I think most people reading this know that YouTube can be a valuable way to solidify your brand and drive traffic to your blog or website. But how do you get your videos to have more than 20 views?
Well, I now know the answer.
First, let me say that I’ve never been very good at the whole YouTube thing. I’m one of those YouTubers whose videos often have 20 views each. My Blogging Bookshelf videos generally don’t do well in terms of number of views. But one of my Blogging Bookshelf videos has 3,500 views, and my handful of Amazopia videos have garnered 8,500 views in just a few days.
I guess I’ve unknowingly stumbled across the “secret” (or at least a secret) to getting lots of YouTube views, and it’s really simple:
Record videos of brand new products that come out in your niche.
It’s that simple. And yeah, it’s that powerful.
Here’s the story of my videos, followed by some tips of what you can do to create videos that get more YouTube views.
The Pinterest video – 3,500 views
My Blogging Bookshelf video that has 3,500 views is a tutorial on how to use Pinterest. (Pinterest is a hybrid social network/blog platform that is generating a lot of interest from people.) Pinterest was still pretty new at the time, and there wasn’t much information on it. I’d never read about it on any other blog, but I thought it was a cool service. That’s why I created the video.
It was well received when I posted it on the blog here and in the months since, it’s gotten more and more views and sent more and more traffic back my way.
It’s not a bad idea to write a blog post for each video. In fact, you might call it a great idea. That accompanying blog post about Pinterest now has over 200 comments on it and is currently the most-visited post on Blogging Bookshelf. Yes please.
The Kindle 4 videos – 8,500 views (in a weekend!)
Now to my Amazopia videos. So as many of you might know, Amazopia is a blog I started a couple weeks ago. It’s a blog all about Amazon.com and the various things the company is up to and involved with. I created a YouTube channel for it when I first started the blog, but didn’t upload any videos to it until a few days ago.
Amazon announced a bunch of new Kindles this past week. I ordered the new Kindle Fire tablet and the new basic Kindle (or Kindle 4 as it’s being known, since it’s the 4th generation Kindle). The basic Kindle was the only one that was shipping immediately, so I got mine in the mail the next day.
That afternoon I recorded a couple videos (an unboxing video and a video comparing the new Kindle with the older one). I uploaded them to YouTube and forgot about them. When I woke up the next morning, the videos each had a couple hundred views. Sweet! I recorded another couple videos that day about various aspects of the Kindle 4, and one more the following day. As of the time of writing this, those videos have about 8,500 combined views.
Ideas for videos that get lots of views
So in both of these examples, I created videos that in some way go over new products or services on the market. Here are some tips and ideas on how to do that:
- The newer the product that you’re reviewing, the better. This is HUGE. A video about a product that came out a year ago isn’t going to get nearly as many views as one that came out yesterday. My Kindle 4 videos are proof of that.
- If it’s a physical product, create an unboxing video (where you record yourself taking the item out of the box). Actually, you might be able to do this with a digital product, too. Just record a screencast of you downloading the file, opening it up, etc…?
- Record a video of your first impressions.
- Record a video where you compare the new item with a similar item (either an older version or a similar competitor).
- Record a video of you using the item.
- Keep SEO in mind when naming your videos. Include often-searched-for phrases in your title and description, like “tutorial,” “comparison,” “how to use,” and so on. Use the same words (and as many more as you can think of
- Record a review of the product or service. Discuss the pros and cons and what you would do differently.
- Talk about why you bought that product. What were your expectations, and were they met?
I’ve never been a huge YouTube fan in general (it has destroyed the souls and free time of many a friend), and I’ve never been a huge fan of creating vids. But now that my videos are getting lots of views and sending traffic back to my blogs, I kind of like YouTube. Funny how that works :D
In another post soon, I’ll talk about the tools and software I use for creating my YouTube videos. But until then…
- What methods work well for you for getting more YouTube views?
- What are some other types of videos get lots of views?
- What are some other video formats that you enjoy?
{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
Tristan
The problem with getting views on YouTube is that there are so many bull shit courses out there telling us how effective video/youtube marketing is (which it is!), and that the barrier to entry has never been so low (also true), and that all you have to do is point a camera at yourself, talk and upload to Youtube and voila, traffic to your website.
Um. No.
Substitute blogging for videos and tell me if this formula would work: sit down for 10 minutes, and scribble down some thoughts on a random topic and upload it to your blog and voila, traffic to your blog.
Again. No.
Just as for blogging the bloggers who get quality traffic are those who:
1) Create quality content
2) Create content that’s actually useful to their audience.
3) Promote said quality and useful content.
Why would video be any different? (Answer: it’s not).
To get views on YouTube you need to do the following:
1) Create a quality video (all of us have different perceptions as to what goes into a quality video – IMO the three main elements are: , script visual story and music/sound effects)
2) Create a quality video that’s useful to your audience.
3) Promote that video. (Being aware of how to properly title your video, provide good descriptions, using specific and important tags is just the start of the process).
