Mastering YouTube Promotion: 26 Effective Techniques

25 Smart & Proven Tactics to Get Your YouTube Channel Noticed

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

If you’re wondering how to get your YouTube channel noticed - how to finally start standing out - then you’ve come to the right place.

Here are 25 of the best, smartest, ways to get your YouTube channel noticed and start growing:

1. Post YouTube Videos Consistently
2. Provide Value in Each Video
3. Ask Viewers to Subscribe with a ‘CTA’
4. Spend time building your YouTube Community
5. Set YouTube Goals and Announce Them
6. Find a Niche for Your Videos
7. Build a Strong Personal Brand
8. Create Custom Channel Art
9. Practice Makes Perfect
10. Add a YouTube Intro Video
11. Use Video Effects and Transitions
12. Make Eye-Catching Thumbnails
13. Use Lots of YouTube Tags
14. Use YouTube Playlists to Increase Watch Time
15. Promote Your YouTube Channel on Social Media
16. Interact With Your Viewers
17. Check Out the Big Channels in Your Genre
18. Do Collaboration Videos
19. Write a Detailed Description for Every Video
20. Use Keywords that are Searchable
21. Make Your Thumbnails Consistent
22. Always Have a Plan for Your Videos
23. Make Titles That Get Views
24. Create a YouTube Channel Trailer
25. Give Each YouTube Video a Memorable Ending

1. Post YouTube Videos Consistently

In order to consistently draw viewers back your page and get the most out of your content, you need to be able to keep posting constantly . Only posting sporadically when you feel like it – three times one month, then just once the next – will not encourage viewers to subscribe. If you develop a schedule and regularly post content each week (or every day if you’re really ambitious), your viewers can start to expect when a video will be released. Some of the best content creators will continue to release videos at least a few times a week in order to continuously draw an audience back to their channel.

2. Provide Value in Each Video

Before you turn your camera on and start making a new video, ask yourself what value you want your viewers to take away from it. Will they come away from your video with knowledge, a new skill, or a feeling of amusement? Be sure to have a clear objective in mind with every video.

3. Ask Viewers to Subscribe with a ‘CTA’

Asking viewers to do anything (like, subscribe, etc.) is called a CTA, or ‘call to action ’. Asking for subscribers is a call to action that needs to be included in every video.

One of the objectives of every video you produce should be to try and appeal to brand-new viewers for your page. Something as simple as asking the viewer to subscribe if they liked your video can really help you grow faster. Sometimes people who really love your content still need to be reminded to subscribe. It is important to attract subscribers – not just viewers – in order to make sure that you have reliable, ongoing, support for your videos.

4. Spend Time Building your YouTube Community

YouTube is a large community and consistently interacting with other creators will help you to gain support for your videos . It helps a lot if the people in your genre know you. You can watch each other’s videos, give each other constructive feedback, and there may even be opportunities for collaboration.

Many video creators draw inspiration from each other’s videos and even spend time working with each other and promoting each other’s content. If you consistently comment on someone’s videos, without asking them to check out your channel (most people find this annoying), they will probably decide to go look at your videos too. Eventually, you might even find an opportunity to appear in one of their videos or have them appear in one of your videos so that you can each be exposed to new potential viewers.

5. Set YouTube Goals and Announce Them

Setting goals for yourself – i.e. reaching a certain number of subscribers – and letting your viewers know is a great way to meet your goals faster.

Sharing your goals helps your community feel more engaged and like they are a bigger part of your channel. This can be an excellent marketing tactic. When you share your goals, they become your follower’s goals too and they will help you reach them. Creating a payoff where your subscribers can help you reach 2000 subscribers or 1000 likes on a video can help you accomplish more goals to sustain the longevity of your channel. It also fosters a feeling of community by uniting everyone together and allowing them to share your feeling of accomplishment. This works especially well if you offer a reward – i.e. ‘I’ll do a special video when I reach 2000 subscribers’.

Contest now closed.

6. Find a Niche for Your Videos

Many creators on YouTube have found success by carving out very specific video types and niches for themselves. When you are hoping to grow your subscribers on YouTube you really need to find your niche. When you can start to create videos that have predictable subject matter (predictable in the sense of ‘reliable’, not boring), this will attract more regular viewers because people will know what they can expect from your content. Having a niche can also help you find brand deals because you’ll grow a very specific audience that might be interested in very specific products. A smaller, targeted, the audience can be more valuable to an advertiser than a larger, more general, audience.

Your niche will generally be a combination of your larger genre (i.e. gaming, comedy, beauty, food) and something else you are passionate about. For example, reviewing vintage video games or creating desserts based on movies are both potential niches.

7. Build a Strong Personal Brand

Building a brand on YouTube is one of the best ways to generate a devoted following. Building a brand is very important because it makes you more memorable and familiar to viewers. In order to successfully build a brand, you need to think about the image you are trying to create and the culture you want to create for your community. The values you express, the types of videos you do, the clothes you wear, and your channel art are all parts of your brand. The grand total of all of these elements will form your brand and the way you are perceived.

Having a strong, unique, the brand will make viewers feel more attached to you and make your content more recognizable.

8. Create Custom Channel Art

To differentiate yourself from your competition you’re going to need to have custom Channel Art that reflects the vibe of your content. Work at creating or sourcing some graphics for your cover photo, your profile photo, and all of your thumbnails. Having a set color scheme or even a branded style of artwork for your page will help you to look more professional. Differentiating your page from others will create a feeling of familiarity and support your brand.

9. Practice Makes Perfect

In order to start producing more professional content, you need to practice your filmmaking technique. Regardless of the type of video that you are producing, a little bit of practice goes a long way.

Rehearsing what you are going to say can make you feel much more confident. Playing with the video editing software that you’re working with willsave you time when you’re actually polishing a video . Practicing taking photos and videos with your camera outside of making YouTube videos will help you feel familiar with its features. As you start to get more dedicated and practice with your video creation, your videos will gain more viewers and you can grow more subscribers on YouTube.

Simply making more videos is a great way to get in more practice.

10. Add a YouTube Intro Video

A professional-looking intro clip (learn how to make one here ) supports your brand and makes your videos seem more polished. Intros capture attention and let viewers know the type of video that they are watching almost immediately. Building a 5-10 second introduction (no longer) with your name or the name of your channel will go a long way to improving the professionalism of your video.

Contest now closed.

11. Use Video Effects and Transitions

Adding transitions between clips or topics is a great way to keep viewers engaged with your videos.

Using simple color effects, like filters, can help each of your videos look much more professional.

It can take some time to add these kinds of effects to your videos , but it isn’t really very difficult (many editors, including Filmora, let you drag and drop these effects into your timeline) and it will help your videos hold viewers’ attention for longer. It can also garner much more engagement and many more subscriptions for your YouTube channel.

12. Make Eye-Catching Thumbnails

A thumbnail that grabs a viewer’s attention will get more clicks. Take a photo of yourself making an expression relevant to your video and edit the image in Photoshop or using a free service like Canva (or one of these other YouTube thumbnail makers ). Add graphics, like emojis, to give your thumbnail a pop of color and include large, simple, text if you feel like your thumbnail needs to be given context (i.e. ‘fall makeup look’, as opposed to just another makeup video).

13. Use Lots of YouTube Tags

Tags are essential to helping people actually find your videos on YouTube. Tags should include keywords/search terms people might be looking up in order to find videos like yours. Looking at the tags of some of your past videos and seeing how well they performed will give you an idea of what kinds of tags you should target in the future. Looking at the tags of some of your competitors will give you an idea of what tags you should be using for your own videos.

Services like the Google Keyword Planner can also help you with finding new keywords/tags. Making your tags with search engine optimization in mind will help ensure that people can find your video when searching for those specific keywords. YouTube has an algorithm very similar to the Google search engine for helping people locate videos they may be interested in.

14. Use YouTube Playlists to Increase Watch Time

Playlists are great for increasing your channel’s watch time , an essential metric for ranking in YouTube’s search results. If someone enjoys your video enough to watch to the end, and then a related video starts to play right after, it’s much more likely that the user is going to stick around and view the second video. When you start to link videos together you will start to see your views grow.

