15 Ideas to Promote Your YouTube Videos

Whether you’re looking to produce new video content designed to build an audience on YouTube, or you have existing content uploaded to your channel, there are many things you can do to carve out your audience among the billions of active monthly users.

Here are 15 great ideas to help you learn how to promote YouTube videos and build your audience.

Create an Engaging Title

The title is often the first thing that people see. Make sure that your title accurately describes and reflects the content of the video and consider the audience you are catering to when you write it.

If you’re attracting a more professional audience, be sure to use proper grammar in your title. If you’re looking for a younger or more casual audience, you may want to be a little more relaxed.

Try to create a sense of urgency for people to click on your video. Ask why people might want to watch your video, and think about that while writing the title.

Use Keywords

Use keywords that you know people will search for in your title.

You can use analytics tools to determine which keywords are the most popular among people within your target audience, or you may want to just think it through logically.

For example, if your video is about the best cat toys, then make sure the words “best,” “cat,” and “toys” are in the title. Think of all the words you would search when looking for your video and try to include as many of those keywords as you can in the most natural-sounding way.

Create Custom Thumbnails

The second thing people notice before clicking on your video is the thumbnail. This is the small image that appears alongside the video title.

It is very common for popular YouTube accounts to include a photograph of themselves in the thumbnail along with imagery related to the topic of the video. Summarize your title into a few short words and then include this text in an easy-to-read font and color, and make sure people know exactly what to expect if they click on your video and play it.

Fill Out Your Profile Information

Your YouTube account allows you to introduce yourself to new subscribers or visitors on your page. You may wish to include links to your other social media accounts, and write up a biography describing who you are, what you do, and what people should expect from your channel.

Many people also record a special welcome video that appears on this page.

Optimize Your Video Descriptions

Optimizing a video description is about being specific. Choose keywords that specifically relate to your video and which are likely to be searched by people online.

You may also wish to use YouTube Analytics to see what other kinds of content your viewers are watching. Take a look at the videos people view, see how they format their descriptions and learn from them.

Interact with Your Audience

This is key. You are more likely to maintain an audience if you communicate with them.

A good way of doing this is asking people for their opinions and suggesting people let you know in the comments section. It’s suitable for your video and YouTube’s algorithms as it shows people interacting with your video and may place you higher up in the search rankings, but it’s also good as it keeps viewers feeling as though they are part of the whole experience.

You may also wish to interact with your audience through live chats and streams.

Cross-Promote Your Own Videos

Don’t forget to share your videos in lots of different places online. Use social media platforms to share links to your brand videos, capturing as much of your audience as possible.

On these various social media platforms, be sure to use hashtags to connect with people searching for content like yours and interact with other big names and accounts to get noticed.

The more you’re active on multiple social media platforms, the more people will hear about you and see your videos.

Make a Video Series

Splitting one long video into multiple parts is a great way to keep people coming back to your page – and once the series is over, people may be so enthralled by what you have to say that they keep on coming back for more content.

A video series is great for YouTube algorithms, it shows your dedication to your viewers and is something that stays in your library for years to come, drawing in new viewers looking for your content via search.

Create Playlists

Playlists are a great way to help people find specific content on your profile. It allows you to split up your videos into categories, and these playlists can also be shared.

Creating a playlist of genuinely interesting or valuable content makes it easier for people to share a series of videos and not just one single clip.

Add Calls to Action

A call to action is a specific request for your viewers to do something.

If you aim to have as many people as possible watch your content, your call to action should instruct people to share the video on their social media account or “like” the video. When people “like” a YouTube video, it is more likely to appear in other peoples’ feeds.

Your call to action may be embedded in the video itself or may appear in the description.

Collaborate with Other People

Collaborating with other people is a great way to share audiences. When you appear on someone else’s channel, be sure to get a shout-out and direct the audience back to your channel. You can return the favor by hosting the owner of the other channel on yours.

Do this frequently, and you’ll see an uptick in subscribers and viewers, who may go on to share your video with their networks.

Do Livestreams

As we mentioned previously, live streams are a fantastic way of communicating with your audience. It gives people a chance to talk to you in the chat and hear from you in real-time.

Viewers may share your live video with their social media followers, and your stream – if it gets enough likes, views, and comments – may also appear in YouTube’s recommended feed.

Run Paid Ads

YouTube provides an opportunity to promote your content or your business through ads. These take the form of display ads, which appear on the right-hand sidebar next to videos, or overlay ads that appear on the bottom of the video.

You may prefer skippable and non-skippable ads that appear before other video content, along with sponsored cards.

Advertising your videos or brand on relevant YouTube content is a great way to reach new audiences you already know are likely to be interested in what you do.

Publish Your Videos On Social Media

The importance of cross-posting your video content cannot be stressed enough.

While many of the same people may follow you on multiple social media accounts, it’s likely that your audience does vary on each platform. Share to every page you have to ensure maximum visibility and to give as many people as possible a chance to share your content with their followers and friends.

Know the Community Guidelines

Finally, be sure to understand the community guidelines. If you publish content that goes outside of those guidelines then you may face several hurdles that make it harder to share and promote your content. All of these guidelines are specific to every different video marketing platform, so make sure to study them carefully.

For instance, age-restricted content will not be promoted by YouTube’s algorithms in the same way as non-age-restricted content. Breaching community guidelines may also result in the termination of your account.

Know the rules and stick to them, and you’ll have the best shot at promoting your content on social media and beyond.

Let’s Create Great Quality YouTube Videos Together

Now you know how to promote YouTube videos without paying, how about getting some help producing the best possible content?

‍Gillespie Productions is Wisconsin’s trusted commercial videography provider, bringing you full production services to share your message, promote your product or service, and generate new audiences.

Call our team today at (920) 857-2224 to find out more about how we create broadcast-quality video productions that help you share your vision with the world and hire us!