Want to know how YouTube's algorithm works in 2021? If you said, “No, not really,” think again! Knowing how the algorithm works means the difference between getting lots of traction from your YouTube videos or simply wasting your time! To get more subscribers and viewers and ultimately generate more business, you need to understand the three basic keys to succeeding with YouTube’s algorithms: watch times, click-through rates, and post velocity.
YouTube is one of the best platforms you can use to market through social media! YouTube has 1.9 billion active users and, since the content is evergreen, the number of people viewing your video grows over time. So good videos can continue to help you turn viewers into clients and customers month after month.
Some people struggle with YouTube because they don’t understand how it works behind the scenes. I'm going to share three things that will ensure that you succeed rather than struggle.
Watch Time
First, the most important thing to the algorithm is watch time. YouTube looks at your video and tracks how much time people spend watching it. Most people who put videos on YouTube shoot for around 50% watch time or more. People are super busy and have the attention spans of a fruit fly. So getting them to watch 50% of your video on this platform is actually pretty good.
Here’s the deal: YouTube won't promote your video much if people watch less of it. For example, if there are two videos on the same topic and people tend to watch 65% of one video and only 16% of another video, YouTube knows that the 65%’er was more attractive to people.
It doesn’t matter if the 16% video gives better information. YouTube doesn’t sit there watching the videos. It's looking at the metrics from the data.If people don’t want to watch it, YouTube doesn’t want to promote it as much. If people show they enjoy it by continuing to watch it, YouTube wants to promote it.
How To Increase Watch Time?
So watch time is key. But how do you get people to watch longer? Start by making your content truly valuable and to the point. Don't go wandering off on tangents. Nobody has time for that. Telling stories can be great but make sure they have a compelling point to them. Before you press record, you should have a plan and know what you're going to talk about.
You need to know what points will really make a difference to your target audience, points that connect with them and will help them solve a problem or improve their lives. Your video should be as long as it needs to be to give value, but no longer. A director once told me, “Keep it light, bright, and tight.” Be sure to cut out any fluff or stuff that doesn’t matter.
Make Your Content More Engaging
Imagine a bunch of kindergarteners watching your video: What keeps their interest? Your audience is probably beyond kindergarten age but what keeps them paying attention is pretty much the same. So, don’t just be a talking head! Use video overlays and motion graphics. Splice in photos or video clips.
If you can use two cameras, use different camera angles. Keep them engaged through motion and visual variety. This will also make your content more memorable for them. A rule of thumb that I've heard from Nate over at Channel Makers here on YouTube is to never run more than 3 seconds of the same video shot. Keep moving to the next visual.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Another part of the algorithm is the click-through rate. Whenever YouTube shows your video on its home page or the discovery page from a search or other pages, it’s giving viewers the option of clicking on your video–or not. There might be tons of other videos for them to choose from.
YouTube is tracking how many viewers choose to click on your video in this clutter of videos. Statistically, if you can get over a five percent click-through rate on your video you're doing pretty darn well. Most people get three percent or less. So how can you get a better click-through rate?
It comes down to two things:thumbnail and title. Your thumbnail needs to stand out from the pack. How? One secret is to use contrasting colors or colors that stand out against YouTube's colors. Avoid colors like grey, white, black, or red because those are YouTube's colors. You’ll just blend in if you use those colors. Instead, use something different like a bright yellow and orange or a tiffany blue, a color that adds some contrast and that will pop.Viewers’ eyes will be automatically drawn to them.
Your Title Is Important!
The next key to improving click-through rate is your title. Put yourself in the consumer's shoes and look at it from their perspective. What would catch their attention? What would motivate them to click on your video?
Some people use clickbait, which is a kind of title that gets people to click.These titles are often sensational and often deceiving. People who use them are usually just going for the click and not delivering good value to viewers. So personally, I don’t believe in clickbait and I don’t use it.
That said, you want your title to be enticing and interesting so people want to watch your video. Giving value is important to me so I like to make sure my title shows the value they're going to get, and answers a specific question they were looking for. Look at what types of thumbnails and titles you click on. What types of thumbnails draw your eye? What titles attract you and motivate you to click on a video? Create the same for your own videos.
Post Velocity
Post velocity on YouTube is different from Instagram's algorithm. Instagram's algorithm is all about how many engagements you get within the first hour. Instagram will show it to about 10% of your audience. Then if you're getting lots of engagement, it shows it to another 10%, etc.
YouTube cares about the first 24 hours. So the key is to make sure you get as much engagement–in other words, as many people viewing your video– as you can in that first 24 hours.
How To Increase First 24 Hour Engagement
How can you make that happen?
First you can share it like crazy on all forms of social media. Make sure that you're getting in front of different audiences. If you have a database or email list of customers and potential customers, send it out to them. Your video will be a valuable resource for them, so don’t be shy about it. You’re giving them something they can use and that’s valuable to them. You’re showing that you care about them and their time because you only send them videos that will truly serve them.
Have the promotion campaign for your video all ready to go so you can shoot it out within that first 24 hours.
YouTube wants to promote your video! And YouTube wants to keep people on their platform. So if you create a great video and pay attention to the algorithms, YouTube will see that people are enjoying your content. YouTube will then share it with more people because people will stay on the YouTube platform when it feeds them great content.
