Is it Too Late to Start a YouTube Channel?

I'm often asked: Is it too late to start a YouTube channel?

With a lot of competition online, (and a lot of noise for that matter) you might be wondering if it’s too late to start a YouTube channel. The short answer is definitely not, in fact, video marketing has only just begun! According to Google, 6 out of 10 people would rather watch a video online than television, and by 2022, online videos are expected to make up over 82% of all internet traffic.

While new channels face the challenge of getting your videos to rank in the YouTube search results, in this article, you’ll learn the newest and most effective strategies to properly research your video topics and optimize your channel so that your YouTube videos get found in the search results!

Disclaimer: This blog post may contain affiliate partner links which allow readers to easily find and access the resources mentioned. There is no additional cost to you to use these links. For our full privacy policy, terms, and conditions of using this website click here.

YouTube Keyword Research

The most important part of the process for getting found on YouTube is knowing what your audience is searching for. Video keyword research isn’t complicated, but it is very precise. The problem most small businesses face is that they target too broad in their category.

The objective is to generate a list of longtail keywords that are applicable. A lot of people guess at what their keywords should be, but that isn’t a good idea because if you don’t have confirmation that the search volume on your keywords is large enough (or if the search volume is too large for the size of your channel), you won’t get the results you expect.

Here’s exactly how to find the right keywords for your YouTube videos:

1. Use YouTube’s Search Suggest to generate a list of longtail keywords related to your topic. Go to the search bar inside YouTube and start typing your keyword, note the dropdown of suggestions that YouTube gives you and write them down. These are the words and phrases that people are already searching for around your topic. Keep using this strategy until you come up with 3 to 6 phrases that are hyper-relevant to your intended topic.

YouTube Keyword Search Example

If you’re still in the beginning stages, another strategy is to view a popular video in your niche…and then copy a few of the same keywords (making sure they are hyper-relevant to your video topic). When your video is optimized for keywords, meaning, YouTube can recognize in your voice that you actually say those same words and phrases in your video, then you’ll have a better chance of ranking for that exact word or phrase. Optimization of keywords and phrases is a big factor inside the YouTube algorithm.

2. Keywords Belong in 8 Different Places for the Best Optimization. Most people know that you need to have the exact keyword phrase that you’re trying to rank for in these places:

Title,
Description, and
Tags

but, I highly recommend that you also do the following:

Say the keyword phrase in your video several times
Add overlay text of the keyword phrase
Add a transcript
Name your file extension
Name your thumbnail extension

Ensuring that your video is optimized in all of these places will help significantly.

I recommend using a tool such as TubeBuddy to ensure that you optimize your keyword phrases against your competition. TubeBuddy will automatically parse all the existing results and then calculate your rank for each variation of your keyword phrase based on the current results. It’s a huge timesaver, and you’ll sometimes find a handful of keywords that you never even would have thought of. This is incredibly important if you are just starting out or have a very small channel. If you go after super competitive keywords, your video will get buried under high ranking results and never get found.

Instead, you want to find keywords that are less competitive.

What does that mean exactly?

Watch this video for an illustration of how I use TubeBuddy to help me find the best keywords and longtail keyword phrases.

While most views on YouTube come from within YouTube’s platform, your video can also rank in the Google search results. Typically, you’ll find Google ranks videos such as:

• How-to
• Reviews
• Tutorials
• Anything fitness or sports related
• Funny videos

High-Retention Videos and Watch Time

After proper SEO, the YouTube algorithm also looks at Watch Time. In other words, can you video keep people watching for the majority of it before they click to something else? If you tend to be too wordy, this can hurt your chances of getting ranked. If YouTube sees that people only watch the first few seconds of your video and then click away, they will stop showing your video in the results.

The amount of your video that people watch is called “Audience Retention.”

The question is:

How do you create a video that keeps people watching?

I am a mentor inside of 2 private groups for Sunny Lenarduzzi’s YouTube for Bosses and Authority Accelerator programs. The correct methodology is this:

Tell the audience what they are going to learn in the video
Indicate who you are and why you’re qualified to teach this to them
Get to the point quick
Ask the audience to subscribe, like, share, and comment

Why ask for comments, likes, and shares? This is what shows YouTube that your video is a good one. It sends the message to the algorithm that people enjoy your video enough to engage with it, and that audience integration is vital to getting you more views. People don’t bother to comment on or share crappy videos, so the more people actively engage the better.

Another signal is subscribers. If someone subscribes to your channel after watching that video, this sends a message to the algorithm that you have a good video.

How Long Should Your YouTube Video Be?