Playlists are also important because they help to organize your channel and make it easier for viewers to find content they are interested in.

15. Promote Your YouTube Channel on Social Media

Improving engagement as well as the notoriety of your brand often means branching out beyond YouTube. By creating accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram for your channel you will gain more ways of engaging your followers. Often the promotion that you do through social media can equate to a large number of viewers and subscribers. The key to expanding into other social media platforms is to choose the sites your existing audience is already on. For example, Instagram is essential for a beauty YouTuber, but not for a gamer.

Contest now closed.

16. Interact with your Viewers

Spending time interacting with your viewers via comments and social media is important. Taking suggestions and paying attention to what your viewers like most about your videos will make your viewers feel more included in the process of creating your videos. This will make them much more loyal to your channel. A great way to interact with your viewers is by doing shout outs or Q&A videos.

17. Check Out the Big Channels in Your Genre

Spending time examining your competition is very important. By looking at the popular channels in your genre you can learn what kinds of videos are popular and what types of video titles and tags you should be using.

18. Do Collaboration Videos

When you collaborate with other YouTube creators it leads to mutual success. You can cross-promote some of their content and they can promote some of your content in the process. It’s amazing how much your channel can grow when you’re exposed to other people’s audiences. Even if you might view another content creator is your competition, sometimes uniting together on a project can help you to mutually prosper.

Make sure your potential partner makes the kinds of videos your own audience would like. Then you’ll know that your videos are something your partner’s audience will like.

19. Write a Detailed Description for Every Video

The description box is one of the most commonly underutilized tools on YouTube. Make sure that you use the space to write a full description of each video. In the first three lines of every video description, use the keywords most relevant to your content, provide links to your other social media accounts, and ask viewers to subscribe. Lower down in your description, under the ‘read more’ tab, write a detailed summary of your video. This will improve your SEO/search engine optimization.

20. Use Keywords That Are Searchable

In your titles, descriptions, and tags you need to use the words or phrases that viewers are most likely to type into YouTube’s search bar when looking for content like yours. Doing a bit of keyword research will help you gain more subscribers on YouTube and more viewers on almost every video.

For example, if you do a product review of a new smartphone, you will get a lot more views titling it ‘iPhone X Review and Unboxing’ than ‘You won’t BELIEVE this phone’ because iPhone X, review and unboxing are all keywords that people might search for.

Contest now closed.

21. Make your Thumbnails Consistent

The thumbnails that you choose for your videos can be an extension of your brand. By using similar layouts, colors, and fonts for every thumbnail you will create a familiar look and viewers will recognize your videos when they see them. If someone can instantly recognize your video thumbnails it will strengthen your brand and encourage repeat viewership.

22. Always Have a Plan for Your Videos

If you can plan out a script or outline (whichever you’re comfortable with) for your video, or even plan out a series of videos that you could shoot over time, it can lead to far better content. Taking the time to create a plan for every single video will lead to much more polished results that will generate far better responses from your viewers. Planning takes time, but not as much time as trying to edit the content that had no clear plan.

23. Make Titles that Get Views

Writing great titles that are optimized for search engines is one of the best ways to see some huge improvements in your channel’s growth rate. Your titles need to be able to draw in an audience and get them interested in your content. They also have to set expectations for your videos and contain the right keywords to make them searchable. Big channels can get good results with titles that build suspense or ask questions, but while you’re small it’s better to avoid clickbait and make your titles as direct and literal as possible.

24. Create a YouTube Channel Trailer

Your channel page on YouTube might be where a viewer makes the decision to subscribe, or not to subscribe. YouTube allows you to set a featured video that will autoplay in this space, and a lot of the most successful creators use this as an opportunity to post a channel trailer . Your channel trailer welcomes new viewers and tells them what to expect from your content.

You can create a trailer quickly by filming a quick introduction and combining it with clips from your previous videos.

25. Give Each of Your Videos a Memorable Ending

Ending every video on a high note – with some kind of joke or surprise – will leave viewers with a good feeling, which will make them more likely to keep watching more of your videos.

Be sure to share your own tips on how to get your YouTube channel noticed.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

If you’re wondering how to get your YouTube channel noticed - how to finally start standing out - then you’ve come to the right place.

Here are 25 of the best, smartest, ways to get your YouTube channel noticed and start growing:

1. Post YouTube Videos Consistently
2. Provide Value in Each Video
3. Ask Viewers to Subscribe with a ‘CTA’
4. Spend time building your YouTube Community
5. Set YouTube Goals and Announce Them
6. Find a Niche for Your Videos
7. Build a Strong Personal Brand
8. Create Custom Channel Art
9. Practice Makes Perfect
10. Add a YouTube Intro Video
11. Use Video Effects and Transitions
12. Make Eye-Catching Thumbnails
13. Use Lots of YouTube Tags
14. Use YouTube Playlists to Increase Watch Time
15. Promote Your YouTube Channel on Social Media
16. Interact With Your Viewers
17. Check Out the Big Channels in Your Genre
18. Do Collaboration Videos
19. Write a Detailed Description for Every Video
20. Use Keywords that are Searchable
21. Make Your Thumbnails Consistent
22. Always Have a Plan for Your Videos
23. Make Titles That Get Views
24. Create a YouTube Channel Trailer
25. Give Each YouTube Video a Memorable Ending

1. Post YouTube Videos Consistently

In order to consistently draw viewers back your page and get the most out of your content, you need to be able to keep posting constantly . Only posting sporadically when you feel like it – three times one month, then just once the next – will not encourage viewers to subscribe. If you develop a schedule and regularly post content each week (or every day if you’re really ambitious), your viewers can start to expect when a video will be released. Some of the best content creators will continue to release videos at least a few times a week in order to continuously draw an audience back to their channel.

2. Provide Value in Each Video

Before you turn your camera on and start making a new video, ask yourself what value you want your viewers to take away from it. Will they come away from your video with knowledge, a new skill, or a feeling of amusement? Be sure to have a clear objective in mind with every video.

3. Ask Viewers to Subscribe with a ‘CTA’

Asking viewers to do anything (like, subscribe, etc.) is called a CTA, or ‘call to action ’. Asking for subscribers is a call to action that needs to be included in every video.

One of the objectives of every video you produce should be to try and appeal to brand-new viewers for your page. Something as simple as asking the viewer to subscribe if they liked your video can really help you grow faster. Sometimes people who really love your content still need to be reminded to subscribe. It is important to attract subscribers – not just viewers – in order to make sure that you have reliable, ongoing, support for your videos.

4. Spend Time Building your YouTube Community

YouTube is a large community and consistently interacting with other creators will help you to gain support for your videos . It helps a lot if the people in your genre know you. You can watch each other’s videos, give each other constructive feedback, and there may even be opportunities for collaboration.

Many video creators draw inspiration from each other’s videos and even spend time working with each other and promoting each other’s content. If you consistently comment on someone’s videos, without asking them to check out your channel (most people find this annoying), they will probably decide to go look at your videos too. Eventually, you might even find an opportunity to appear in one of their videos or have them appear in one of your videos so that you can each be exposed to new potential viewers.

5. Set YouTube Goals and Announce Them

Setting goals for yourself – i.e. reaching a certain number of subscribers – and letting your viewers know is a great way to meet your goals faster.

Sharing your goals helps your community feel more engaged and like they are a bigger part of your channel. This can be an excellent marketing tactic. When you share your goals, they become your follower’s goals too and they will help you reach them. Creating a payoff where your subscribers can help you reach 2000 subscribers or 1000 likes on a video can help you accomplish more goals to sustain the longevity of your channel. It also fosters a feeling of community by uniting everyone together and allowing them to share your feeling of accomplishment. This works especially well if you offer a reward – i.e. ‘I’ll do a special video when I reach 2000 subscribers’.

Contest now closed.

