YouTube stands out as a platform where ordinary content can suddenly skyrocket to fame, reaching millions in hours. But what’s the secret behind these viral sensations and how to find your dedicated YouTube followers? Is it pure luck, strategic planning, or a mix of both? Let’s discover the mystery behind YouTube’s most-watched phenomena and let’s see how to make a video go viral.

Research Keywords and Monitor Progress

Remember that it is not possible to scan audio in a video for keywords and phrases. It will have to be done manually by adding it to the context of the content surrounding the video.

Based on the URL you enter, keywords and phrases will be automatically generated, and you can add and remove them from the list. Note: Make sure you select YouTube from the list of search engines. Once the project is launched, the data will be collected (very quickly if you have a reliable internet connection), and you will only have to click the “Finish” button to view the results.

Success Depends on the Numbers

Let’s say one thing right away: some can see a video uploaded to YouTube. Your videos can also be dedicated to a few intimates (a few friends or a small group of amateurs) and conceived for this purpose. If you want to become a professional YouTuber, however, you have to think big because it is only numbers that define your success on the web. As we will see later, something else also counts, but for now, the goal is to generate thousands of views.

Extraordinary Things Don’t Always Work

YouTube is full of videos featuring people who can do extraordinary things. There are, for example, clips of guys singing divinely, there are those who manage to make 100 crystal glasses sound like an orchestra, those who drag an airplane with their teeth, and those who defy the odds by throwing themselves out of a mountain in a wingsuit. Generally, these videos have a large following, are seen by millions, and can be considered viral.

They have a limit. However, they are transient phenomena; the success is short-lived, and there is almost always no real Youtuber with his channel behind them.

Work on Your Content

You may have exceptional talent, but to make only a few of your videos get a lot of views, you have to work on the content. There is no doubt that beyond any personal talents, even portentous ones, it is the story that generates the most virality. The video you make must say something, and it must say it in a captivating way. We already said it in the first lesson and repeated it here: it all depends on the idea. Free your imagination and remember this advice: all viral videos work for one or more reasons: they entertain, surprise, and excite.

Requirements for YouTube short films

• Length: Short films on YouTube can be up to 60 seconds long. Nevertheless, the default length of a YouTube short film is 15 seconds, which means that you can create multiple 15-second shorts that can be merged into one continuous video of up to one hour.
• Mode: YouTube Shorts can only be shot in portrait view.
• Audio: This function allows you to use the YouTube library to add audio. Keep in mind, however, that videos using third-party music can have a maximum duration of 15 seconds.

Optimize the File Name

Every video uploaded to YouTube is likely to have an automatically generated title. Rename it using keywords that describe the video with similar words or recall the content.

Before you even hit the upload button, start at the very foundation: the file name. Most of us don’t think about it and let our videos carry generic names like “VID_20230101.mp4”. However, taking a moment to rename your video file with relevant keywords can give you an edge. Think of it as laying down the groundwork.

By ensuring the file name echoes the content or the main theme of the video, you’re setting the stage for better discoverability. It’s like giving your video a head start in the race to go viral. Every little detail counts and this simple step can play a part in catching the algorithm’s eye.

Enhance the Title

The title of your video is a great starting point for the smart use of video optimisation. Be descriptive but concise, as you would with any web page URL. Here some tips:

• While creativity is essential, clarity should stay put. Ensure your title conveys what the video is about. A viewer should get a gist of the content by glancing at the title.
• Think about what terms your target audience might punch into the search bar. Incorporate those keywords naturally into your title to boost discoverability.
• Words like ‘new’, ‘latest’, or ‘official’ add credibility and create a buzz, urging viewers to click right away.
• While using sensationalist titles to draw viewers in might be tempting, it can backfire. Ensure your title accurately represents the content to build trust with your audience.
• Feel free to switch things up. Monitor how your video performs with different titles and adjust accordingly. Sometimes, a minor tweak can make a world of difference.

Pay Attention to Titles and Subtitles

Titles and subtitles are one of the least used SEO tactics on YouTube. For SEO benefits, captioning opens up video experiences to a wider audience, allowing for the hearing impaired or translated into foreign languages.

YouTube offers automatic voice response language recognition technology to produce captions, but these automatic scripts may have mistakes. So you can use this approach and edit the text to ensure QA.

