So you want to grow your YouTube channel but you don’t want to spend a fortune.
You’re looking for organic YouTube promotion strategies to test.
But figuring out what actually works is a nightmare.
You have to spend countless hours researching, testing, and iterating–all of which can produce ZERO results.
I know firsthand. I used to think the YouTube gods simply blessed certain channels with unlimited favor and condemned the rest.
But after years of experimentation, I finally found a framework that actually drives organic YouTube growth.
One that helped me rank one of my client’s videos for a super competitive keyword and generated 2.7M views:
The framework I’m about to reveal to you is by no means a silver bullet to YouTube success. Countless factors contribute to that.
But this is an 80/20 approach that will start getting you organic visibility so you can generate views and subscribers on autopilot.
3 components of a successful organic YouTube promotion
This framework consists of 3 main pillars that we’ll discuss in detail below:
1. Video strategy
Your videos play a critical role here and there are a few key things you need to get right (that most people miss).
2. YouTube SEO
You need to master the basics to improve your chances of ranking in YouTube search and recommended videos.
3. View maximization
Using your other channels to maximize key engagement metrics and gain early traction.
Part 1: Video strategy
There is only one thing you need to focus on when it comes to making YouTube videos…
Engagement.
That’s it.
But we both know it’s much more complicated than that.
Engaging videos capture and keep an audience’s attention. And that’s no easy feat.
To actually do that, they have to:
- Provide unique value
- Play into elements of human psychology
And while specific ways of accomplishing these two things vary from audience to audience, there are universal principles you can apply to your video creation to set yourself up for success.
How to provide unique value in your YouTube videos
1. Find out what people actually want.
Data trumps opinions–which is why it’s critical to base your video topics on what people actually want to view.
Perform keyword research, analyze the most viewed videos in your industry, and more to figure out what sticks with your audience.
Don’t make videos you think your target audience will want to watch. Make videos you know your target audience wants to watch.
One of the easiest (and free) ways to figure this out is to simply head to YouTube and search some of the main topics in your industry, taking note of view counts for the top few videos.
You, of course, can also use YouTube SEO tools to get search volumes for specific keywords as well.
But looking at the top channels and top videos in your niche is the easiest way to figure out what people in your audience want to watch.
2. Find a way to improve on what already works.
With data in hand on topics that resonate with your target audience, it’s time to research the top 3-5 videos for each specific keyword.
Your goal is to identify why these videos are successful.
Do they have incredible production quality?
Do they cover a topic thoroughly with great advice?
Are they simply really entertaining?
Answering these questions helps you identify gaps you can fill with your videos.
3. Give a unique perspective.
The final step in this framework is finding your unique angle.
In other words, how can you create a unique video on the same topic that is different enough to stand out?
One of the best ways I’ve tried is by creating a video that either:
1. Covers certain topics way more in-depth than other videos (and includes data and personal anecdotes from experience).
2. Recommends a counter-intuitive approach (i.e. a polarized view, debunking best practice “myths”, or revealing what no one else is talking about).
How to use psychological triggers in your YouTube videos
There’s a reason everyone binges on Netflix.
These shows are designed to appeal to our psychological triggers.
And you can use some of the same triggers in your YouTube videos to keep viewers watching.
1. Dangle the carrot.
People watch your YouTube videos because of what’s in it for them.
They expect to receive valuable information.
If for even a second they doubt they’ll receive value, they’ll bounce to the next video.
That’s why giving quick “dangle the carrot” moments where you allude to something super juicy later in the video will increase the chance they’ll stick around.
I recommend doing this within the first 30 seconds of the video and every few minutes thereafter.
You can add dangle the carrot moments by:
- Alluding to a bonus at the end of the video
- Previewing a few value bombs you’ll drop throughout the video
- Saying you’re sharing something you haven’t shared anywhere else in the middle of the video
Brian Dean has always done these very well.
2. Follow a formula like Problem, Agitate, Solve.
This proven copywriting formula also works for videos.
And I highly recommend using it to write all of your YouTube scripts.
PAS helps you create videos that empathize with your target audience and ensure them you’ll help them solve their biggest problems.
3. Add mic drop moments.
Every video needs a few heavy-hitting tips, recommendations, or theories that viewers can use today.
So, as you create your video scripts, try to plan 3-5 of these moments in the videos (and bonus points if you use them in your “dangle the carrot” moments).
These should be some of the best moments in your entire video and should be simple and actionable.
For example, if I had a video on link building, I could make a mic drop moment where I talk about how traditional link outreach doesn’t work anymore and provide the most effective tactic to use instead.
All of the content in your videos should be helpful, but only a few will be mic drop moments. And that’s okay.
Part 2: YouTube SEO
YouTube SEO is hands down the best long-term organic promotion strategy for your videos.
And luckily with the video strategy above, you’ll be creating videos that align with some of the main ranking factors YouTube’s algorithm uses:
- Average watch time
- Engagement (likes, subs, comments)
- CTR
But there’s still work you need to do once your video is ready for publication if you want to rank in YouTube organic results and recommended videos.