There is a lot of speculation around length, but the best advice I can give is to make your video an appropriate length for the topic. Obviously if it’s longer then your audience retention can have the potential to go up because you’re keeping people watching longer, however, depending on your topic the information could get very dry.

If it makes sense for your video to be 20 minutes long, go for it. But if you can get the job done in 5 minutes, then do that. Track your analytics carefully to determine where you lose people and you’ll begin to understand how well your videos do (depending upon your topic). It’s kind of like buying a house….the market will dictate!

Promoting Your Video

Promoting your video is the part that most people forget about and it’s probably the hardest part. In order to prove to YouTube that your video is awesome, you need to get views. Posting it once on your Facebook page and hoping that will continue to generate views and engagement will never get you enough views to rank.

Here are some strategies you can use to get more targeted views to your videos:

1. Promote your video on ALL of your social channels, especially during the first 2 days

2. Embed Your Videos in Your Blog Posts
Always embed a video in your blog post to help increase views. I would not recommend transcribing the video and then adding the video to a post where you’re writing the exact same thing that is spoken in the video. A lot of people will say this is a good way to repurpose content but I disagree. If I’m reading something, I don’t want to start playing a video and hear the exact same thing I just read. The video should compliment the written article but not be exactly the same content.

Don't have a blog yet? Check to see if your www is available!

3. Use Playlists
Playlists are a great way to get more views on your videos. A playlist consists of at least 4-5 videos on your channel that have a common theme or topic. You can also add keyword rich descriptions into the playlist itself, as well as add videos from other channels to help get your channel found.

What next? If you enjoyed this article, be sure to Subscribe to my YouTube channel because I publish a brand new video every Wednesday. What questions do you have about video marketing? Let me know in the comments below!

September 11, 2019/27 Comments/by Kate Murray

How to Get More Views on YouTube

Video Marketing 101: 3 Ways to Get More Video Views on YouTube

If you’re just getting started with your vlog or with your video marketing strategy, don’t worry, you’re not alone…and you’re not too late! These three powerful strategies will help elevate your video views (and probably your likes, comments, watch time and subscribers too!)

Growing a YouTube Channel is one of the hardest online businesses to get started with…even harder than starting your blog in my opinion, but it’s completely do-able if you make a commitment.

Before we get started…I want to remind you to do your due diligence.

What does that mean? Well don't take advice from bloggers who are telling you how to grow a YouTube channel when they have 3 videos and 15 views on their own YouTube channel.

Seriously.

Check their channel before you take their advice, because there sure is a lot of bad advice floating around!

If you’re a blogger and you’re just starting to focus on YouTube, this article will help you learn more about how to get started with your video marketing strategy.

Because that's what it is…a strategy.

A consistent strategy that you have to work for.

It's not magic.

Anyone can do it.

YOU can do it.

You just need to follow the proven strategies.

Disclaimer: This blog post may contain affiliate partner links which allow readers to easily find and access the resources mentioned. There is no additional cost to you to use these links. For our full privacy policy, terms, and conditions of using this website click here.

Ways to Get More Views on Your YouTube Videos

The way the YouTube algorithm works is that the first 24-48 hours of publishing your video are the most critical to establish both views and engagement.

That means that even if you optimize your title, description and tags, if you’re a small channel, your chance to rank in the search results will be amplified tenfold if you can generate some engagement during the first 2 days of when your video is released.

What exactly matters about the Title, Description and Tags?

There is some preliminary work you need to do BEFORE you make your video. Because once you've already made your video, it's too late to take the steps needed to get more video views unless you've done the pre-requisite work.

So lets chat about the pre-requisite work first.

Stop Guessing!

So you think you know what you want to publish a video about? The only way it will be successful for a small YouTube channel is if you REALLY know your competition first.

Put it this way, you cannot compete against a huge channel for the same topic.

Why?

Because you'll never rank for that topic. You've got to be very strategic about your video topic.

I don't aim to compete against a channel that has 100,000 or more subscribers because if I do try to compete with that channel for the same topic, the YouTube algorithm will never favor my channel.

It doesn't matter if my video is 10x better than the larger channel…the first step is to zero in on a topic that is not as competitive.

You CANNOT Guess.

If you think you know what topic you want to make a video about, first ask yourself these 3 questions before you create your video:

Which 5 channels come up in the search results when I search for that video topic?
What is the size of the channels that come up in the search results?
Is there a long-tail keyword phrase that you can rank for that is more specific?