It is better not to have subtitles than automated nonsense words that could mark the YouTube URL as spam by Google, lowering any SEO value. Or you can create your subtitle script and upload it to YouTube.

YouTube Video Description: a Scheme to Simplify

To remedy this, we have developed a scheme to create all my forthcoming descriptions.

It consists very simply of these steps:

• First, 130 characters were for SEO, and the first 400 characters were edited to intrigue.
• A summary of the video that intrigues the user.
• Timestamps.
• An explanation of the channel and what can be found in it.
• A set of recommended playlists (because we want to increase watch time).
• An invitation to subscribe to the channel.
• Links to the company website and products.
• A link to contacts (social and otherwise).
• At most, 3 hashtags.

These are simply chapters with which you can divide your video so that those who are only interested in a single topic can go and listen to it directly, skipping all the background and arriving directly at the correct minute length. Of course, it is also a way to pass additional metadata to the algorithm, but it is very useful and appreciated by users.

We understand that not all videos are adapted to having timestamps and that it’s yet another extra thing to do. The order of these nine addendums we listed a moment ago can vary.

Add Tags Correctly

Tags are keywords inserted when submitting or modifying videos and propose information about the topic and content of the video. Include your brand name and related tags.

If you are stuck, use YouTube’s automatic suggestion tool. Please don’t go overboard with tags: only include words that accurately describe what’s in the video, starting with the longest words, and as they become popular and different searches increase in the keyword list, update them. Use inverted commas to indicate multi-word tags.

Be Concise

The most popular videos are the shortest. This means you should cut out the excess on your branded video; viewers are likely to watch the whole video if it is short!

If the content of your video takes longer, such as a tutorial or a testimonial, know that you don’t have to give all the details but provide a short overview. Users looking for more in-depth information can be directed to the appropriate web content videos via links in the description.

Depending on the content and your video’s purpose, there is no one size fits all. Consider separating content and short videos into one playlist so that the user is automatically directed to the next short clip in the list once a video is finished.

Fun, surprise and excitement have one common denominator: they change our emotional state. Something happens in the brain, a complex mechanism that involves us to such an extent that we make a judgment (maybe a like or a comment) and share the experience with others.

Think of the videos of the famous Grumpy Cat, the most famous sulky cat on the web; probably the first video put online by its owner went viral unknowingly (over 21 million views), but then Tabatha Bundesen, the kitty’s owner, exploited her feline assets to perfection by pointing precisely at the three reasons we mentioned above.

Take Care of Overlays

Overlays are those small text boxes that appear during a video. This text can appear as a clickable link for your audience, which can prompt them to subscribe to your channel, make a purchase or view more information on your site.

It’s not just about slapping on a text box; it’s about timing, placement, and message clarity. Ensure your overlays don’t disrupt the main content but complement it. The key is to strike a balance: make them noticeable without being too in-your-face.

By seamlessly integrating overlays into your video, you’re enhancing the viewing experience and opening doors to deeper viewer interaction and potential growth for your channel or business. Remember, in the world of YouTube, it’s these small tweaks that can set you apart and drive big results.

Take Care of the Content

Try to think from the audience’s point of view: what will the video do for users? Does it meet their interests and needs? Try to understand what the Facebook audience wants based on what they are already watching and sharing, then re-use the techniques for yourself.

Trends rise and fall based on audience whims and social priorities, so it’s important to monitor your potential viewers and seriously consider any changes made by Facebook’s algorithm.

With a few updates to your channel and videos, focusing on keywords and phrases, you are well on your way to a highly detectable and engaging YouTube presence.

Another good idea for bolstering your video content with YouTube shorts is to repurpose existing long-form videos or even product pages, website copy, blog posts, etc. Remember to edit your shorts to make them appear neater and more consistent prior to making them available.

Reviews

Alright, think of it as a mini version of those detailed review videos that abound on YouTube. Do you have an advertised product or a newly launched service? Produce a short video on YouTube and share your testimonial with your viewers in less than 60 seconds.

The Result

This article will assist you in getting your video advertising campaigns on target by including YouTube videos in your business plan. Thanks to this guide, you’ll be able to get your YouTube marketing efforts on track with the inclusion of YouTube on your marketing plan.

It would help if you never forgot that YouTube is also a ‘search engine’. You normally enter keywords in the ‘search’ field to find the videos you want to see: the singer’s name, the YouTuber you love, the video game that has just been released, and so on.