Uploaded Shorts Daily for 30 Days – Here’s What I Learned!

Are YouTube Short’s worth it?

I wanted to see what would happen if I uploaded a Short every day for 30 days then pass on what I learned to my audience.

In the video below, I show you the strategy I used, the results I got, and what I learned after 30 days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix86Xczw0ZY

My Shorts Strategy

First, I chose a topic that my audience was interested in. In this case I chose the YouTube Algorithm. If I enter YouTube algorithm in the YouTube search bar, I get a bunch of suggestions.

YouTube algorithm 2024,
YouTube algorithm explained.

If I place _ YouTube algorithm, I then get all the other keyword phrases such as
how YouTube algorithm works,
how to reset the YouTube algorithm,
how to beat the YouTube algorithm,
how to get your videos in the YouTube algorithm,
how the YouTube algorithm works in 2024.
These are all keyword phrases people are entering into YouTube search to find out the answers.

My Shorts strategy is that I can target one keyword phrase and provide the answer in the video. I also checked out what people are searching for on Google related to the YouTube algorithm.

If I enter YouTube algorithm in Google search. Under “people also ask“, it says,
What is the algorithm for YouTube,
How to trigger the YouTube algorithm,
How do you ace the YouTube algorithm,
How to control the YouTube algorithm.

If I scroll down to related searches. I get…
YouTube algorithm for views,
YouTube algorithm for shorts,
YouTube algorithm change,
YouTube algorithm for money.

Here are the titles of some of the shorts I created….
How to beat the YouTube algorithm in 2024,
YouTube Shorts Algorithm versus Longform algorithm.
How does the YouTube shorts algorithm work 2024,
What determines which videos show up in YouTube shorts,
Does the YouTube algorithm ever give up on your videos

Primarily I target how-to topics to increase the probability of my shorts videos being discovered in YouTube search and Google search.

The idea of focusing on one topic, the YouTube algorithm, means that I could create a series of videos based upon that topic.

Another idea I had of creating a short series was to test out different video ideas. So even though my main topic was YouTube algorithm, I also created shorts videos related to the YouTube algorithm, such as..
How do you attract views as a small YouTube channel,
How does YouTube choose which videos to promote,
How to find your target audience on YouTube 2024,
How to get YouTube to recommend your shorts,
How does the YouTube recommendation algorithm work,
Why do YouTube Shorts views suddenly drop, YouTube suggested videos algorithm.

My video structure started off with a strong hook, such as asking a question, making a bold statement, then delivering the content and ending with a strong call to action, such as subscribing to the channel. Most of the shorts were between 30 to 60 seconds at length that I filmed and edited myself.

After filming and editing the video, I’d upload it to Kapwing, an online video editor to add captions and create a transcript.

The reason for adding captions on YouTube shorts is that when people are scrolling their phones using the YouTube app, they’ll be able to read the captions on the video. I made sure that the first caption of my shorts video contained the title of my video, such as “How to Reset the YouTube algorithm on the phone.”

By doing this, I can select the first frame as a custom thumbnail when uploading my video using the YouTube app on my phone. The strategy behind doing this is that when the thumbnails appear in YouTube and Google search, viewers immediately would know what the video is about. The thumbnails would also stand out from the competition.

The reason behind creating a transcript of the video content is that I can place that transcript in the description below my video. This improves the chances of my content getting picked up by YouTube and Google and appearing on YouTube and Google search.

My thinking about encouraging viewers to subscribe at the end of the video was that it would increase my subscriber rate for my channel. Now you know what strategy I used for uploading shorts daily for 30 days. Let’s look the results.

My Shorts Results

Here are my shorts results after uploading Shorts videos daily for 30 days. Fortunately, I can study the data in YouTube analytics.

  • Log in to YouTube studio and click on analytics.
  • Under the content tab, click on shorts.
  • Here I’ve got the last 28 days, so let’s change that to 30 days.
  • Click the dropdown,
  • Click custom. I’m going to select May 1st to May 30th when I stopped.

I received over 30,000 views in 30 days from YouTube shorts on my channel. Some of those views came from existing shorts on my channel. 35,000 were shown in the feed, I got 496 likes and gained 67 subscribers.

Under how viewers found my shorts, 46% was external, 29% from the shorts feed, and 16% from YouTube search.

If I click on external, it shows that 70% of external traffic came from Google search.

Under “how many chose to view”, 45.8% were viewed versus 54.2% swiped away.

Viewed versus swiped away gauges the percentage of times that viewers watch your shorts instead of swiping away from them. You can also see the top shorts that got the most traffic from my channel.

If I click on “See More”, I can see the number of impressions, impressions, clickthrough rate, views, average view duration, and watch time hours.

Let’s select another metric. If I want to add more metrics to the table, just click the plus sign. Under reach, I can select “shown in feed”. This is how many times content was shown in the shorts feed 35,377 times.

