So, you have a great idea that you want to shout from the mountain tops, but making a snappy video seems like a more practical approach. How do you make sure that your video ends up getting as much attention as your mountain-top yodeling would? There are a number of video hosting platforms online these days, but YouTube still seems to be a household name. It’s a great place to start when promoting your video, but most of these tips can be applied no matter where your videos live.
Let’s start with the basics: Make a good video
Quality is quality
If you’re going to spend time promoting and sharing your video, isn’t it worth putting in the time to make a great video? (hint: It is).
Know your audience
Who do you want to watch your video? What do they care about? What do they love, and what do they hate? What gets them out of bed in the morning, and what makes them wish they had never left it? Answering these questions gets you inside the heads of your audience members.
Tell a story
Facts are great, but emotions are what get people to act. Once you know your audience inside and out, tailor your content to tell a story that matters to them.
Grab attention
This is the fun part. Once you have your story, throw in a surprise. Animation is a great way to grab attention, but the sky’s the limit! At Next Day, we like to add something unexpected into the opening scene to set a playful tone from the first few seconds. Movement in the opening scene makes your video infinitely more engaging, and isn’t movement one of the main perks of working in video?
During the upload
Congratulations, your video is finished and you’re ready to share it with the word! You go to YouTube, click “upload,” but then what?
Titles
One of the easiest things you can do to make your video stand out, is to give it a great title. It might take some brainstorming, but it’ll be worth it. Pick something clever that hints at the content of your video.
Thumbnails
The thumbnail image is a single frame from your video that shows up in search results. YouTube automatically generates up to three options for you to choose from, but you can also upload your own. Pick a thumbnail that’s funny, intriguing, or that highlights your branding.
Tags
Tags are single words or phrases that viewers might type into a search field. Adding tags to your video makes it more likely to be discovered among the millions of other videos on YouTube. Be savvy about tags, and keep it simple. If you make a funny video about robots, consider tags like “funny,” “comedy,” “robot,” etc.
After the upload
Your Channel
After watching your video, viewers may find their way to the rest of your Channel. A YouTube Channel is where all of the videos you’ve uploaded (and set to “public”) live. Your Channel should reflect your identity – whether that is your personality, branding, or a charming combination of both. Some easy ways to improve your Channel’s branding would be to add your logo, a Channel Art image (similar to a Cover Photo on Facebook), and a brief description that includes links to your website and social media sites. You can also ask viewers to subscribe to your channel so that they never miss a beat!
The long run
Remember that just because your video is on YouTube doesn’t necessarily mean anyone is watching it. Update tags and titles frequently as trending words, phrases and topics come and go. Post your video to your social media sites, and link to related videos, articles, and other content. Another option is to advertise your video through YouTube. A great way to do that is to run your video as a preroll add on YouTube.
Now that you know how to make your video stand out among the multitude, let’s make it come to life.