6. Find a Niche for Your Videos

Many creators on YouTube have found success by carving out very specific video types and niches for themselves. When you are hoping to grow your subscribers on YouTube you really need to find your niche. When you can start to create videos that have predictable subject matter (predictable in the sense of ‘reliable’, not boring), this will attract more regular viewers because people will know what they can expect from your content. Having a niche can also help you find brand deals because you’ll grow a very specific audience that might be interested in very specific products. A smaller, targeted, the audience can be more valuable to an advertiser than a larger, more general, audience.

Your niche will generally be a combination of your larger genre (i.e. gaming, comedy, beauty, food) and something else you are passionate about. For example, reviewing vintage video games or creating desserts based on movies are both potential niches.

7. Build a Strong Personal Brand

Building a brand on YouTube is one of the best ways to generate a devoted following. Building a brand is very important because it makes you more memorable and familiar to viewers. In order to successfully build a brand, you need to think about the image you are trying to create and the culture you want to create for your community. The values you express, the types of videos you do, the clothes you wear, and your channel art are all parts of your brand. The grand total of all of these elements will form your brand and the way you are perceived.

Having a strong, unique, the brand will make viewers feel more attached to you and make your content more recognizable.

8. Create Custom Channel Art

To differentiate yourself from your competition you’re going to need to have custom Channel Art that reflects the vibe of your content. Work at creating or sourcing some graphics for your cover photo, your profile photo, and all of your thumbnails. Having a set color scheme or even a branded style of artwork for your page will help you to look more professional. Differentiating your page from others will create a feeling of familiarity and support your brand.

9. Practice Makes Perfect

In order to start producing more professional content, you need to practice your filmmaking technique. Regardless of the type of video that you are producing, a little bit of practice goes a long way.

Rehearsing what you are going to say can make you feel much more confident. Playing with the video editing software that you’re working with willsave you time when you’re actually polishing a video . Practicing taking photos and videos with your camera outside of making YouTube videos will help you feel familiar with its features. As you start to get more dedicated and practice with your video creation, your videos will gain more viewers and you can grow more subscribers on YouTube.

Simply making more videos is a great way to get in more practice.

10. Add a YouTube Intro Video

A professional-looking intro clip (learn how to make one here ) supports your brand and makes your videos seem more polished. Intros capture attention and let viewers know the type of video that they are watching almost immediately. Building a 5-10 second introduction (no longer) with your name or the name of your channel will go a long way to improving the professionalism of your video.

Contest now closed.

11. Use Video Effects and Transitions

Adding transitions between clips or topics is a great way to keep viewers engaged with your videos.

Using simple color effects, like filters, can help each of your videos look much more professional.

It can take some time to add these kinds of effects to your videos , but it isn’t really very difficult (many editors, including Filmora, let you drag and drop these effects into your timeline) and it will help your videos hold viewers’ attention for longer. It can also garner much more engagement and many more subscriptions for your YouTube channel.

12. Make Eye-Catching Thumbnails

A thumbnail that grabs a viewer’s attention will get more clicks. Take a photo of yourself making an expression relevant to your video and edit the image in Photoshop or using a free service like Canva (or one of these other YouTube thumbnail makers ). Add graphics, like emojis, to give your thumbnail a pop of color and include large, simple, text if you feel like your thumbnail needs to be given context (i.e. ‘fall makeup look’, as opposed to just another makeup video).

13. Use Lots of YouTube Tags

Tags are essential to helping people actually find your videos on YouTube. Tags should include keywords/search terms people might be looking up in order to find videos like yours. Looking at the tags of some of your past videos and seeing how well they performed will give you an idea of what kinds of tags you should target in the future. Looking at the tags of some of your competitors will give you an idea of what tags you should be using for your own videos.

Services like the Google Keyword Planner can also help you with finding new keywords/tags. Making your tags with search engine optimization in mind will help ensure that people can find your video when searching for those specific keywords. YouTube has an algorithm very similar to the Google search engine for helping people locate videos they may be interested in.

14. Use YouTube Playlists to Increase Watch Time

Playlists are great for increasing your channel’s watch time , an essential metric for ranking in YouTube’s search results. If someone enjoys your video enough to watch to the end, and then a related video starts to play right after, it’s much more likely that the user is going to stick around and view the second video. When you start to link videos together you will start to see your views grow.

Playlists are also important because they help to organize your channel and make it easier for viewers to find content they are interested in.

15. Promote Your YouTube Channel on Social Media

Improving engagement as well as the notoriety of your brand often means branching out beyond YouTube. By creating accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram for your channel you will gain more ways of engaging your followers. Often the promotion that you do through social media can equate to a large number of viewers and subscribers. The key to expanding into other social media platforms is to choose the sites your existing audience is already on. For example, Instagram is essential for a beauty YouTuber, but not for a gamer.

Contest now closed.

16. Interact with your Viewers

Spending time interacting with your viewers via comments and social media is important. Taking suggestions and paying attention to what your viewers like most about your videos will make your viewers feel more included in the process of creating your videos. This will make them much more loyal to your channel. A great way to interact with your viewers is by doing shout outs or Q&A videos.

17. Check Out the Big Channels in Your Genre

Spending time examining your competition is very important. By looking at the popular channels in your genre you can learn what kinds of videos are popular and what types of video titles and tags you should be using.

18. Do Collaboration Videos

When you collaborate with other YouTube creators it leads to mutual success. You can cross-promote some of their content and they can promote some of your content in the process. It’s amazing how much your channel can grow when you’re exposed to other people’s audiences. Even if you might view another content creator is your competition, sometimes uniting together on a project can help you to mutually prosper.

Make sure your potential partner makes the kinds of videos your own audience would like. Then you’ll know that your videos are something your partner’s audience will like.

19. Write a Detailed Description for Every Video

The description box is one of the most commonly underutilized tools on YouTube. Make sure that you use the space to write a full description of each video. In the first three lines of every video description, use the keywords most relevant to your content, provide links to your other social media accounts, and ask viewers to subscribe. Lower down in your description, under the ‘read more’ tab, write a detailed summary of your video. This will improve your SEO/search engine optimization.

20. Use Keywords That Are Searchable

In your titles, descriptions, and tags you need to use the words or phrases that viewers are most likely to type into YouTube’s search bar when looking for content like yours. Doing a bit of keyword research will help you gain more subscribers on YouTube and more viewers on almost every video.

For example, if you do a product review of a new smartphone, you will get a lot more views titling it ‘iPhone X Review and Unboxing’ than ‘You won’t BELIEVE this phone’ because iPhone X, review and unboxing are all keywords that people might search for.

Contest now closed.

21. Make your Thumbnails Consistent

The thumbnails that you choose for your videos can be an extension of your brand. By using similar layouts, colors, and fonts for every thumbnail you will create a familiar look and viewers will recognize your videos when they see them. If someone can instantly recognize your video thumbnails it will strengthen your brand and encourage repeat viewership.

22. Always Have a Plan for Your Videos

If you can plan out a script or outline (whichever you’re comfortable with) for your video, or even plan out a series of videos that you could shoot over time, it can lead to far better content. Taking the time to create a plan for every single video will lead to much more polished results that will generate far better responses from your viewers. Planning takes time, but not as much time as trying to edit the content that had no clear plan.

23. Make Titles that Get Views

Writing great titles that are optimized for search engines is one of the best ways to see some huge improvements in your channel’s growth rate. Your titles need to be able to draw in an audience and get them interested in your content. They also have to set expectations for your videos and contain the right keywords to make them searchable. Big channels can get good results with titles that build suspense or ask questions, but while you’re small it’s better to avoid clickbait and make your titles as direct and literal as possible.

24. Create a YouTube Channel Trailer

Your channel page on YouTube might be where a viewer makes the decision to subscribe, or not to subscribe. YouTube allows you to set a featured video that will autoplay in this space, and a lot of the most successful creators use this as an opportunity to post a channel trailer . Your channel trailer welcomes new viewers and tells them what to expect from your content.

You can create a trailer quickly by filming a quick introduction and combining it with clips from your previous videos.