Total views accumulated was over 30,000 views.
Watch time hours 241 hours.
Subscribers 67,
Estimated revenue. this is pretty dismal $1.79.
Average view Duration about 30 seconds.
Impressions about 93,000 Impressions
Impressions click through rate around 3.8%.

Let’s select another metric. Click on the plus sign. Click on new viewers. I received over 25,000 new viewers.

Lets select returning viewers. Returning viewers, only 1,352.

So you can see that Shorts mostly attracts new viewers rather than returning viewers.

Let’s look at subscribers gained versus subscribers lost.
I lost 5 subscribers in 30 days and gained 72 new subscribers.

What I Learned After 30 Days after uploading shorts daily for 30 days

I discovered that most shorts did well in the first 24 to 48 hours of Upload and then they flatlined. This is because YouTube exposed your content to a small targeted audience, then if that audience is no longer interested in your content, it won’t spread it to a larger audience.

Shorts videos that received the most views contained questions in the titles such as…
“Why do YouTube Shorts Views Suddenly Drop”
“How does video performance affect the YouTube algorithm”
“Why the YouTube shorts algorithm sucks”
“How to beat the YouTube algorithm. 2024”.

I also discovered that uploading shorts videos didn’t affect my longform videos. In fact, you can link a shorts video to a longform video used related links.

I also discovered that shorts reach a different audience, mostly non-subscribers. This means you can reach an audience that doesn’t normally watch your long form videos.

I also noticed that my current subscribers didn’t receive any notifications when I uploaded a new short probably ’cause they’re not scrolling on their phones with the YouTube app.

Another thing I learned about shorts is that it’s a great way to test new ideas for your channel. In my case, I focused on one major topic, then made a shorts video answering a frequently asked question on that topic.

Shorts videos can also appear in Google search and get a ton of traffic. For example, a majority of views from shorts on my channel come from external source, which is mostly Google search.

For example, this shorts video has gotten over 52,000 views since it was published and still gets 167 views every 48 hours. As you can see, it’s currently ranked at the top of Google search. It’s also ranked at the top of YouTube search under shorts.

Keep in mind, most shorts videos won’t appear in Google search until weeks, months, or even years later. If they remain ranked on YouTube and Google search, you’ll receive evergreen traffic year after year.

Disadvantages Of Shorts

One big disadvantage of uploading shorts is that you don’t make a lot of money. For example, after uploading shorts videos daily for 30 days, I only made a total of $1.69.

Another disadvantage is that you can no longer place live links in the description of your shorts video.

So Are YouTube Shorts Worth It?
Not for generating a lot of revenue, but great for testing out new ideas on your channel. It’s also a great way to educate your audience by giving them quick tips.

The success of your shorts videos will depend on your strategy. If you don’t have a good understanding of what your target audience likes to watch, it’ll be like throwing mud at a wall.

My recommendation is to test out uploading shorts to your channel to see how your audience responds.

Do YouTube shorts get more views than long form videos?
Watch this video right now titled “YouTube Shorts versus YouTube video, which gets more views?”

How To Start Affiliate Marketing With YouTube For Beginners

Affiliate marketing is the fastest and easiest way to start making money on YouTube. For example, I’ve made over $14,000 in lifetime commissions promoting the TubeBuddy affiliate program.

In the video below, you’ll learn the top benefits of promoting affiliate products on YouTube, how to choose relevant products, the types of content to create, where to include your affiliate links, and how to optimize and promote your videos.

Top Benefits Of Promoting Affiliate Products On YouTube

It’s easy and cost nothing to get started.
You don’t have to become a YouTube partner. You don’t have to create a product, and you don’t have to create the marketing materials. All you have to do is sign up for an affiliate program for a product that you wish to promote on YouTube, then you get the affiliate link, which you can promote in the description of your video. 

Saves time.
As I mentioned earlier, you don’t have to spend hours creating your own product or creating the marketing materials to promote the product. The company that is offering their products to promote by affiliates, will often contain marketing materials such as banners, email swipe files, et cetera. For example, TubeBuddy has banners such as this one to help you promote their product.

Earn Passive Income.
The way affiliate marketing works on YouTube is that you first select the product that you wish to promote. You sign up for the affiliate program, and you place the affiliate link in the description below your video. When a viewer purchases the product through your affiliate link, you receive a 50% or higher commission. For example, if your video continually ranks on the first page of YouTube and Google, you receive Evergreen commissions. If you promote multiple affiliate products on YouTube, you’ll increase your earnings and won’t have to rely on AdSense income.

Massive Audience Reach.
YouTube has over 2 billion active users and attracts a wide range of age groups, demographics and interests that allow you to target specific segments effectively. It also allows you to host all your videos for free and you can actively engage with your viewers. Another huge benefit of YouTube is that it’s the second largest search engine after Google. This means if you optimize your videos with relevant keywords to improve visibility, your video can appear in the YouTube and Google search results. If your video continually ranks on the first page of YouTube and Google, you can receive Evergreen revenue for years to come.