Here's an example:
A topic you might think you want to make a video about: Affiliate Marketing

Is that a bad topic or a good topic? Well if you're a new channel, you will never rank for the keyword “affiliate marketing. Why? Because if you go to YouTube and search Affiliate Marketing, you will see that the keyword phrase “affiliate marketing” is far too competitive, it has over 246,000 searches per month and a 2.00 cost per click rate on Google Adwords. That means it's highly competitive.

Affiliate Marketing Example Gif

Given that keyword is so competitive, what should you do instead? Choose a long-tail keyword such as “affiliate marketing tutorial” which has only 1,600 searches per month. As you'll notice in the search box above, as a small channel, you will be far more likely to gain traction in the search results (ie: the algorithm) if you focus on a long-tail version of that keyword phrase.

See how adding the word “tutorial” at the end makes a significant difference?

Now…did you already make the video? Because if you did not, then what I would recommend is focusing on SAYING that phrase out loud within the first 15 seconds of your video.

That's right.

Say the word you are trying to rank for.

Because YouTube can HEAR you. The algorithm knows what you're saying. So if you want to rank, you have to use the words that you are trying to rank for in the video.

See how important the pre-requisite work is?

Here's what to do (besides just planning it out properly) to get more views (Hint…Tip #3 is the Best Pinterest HACK Ever!):

1. Create a Trailer to Get More Video Views

Creating a trailer is literally only 5 more minutes of work once your regular video is complete. Simply take the first 20 seconds of your YouTube video and turn it into a trailer to share on your other social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. The reason for this is because the algorithms of the other platforms prioritize video, however, not when it's a video that links off the platform.

The algorithms for Twitter, Facebook, and even LinkedIn aim to keep people on their platform, so that means if you post just a link to your YouTube video inside your post on those platforms, it will not get a good reach. That means the algorithm will not show it to many people. The best strategy to optimize for views and clicks to your YouTube video is to upload a shorter “trailer” video natively to the other platforms and then add the link to the actual YouTube video inside the comments. Click here to see an example of a trailer.

The algorithm does not pick up “comment” links, so your native video will now have a better chance at getting in front of more of your audience on Facebook Twitter, or LinkedIn. In addition, the idea of a trailer is to “tease” the full video content and make them want to click to watch more. This method works exceptionally well in the first 24-48 hours of posting your video on YouTube.

2. Join an Engagement Pod to Get More Video Views

I know it sounds odd if you're new to blogging and vlogging, but I'm not talking about searching around aimlessly on Facebook, because if you do that you'll only find the spammy groups. Most of the time, the largest groups are the worst ones of all. I've joined groups of 100 people, 1,000 people, 10,000 people and even 100,000 people and do you know which one are the best? The ones that number between about 100 and 1,000 people.

I do suggest if you are just starting out, you spend some time and join one or more engagement pods to help get your video some lift in the initial 24-48 hours.

What is an engagement pod?

It’s typically a private Facebook Group of like-minded people who are all interested in connecting, sharing, and growing their online business. Groups typically post daily share threads to help you get more views, likes, and comments on your blog or vlog.

Keep in mind, these groups are not your “potential customers” they are other bloggers and vloggers hoping to get reciprocation. In other words, if you like and comment on their video, they will do the same for you.

Not necessarily because they are interested in your topic, but because they want you to comment on their video.

This is huge. I am part of at least 5 different engagement pods, and sometimes I see people who are making videos because they have the expectation that those engaging with it are interested.

They are not.

Keep this clear in your head.

The pod is to help you get lift inside the YouTube algorithm within the first 24 to 48 hours of when you post your video. Do not expect to gain customers from your pod members.

And remember, this only works when you first post your video. If too much time has passed, don't waste your time in a pod.

The more views, likes, and comments you can get, especially in the first day or two, the more the YouTube algorithm will recognize your content as high quality, and the more likely you are to be put in front of an audience that you’re actually aiming for.

It doesn’t necessarily matter if your pod is made up of people in your same niche, the idea is to get views, likes, and comments to show both the algorithm as well as social proof that you are legit and not spam.

When you post a video and you don't immediately drive traffic to it, the algorithm considers it low quality and will not push it into the search results. Then guess what? SOL. (Shit out of luck)

So, who am I and why am I qualified to give out advice about YouTube?

Hi, I’m Kate, it’s nice to meet you! I spent 14 years in corporate and agency marketing, and I am also a Mentor in Sunny Lenarduzzi’s YouTube for Bosses and Authority Accelerator programs.

I help answer questions about starting and growing a YouTube Channel in two private Facebook Groups, serving over 5,000 students. If you haven't purchased one of Sunny's programs, unfortunately you cannot join her private groups, however, you can join jump on board my brand new group for free! Since I've just revamped the group, it is free for now, but I anticipate closing it to member's only once it gets a little larger, so take advantage now while you can!