25. Give Each of Your Videos a Memorable Ending

Ending every video on a high note – with some kind of joke or surprise – will leave viewers with a good feeling, which will make them more likely to keep watching more of your videos.

Be sure to share your own tips on how to get your YouTube channel noticed.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

If you’re wondering how to get your YouTube channel noticed - how to finally start standing out - then you’ve come to the right place.

Here are 25 of the best, smartest, ways to get your YouTube channel noticed and start growing:

1. Post YouTube Videos Consistently
2. Provide Value in Each Video
3. Ask Viewers to Subscribe with a ‘CTA’
4. Spend time building your YouTube Community
5. Set YouTube Goals and Announce Them
6. Find a Niche for Your Videos
7. Build a Strong Personal Brand
8. Create Custom Channel Art
9. Practice Makes Perfect
10. Add a YouTube Intro Video
11. Use Video Effects and Transitions
12. Make Eye-Catching Thumbnails
13. Use Lots of YouTube Tags
14. Use YouTube Playlists to Increase Watch Time
15. Promote Your YouTube Channel on Social Media
16. Interact With Your Viewers
17. Check Out the Big Channels in Your Genre
18. Do Collaboration Videos
19. Write a Detailed Description for Every Video
20. Use Keywords that are Searchable
21. Make Your Thumbnails Consistent
22. Always Have a Plan for Your Videos
23. Make Titles That Get Views
24. Create a YouTube Channel Trailer
25. Give Each YouTube Video a Memorable Ending

1. Post YouTube Videos Consistently

In order to consistently draw viewers back your page and get the most out of your content, you need to be able to keep posting constantly . Only posting sporadically when you feel like it – three times one month, then just once the next – will not encourage viewers to subscribe. If you develop a schedule and regularly post content each week (or every day if you’re really ambitious), your viewers can start to expect when a video will be released. Some of the best content creators will continue to release videos at least a few times a week in order to continuously draw an audience back to their channel.

2. Provide Value in Each Video

Before you turn your camera on and start making a new video, ask yourself what value you want your viewers to take away from it. Will they come away from your video with knowledge, a new skill, or a feeling of amusement? Be sure to have a clear objective in mind with every video.

3. Ask Viewers to Subscribe with a ‘CTA’

Asking viewers to do anything (like, subscribe, etc.) is called a CTA, or ‘call to action ’. Asking for subscribers is a call to action that needs to be included in every video.

One of the objectives of every video you produce should be to try and appeal to brand-new viewers for your page. Something as simple as asking the viewer to subscribe if they liked your video can really help you grow faster. Sometimes people who really love your content still need to be reminded to subscribe. It is important to attract subscribers – not just viewers – in order to make sure that you have reliable, ongoing, support for your videos.

4. Spend Time Building your YouTube Community

YouTube is a large community and consistently interacting with other creators will help you to gain support for your videos . It helps a lot if the people in your genre know you. You can watch each other’s videos, give each other constructive feedback, and there may even be opportunities for collaboration.

Many video creators draw inspiration from each other’s videos and even spend time working with each other and promoting each other’s content. If you consistently comment on someone’s videos, without asking them to check out your channel (most people find this annoying), they will probably decide to go look at your videos too. Eventually, you might even find an opportunity to appear in one of their videos or have them appear in one of your videos so that you can each be exposed to new potential viewers.

5. Set YouTube Goals and Announce Them

Setting goals for yourself – i.e. reaching a certain number of subscribers – and letting your viewers know is a great way to meet your goals faster.

Sharing your goals helps your community feel more engaged and like they are a bigger part of your channel. This can be an excellent marketing tactic. When you share your goals, they become your follower’s goals too and they will help you reach them. Creating a payoff where your subscribers can help you reach 2000 subscribers or 1000 likes on a video can help you accomplish more goals to sustain the longevity of your channel. It also fosters a feeling of community by uniting everyone together and allowing them to share your feeling of accomplishment. This works especially well if you offer a reward – i.e. ‘I’ll do a special video when I reach 2000 subscribers’.

Contest now closed.

6. Find a Niche for Your Videos

Many creators on YouTube have found success by carving out very specific video types and niches for themselves. When you are hoping to grow your subscribers on YouTube you really need to find your niche. When you can start to create videos that have predictable subject matter (predictable in the sense of ‘reliable’, not boring), this will attract more regular viewers because people will know what they can expect from your content. Having a niche can also help you find brand deals because you’ll grow a very specific audience that might be interested in very specific products. A smaller, targeted, the audience can be more valuable to an advertiser than a larger, more general, audience.

Your niche will generally be a combination of your larger genre (i.e. gaming, comedy, beauty, food) and something else you are passionate about. For example, reviewing vintage video games or creating desserts based on movies are both potential niches.

7. Build a Strong Personal Brand

Building a brand on YouTube is one of the best ways to generate a devoted following. Building a brand is very important because it makes you more memorable and familiar to viewers. In order to successfully build a brand, you need to think about the image you are trying to create and the culture you want to create for your community. The values you express, the types of videos you do, the clothes you wear, and your channel art are all parts of your brand. The grand total of all of these elements will form your brand and the way you are perceived.

Having a strong, unique, the brand will make viewers feel more attached to you and make your content more recognizable.

8. Create Custom Channel Art

To differentiate yourself from your competition you’re going to need to have custom Channel Art that reflects the vibe of your content. Work at creating or sourcing some graphics for your cover photo, your profile photo, and all of your thumbnails. Having a set color scheme or even a branded style of artwork for your page will help you to look more professional. Differentiating your page from others will create a feeling of familiarity and support your brand.

9. Practice Makes Perfect

In order to start producing more professional content, you need to practice your filmmaking technique. Regardless of the type of video that you are producing, a little bit of practice goes a long way.

Rehearsing what you are going to say can make you feel much more confident. Playing with the video editing software that you’re working with willsave you time when you’re actually polishing a video . Practicing taking photos and videos with your camera outside of making YouTube videos will help you feel familiar with its features. As you start to get more dedicated and practice with your video creation, your videos will gain more viewers and you can grow more subscribers on YouTube.

Simply making more videos is a great way to get in more practice.

10. Add a YouTube Intro Video

A professional-looking intro clip (learn how to make one here ) supports your brand and makes your videos seem more polished. Intros capture attention and let viewers know the type of video that they are watching almost immediately. Building a 5-10 second introduction (no longer) with your name or the name of your channel will go a long way to improving the professionalism of your video.

Contest now closed.

11. Use Video Effects and Transitions

Adding transitions between clips or topics is a great way to keep viewers engaged with your videos.

Using simple color effects, like filters, can help each of your videos look much more professional.

It can take some time to add these kinds of effects to your videos , but it isn’t really very difficult (many editors, including Filmora, let you drag and drop these effects into your timeline) and it will help your videos hold viewers’ attention for longer. It can also garner much more engagement and many more subscriptions for your YouTube channel.

12. Make Eye-Catching Thumbnails

A thumbnail that grabs a viewer’s attention will get more clicks. Take a photo of yourself making an expression relevant to your video and edit the image in Photoshop or using a free service like Canva (or one of these other YouTube thumbnail makers ). Add graphics, like emojis, to give your thumbnail a pop of color and include large, simple, text if you feel like your thumbnail needs to be given context (i.e. ‘fall makeup look’, as opposed to just another makeup video).

13. Use Lots of YouTube Tags

Tags are essential to helping people actually find your videos on YouTube. Tags should include keywords/search terms people might be looking up in order to find videos like yours. Looking at the tags of some of your past videos and seeing how well they performed will give you an idea of what kinds of tags you should target in the future. Looking at the tags of some of your competitors will give you an idea of what tags you should be using for your own videos.

Services like the Google Keyword Planner can also help you with finding new keywords/tags. Making your tags with search engine optimization in mind will help ensure that people can find your video when searching for those specific keywords. YouTube has an algorithm very similar to the Google search engine for helping people locate videos they may be interested in.

