5 Things To Always Include In YouTube Videos
5 Things To Always Include In YouTube Videos
With over 1.5 billion monthly active users, YouTube is the second biggest social media platform surpassed only by Facebook. It’s a platform that has immense capabilities, exemplified by the select few on YouTube that we can call the “pros” who make their livelihood on the content they create that’s watched by millions. For the rest of us, YouTube may not be the source of our income, but it still functions as a great platform for hosting and sharing great video content to a wide range of audiences.
At the core of any high-performing YouTube channel or video, there’s high quality video content, but this does not guarantee that the video, channel, or even brand as a whole will be successful. What makes good content become great content is how you utilize the tools that YouTube provides you to enhance your videos and channel. Today, you’re experts in social media growth here at Adwizar are going to go over the top 5 things that you should always have as a part of your video content on YouTube.
An Interesting Title With Keywords
Did you know that every minute, there’s approximately 500 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube? If you think about that in the context of the average YouTube video being 4 minutes and 20 seconds, that’s a lot of video. Actually, even out of that context it’s a lot of video.
So to cut to the chase, how do you make your video stand out among the ever growing crowd? Well there’s no better place to start than the first thing that people see: your title. The focus with your title needs to be on keywords, which typically comes easily with just taking the route of simplicity. Title your video to show what it’s about. Is it an information video about how to properly groom your cat? Then title your video “How To Properly Groom Your Cat”. It has all of the essential keywords in there that will make it easy for YouTube’s search engine to determine if you’re relevant for what people are looking for, and easy for your audience to get a good understanding of what your video covers.
An Attractive Thumbnail Image
Continuing to build on the question of how you can make your video stand out, an eye-catching image as a thumbnail or “title card” is an absolute necessity. When someone comes across your video while browsing, not only will they see the title, but they have an image that can potentially draw them in visually, either piquing their curiosity or simply making it easier to affirm that your video is what they’re looking for. If the title was peanut butter, thumbnail images would be the jelly.
Just take a look at some of the top trending video on YouTube see the use of bright colors, big words, facial expressions, and more that draw you in without having to look at the title.
It’s important to note that you need to go into your video editor in YouTube in order to set this thumbnail, and if you don’t set one, it will just pull a random frame from you video or start at the very first frame. Also, in order to be eligible for adding your own thumbnail images requires a verified account.
Detailed Descriptions & Tags
The description of your video can be used for a lot of things, with many users using it to link to their social media profiles, their website, other content, or even other users and videos that they may have referenced. You can see these things often, but you should never forget to put an actual description. Go into a bit more detail covering what the video is about that maybe you weren’t able to get across in the short span of a title.
As for tags, they help open up your video to a broader range of possibilities. Similar to the idea of keywords, tags will help users find your content based on their searches while helping YouTube match your content with your relevant audience. Make sure your tags are clear and relevant. Do not stuff your tags with as many general words as you can, since you’ll only end up hurting yourself in the long run when your videos start showing up for irrelevant searches.
Subtitles & Closed Captioning
There’s a couple reasons that you should include subtitles and closed captioning on your videos. First, you’re trying to cater to as many users in your audience as possible, and by including a closed captions file with your video will allow users with hearing disabilities to engage with you content. Second, it puts the content of your video into a text format, which allows for more effective indexing of the content for search engines, optimizing the accessibility of your video.
Cards With Links To Related Content
If you’re looking for ways to improve your video’s visibility, increase viewer engagement, or even promote other content, YouTube’s “card” feature is a tool that you should definitely take advantage of. You can add cards to each individual video that you have on your channel, and you can choose from a wide selection of features including audience polls, website links, a link to a YouTube playlist, and even links to other YouTube channels. One of the best parts is that you can actually include up to 5 cards on one video! Just find the cards that best fits your needs for your social media goals and the type of content are you creating, and take your YouTube game to the next level.
Contact Us For More YouTube Tips!
Whether you already have great content that you’re trying to get out there, or if you’re just starting your expedition into the land of YouTube, the social media growth experts here at Adwizar are here with everything that you need to achieve the goals you’re shooting for. From training and consulting to all-out social media management, we are your partners in social media success. For more information about how we can help grow your social media presence, just connect with us and get a free consultation by filling out our contact form or by giving us a call at 1-800-661-5095. We look forward to working with you!
