beforehand in some cases.

• Upon posting the video, share it multiple times per week for the weeks following the release.
• Do not be excessive to the point where followers see it as “spamming,” causing for them to hit the unfollow button.
• Keep your content fresh in their minds, but don’t overdo it.

Encourage Viewers and Followers to Share Your Video

Having a CTA (Call-to-Action) at the end of your video, within your description, and in social sharing is a highly effective way to get new viewers and current followers to share your video content. CTA’s are meant to be straightforward and to encourage viewers to take an action that benefits them, and in turn, you as the content provider. By telling viewers to simply like, subscribe, share, or provide feedback, you are directly interacting with them and drastically improving your chances of getting more views. — Easy as that.

Good luck!