Information in this blog post was obtained from the Hootsuite Blog, Social Media Examiner, and Semrush Blog.
Want to be a successful YouTuber on YouTube? Hard work with little success. Focus on the following things may help you get through the tough times.
YouTube Trends
Understanding YouTube trends is important if you want to succeed on YouTube because it helps you understand what's popular at the moment as well as what your audience is interested in. By creating content that matches current trends, you can increase the likelihood that your video will be discovered by new users , viewers who actively search for content related to those trends. This may increase your channel's views, subscriptions, and engagement.
In addition, staying on top of YouTube trends can also help you stay ahead of the competition and make your content stand out in your niche. By knowing what types of videos are currently resonating with viewers, you can create content that is unique, innovative, and more likely to stand out. There are three ways to help you to figure out the YouTube trends:
#1 Trending (YouTube Trending Video)
YouTube curated a series of viral videos on a page called Trending. These videos usually cover topics that appeal to different groups of people. Topics range from videos about music and movies to celebrities and world events. YouTube updates this list every 15 minutes to reflect the latest trends. Unlike the home page, which offers videos based on user preferences, the trending page shows the same videos to everyone in the same country/region (except India). Viewers in India can see trends based on nine popular local languages. According to Semrush Blog (2021), trending videos are based on signals, these signals include:
High view count
How fast views come in
Where views come from
Video age
Video performance compared to recent videos from the same channel
To find popular videos on YouTube, click the Explore tab in the sidebar, then select Trending. You can also access the page directly from your browser. If you need to view popular videos from other countries/regions, please click the profile icon in the upper right corner to change your location. You'll notice that your video recommendations change as well.
#2 Google Trends for YouTube
Use Google Trends to show how popular a topic is relative to other topics on the Web. Google Trends shows YouTube search popularity analysis for keywords and topics. However, it's worth noting that Google Trends' results are tailored to YouTube search queries rather than web searches.
In Google Trends, trend data are usually available within hours or even minutes. This is because Google uses search samples rather than entire search data to process and provide trend data quickly. Here's how Google Trends works: Google divides each data point by the total number of searches over geography and time to measure the popularity. Next, Google scales the number on a scale of 0 to 100 based on the topic's relative popularity compared to other topics. For search terms that have recently grown by more than 5,000% (breakout search terms), you will see an assigned "breakthrough" label instead of numbers.
To use Google Trends for YouTube, go directly to trends.google.com or filter search results by "YouTube Search" on the Google Trends dashboard.
3. Rank Tracker for YouTube
Rank Tracker for YouTube is an app which developed by Tubics, it is used to monitor the performance of your YouTube channel. You can also monitor competitor channels and gain insights to improve your YouTube SEO strategy. The tool displays the average ranking for each keyword you track as well as your overall keyword distribution.
You’ll need to add a competitor to your tracking list for it to work. While other methods focus on general trending videos on YouTube, you get customized results for competitor insights. Follow the prompts to complete the step. Next, add keywords manually from YouTube.
The Rank Tracker for YouTube populates data from your channels, including the publish date and views. From here, you can see what videos perform well for your competitors in a short time and recreate similar videos for your channel.
Emphasizing Quality Over Quantity
According to Stelzner (2020), YouTube is not like other social media platforms or content feeds. Content on other platforms is here today and gone tomorrow. Not many people watch Facebook videos from two weeks ago, let alone two months or two years ago. But YouTube is not a content feed, it's a content library, so it's very powerful.
YouTube has nothing to do with fast tweets and fast Instagram captions. If you put out more substantial, higher-quality content, it has a chance to rank in searches and be viewed for weeks, months, and years to come. Quality over quantity strategy means creating evergreen content that you put your energy into, not only for the first few days of viewing but also for years to come. Not only in order to get a high ranking in searches, but also there are several crucial reasons that you should focus on high quality over quantity:
Viewer retention: High-quality content is more likely to keep viewers engaged and watching your video for a long time. This can lead to longer viewing times, an important metric that can help your channel rank higher in YouTube search results and algorithmic recommendations.
