How to Get More YouTube Views in 2024 in 11 Steps
Getting viewers to click that tempting thumbnail and watch your YouTube videos is harder than ever in 2024. With over 500 hours of content being uploaded to the platform every minute, standing out takes serious strategy.
But growth on YouTube doesn’t have to feel hopeless. After reviewing over hundreds channels across nearly every niche and working with creators pulling in hundreds of millions of views, I’ve broken down a 11-step masterclass for explosively growing your view counts this year.
And the best part? Many of these YouTube domination tactics are completely free and only require some strategic optimizations on your part.
Let’s dive right into the steps to take starting today:
1. The Riches Are In The Niches
While massive channels like MrBeast thrive on variety, such content scattering risks subpar search visibility for smaller creators. Establish clear authority with YouTube’s algorithm by doubling down on one niche at first.
Upload a high video volume around tightly focused topics like woodcarving tutorials or football team commentary allowing you to rank well for related searches. Attract that diehard niche subscriber base through consistency.
Yet also remain open branching out if viewer interest evolves or original topics grow creatively stale down the road. Just make sure existing viewers tag along for the ride through clear communication by highlighting overlapping interests for your next venture. On EpicToyChannel our founders started with Paw Patrol videos, then they switched to Teen Titans Go! and eventually Marvel Comics. It was all in their niche’ demographic, but as their viewers interests changed they adapted accordingly.
2. Surprise Viewers By Over-Delivering Value
Imagine reading a book’s exciting synopsis that hooked you in…only to find the actual novel hugely disappointing. You’d feel cheated as a reader.
The same viewer frustration happens on YouTube when intriguing video titles and thumbnails make big promises that the actual content fails to deliver. These false expectations kill retention, trust and future clicks.
That’s why it’s crucial not just to meet but shatter expectations by over-delivering value vs whatever transformation or takeaway you teased. Stuff your videos with as much helpful content as possible through concise editing, bonus tips, etc.
Delighted viewers who feel like they stumbled upon a goldmine are far more likely to smash like, comment, share and subscribe for your next video soon after — sending that magical YouTube algorithm into hyperdrive.
3. Optimize For Your Future Fans (Not Just Existing Ones)
One rookie mistake that limits growth is only creating content to please current subscribers, rather than consider the preferences of new potential viewers stumbling upon your videos. Catering to the latter wider audience gives your content viral potential.
For example, constant inside jokes or overly personal video premises may resonate with regular viewers already familiar with your personality. But these narrow concepts often alienate fresh visitors, causing them to lose interest and exit YouTube without subscribing.
So place special emphasis on crafting titles, custom thumbnails and video hooks relatable and intriguing to complete outsiders with no context of who you are…yet.
4. Chase Down Trending Video Topics
While creating evergreen content with long-term usefulness has its place on YouTube, targeting timely topics riding waves of intense viewer interest can generate huge view surges.
So keep your finger fixed on the pulse of rising trends by using analytics tools like TubeBuddy or Google Trends to detect trending search spikes. Hop quickly on these view gravy trains before they pass by analyzing related top-performing content filling niches.
Yet also carefully vet competition and potential. Pursuing oversaturated trends chasing topics with established authorities battling for views risks wasted effort.
Instead, identify rising trends where you can establish first-mover authority with the right custom thumbnail, SEO rigor and value focus. Then diligently sprinkle in evergreen content to retain viewers once trends fade.
5. Transform Words Into Compelling Video Visuals
YouTube offers an unmatched opportunity among social platforms to showcase visual storytelling flair that transcends static blog posts. So whether using b-roll footage, images, on-screen text graphics or cuts between different camera angles, put effort into vividly translating script concepts into dynamic video.
Intersperse relevant b-roll like product demonstrations or abstract representations of emotions discussed between commentary. This breaks up any monotony from prolonged headshots lending visual variety to retain waning attention.