Btw, my Facebook Group, The Creative Entrepreneurs Society, is obviously focused on strategies for badass girl bosses, but I will answer any and all questions related to online business and YouTube as well in my Private Facebook Group because the more information you're armed with, the better positioned you are to grow your online business on any platform!

What's different about this advice?

After 14 years, I know what works for large corporations, and I know what works for small business owners. I’ve used countless strategies and tools, so I don’t recommend one over another because I’m trying to get paid as an affiliate…I recommend what works for a specific goal. And, I only recommend tools that I personally use and find helpful.

Leverage your engagement pod to get some likes and comments in the first 24-48 hours, this will help give you video a boost organically inside the algorithm.

Once you’ve got some traction from your engagement pod with watches, likes, and comments, then the algorithm takes over and starts putting your video in the sidebar or the search results so that people will see it when they are searching for the topic that your video is about.

Keep in mind this only works if the video is properly optimized for SEO.

3. The Ultimate Pinterest Hack to Leverage Pinterest to Get More Video Views

Create a Pinterest Pin that goes straight to your YouTube video, and pin it to a board with a high virality score. Yes. It's that simple.

What exactly does that mean? Well, you'll need to be using Tailwind to leverage this feature, but for less than a hundred bucks a year, it's one of the Pinterest software tools I use every single day and it's well worth the business investment. Plus, your software tools are deductible as a business expense!

Be sure your pin description is also optimized with long tail keyword phrases that accurately describe what the pin (and video) is about, and then add the YouTube URL directly to the pin URL.

The key to making this strategy effective is that you have to also have an active Pinterest account. If you don't use Pinterest in the right way, well, it's not going to gain any traction to your video either.

Circulate that video pin on Tailwind and on your Group Boards. Since both YouTube as well as Pinterest are search engines, the pin will keep delivering traffic directly to the video.

Not sure what I mean by Pin optimization and virality score? These are more advanced Pinterest Marketing Techniques.

If you're interested in learning more about how to use Pinterest effectively to grow your website traffic (and your YouTube video traffic!) be sure to check out my online course where you can dive SUPER DEEP into some of the concepts and strategies that I presented in this blog post. Learn more about here: The Pinterest Business Plan. This course is ideal for Virtual Assistants and Social Media Manages looking to up their Pinterest game!

By the way…if you're getting some value from this blog post, I would love to ask for a favor…would you subscribe to my YouTube channel? It's a great FREE way to support a small business blogger, and it costs nothing more than a moment of your time! Thank you so much my friend! If you want me to “like” your channel back, leave me a comment on any of my videos with a link to your channel and I'll hit you back with a Subscribe.

Okay, now where were we?

Still have questions about Pinterest (or YouTube?). Join my FREE Facebook Group, The Society of Creative Entrepreneurs. It's actually not just about Pinterest Marketing or YouTube Marketing, it's a place where you can ask questions about all things online marketing (including video!) and connect with other bloggers, social media influencers, and online entrepreneurs.

August 31, 2019/by Kate Murray

Video Strategy, Video Marketing

Video Marketing for Bloggers: Writing Your Script

Video Marketing Goals…

We all have them, but getting started with a video strategy if you’ve never been on camera before can seem daunting!

It’s not easy to get started marketing yourself and your biz on camera, but this article will provide you with some actionable tactics to help you plan your script…so that you can produce a video that keeps your audience coming back for more.

Most bloggers already know how to write and create content, but video…video marketing is a completely different ballgame! GirlBoss Secret: You Become What You Believe!

It’s easy to do a screen capture, lots of bloggers are doing it, but that isn't going to differentiate you in a sea of sameness. Consider how disappointed you are when you see a screen capture that is really long and boring! Showing a screen capture to demonstrate your technique is a smart idea, but keep that to the b-roll and add yourself to the camera. This provides a dose of authenticity and is exactly what your audience wants to see!

Video Marketing for Bloggers: Getting Started

Oftentimes, we’re overly critical of seeing ourselves on camera, but the reality is that your audience is much more interested in the question you’re going to answer for them than they are with you. Once you write out your first script, you're going to be super excited to go record, but don't. Plan out the day you will record for a different day. You'll need time to get ready, do your hair, plan your outfit, and practice what you're going to say. There's nothing worse that watching a video with people reading from a teleprompter. Don't get me wrong, I've used one in certain situations, but YouTube is all about delivering a solid dose of authenticity, and reading off a teleprompter as if you're a news anchor isn't going to cut it.