14. Use YouTube Playlists to Increase Watch Time

Playlists are great for increasing your channel’s watch time , an essential metric for ranking in YouTube’s search results. If someone enjoys your video enough to watch to the end, and then a related video starts to play right after, it’s much more likely that the user is going to stick around and view the second video. When you start to link videos together you will start to see your views grow.

Playlists are also important because they help to organize your channel and make it easier for viewers to find content they are interested in.

15. Promote Your YouTube Channel on Social Media

Improving engagement as well as the notoriety of your brand often means branching out beyond YouTube. By creating accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram for your channel you will gain more ways of engaging your followers. Often the promotion that you do through social media can equate to a large number of viewers and subscribers. The key to expanding into other social media platforms is to choose the sites your existing audience is already on. For example, Instagram is essential for a beauty YouTuber, but not for a gamer.

Contest now closed.

16. Interact with your Viewers

Spending time interacting with your viewers via comments and social media is important. Taking suggestions and paying attention to what your viewers like most about your videos will make your viewers feel more included in the process of creating your videos. This will make them much more loyal to your channel. A great way to interact with your viewers is by doing shout outs or Q&A videos.

17. Check Out the Big Channels in Your Genre

Spending time examining your competition is very important. By looking at the popular channels in your genre you can learn what kinds of videos are popular and what types of video titles and tags you should be using.

18. Do Collaboration Videos

When you collaborate with other YouTube creators it leads to mutual success. You can cross-promote some of their content and they can promote some of your content in the process. It’s amazing how much your channel can grow when you’re exposed to other people’s audiences. Even if you might view another content creator is your competition, sometimes uniting together on a project can help you to mutually prosper.

Make sure your potential partner makes the kinds of videos your own audience would like. Then you’ll know that your videos are something your partner’s audience will like.

19. Write a Detailed Description for Every Video

The description box is one of the most commonly underutilized tools on YouTube. Make sure that you use the space to write a full description of each video. In the first three lines of every video description, use the keywords most relevant to your content, provide links to your other social media accounts, and ask viewers to subscribe. Lower down in your description, under the ‘read more’ tab, write a detailed summary of your video. This will improve your SEO/search engine optimization.

20. Use Keywords That Are Searchable

In your titles, descriptions, and tags you need to use the words or phrases that viewers are most likely to type into YouTube’s search bar when looking for content like yours. Doing a bit of keyword research will help you gain more subscribers on YouTube and more viewers on almost every video.

For example, if you do a product review of a new smartphone, you will get a lot more views titling it ‘iPhone X Review and Unboxing’ than ‘You won’t BELIEVE this phone’ because iPhone X, review and unboxing are all keywords that people might search for.

Contest now closed.

21. Make your Thumbnails Consistent

The thumbnails that you choose for your videos can be an extension of your brand. By using similar layouts, colors, and fonts for every thumbnail you will create a familiar look and viewers will recognize your videos when they see them. If someone can instantly recognize your video thumbnails it will strengthen your brand and encourage repeat viewership.

22. Always Have a Plan for Your Videos

If you can plan out a script or outline (whichever you’re comfortable with) for your video, or even plan out a series of videos that you could shoot over time, it can lead to far better content. Taking the time to create a plan for every single video will lead to much more polished results that will generate far better responses from your viewers. Planning takes time, but not as much time as trying to edit the content that had no clear plan.

23. Make Titles that Get Views

Writing great titles that are optimized for search engines is one of the best ways to see some huge improvements in your channel’s growth rate. Your titles need to be able to draw in an audience and get them interested in your content. They also have to set expectations for your videos and contain the right keywords to make them searchable. Big channels can get good results with titles that build suspense or ask questions, but while you’re small it’s better to avoid clickbait and make your titles as direct and literal as possible.

24. Create a YouTube Channel Trailer

Your channel page on YouTube might be where a viewer makes the decision to subscribe, or not to subscribe. YouTube allows you to set a featured video that will autoplay in this space, and a lot of the most successful creators use this as an opportunity to post a channel trailer . Your channel trailer welcomes new viewers and tells them what to expect from your content.

You can create a trailer quickly by filming a quick introduction and combining it with clips from your previous videos.

25. Give Each of Your Videos a Memorable Ending

Ending every video on a high note – with some kind of joke or surprise – will leave viewers with a good feeling, which will make them more likely to keep watching more of your videos.

Be sure to share your own tips on how to get your YouTube channel noticed.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

If you’re wondering how to get your YouTube channel noticed - how to finally start standing out - then you’ve come to the right place.

Here are 25 of the best, smartest, ways to get your YouTube channel noticed and start growing:

1. Post YouTube Videos Consistently
2. Provide Value in Each Video
3. Ask Viewers to Subscribe with a ‘CTA’
4. Spend time building your YouTube Community
5. Set YouTube Goals and Announce Them
6. Find a Niche for Your Videos
7. Build a Strong Personal Brand
8. Create Custom Channel Art
9. Practice Makes Perfect
10. Add a YouTube Intro Video
11. Use Video Effects and Transitions
12. Make Eye-Catching Thumbnails
13. Use Lots of YouTube Tags
14. Use YouTube Playlists to Increase Watch Time
15. Promote Your YouTube Channel on Social Media
16. Interact With Your Viewers
17. Check Out the Big Channels in Your Genre
18. Do Collaboration Videos
19. Write a Detailed Description for Every Video
20. Use Keywords that are Searchable
21. Make Your Thumbnails Consistent
22. Always Have a Plan for Your Videos
23. Make Titles That Get Views
24. Create a YouTube Channel Trailer
25. Give Each YouTube Video a Memorable Ending

1. Post YouTube Videos Consistently

In order to consistently draw viewers back your page and get the most out of your content, you need to be able to keep posting constantly . Only posting sporadically when you feel like it – three times one month, then just once the next – will not encourage viewers to subscribe. If you develop a schedule and regularly post content each week (or every day if you’re really ambitious), your viewers can start to expect when a video will be released. Some of the best content creators will continue to release videos at least a few times a week in order to continuously draw an audience back to their channel.

2. Provide Value in Each Video

Before you turn your camera on and start making a new video, ask yourself what value you want your viewers to take away from it. Will they come away from your video with knowledge, a new skill, or a feeling of amusement? Be sure to have a clear objective in mind with every video.

3. Ask Viewers to Subscribe with a ‘CTA’

Asking viewers to do anything (like, subscribe, etc.) is called a CTA, or ‘call to action ’. Asking for subscribers is a call to action that needs to be included in every video.

One of the objectives of every video you produce should be to try and appeal to brand-new viewers for your page. Something as simple as asking the viewer to subscribe if they liked your video can really help you grow faster. Sometimes people who really love your content still need to be reminded to subscribe. It is important to attract subscribers – not just viewers – in order to make sure that you have reliable, ongoing, support for your videos.

4. Spend Time Building your YouTube Community

YouTube is a large community and consistently interacting with other creators will help you to gain support for your videos . It helps a lot if the people in your genre know you. You can watch each other’s videos, give each other constructive feedback, and there may even be opportunities for collaboration.

Many video creators draw inspiration from each other’s videos and even spend time working with each other and promoting each other’s content. If you consistently comment on someone’s videos, without asking them to check out your channel (most people find this annoying), they will probably decide to go look at your videos too. Eventually, you might even find an opportunity to appear in one of their videos or have them appear in one of your videos so that you can each be exposed to new potential viewers.

5. Set YouTube Goals and Announce Them

Setting goals for yourself – i.e. reaching a certain number of subscribers – and letting your viewers know is a great way to meet your goals faster.

Sharing your goals helps your community feel more engaged and like they are a bigger part of your channel. This can be an excellent marketing tactic. When you share your goals, they become your follower’s goals too and they will help you reach them. Creating a payoff where your subscribers can help you reach 2000 subscribers or 1000 likes on a video can help you accomplish more goals to sustain the longevity of your channel. It also fosters a feeling of community by uniting everyone together and allowing them to share your feeling of accomplishment. This works especially well if you offer a reward – i.e. ‘I’ll do a special video when I reach 2000 subscribers’.

