Six tips for getting higher YouTube rankings
By Steve Yankee
YouTube is free, but viewership has to be earned. So if you want lots of YouTube views, here’s a few techniques that will get you more views and more hits on your own website.
1. Keep it short.
Don’t make videos that take forever to load. People have other things on their minds, and an aggregator site like YouTube has far too many choices for them to pick from already. A recent study on video-sharing websites suggests that a video works best when it is under 5 minutes in length. So even though YouTube allows you a maximum of 10 minutes, keep it under 5 minutes.
2. Find an angle and exploit it.
Think you can’t come up with something creative for your video? Think again.
Here’s a simple activity to help you get started. Take out a piece of paper and list 10 video subject ideas.
Next to each idea, write down what would make the idea or your treatment of it so appealing. If you can’t come up with at least five reasons the idea is compelling, scratch it off the list.
Narrow your list to your top five choices.
Now, try to define how you will present the information in your video to highlight your video in a unique and unusual way. Will it be a takeoff on a popular theme, movie, music video? Will you eshew gimmicks for valuable information, presented in a straightforward manner? Will you record it standing on top of the highest building in your town? Will you include appropriate background music or sound effects and some nifty animation?
Whatever you decide, make sure you try something unique. People have every opportunity to watch something boring on television. They turn to YouTube.com to find interesting and intriguing things to view.
3. Make the most of your screen time.
YouTube only gives you a few minutes to make a good impression, so you want to make the most of that limited time. How do you do it? Well, consider the last time you watched a movie preview? Was it intriguing? Did it have you curious, even asking questions? Did you want to see more?
I get a lot of inspiration for marketing copy and techniques from watching movie trailers -those writers and producers are the tops at building suspense and generating a buzz. And when you create your own online videos, you should be thinking along these lines, too. Pretend you’re creating a movie preview.
4. Make certain you’ve got a good product.
Provide clear shots and well-recorded audio.Graphically sweeten your video to keep the viewer intrigued and interested. If you’re going to appear on camera to deliver the message, practice your lines so you can say what you have to say without fumbling. When in doubt, use a teleprompter. Remember, a few minutes of video time isn’t much time at all. You want to produce and upload a video that’s representative of your skills and creativity; one that is dynamic, unusual and anything but ordinary. Some of the most popular videos on YouTube are popular if for not other reason than the creator did something unique, different and interesting.
5. Show and tell, no sell.
Even if you are trying to brand and promote your products, services or websites, you must be careful to make sure you do so in an interesting and creative way. No one wants to watch an infomercial on YouTube. So find a fun way to get your message out.
6 Add your website URL
You’ve made a great video and you’re getting a lot of comments. All of it will count for naught if it doesn’t result in increased traffic to your website. So add that all-important URL with your video. You may add one before the video and one right after the video ends. Oh -add your website URL to your YouTube profile as well.
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