In addition, pay close attention to your background. Make sure it isn't cluttered with printer wires and junk. I'm guilty myself of not paying careful attention to my background sometimes. Newsflash…people don't want to see your house and your clutter, so keep it glamorous. If you don't have the decor to support a gorgeous background, you can't go wrong with a plain white wall.

Here are the 4 elements of your script that will take your video from boring to red-carpet worthy:

1. The Hook

The first six seconds of your video are the most important. Tell your audience exactly what you're going to help them accomplish in a very concise way. This is exactly where you will give them a reason to continue watching.

2. The Story

This piece is important because it's where you will establish trust with your audience and demonstrate your authority on the topic. Don't be afraid to reference your experience or give them an example of how you've already solved the problem in the past, but be careful not to go on and on. Watch the video below for a short demonstration of the right way to showcase your experience versus the wrong way. You want to provide enough background so that people know you have what it takes to solve their problem, but then you have to actually do what is promised and solve it for them.

3. Get to the Point Quick

No really…this is no joke! You have to get to the point and stop rambling. This is where planning your script comes in. Write it out and read it over and over until you're sure it's concise. Use screen capture or a list-style demonstration, but just like the story above, be sure you get right to the point. On YouTube, people are searching for an answer to their question. You’ve got to both wow them into watching the full video as well as answer their questions clearly and quickly in order to hit a home run. Most often, I see people clicking off (I even do it myself) if the person doesn’t get to the point fast enough. Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter, if you want to succeed with video, you’ve got to be able to get your point across in an efficient yet entertaining way.

4. The Call-to-Action

A lot of people are turned off when they watch a video that has an offer at the end, especially if it’s a long webinar where they can’t skip around. Now don’t take this the wrong way, you should have a Call-To-Action instructing your audience what to do next, but you also want to be very conscious of the value your video offers. The best thing you can do is offer value first.

This goes back to basic sales strategy; the ideal situation is to over-deliver to your prospect first. Give people enough value in your video that they can take something away from it and implement it right away, and get results right away. If people believe they have received value, then they are more likely to listen to what you have to say later. If you try to close a sale without providing any value, you’ll never have that second chance to actually get the ‘buy’. If people believe they have not gotten anything valuable, they will simply click away.

Take into consideration the amount of time and the value you’re offering in exchange for that time. Most “free” videos on YouTube are not more than 15-minutes. In fact, the shorter the better because people are searching YouTube for the answer to a question. If you can offer the answer to their question in a super concise way and your video is only 5 minutes in length, all the better. People don’t have all day to sit around watching videos, they want to get their answer and move on.

Video vs Webinar

A video that is under 15 minutes in length can offer a “Free” download at the end and still be valuable enough to entice people to want that offer in exchange for their email address. A video that offers something for sale after 15 minutes is likely to anger the viewer…and then they will never be back to your blog or YouTube channel again. Keep in mind that with YouTube strategy, the objective is to gain a new audience member, so whether that is a YouTube Channel Subscriber, a new member of your email list, or a follower on one of your other social media channels, once you have that new audience member who is interested in what you have to say, you will be able to re-market to them at a later time once your automation is in place. The very first step is building credibility in your niche by offering your best value first.

Be sure your CTA is clear and actionable, and don’t forget to instruct them on what to do next. If you are reviewing or offering a product or resource, be sure you link to it. If you are offering a free download, be sure to add a link that leads to where they can go to get it. Above all don't just do a video because you think you'll start a channel and become YouTube famous. The social media fairies don't work that way. It's takes strategy to actually make it happen.

Marketing & Advertising Your Video

A mistake that I see a lot of new YouTuber’s make is that they try to do a full webinar or hour-long tutorial and offer the “buy” of their product at the end. It doesn’t matter if you have a $20 dollar product or a $1,000 service, if you think you’ll advertise this video to a cold audience and then expect people to buy, I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but you’re dead wrong. Marketing an end-stage offer to an audience who doesn’t know and trust you will never yield the results you’re hoping for. Instead, start by marketing your lead magnet.

There is a systematic process to follow, and if you stick to the tried and true process, then you’ll have a lot of success.

Want to learn more? Get strated with a free checklist!

If you enjoyed this article, I would LOVE it if you would Subscribe to my YouTube channel! I publish new videos every Wednesday, and my goal is to over-deliver value! So if there's a topic you'd like to see covered, don't hesitate to let me know in the comments!

If you would like to have the opportunity to ask questions and gain exclusive access to expert tips, join my newly revamped FREE Private Facebook Group to connect with other bloggers, social media influencers, and online entrepreneurs, click here to join The Digital Collective of Online Entrepreneurs!

July 24, 2019/10 Comments/by Kate Murray