How to get more views on YouTube:

Despite the explosive growth of video platforms like TikTok, YouTube is still thriving — both because the audience is huge and the algorithm does a great job of helping users navigate content.

The downside to this video behemoth is just that: It’s so huge that there’s no guarantee that anyone actually watches your video. You have to get savvy with framing and marketing your YouTube videos.

A low number of views is a challenge for many content creators. Not only can this YouTube metric make audience growth stagnate, but it can also make it harder to get paid: creators need to accumulate 4,000 hours of watch time in a 12-month period in order to monetize their YouTube channel.

The good news: growing your viewership isn’t rocket science. We’re not saying you’ll instantly go viral, but if you do these 12 things, you’re guaranteed to at least get more YouTube views — without investing money into YouTube ads. 

What counts as a view on YouTube?

The number of people attracted to your YouTube channel doesn’t always correlate with your view count. That’s because YouTube only counts a view when someone watches your video for at least 30 seconds. That means your videos need to both attract and keep viewers in order for your channel to be successful.

12 easy and free ways to get more YouTube views

1. Understand your audience 
2. Create eye catching video thumbnails
3. Write catchy video titles 
4. Create playlists
5. Send traffic to videos with cards and end screens
6. Invest in YouTube SEO
7. Promote your video on other social media channels
8. Embed your YouTube videos on your website 
9. Improve audience retention
10. Repurpose content into YouTube Shorts 
11. Improve audio quality 
12. Encourage viewers to subscribe and turn on notifications

1. Understand your audience

A thorough understanding of your target audience is crucial to your entire video marketing strategy. It’s how you find video topics, convince people to view them, and market your YouTube content across social media. 

It’s why Jake Thomas, founder of Creator Hooks, recommends: “Know your audience better than anyone else. Know what their specific fears, desires, and current beliefs are.” Jake adds that when you know those things, you can upload YouTube videos that make your audience say: 

• "I was just wondering that!"
• "That's exactly how I'm feeling. What's the solution?"
• "That's not what I've been told. Let me watch and see what they think."
• "This video was made just for me."

If you have an established audience, lean into their feedback. Why do they connect with you over any other creator? What videos and formats are they most likely to watch?

If you’re a new creator with a small audience, collect these insights from established communities on Reddit or Quora. Make note of frequently asked questions — these make for great YouTube video ideas that garner views.

2. Create eye catching video thumbnails

The video thumbnail is one of the first things a YouTube user sees. If you can convince people to take notice and click your video, views will increase. 

(It’s why MrBeast, the mega influencer with over 160 million subscribers, reportedly spends up to $10,000 designing and testing custom thumbnails.)

The formula for eye-catching YouTube thumbnails varies niche to niche. However, the following best practices act as a great starting point: 

• Use bright colors  
• Induce an emotional reaction
• Limit the use of text 

 

“After much testing, consistency in our thumbnail design proved effective, creating a recognizable visual identity for our channel and achieving a 6% click-through rate.”  — Maximilian Nestler of Nestler Creation

Marketing creator Matt Diggity also used this strategy to increase YouTube views: “When I started putting more effort into designing captivating thumbnails, I noticed a significant increase in my video views.

“Prior to this change, my videos were averaging below 10,000 views,” Matt says. “After implementing the new thumbnails, I started seeing view counts of over 50,000.”