Number 2 – CREATE A VIDEO THAT’S USEFUL TO YOUR AUDIENCE – is the most important part of the process. If you get that right – and get teh ‘quality’ aspect wrong, people will still watch it. This is why your Pinterest video did so well – because it was a specific ‘how-to’ video that provided detailed steps for members of your audience. And will continue to be found by people interested in Pinterest.
Creating the video equivalent of pillar articles is the real secret to getting sustained traffic views on YouTube. I call these videos ‘tentpole videos.’ You also have to remember to provide a call to action and drive people back to your blog or website too….(just to back up my views, I just checked my channel and I’m currently on 97,000 Channel views and 1.6m Video views with 5000 subscribers – plus all of these videos are syndicated to other sites and have approximately another 0.5 million views spread across 10 more sites).
In fact….I need to blog for One Spoon At A Time today….and I’m off to write a post about Tentpole videos!
PS you should post some of those videos as VIDEO REVIEWS on Amazon – make sure you link back to your Amazonia website and you’ll get some more traffic! (email me if you wanna know more!)
Awesome comment, Paul!
But uh… I’m not gonna lie. For those videos, I did just turn on the camera, point it at my Kindle, and start talking. The power of these videos comes pretty much solely from the fact that they were some of the early ones about the Kindle 4. I got lucky here.
I love your comparison of written blogging and video blogging. Totally makes sense.
I love your 3 elements of a good video: script, visual story, and music/sound effects. That’s great info for a video n00b like me.
I like the idea of the video version of a pillar article. Tentpole videos. I like it :D
Awesome info here, Paul. Thanks for the great advice and I’m looking forward to any more video tips you’ve got!
Hey Tristan
Well I wrote the article on Tentpole Videos and posted it after I left a comment here – so you can go check that out!
I’ll be writing more about videos as I’m creating a video product with another guy that’s going to launch soon – Steve Washer (the other guy) deals with teaching about the technical aspects of how to film great videos and I teach about how to take those finished videos and actually upload them so that you maximise/optimise the number of views you get on those videos.
Two more tips for you: the biggest thing to do is post videos frequently. Have a publication schedule just like you do for your blog. Either weekly or fortnightly. YouTube LOVES that.
And ‘google’ The YouTube Creators Guide and download it and read it – it’s a free guide that was put out in July by YouTube with guidelines on what they want from video creators. It might be called The youTube playbook as well.
Paul
I agree! Doing videos with recently released products it’s always a good strategy.
I have vids with 20,000 views or more.
My “secrets”:
- shoot spectacular action in spectacular places (not that I do this properly…)
- shoot events where there are a lot of people
- shoot unique tutorials (unique solutions to problems)
Great “secrets,” Constantin! Definitely some good info there, man.
Thanks! And I need to go check out your channel for some sweet climbing footage :D
Good stuff Twristan, I am especially glad to see the Amazopia site doing so well already! I will be watching as it grows!
Thanks Keith! Amazopia is doing well. I really enjoy working on it and it’s growing slowly but surely. The videos now have nearly 14,000 views (up from the 8,500 when I posted this) and still getting more every day.
saw, and liked the videos when they came out, nice!
and definitely looking fwd to the tools and software future post on making those neat videos
thanks tristan, you and guys like paul (above with his comments) are great resources
Thanks Adan. I’m glad you liked the videos. They were actually a lot of fun to make and I’ll be doing more in the future for sure.
I’ll post about the tools and software I used either this week or sometime next week.
I agree, youtube is definitely one of the best ways to get traffic. I haven’t had everything figured out as well but your discovery really is something. New is always better, at least when it comes to the web. New information always gets checked out, especially if it is a well known brand.
Exactly Gregg. New is super important when it comes to all content, but I do think it’s especially important when you’re talking about video.
Thanks for commenting!
Between you and Paul there has been some really good information on the “right” way to make videos. Those ideas that can really hold and captivate the audience.
It takes more than any old content. When you have an idea that is fresh and new (the new Kindles within days of their release and a new program like Pinterest) you instantly captivate that audience looking for more info. And likely get a fair share of inbound links as people share YOUR video on Their articles
I think you’re right, Steve. If you post the same video with the same information that everyone else has already done, no one’s going to watch your video.
And the whole inbound link thing is definitely a nice aspect of people embedding and sharing your videos.
I kind of love YouTube now :D
Your videos are awesome, so I bet the videos get a lot of views because of the high quality (people sharing). And what you’re saying about being first (or early) is important. I’m usually always searching for new products at YouTube, and it’s easier to get close to the top if you’re among the first to create a video about a product. For instance, I’ve already started searching for iPhone 5 :)
Thanks for the kind words, Jens.
I do the same thing on YouTube. I’m always looking for a video about something before I buy it.
Oh, and it looks like you’ll have to wait a bit longer for the iPhone 5 videos :D
Hi Tristan,
How are you? Long time no speak.