Luckily, that work is pretty straightforward.
YouTube SEO checklist for your videos
1. Create a keyword-driven, click-worthy title.
Just like in standard SEO, having your target keyword in your title is critical with YouTube SEO.
Your titles should always include your target keyword (exactly if possible) and be as intriguing as possible.
You want to not only rank but convince potential viewers to click on your video because the title is so enticing.
My favorite strategy for doing this is adding a direct benefit behind the keyword in video titles.
For example, if your target keyword is “how to make a youtube video”, you could make this the title:
How to Make a YouTube Video That Actually Gets Views
You want to communicate the benefit your viewer will get from watching your video right from the title.
2. Add keyword-driven tags.
As you upload your videos, you have the opportunity to add “tags” that describe what your video is about.
Here is your chance to tell YouTube what you think your video should rank for.
I recommend adding ~5 tags, including:
- Your exact target keyword
- The top 4 secondary variations of your keyword
3. Write a detailed description with links to other videos.
Your description is where you tell viewers what your video is about.
This is your chance to convince them to engage with you and watch more videos.
Think of your description as a short social media promo for your new video. You want to quickly allude to the value your viewer will receive in the video and why they should engage with you.
The Remote Closing Academy channel does this really well.
Linking to other relevant videos on your channel is a great idea too, because it will increase your views as a whole.
There are even tools like Writesonic’s YouTube Description Generator that can help you write these descriptions in half the time.
This tool has worked wonders for me.
4. Embed your post on relevant articles.
YouTube embeds can have a significant impact on your ranking ability.
So, make sure you embed your videos in relevant content on your website.
For some of your most important videos, reach out to some warm business relationships and see if they’ll embed them in their content.
This will supercharge your YouTube SEO potential.
Part 3: View maximization
The final step in this process is utilizing every channel you have to power up your YouTube videos.
I’ve found that getting a quick burst of a few hundred or even a few thousand views within a week of publishing a video can help you rank way faster!
And you can get this rocket fuel for your videos by strategically using your social media accounts and email list to promote them.
Here are the simple view maximization strategies I recommend implementing for each video:
1. SEnd a promo email to your entire list.
Sending a single promo email for each new video you make will give you the fastest boost in views you’ll get (outside of the initial wave from your subscribers).
How should you craft this email?
It’s actually very simple.
Similar to how we talked about creating video descriptions, I recommend writing a short, punchy email that “sells” your audience on watching your video.
~10 lines and a bullet list of benefits they’ll get will do the trick.
When I helped the client I mentioned in the intro build his viewership, we sent email promos that used the AIDA copywriting technique.
This stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action, and it works beautifully to promote YouTube videos.
Here’s an example of how this could look for a video on making a YouTube video:
Hey [NAME],
99% of people who don’t get results on YouTube make this same deadly mistake. (Attention – this makes the reader wonder if they, too, are making this mistake)
But luckily, this mistake is completely avoidable…if you tweak your strategy. (Interest – this turns their attention into interest by suggesting there’s a simple fix to a deadly mistake they are most likely making).
And with this deadly mistake out of the way, you can unleash your channel’s potential and see results beyond anything you thought possible–just like we did (Desire – stoking the desire for more views and connecting the solution to more views).
That’s why we put together this step-by-step framework to make YouTube videos that AVOID this deadly mistake and actually get traction.
It’ll show you:
- What this deadly mistake actually is and how to easily avoid it
- How to unleash your channel’s organic growth potential so you can get views on autopilot
- And so much more
Simply click here to get our proven process.
(Action – this gives one clear action to take and why you should take it.)
2. Schedule recurring promos on social media.
This is super straightforward.
With every video, promote it on your relevant channels. Once you’ve done that, add it to your regular social media rotation to pick up some ongoing views.
The AIDA framework works great for these promos–whether you’re posting on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or elsewhere.
3. Utilize partnerships for your best videos.
Like I said before, partners can help you with embedding your best videos and boosting your YouTube SEO.
But they can also help by simply promoting your video.
You have to pick your spots here, but getting partners in your industry to share your best videos on social and email will give you not only a view boost but access to a new audience from the get-go.
Partners will be more likely to do this for you if you offer to return the favor.
It doesn’t have to be immediate, but in every case I’ve seen, partners will always be looking of something of equivalent value in return, so make sure you have your “perk” prepared before you reach out.
This organic promotion process for YouTube will help you maximize your content
Like I said at the beginning of this guide, this isn’t a silver bullet process.
But it is based on proven principles that can work in just about any context.
I’ve used this to help several clients grow their channels and rank on YouTube, and I’m excited for you to do the same.
Guest Author: Hunter Branch is the founder of Rank Tree—a content marketing agency that helps SaaS companies and startups build traffic and lead engines through SEO.
The post How to Get Organic Views and Subscribers on YouTube appeared first on Jeffbullas's Blog.
* This article was originally published here
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