Youtube Playbook: A Summary of Its Effectiveness

When John Green started the Youtube Channel “Crash Course”, he never expected to generate over 1.5 billion views, much less over 2 million followers. People around the globe upload videos and build online communities every day. Those who are successful in creating popular channels, become a model for other online communities to emulate in terms of strategy. Youtube offers a valuable “Playbook” that gives you great tips on practices and tactics to build a viewership for your channel. Some points that we found especially useful, and would like to share are:

1. Tent-pole-programming

Tent-pole programming means creating videos that correlate with popular events. From Food Creation to Fashion & Beauty, audiences are looking for holiday/event themed projects all the time. Creating content around specific events is essential to building a solid and faithful audience. For example, a channel for knitting could present great project ideas for Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Surf Channels can teach techniques that a celebrity surfer used to win the recent World Cup Series. The possibilities are numerous and with the help of tent-pole programming, you can connect with your audience further by tying your content to the events that matter to them.

2. Metadata and Thumbnail Optimization:

Ever walked into a bookstore and been intrigued by a book just at the sight of the title? Creating catchy titles and descriptions are the first step to attracting a viewer. Using the keyword suggestion tool on Youtube, try to find a title that is both appealing and likely to get hits, so as to create a show-stopping title. As for thumbnails, an eye-catching image is the way to go. A great visual aid makes your viewer click and watch your video. So, make it attractive to get those viewership numbers up!

3. Channel Page Optimization:

What also attracts a viewer to a page, is a sense of professionalism. The experience you create for a viewer is what stays and keeps them coming back for more. Channel page optimization is about making your channel a good experience for your audience, making it the go-to destination for both current and potential subscribers.

4. Cross Promotion & Collaboration:

When SNL features a celebrity once a week, two things are happening simultaneously. The show reaches out to fans of the guest celebrity (giving the show the opportunity to gain new followers), while the celebrity has a platform to promote their latest work. It’s a win-win situation, making it a great marketing strategy. Cross promotion & collaboration means working with other creators to cross promote content between channels. The reason why this works is because collaborating with and promoting other creators in the community, is a fantastic way to reach new audiences. Other YouTube creators are a critical part of your community on YouTube. So, create a strategy to cross-promote your content to relevant audiences. Find and reach out to channels with similar audiences for collaborations.

To read the Youtube Playbook in full detail, click here.