Super tips. I gravitated toward youtube recently, and am noting how being a real, live person who pops up on video does wonders for your branding campaign. Also, SEO can play a key role in generating page views.
Thanks for sharing!
Ryan
Ryan, I’m great! Yeah, I’m definitely liking YouTube these days.
I really should do more videos here on Blogging Bookshelf, but the topic of blogging just doesn’t lend itself super well to videos.
Thanks for the comment, buddy. It was great to hear from you, and thanks for the extra info.
“But how do you get your videos to have more than 20 views?”
As a starter I would embedd the video on one of my own high traffic pages so it gets an initial boost and then I would send my newsletter subscribers to my embedded video.
Any other ideas?
All good ideas, Tom. You could also tweet the link to the video.
I think the most important thing is to just make sure the content is good and relevant. If your video isn’t about anything new or exceptional, why would anyone watch it, you know?
Sure, don’t post anything blatant – you don’t want to harm your credibility.
In my comment above I didn’t wantto raise the impression that I want to publish low quality content but just mention a possibility to increase the view count.
Great post, love the ideas. Thank you for sharing it Tristan.
Great, thanks Jade. I’m glad you liked the post and the info here. Thanks for commenting.
Early bird gets the worm :).
Did you do anything else to promote the videos or get them ranking better? Like backlinking to them?
Nope, I didn’t do anything else to promote the videos. I just posted them with titles and keywords that I thought people would be searching for. I didn’t do any backlinking or anything.
Making review videos about new products will work and this can bring you a lot of views and therefore traffic. If done in a professional way, like with a professional camera, some effects, having a intro, people may subscribe to watch future videos therefore increasing your views every time you make a new video and eventually you may have the possibility to become an youtube partner, which is also cool because you can make some extra cash.
From personal experience whatever the niche of your videos you have to show your face and be a charismatic person otherwise you won’t get very far on youtube.
If you want anyone to give you their extended attention, you’ve got to cater to the conversation they’re already having with themselves.
I’ve fought this marketing truth even though I’ve seen example after example of guys like you crushing it because you’re adhering to it.
But if you want to make money and have influence, you’ll forget about your assumptions and preferences and only speak to the thoughts your perfect prospect has on the tip of their mental tongue.
Hey dude, great tips. The only video on Youtube that has a ton of views is one I did when I was way younger. My voice was high pitched, I was confused. You know…the basis for a troll attack on Youtube :)
I love marketing on Youtube — I’ve reviewed a bunch of different products with good success over the years.
And yes, being one of the first people to review a product is extremely beneficial — not just in the short-term, but in the long-term as well, as your video is likely to stay near the top as it ages, collects views/ratings/favorites.
But you don’t always have to be first! You can be, well, last, and still climb to the top if you know how to leverage SEO on your video’s page (hint: video title, tags, description). It’s also helpful to link to it externally and to get your friends to rate, favorite, and comment on it.
YouTube is awesome, hey? You can almost justify buying a new toy just so that you can review it first. Oh, that’s dangerous thinking right there…
Thanks for the points Tristen. This will get our blog good returns for the pains of creating a video.
Thats true this way surely going to work as folks like to remain updated with all the latest new no matter whether it tech related or something else.
So its sure that video which have all useful information concern to NEW and LATEST, or UPCOMING stuff will definately going to attract more views.
Thanks a lot for sharing this simple but sure formula.
All i want to say is useful tips man. You did a great research to present your views on it.
Tristan, I read only Paul’s comment and scanned the rest (I did read the post :) and didn’t see what I am wondering and that is – what camera are you using?
I have a great HD camera and for screenshots I use Camtasia but I recently started thinking more about videos and I want to make sure I am using good tools. Actually my biggest problem is that output of my camera is MTS, I lost the software I got with it and when I run it through Windows Media Player to convert it to filetype Camtasia will let me edit it loses a lot in quality.
Congrats on so many views!
Tristan,
Now I believe how eager you are to become successful in this field of blogging. Imagine that huge views in your videos! Wow! You have the right strategies and approach and really I thank you for sharing the tips! Keep pursuing your passion!
Share it on popular social & networking site’s like facebook, tritter with all followers and friends……
You tube will help us to earn a lot of traffic but if we are in right directions
No doubt Amazopia is doing well. But there are more things to be improved and getting 8500 views in few days is not a big deal, you just need to make a video of latest niche and upload it, I bet you will get because people get attracted in seconds and also lost interest in seconds. Be care full while making video don’t introduce yourself much or no lengthy product interview type. Show more and more products features and price where to buy how to buy and important stuff. I see many people make their video more than the product they are introducing. Trains I like your video and waiting for more tools be introduced to make them more nicely.
Did you get lucky with those videos? I’ve tried a few videos but have not really had much success. But I think your idea is good, go for products that are new in the market.
Thanks for you tube traffic tips with different case studies
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