4 Ways to ‘Crush It’ on YouTube this Year – #TomFerryShow

October 6, 2020

FACT:

YouTube ranks immediately behind Google as the world’s second-most trafficked website.

ANALYSIS:

You better have a good, strong presence on YouTube.

QUESTION:

Do you?

– – –

Well, do you?

I hope so, but if not, Jason Pantana stepped in to share some great insights and four ways to “crush it” on YouTube this year.

Let’s dive in…

Why Should You Be on YouTube?

Before we get to Jason’s tips, let’s start with the foundation… why it’s important to be on YouTube.

First off, YouTube defies one strict category. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram are social media sites that show you content based on their algorithm, while sites like Google and Bing deliver content based on your search criteria.

YouTube is a bit of both – a hybrid of search engine and social media site.

And like I mentioned above, it’s the second most-popular website, period.

So you actually have two chances to get your content in front of people on YouTube… they might search for a certain topic and find your videos, or they might subscribe to your channel and consume everything you post.

Either way, you need to be there.

“Crush It” on YouTube Tip No. 1: Pay Attention to Your Upload Cadence

Creating video content takes time, so I suspect many people reading this are concerned about having to post constantly in order to grow their YouTube channel.

Jason says it’s not how much you post that matters; it’s how consistently you post.

Don’t, for instance, post four videos in a couple days and then forget about YouTube for the next month.

Decide what your cadence will be and then create a schedule to build in that consistency.

YouTube primarily cares about two things: Watch time and clickthrough rate, so be sure to make your content engaging all the way through to optimize your watch time.

“Crush It” on YouTube Tip No. 2: Your Channel Ambience Matters

When you go to your YouTube page, does it look like you?

Make sure to customize your channel so it reflects your brand in your channel art (the banner at the top) and encourages people to subscribe.

Also be sure to take advantage of Playlists to organize your content and make it easy for people to find what they’re looking for.

PRO TIP: Go into Playlist settings > Advanced settings > Date published to make sure your newest video is always shown first.

Have you completed your “About” section with your bio, details, and contact information?

All of these details factor into the overall “feel” or ambience of your channel. The more you customize them and make them a reflection of you and your brand, the more effective you’ll be.

“Crush It” on YouTube Tip No. 3: Optimize with Cards & End Screens

Remember what we said earlier about watch time and clickthrough rate?

Anything you can do to keep people on YouTube longer is not only going to benefit you directly, but also indirectly as YouTube will like your content more because they know it’s a winner that keeps eyeballs on their site.

So “cards” and “end screens” are two ways you can do this.

Each of these basically promote other videos either during (cards) or at the end of (end screens) your videos.

Take advantage of these to keep people watching your content, building digital rapport with you, and showing YouTube that people love what you’re creating!

“Crush It” on YouTube Tip No. 4: Keywords, Titles & Tags

Shooting and editing your video might seem like the heavy lifting, but don’t discount what comes next… naming your video, writing a strong description, and including relevant keywords so it shows up in search results.

Jason strongly recommends using TubeBuddy, a browser extension and app to make sure you’re using the right keywords. It can also analyze YouTube to help you identify underutilized topics that present an opportunity in the marketplace.

Also keep in mind that YouTube “reads” titles from left to right, so don’t hide the real topic of your video at the end of your title. Make sure it’s right up in front.

So there they are… four ways to up your game and “crush it” on YouTube in 2021. Which will you implement first? Let me know in the comments below!