I know what you’re thinking: “Oh no, another article promising to teach me how to be famous on YouTube”. Don’t worry, that’s not the case. Instead, this article acts as a guide with tips on how to create content for YouTube.
Producing content for YouTube can be exhausting and success can be hard to achieve, especially for those who have a tight schedule but still want to maximize their channel’s visibility.
If your aim is to create great content on YouTube, you’ll have to interact with Artificial Intelligence (AI) programming, a.k.a. algorithms.
Programming is a language, just like any other. If you are trying to communicate with an American citizen, you should be speaking in English. And it’s no different online. To achieve success and have your content ranked satisfactorily, you need to communicate it in a way which search engines understand.
When considering ways to enhance your YouTube content and increase its visibility, exploring Adobe’s versatile video editor can be invaluable, especially when you edit videos.
You can use AI in your favor with YouTube SEO (Search Engine Optimization), for example. We’ll discuss this further later on.
Standing out on YouTube
According to Socialblade, YouTube is home to over 51 million channels today – an increase of 36% compared to 2021. This study notes that creators from all over the world upload approximately 500 hours of video to the platform every minute. How can you hope to stand out from the crowd?
How to create content for YouTube
The keys to achieving more followers, subscribers and views on YouTube are quality, and originality.
Step 1: develop a content strategy
A content strategy will give you time to plan the growth of your YouTube channel. It involves the following items:
● define your goals
● define your target audience
● study the competition
● plan your content
● execute your plan
If you see that your metrics are not consistent with your goals, there’s nothing wrong with adapting your strategy. We highly recommend revisiting your plan and changing it from time to time in order to adapt to new conditions.
Step 2: create great, shareable content
The competition on YouTube is tough, with many channels publishing videos which are similar to yours. The best way around this is to create unique content.
Your content should also be shareable; here are some tips to achieve this:
● Follow trends. Tools like Google Trends and YouTube Trends can help you to find what type of content your audience is looking for.
● Connect to people’s emotions and values. This will make your videos more appealing to your target audience.
● Make ongoing video series which inspire viewer curiosity.
Your content also needs to be accessible to all. This may be the first time a viewer is watching your material. Always take the time to quickly introduce yourself on each video, so newcomers can understand what your channel is about.
Step 3: be consistent
Be consistent about the format and different elements of your videos, focusing on your niche and building up a signature brand which will make your content easy to identify.
Communicate clearly. Be watchful of noises, flashing lights, and anything else which could potentially distract the viewer from the essence of your content. You should also pay attention to your tone of voice, and seek to convey confidence and a well-defined point of view.
Establishing a posting schedule can also be very helpful. In addition to improving organization, regular posting will inspire loyalty among your followers, who will always know when to expect new content. Don’t forget to tell your audience about this schedule.
Step 4: Optimize the content for the search engine
YouTube is one of the most-used search engines in the world. Your video thumbnails and titles can be optimized to stand out in Google and YouTube searches.
Firstly, bear in mind the importance of using the right keywords. Be aware of who is looking for content like yours: what words might they use to find video containing this content? This can solve the problem of people not finding your video when searching for the content in question.
Be creative, and try to arouse your audience’s curiosity. The title and thumbnails are the first contact viewers have with your video, so take advantage, and make them eye-catching and exciting, to earn extra clicks.
You can customize your thumbnails and change them after posting each video to YouTube. They should:
● Be clear to the viewer
● Answer their question
● Include a short, catchy text with keywords
● Be vibrant and colorful
● Shows strong emotions
● Arouse curiosity
Your title should be short and contain relevant keywords for search engine optimization (SEO). Remember: the title should offer a solution to the searcher, and should match the content in the video (unlike clickbait).
YouTube Analytics is your best friend here, letting you track which of your videos appeal (or not) to your target audience.
Get to work!
Now it’s time to create your content. Grab a pen and paper, and make a script for your videos. Choose the scene, the point of view, and the bullet points which need to be included in your video. You should have clarity when it comes to your video’s structure, and make sure that its contents flow intuitively.
Once this has been established, it’s time to film.
A lot of filming is “refilming”: watch the video, make adjustments, and record again if necessary. You probably won’t get it 100% right on your first attempt.
Editing is another important step in the video making process. Try to edit it in a way that holds your viewers attention. If you haven’t added subtitles to your video in the editing stage, don’t forget to turn on closed captions when you upload it to YouTube.
Finally, edit the thumbnails and the title, as discussed before.
Now you know how to create content for YouTube, smartly and effectively. Good luck!