Most importantly, visually introduce key transformations right up front during the open loop hook phase so viewers immediately recognize solutions to the originally posed problem.
6. Master the Magical Thumbnail Formula
With billions of videos to choose from, a thumbnail screenshot represents one of the most valuable visual real estate pieces on the internet for luring in clicks. So sweat those small details on fonts, contrast and emotional pull.
While no single universal formula for thumbnail success exists, certain best practices provide a bedrock foundation:
- Vibrant colors that pop against backgrounds
- Minimal but bold text for skimmability
- Intriguing facial expressions signaling dramatic stories
- Sharp contrast and image brightness/saturation
- Simple, symbolic graphics reinforcing the concept
Continue A/B testing elements like text location, fonts used, props visualized until you unlock the custom thumbnail formula effortlessly elevating your click-through-rates.
7. Obsessively Analyze Your YouTube Analytics
While feeling out ideas based on your creative instincts drives the foundation of video brainstorming, data-driven analysis should guide strategic refinements.
Constantly pore through your YouTube Studio analytics assessing audience retention based on relative peak drop-off points. Identify sections losing viewers so you can either improve the pacing or avoid those video aspects altogether in the future if irredeemable.
Likewise examine traffic sources and viewer demographics. Tailor future targeting and promotions to countries and age brackets clicking most reliably. Video optimization is an endless process of making micro-adjustments based on the clues YouTube’s back-end data provides.
8. Become Your Target Audience’s Ideal Viewer
It’s easy for creators to become overzealous about pet topics they could discuss for hours on end. But very few viewers will share that tireless passion. So regularly ask yourself: “If I stumbled upon this video with fresh eyes, would I stay engaged or quickly bounce to something else?”
Essentially, transform yourself mentally into a member of your target audience. Analyze your content through their eyes. This outside perspective helps identify overly dense passages that may lose newcomers rather than explain concepts clearly.
Upload only videos that YOU would eagerly click on and view until the very last second if discovered on YouTube. Let this viewer-centric compass guide editing decisions rather than purely personal preferences.
9. Hook Viewers In With Loops
Imagine tuning into a mystery film 45 minutes in with no context on the characters, plot or stakes. Would you stay glued to the screen? The same concept applies to YouTube viewers stumbling upon your video. You need to quickly open information gaps that hook them in within the first precious seconds.
Some ideas for tantalizing open loops after grabbing attention with a strong hook thumbnail:
- Pose an intriguing before-and-after contrast they crave the backstory for
- Set up a dilemma or shocking revelation you promise to unpack step-by-step
- Use emotional contrast showing how bad things are now…and how you’ll transform them
Once the open loops have lured viewers in, keep them dangling unresolved as long as possible, building anticipation around the eventual payoff. Just make sure to clearly confirm exactly what tantalizing transformation the video will cover so they know sticking around will satisfy their curiosity.
10. Embrace Consistent Upload Momentum
Sporadic uploading presents obstacles growing subscriber bases since long lulls between uploads pushes your channel out of sight…and out of mind.
Set an ambitious yet realistic goal for your upload frequency that’s sustainable, whether once per week or daily. This regular visibility in subscriber feeds, combined with optimizing search visibility, powers compounding view growth each video building on the previous…until eventually reaching breakout popularity thanks to YouTube suggesting your videos more prominently.
But most importantly, devise a streamlined content production strategy allowing you to hit those consistency benchmarks with minimal creative burnout or production crunch stress that compromises quality.
11. Click Worthy Thumbnails
Are your thumbnails click worthy? How does your Click Through Rate compare to others in your niche? If not, it may be time to update your thumbnail strategy. After accomplishing everything on this list, you could be held back by your thumbnail designs or other metadata, the thumbnail design masters at CustomThumbnails.com would be glad to help.
Our team has manufactured wildly successful custom thumbnails for thousands of satisfied creators that look so incredible you’ll wonder why you didn’t join the ranks of successful clients sooner.
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