Getting more views on YouTube is a great way to promote your film projects and grow your audience.
Want to turn your YouTube channel into a promotional platform for your work as a filmmaker? Here's what you need to know:
- Create Engaging YouTube Videos
- Get More Views On YouTube
- YouTube For Filmmakers
- TL;DR
- YouTube Jargon For Filmmakers
- Viral YouTube Marketing
YouTube is the second-largest search engine. It allows viewers to comment on, share, and link to your videos. But with millions of videos uploaded daily, standing out can be a challenge.
In this article, you'll get our top ten tips for creating engaging YouTube videos, optimizing your videos for search, and leveraging social media to boost your views and build a loyal audience.
How to Create Engaging YouTube Videos
When it comes to increasing YouTube views, the name of the game is “search” and “discovery.”
People find your videos through specific keywords or when YouTube shows them as a “suggested video,” which considers viewer preferences and history.
Engaging content is the key to attracting and retaining viewers on YouTube.
Get More Views On YouTube
While there is no guarantee of how many views your video will get on YouTube, there are several things you can do to optimize it for maximum exposure.
For the following example, imagine you plan to use YouTube to promote a movie trailer and spread word of mouth. Here are some things you can do to help get more YouTube views.
1. Include A Great Title: Movie marketing aims to make your movie memorable. As your movie builds buzz, you increase the odds that someone will remember it and search for it online.
For example, if you are promoting your trailer on YouTube, including your film title as part of your YouTube video title can improve people's chances of finding your work.
2. Include The Genre Of Your Film: People randomly searching for movies online often use generic terms. You could anticipate this by including additional info about your genre.
Let's say you made a horror movie called Trauma Therapy. You might test a video title like this: “Trauma Therapy Horror Movie.”
3. Include Names Of Recognizable Cast: If your film features a celebrity, a well-known director, or a social media influencer, you might consider adding their name to your YouTube title.
Using the previous example, if Trauma Therapy features Tom Malloy, you might test a title like “Trauma Therapy Horror Movie With Tom Malloy.”
4. Change The File Name: Before uploading your video to YouTube, change the file name to match the title.
While we don't know if this helps, many internet marketing nerds will tell you it's an essential best practice for getting more views. So it can't hurt.
5. Keep Your Title Short: Search results only allow roughly 70 characters. These limitations require that you find creative ways to make your title compelling. You can always add more detail about your video in the YouTube tags and description sections.
6. Write A Compelling Description: When you describe your video on YouTube, it's best to get straight to the point. This is because the first few words of your description are visible in search results.
After that, the viewer must click the “show more” link. Ask people to comment and share your work at the end of the video description.
7. Optimize Your Tags: We all know it's not 1999 anymore. So, just because YouTube allows you to add a gazillion tags to your video, doing a bunch of “tag stuffing” will not help you get more views.
Use only 5-8 RELEVANT tags. For example, you might use a trauma therapy movie, Tom Malloy, a horror movie by Brian Krause or Luciana Faulhaber, or a movie trailer.
8. Choose The Right Thumbnail: This is where many filmmakers screw up. You spend all this time crafting an excellent video title, finding the proper tags, and editing your description, only to neglect the video thumbnail completely.
Don't do that. The purpose of the YouTube thumbnail is to promote a click, so make sure you create a thumbnail that will attract clicks.
9. Add Subtitles: Besides helping people with hearing impairments, a lot of people like to watch videos without sound. So, adding closed captions is a good move. And because both Google and YouTube recognize text as data, adding subtitles is like adding searchable keywords to your video.
10. Share your video: YouTube is highly competitive, so in addition to everything else mentioned, you should share your video with friends, family, and supporters.
Ask these folks to leave comments and share the video with their friends. This will “prime the pump,” which could signal to YouTube that your video is worth recommending.
YouTube For Filmmakers
Looking for the best strategies to increase your trailer views on YouTube? We've compiled the most frequently asked questions and expert answers to help you optimize your YouTube channel.
How can I make my trailer more engaging?
Start with a compelling hook, keep it concise, use high-quality visuals and sound, and end with a strong call to action.
What keywords should I use in my metadata?
Use relevant keywords related to your content, such as movie genre, title, and specific themes or topics covered in the trailer.
How often should I upload new content to my YouTube channel?
Consistency is key. Aim to upload new content at least once a week to keep your audience engaged.
How can I leverage social media to boost my YouTube views?
Share your videos on all your social media accounts, engage with your followers, join relevant groups, and consider using paid promotions.
What are end screens, and how do they help?
End screens are elements added to the end of your video that promote other content on your channel. They help keep viewers engaged and direct them to more of your videos.
Why is collaboration with Creators important?
Collaborations can significantly boost your reach and credibility by exposing your content to the influencer’s audience.
What is the best way to interact with my audience on YouTube?
Respond to comments, use the community tab to post updates, and engage with viewers to build a loyal community.
How do I use YouTube analytics to improve my content?
Analyze performance metrics to understand what works and doesn’t, and adjust your strategy accordingly.
How can I create eye-catching thumbnails?
Use high-quality images, bold text, and vibrant colors. Make sure the thumbnail accurately represents your video content.
What should be included in my video description?
Include a summary of your video, relevant keywords, and links to your social media and website. Also, use time stamps to highlight key sections of your video.
How do I get more comments on my videos?
Encourage viewers to comment by asking questions or prompting discussions. Respond to comments to foster engagement.
Can paid promotions on social media help boost my YouTube views?
Yes, paid promotions can increase your reach and attract more viewers to your channel, especially if targeted correctly.
How important are video tags on YouTube?
Video tags are important as they help YouTube’s algorithm understand the content of your video, making it easier for users to find your content through search.
TL;DR
Want to boost your trailer views on YouTube effectively? The key to your success is creating engaging content, optimizing your metadata, leveraging social media, collaborating with creators, and maintaining consistency and interaction with your audience.
YouTube Jargon For Filmmakers
Here are some key terms mentioned in this article. Knowing these terms will help you get more views on your YouTube trailers.
Metadata: Info about your video, like titles, descriptions, and tags.
Thumbnail: A small picture representing your video, meant to attract clicks.
End Screens: Parts at the end of your video that promote other content on your channel.
Cards: Clickable elements added to your video to promote other content.
SEO: Search Engine Optimization, the practice of making your content easier to find through search engines.
Engagement: Interaction between you and your viewers, like likes, comments, and shares.
Algorithm: The system YouTube uses to decide which videos to recommend.
Collaboration: Working with other creators or influencers to make content together.
Community Tab: A part of YouTube where you can post updates and talk with your viewers outside of videos.
Creator: Someone with a big following on social media who can affect their audience’s opinions. Sometimes, these people are called influencers.
YouTube Viral Marketing
One filmmaking tool you can use to get more views is TubeBuddy. While they pay us to promote (as an affiliate), we love this solution.
It's easy to use and provides feedback on optimizing each YouTube video, including descriptions, tagging, and keyword competition.
Depending on your service tier, they even offer an easy way to add cards and end screens in bulk! Find out more about TubeBuddy here.
While it will take some planning, getting more views on YouTube is a valuable strategy for promoting your film. And if you successfully get your video to rank in search engines, free traffic is always a plus. With enough views and subscribers, you might even catch the attention of prospective film distributors.