Audience Engagement: High-quality content is more likely to be commented on, liked, and shared by viewers. This type of participation signals to YouTube that your content is valuable and can help increase the channel's awareness and growth.
Reputation and credibility: Consistently producing high-quality content helps build your reputation and credibility as a creator. This can increase trust with viewers, which ultimately translates into more views, subscribers, and revenue opportunities.
Branding: Quality content helps reinforce your channel's brand and identity. By creating content that is consistent in style, tone, and production values, you can build a recognizable and unique brand that sets your channel apart.
While it's important to consistently produce content on your YouTube channel, quality should always take precedence over quantity. By investing time and resources in creating quality content, you can attract and retain a loyal audience, build your reputation as a creator, and ultimately achieve long-term success on the platform.
YouTube Thumbnail
Make it impossible for people to resist clicking on your thumbnail but without being clickbaity, obviously. According to McLachlan & Cooper (2023), "appeal" is the word YouTube uses to describe how videos entice people to take risks, however small, and watch new things. While YouTube itself doesn't care how your thumbnail looks visually, it keeps track of whether people actually click. To maximize your video’s appeal, here are several things you have to pay attention to:
Choose high-quality images: Use high-resolution and visually appealing images. Make sure the image is clear and not blurry.
Use contrasting colors: Choose bold, contrasting colors. This will make your thumbnails more noticeable and easier to see.
Add text: Use text to convey the theme or theme of the video. Keep your text short and use an easy-to-read font.
Use relevant images: Use images that accurately represent the content of the video. This will help attract viewers interested in the topic of your video.
Keep it simple: Don't clutter your thumbnails with too much information or too many images. Keep it simple and focus on the topic of the video.
Here's one final note about the thumbnail that should wake everyone up: Don’t stoop to creating clickbait. It is a lose-lose situation. Maybe you’ve crafted the most titillating thumbnail-title combo of all time and are capturing an outsized amount of attention… but viewers will quickly figure out you’ve tricked them and bounce.
Evolve with Experimenting
The only way to know what really grabs an audience's attention and gives you valuable viewing time is to try, try, try. You'll never find the secret to success if you don't experiment a little. And there may be some failures (learning opportunities) along the way. When running a YouTube channel, it's also important to grow by experimenting because the platform is constantly changing and evolving. By experimenting, you can try new things, test different approaches, and adapt to changes in YouTube's algorithms, audience preferences, and industry trends. By experimenting, you can discover what works best for your channel and audience, and identify new opportunities for growth and engagement.
Here are some ways you can improve your YouTube channel by experimenting:
Try new video formats: Try different video formats, such as vlogs, tutorials, interviews, or product reviews. This can help you discover which types of content resonate most with your audience.
Test different styles and tones: Experiment with different styles and tones in your videos, such as serious, funny, informative, or inspiring. This can help you find the right tone for your content and audience.
Collaborate with other creators: Collaborate with other YouTubers to create exciting new content that engages your audience. This can help you attract new audiences and expand your reach.
Use new editing techniques: Try new editing techniques, such as animation, special effects, or text overlays. This helps make your videos more appealing and visually appealing.
Engage with your audience: Ask your audience for feedback and ideas, and incorporate their suggestions into your content. This can help you better understand what your audience wants and create content that resonates with them.
Overall, experimenting with improving your YouTube channel can help you stay relevant, attract new viewers, and interact with existing viewers. You can grow and succeed on YouTube by trying new things and adapting to changes in the platform and industry.
For more information about YouTube Stories, go read my colleague Zachary’s post about them here.
Disclaimer: No AI was injured in the production of this content. AI (ChatGPT) was used as a tool to supplement, enhance, and make suggestions in writing this blog post.
Resources
Dean, B. (2021, November 8).How to Find YouTube Search Trends. Semrush Blog. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.semrush.com/blog/youtube-search-trends/
McLachlan, S. (2023, April 18). How the YouTube Algorithm Works in 2023: The Complete Guide. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-the-youtube-algorithm-works/
Stelzner, M. (2020, January 10). YouTube Trends: What Marketers Need to Know. Social Media Examiner. Retrieved April 23, 2023, from https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/youtube-trends-what-marketers-need-know-sean-cannell/
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