Contest now closed.

6. Find a Niche for Your Videos

Many creators on YouTube have found success by carving out very specific video types and niches for themselves. When you are hoping to grow your subscribers on YouTube you really need to find your niche. When you can start to create videos that have predictable subject matter (predictable in the sense of ‘reliable’, not boring), this will attract more regular viewers because people will know what they can expect from your content. Having a niche can also help you find brand deals because you’ll grow a very specific audience that might be interested in very specific products. A smaller, targeted, the audience can be more valuable to an advertiser than a larger, more general, audience.

Your niche will generally be a combination of your larger genre (i.e. gaming, comedy, beauty, food) and something else you are passionate about. For example, reviewing vintage video games or creating desserts based on movies are both potential niches.

7. Build a Strong Personal Brand

Building a brand on YouTube is one of the best ways to generate a devoted following. Building a brand is very important because it makes you more memorable and familiar to viewers. In order to successfully build a brand, you need to think about the image you are trying to create and the culture you want to create for your community. The values you express, the types of videos you do, the clothes you wear, and your channel art are all parts of your brand. The grand total of all of these elements will form your brand and the way you are perceived.

Having a strong, unique, the brand will make viewers feel more attached to you and make your content more recognizable.

8. Create Custom Channel Art

To differentiate yourself from your competition you’re going to need to have custom Channel Art that reflects the vibe of your content. Work at creating or sourcing some graphics for your cover photo, your profile photo, and all of your thumbnails. Having a set color scheme or even a branded style of artwork for your page will help you to look more professional. Differentiating your page from others will create a feeling of familiarity and support your brand.

9. Practice Makes Perfect

In order to start producing more professional content, you need to practice your filmmaking technique. Regardless of the type of video that you are producing, a little bit of practice goes a long way.

Rehearsing what you are going to say can make you feel much more confident. Playing with the video editing software that you’re working with willsave you time when you’re actually polishing a video . Practicing taking photos and videos with your camera outside of making YouTube videos will help you feel familiar with its features. As you start to get more dedicated and practice with your video creation, your videos will gain more viewers and you can grow more subscribers on YouTube.

Simply making more videos is a great way to get in more practice.

10. Add a YouTube Intro Video

A professional-looking intro clip (learn how to make one here ) supports your brand and makes your videos seem more polished. Intros capture attention and let viewers know the type of video that they are watching almost immediately. Building a 5-10 second introduction (no longer) with your name or the name of your channel will go a long way to improving the professionalism of your video.

Contest now closed.

11. Use Video Effects and Transitions

Adding transitions between clips or topics is a great way to keep viewers engaged with your videos.

Using simple color effects, like filters, can help each of your videos look much more professional.

It can take some time to add these kinds of effects to your videos , but it isn’t really very difficult (many editors, including Filmora, let you drag and drop these effects into your timeline) and it will help your videos hold viewers’ attention for longer. It can also garner much more engagement and many more subscriptions for your YouTube channel.

12. Make Eye-Catching Thumbnails

A thumbnail that grabs a viewer’s attention will get more clicks. Take a photo of yourself making an expression relevant to your video and edit the image in Photoshop or using a free service like Canva (or one of these other YouTube thumbnail makers ). Add graphics, like emojis, to give your thumbnail a pop of color and include large, simple, text if you feel like your thumbnail needs to be given context (i.e. ‘fall makeup look’, as opposed to just another makeup video).

13. Use Lots of YouTube Tags

Tags are essential to helping people actually find your videos on YouTube. Tags should include keywords/search terms people might be looking up in order to find videos like yours. Looking at the tags of some of your past videos and seeing how well they performed will give you an idea of what kinds of tags you should target in the future. Looking at the tags of some of your competitors will give you an idea of what tags you should be using for your own videos.

Services like the Google Keyword Planner can also help you with finding new keywords/tags. Making your tags with search engine optimization in mind will help ensure that people can find your video when searching for those specific keywords. YouTube has an algorithm very similar to the Google search engine for helping people locate videos they may be interested in.

14. Use YouTube Playlists to Increase Watch Time

Playlists are great for increasing your channel’s watch time , an essential metric for ranking in YouTube’s search results. If someone enjoys your video enough to watch to the end, and then a related video starts to play right after, it’s much more likely that the user is going to stick around and view the second video. When you start to link videos together you will start to see your views grow.

Playlists are also important because they help to organize your channel and make it easier for viewers to find content they are interested in.

15. Promote Your YouTube Channel on Social Media

Improving engagement as well as the notoriety of your brand often means branching out beyond YouTube. By creating accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram for your channel you will gain more ways of engaging your followers. Often the promotion that you do through social media can equate to a large number of viewers and subscribers. The key to expanding into other social media platforms is to choose the sites your existing audience is already on. For example, Instagram is essential for a beauty YouTuber, but not for a gamer.

Contest now closed.

16. Interact with your Viewers

Spending time interacting with your viewers via comments and social media is important. Taking suggestions and paying attention to what your viewers like most about your videos will make your viewers feel more included in the process of creating your videos. This will make them much more loyal to your channel. A great way to interact with your viewers is by doing shout outs or Q&A videos.

17. Check Out the Big Channels in Your Genre

Spending time examining your competition is very important. By looking at the popular channels in your genre you can learn what kinds of videos are popular and what types of video titles and tags you should be using.

18. Do Collaboration Videos

When you collaborate with other YouTube creators it leads to mutual success. You can cross-promote some of their content and they can promote some of your content in the process. It’s amazing how much your channel can grow when you’re exposed to other people’s audiences. Even if you might view another content creator is your competition, sometimes uniting together on a project can help you to mutually prosper.

Make sure your potential partner makes the kinds of videos your own audience would like. Then you’ll know that your videos are something your partner’s audience will like.

19. Write a Detailed Description for Every Video

The description box is one of the most commonly underutilized tools on YouTube. Make sure that you use the space to write a full description of each video. In the first three lines of every video description, use the keywords most relevant to your content, provide links to your other social media accounts, and ask viewers to subscribe. Lower down in your description, under the ‘read more’ tab, write a detailed summary of your video. This will improve your SEO/search engine optimization.

20. Use Keywords That Are Searchable

In your titles, descriptions, and tags you need to use the words or phrases that viewers are most likely to type into YouTube’s search bar when looking for content like yours. Doing a bit of keyword research will help you gain more subscribers on YouTube and more viewers on almost every video.

For example, if you do a product review of a new smartphone, you will get a lot more views titling it ‘iPhone X Review and Unboxing’ than ‘You won’t BELIEVE this phone’ because iPhone X, review and unboxing are all keywords that people might search for.

Contest now closed.

21. Make your Thumbnails Consistent

The thumbnails that you choose for your videos can be an extension of your brand. By using similar layouts, colors, and fonts for every thumbnail you will create a familiar look and viewers will recognize your videos when they see them. If someone can instantly recognize your video thumbnails it will strengthen your brand and encourage repeat viewership.

22. Always Have a Plan for Your Videos

If you can plan out a script or outline (whichever you’re comfortable with) for your video, or even plan out a series of videos that you could shoot over time, it can lead to far better content. Taking the time to create a plan for every single video will lead to much more polished results that will generate far better responses from your viewers. Planning takes time, but not as much time as trying to edit the content that had no clear plan.

23. Make Titles that Get Views

Writing great titles that are optimized for search engines is one of the best ways to see some huge improvements in your channel’s growth rate. Your titles need to be able to draw in an audience and get them interested in your content. They also have to set expectations for your videos and contain the right keywords to make them searchable. Big channels can get good results with titles that build suspense or ask questions, but while you’re small it’s better to avoid clickbait and make your titles as direct and literal as possible.

24. Create a YouTube Channel Trailer

Your channel page on YouTube might be where a viewer makes the decision to subscribe, or not to subscribe. YouTube allows you to set a featured video that will autoplay in this space, and a lot of the most successful creators use this as an opportunity to post a channel trailer . Your channel trailer welcomes new viewers and tells them what to expect from your content.

You can create a trailer quickly by filming a quick introduction and combining it with clips from your previous videos.

25. Give Each of Your Videos a Memorable Ending

Ending every video on a high note – with some kind of joke or surprise – will leave viewers with a good feeling, which will make them more likely to keep watching more of your videos.

Be sure to share your own tips on how to get your YouTube channel noticed.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

The Perfect Dimension Formula for YouTube Videos

What’s the Best YouTube Thumbnail Size?

Richard Bennett

Dec 30, 2022• Proven solutions

0

Making better YouTube thumbnails will help you get more views, and knowing the best YouTube thumbnail size is part of that. There are millions of videos on YouTube, so if you want the audience to click on yours, then you need to make a great first impression.

1. What’s the ideal YouTube thumbnail Size and Dimension?
2. Tips for Perfect Thumbnails
3. Making Better Thumbnails for YouTube

1. What’s the ideal YouTube thumbnail Size and Dimension?

An essential thing that every YouTube video developer needs to know is about the selection of the right side of the thumbnail for any video. As per the guidelines circulated by Google itself, the most appropriate size for the thumbnail image is 1280x720 pixels, where the recommended minimal pixel width is 640 pixels. Generally, the 16:9 ratio is considered as an ideal choice for Most of YouTube previews and players.

Here is one interesting thing that you need to know; the thumbnail of videos appears smaller during searches, but it naturally grows to the full size of a video during suggestions. Now the fact is that upscaling of images often loses the quality of content, whereas it is much easier to downscale larger images into smaller ones. Hence, the best idea is to use large size images so that this search and suggestion based scaling needs can be well accomplished.

You May Also Like:
Top 12 Best Free YouTube Thumbnail Makers >>
How to Download YouTube Thumbnail in 3 Ways [Online/Win/Mac] >>

2. Tips for Perfect Thumbnails

So, if you are ready to add thumbnails to your videos, then it is time to learn a few essential tips to do this task with improved impact. You need to ignore the blurry details and boost the eye-catching ones. Here are a few essential tips for developing the best videos with an impressive selection of thumbnail images:

YouTube’s Default Thumbnails

When you upload your video on YouTube, the platform itself gives you suggestions about thumbnails, and they are directly picked up from your own video. Although the idea is good and original, these thumbnails use to be of low quality with blur details. Hope! You don’t want to lose your audience with this bad selection.

Custom Thumbnails

This is probably the best choice for your customized videos, and the interesting thing is that here you can control everything manually with lots of useful effects.

First of all, you need to open your video on YouTube and then scrub a useful still from your video that you wish to use as a thumbnail.

Now, you need to take a screenshot of this particular instance of your video file. The best part is that most of the operating systems allow users to enjoy several shortcuts to complete this task. For example:

Mac users need to press Command+Shift+4 and then simply highlight the area that you want to include in your screenshot with the help of a frame. The system will automatically save your selected area to your desktop in the form of an image.

Window users are advised to access Windows Key with Print Screen option to get their desired screenshot.

Once you are ready with your video specific still image, then simply get it uploaded on YouTube using the edit video page.

3. Making Better Thumbnails for YouTube

The best part is to access some photo editing software tool to edit your image the way you like. You can use an advanced tool like Photoshop or a free online tool like Canva.

• Focus on Size:

It is always advised to create thumbnail images with standard video file size; the most commonly used standard size range is 1980x1080 or 1280x720. Images having a size smaller than this range may often appear blurry.

• Add Text:

The best idea is to use text-based editing for your thumbnail images and preferably add the title of your video to this image. It will naturally attract more viewers.

• Borders matter:

Professionals recommend adding borders around thumbnail images but do not try to make it too thick rather, try to make it noticeable with fine details.

• Background editing:

Most of the expert video thumbnail developers prefer to change the impact of thumbnail background by simply replacing the background color with solid colors. It will definitely attract more viewers and will bring major attention to the major subject.

• Test it before uploading:

Before uploading your customized thumbnail to your YouTube channel, prefer to check its final view. Zoom in to check the appearance of the thumbnail image on the larger screen, and it should also look fine when sized down.

Now that you know the best YouTube thumbnail size and how to design better thumbnails, do you think you’ll revisit the thumbnails of your existing YouTube videos?

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Wondershare Filmora. It provides special effects, stock photo & video, sound library, etc., which will definitely enhance your productivity and helps to make money by making videos much accessible.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Dec 30, 2022• Proven solutions

0

Making better YouTube thumbnails will help you get more views, and knowing the best YouTube thumbnail size is part of that. There are millions of videos on YouTube, so if you want the audience to click on yours, then you need to make a great first impression.

1. What’s the ideal YouTube thumbnail Size and Dimension?
2. Tips for Perfect Thumbnails
3. Making Better Thumbnails for YouTube

1. What’s the ideal YouTube thumbnail Size and Dimension?

An essential thing that every YouTube video developer needs to know is about the selection of the right side of the thumbnail for any video. As per the guidelines circulated by Google itself, the most appropriate size for the thumbnail image is 1280x720 pixels, where the recommended minimal pixel width is 640 pixels. Generally, the 16:9 ratio is considered as an ideal choice for Most of YouTube previews and players.

Here is one interesting thing that you need to know; the thumbnail of videos appears smaller during searches, but it naturally grows to the full size of a video during suggestions. Now the fact is that upscaling of images often loses the quality of content, whereas it is much easier to downscale larger images into smaller ones. Hence, the best idea is to use large size images so that this search and suggestion based scaling needs can be well accomplished.

You May Also Like:
Top 12 Best Free YouTube Thumbnail Makers >>
How to Download YouTube Thumbnail in 3 Ways [Online/Win/Mac] >>

2. Tips for Perfect Thumbnails

So, if you are ready to add thumbnails to your videos, then it is time to learn a few essential tips to do this task with improved impact. You need to ignore the blurry details and boost the eye-catching ones. Here are a few essential tips for developing the best videos with an impressive selection of thumbnail images:

YouTube’s Default Thumbnails

When you upload your video on YouTube, the platform itself gives you suggestions about thumbnails, and they are directly picked up from your own video. Although the idea is good and original, these thumbnails use to be of low quality with blur details. Hope! You don’t want to lose your audience with this bad selection.

Custom Thumbnails

This is probably the best choice for your customized videos, and the interesting thing is that here you can control everything manually with lots of useful effects.

First of all, you need to open your video on YouTube and then scrub a useful still from your video that you wish to use as a thumbnail.

Now, you need to take a screenshot of this particular instance of your video file. The best part is that most of the operating systems allow users to enjoy several shortcuts to complete this task. For example:

Mac users need to press Command+Shift+4 and then simply highlight the area that you want to include in your screenshot with the help of a frame. The system will automatically save your selected area to your desktop in the form of an image.

Window users are advised to access Windows Key with Print Screen option to get their desired screenshot.

Once you are ready with your video specific still image, then simply get it uploaded on YouTube using the edit video page.

3. Making Better Thumbnails for YouTube

The best part is to access some photo editing software tool to edit your image the way you like. You can use an advanced tool like Photoshop or a free online tool like Canva.

• Focus on Size:

It is always advised to create thumbnail images with standard video file size; the most commonly used standard size range is 1980x1080 or 1280x720. Images having a size smaller than this range may often appear blurry.

• Add Text:

The best idea is to use text-based editing for your thumbnail images and preferably add the title of your video to this image. It will naturally attract more viewers.

• Borders matter:

Professionals recommend adding borders around thumbnail images but do not try to make it too thick rather, try to make it noticeable with fine details.

• Background editing:

Most of the expert video thumbnail developers prefer to change the impact of thumbnail background by simply replacing the background color with solid colors. It will definitely attract more viewers and will bring major attention to the major subject.

• Test it before uploading:

Before uploading your customized thumbnail to your YouTube channel, prefer to check its final view. Zoom in to check the appearance of the thumbnail image on the larger screen, and it should also look fine when sized down.

Now that you know the best YouTube thumbnail size and how to design better thumbnails, do you think you’ll revisit the thumbnails of your existing YouTube videos?

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Wondershare Filmora. It provides special effects, stock photo & video, sound library, etc., which will definitely enhance your productivity and helps to make money by making videos much accessible.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Dec 30, 2022• Proven solutions

0

Making better YouTube thumbnails will help you get more views, and knowing the best YouTube thumbnail size is part of that. There are millions of videos on YouTube, so if you want the audience to click on yours, then you need to make a great first impression.

1. What’s the ideal YouTube thumbnail Size and Dimension?
2. Tips for Perfect Thumbnails
3. Making Better Thumbnails for YouTube

1. What’s the ideal YouTube thumbnail Size and Dimension?

An essential thing that every YouTube video developer needs to know is about the selection of the right side of the thumbnail for any video. As per the guidelines circulated by Google itself, the most appropriate size for the thumbnail image is 1280x720 pixels, where the recommended minimal pixel width is 640 pixels. Generally, the 16:9 ratio is considered as an ideal choice for Most of YouTube previews and players.

Here is one interesting thing that you need to know; the thumbnail of videos appears smaller during searches, but it naturally grows to the full size of a video during suggestions. Now the fact is that upscaling of images often loses the quality of content, whereas it is much easier to downscale larger images into smaller ones. Hence, the best idea is to use large size images so that this search and suggestion based scaling needs can be well accomplished.

You May Also Like:
Top 12 Best Free YouTube Thumbnail Makers >>
How to Download YouTube Thumbnail in 3 Ways [Online/Win/Mac] >>

2. Tips for Perfect Thumbnails

So, if you are ready to add thumbnails to your videos, then it is time to learn a few essential tips to do this task with improved impact. You need to ignore the blurry details and boost the eye-catching ones. Here are a few essential tips for developing the best videos with an impressive selection of thumbnail images:

YouTube’s Default Thumbnails

When you upload your video on YouTube, the platform itself gives you suggestions about thumbnails, and they are directly picked up from your own video. Although the idea is good and original, these thumbnails use to be of low quality with blur details. Hope! You don’t want to lose your audience with this bad selection.

Custom Thumbnails

This is probably the best choice for your customized videos, and the interesting thing is that here you can control everything manually with lots of useful effects.

First of all, you need to open your video on YouTube and then scrub a useful still from your video that you wish to use as a thumbnail.

Now, you need to take a screenshot of this particular instance of your video file. The best part is that most of the operating systems allow users to enjoy several shortcuts to complete this task. For example:

Mac users need to press Command+Shift+4 and then simply highlight the area that you want to include in your screenshot with the help of a frame. The system will automatically save your selected area to your desktop in the form of an image.

Window users are advised to access Windows Key with Print Screen option to get their desired screenshot.

Once you are ready with your video specific still image, then simply get it uploaded on YouTube using the edit video page.

3. Making Better Thumbnails for YouTube

The best part is to access some photo editing software tool to edit your image the way you like. You can use an advanced tool like Photoshop or a free online tool like Canva.

• Focus on Size:

It is always advised to create thumbnail images with standard video file size; the most commonly used standard size range is 1980x1080 or 1280x720. Images having a size smaller than this range may often appear blurry.

• Add Text:

The best idea is to use text-based editing for your thumbnail images and preferably add the title of your video to this image. It will naturally attract more viewers.

• Borders matter:

Professionals recommend adding borders around thumbnail images but do not try to make it too thick rather, try to make it noticeable with fine details.

• Background editing:

Most of the expert video thumbnail developers prefer to change the impact of thumbnail background by simply replacing the background color with solid colors. It will definitely attract more viewers and will bring major attention to the major subject.

• Test it before uploading:

Before uploading your customized thumbnail to your YouTube channel, prefer to check its final view. Zoom in to check the appearance of the thumbnail image on the larger screen, and it should also look fine when sized down.

Now that you know the best YouTube thumbnail size and how to design better thumbnails, do you think you’ll revisit the thumbnails of your existing YouTube videos?

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Wondershare Filmora. It provides special effects, stock photo & video, sound library, etc., which will definitely enhance your productivity and helps to make money by making videos much accessible.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Dec 30, 2022• Proven solutions

0

Making better YouTube thumbnails will help you get more views, and knowing the best YouTube thumbnail size is part of that. There are millions of videos on YouTube, so if you want the audience to click on yours, then you need to make a great first impression.

1. What’s the ideal YouTube thumbnail Size and Dimension?
2. Tips for Perfect Thumbnails
3. Making Better Thumbnails for YouTube

1. What’s the ideal YouTube thumbnail Size and Dimension?

An essential thing that every YouTube video developer needs to know is about the selection of the right side of the thumbnail for any video. As per the guidelines circulated by Google itself, the most appropriate size for the thumbnail image is 1280x720 pixels, where the recommended minimal pixel width is 640 pixels. Generally, the 16:9 ratio is considered as an ideal choice for Most of YouTube previews and players.

Here is one interesting thing that you need to know; the thumbnail of videos appears smaller during searches, but it naturally grows to the full size of a video during suggestions. Now the fact is that upscaling of images often loses the quality of content, whereas it is much easier to downscale larger images into smaller ones. Hence, the best idea is to use large size images so that this search and suggestion based scaling needs can be well accomplished.

You May Also Like:
Top 12 Best Free YouTube Thumbnail Makers >>
How to Download YouTube Thumbnail in 3 Ways [Online/Win/Mac] >>

2. Tips for Perfect Thumbnails

So, if you are ready to add thumbnails to your videos, then it is time to learn a few essential tips to do this task with improved impact. You need to ignore the blurry details and boost the eye-catching ones. Here are a few essential tips for developing the best videos with an impressive selection of thumbnail images:

YouTube’s Default Thumbnails

When you upload your video on YouTube, the platform itself gives you suggestions about thumbnails, and they are directly picked up from your own video. Although the idea is good and original, these thumbnails use to be of low quality with blur details. Hope! You don’t want to lose your audience with this bad selection.

Custom Thumbnails

This is probably the best choice for your customized videos, and the interesting thing is that here you can control everything manually with lots of useful effects.

First of all, you need to open your video on YouTube and then scrub a useful still from your video that you wish to use as a thumbnail.

Now, you need to take a screenshot of this particular instance of your video file. The best part is that most of the operating systems allow users to enjoy several shortcuts to complete this task. For example:

Mac users need to press Command+Shift+4 and then simply highlight the area that you want to include in your screenshot with the help of a frame. The system will automatically save your selected area to your desktop in the form of an image.

Window users are advised to access Windows Key with Print Screen option to get their desired screenshot.

Once you are ready with your video specific still image, then simply get it uploaded on YouTube using the edit video page.

3. Making Better Thumbnails for YouTube

The best part is to access some photo editing software tool to edit your image the way you like. You can use an advanced tool like Photoshop or a free online tool like Canva.

• Focus on Size:

It is always advised to create thumbnail images with standard video file size; the most commonly used standard size range is 1980x1080 or 1280x720. Images having a size smaller than this range may often appear blurry.

• Add Text:

The best idea is to use text-based editing for your thumbnail images and preferably add the title of your video to this image. It will naturally attract more viewers.

• Borders matter:

Professionals recommend adding borders around thumbnail images but do not try to make it too thick rather, try to make it noticeable with fine details.

• Background editing:

Most of the expert video thumbnail developers prefer to change the impact of thumbnail background by simply replacing the background color with solid colors. It will definitely attract more viewers and will bring major attention to the major subject.

• Test it before uploading:

Before uploading your customized thumbnail to your YouTube channel, prefer to check its final view. Zoom in to check the appearance of the thumbnail image on the larger screen, and it should also look fine when sized down.

Now that you know the best YouTube thumbnail size and how to design better thumbnails, do you think you’ll revisit the thumbnails of your existing YouTube videos?

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Wondershare Filmora. It provides special effects, stock photo & video, sound library, etc., which will definitely enhance your productivity and helps to make money by making videos much accessible.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

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