How To Find Relevant Products To Promote

The easiest and fastest way to find a relevant product to promote is to choose a product that you already own. For example, I use TubeBuddy’s keyword research tool to discover topics that people are entering into the YouTube search engines. I also use TubeBuddy every day to manage my channel. Therefore, it makes sense to become an affiliate of TubeBuddy.

Other popular affiliate programs include the Amazon Associates program, ClickBank, and individual brand affiliate programs.

For example, I use the GoPro action camera to capture the stunning landscapes while hiking the trails in Mount Cook National Park, South Island of New Zealand. If I go to my Amazon Associates account and type in GoPro, I can get the affiliate link for the GoPro action camera. At the top, it says “Get Link”, so if I click on text, here’s my Amazon affiliate link to promote the GoPro action camera and receive commissions for every sale.

My recommendation is to look for affiliate programs that offer good commissions and have high quality products. Ideally, choose products that align with your niche and that your audience finds interesting and useful. Avoid products that won’t be helpful to your audience.

Types Of Content To Create

Here are the 4 types of content you can use to promote your affiliate product.

Product reviews.
This could be a product you already own or use, or a product that a company wishes for you to review. When reviewing a product, talk about the pros and cons based upon your personal experience. Here’s a clip of a product review video I did for the best wireless microphone for a laptop or phone.

“You can use these 2 microphones to get high quality audio from your DSLR or mirrorless camera, conduct interviews with 2 people, live stream from your laptop computer, or vlog from your phone.” 

Tutorials and how-tos
Viewers love it when you can show how the product works. When you’re promoting your affiliate product, show how you’re using the product, its benefits and practical applications.

“”Now I’ve got one mic, the smart mic light clipped to my shirt and the Smart mic plus plugged into my Canon M50 camera. So I can be close to the camera or I can even be far away”.

End your video with a strong call to action telling viewers to check out the link in the description.

Unboxing videos.
You can make unboxing videos to show the product’s packaging, initial impressions and setup process. Here’s a video clip of me demonstrating the switch pod. “I’m excited to bring you the SwitchPod. In my opinion, it’s the best travel tripod for 2020. 

Comparison videos.
When you compare two different products within the same category, it helps your audience make an informed decision. Here’s a video clip of a product view video I made comparing the toner TRC 777 USB microphone with the blue Snowball USB microphone.

“Here’s what the microphone sounds like when I’m really close to it. Here’s how it sounds. If I’m really close to the mic, let me know in the comments below which mic you prefer the to mic or the blue snowball mic?”

How To Add Affiliate Links On YouTube

There are 3 ways to add affiliate links to YouTube videos. Description box.

  1. The best place is to include a live affiliate link in the first three lines of your video description. When viewers are watching the video, they’ll easily be able to see the link below the video and be able to click on it to make a purchase. 
  2. Use onscreen adaptations
    During your video or at the end of the video, you can direct viewers to click the link in the description. For example, in this video when I talked about a TubeBuddy keyword research tool, I directed viewers to the link in the video description. 
  3. Pinned comments.
    YouTube gives you ability to pin a comment to the top of your comments to make your affiliate links more visible to viewers when they scroll through the comments. Just make sure you use the full URL to make a live link so when viewers click on it, they’ll be taken directly to that product page.

“Hey, Herman, does YouTube allow live affiliate links on YouTube Shorts?’ 

Thanks for asking. YouTube no longer allows live links in the video description of YouTube shorts, however, you can add a related link that links to a long form video.

Watch this video to learn how to link shorts directly to your long form videos using related links. So you could do a short review of your affiliate product using YouTube shorts, then link to the full review using a related link.

Optimize Your Video To Increase Visibility

If you want to increase the visibility of a video on YouTube and Google so you can get more views and make more sales, it makes sense to optimize it. To do this, include the name of your affiliate product in your title, description, tags, so it’ll rank higher in the search engines.

Create eye-catching thumbnails to increase your click-through rates. If your thumbnail stands out from your competitor’s thumbnails when they first see it in the search engines on the YouTube homepage on suggested videos, there’s more likely they’ll click on it and watch your video. Make sure you use contrasting colors, bold text and add a curiosity factor.

How To Promote Your Videos

Engage with the viewers in the comments.
YouTube is a social media platform, so viewers will often leave comments under your video to start a conversation. Sometimes they’ll even ask follow up questions concerning your product so you can continue the conversation.

Track your video performance
Use the analytics provided by your affiliate program to track clicks, conversions, and commissions. You can then adjust your strategy based upon the performance data to maximize your earnings. You can also track the performance of your video in YouTube analytics.

For example, if you click on the reach tab in YouTube analytics, you’ll be able to see how viewers find this video, impressions and how they led to watch time, external sites or apps, YouTube search terms and content suggesting this video.

If you click on the engagement tab, you’ll be able to see audience retention such as…
– the key moments for audience retention,
– how many viewers are still watching around the 30 second mark,
– top moments when your viewers watch for longer than usual,
– where spikes occur when more viewers are watching, 
– rewatching or sharing moments of a video.
– You’ll also be able to see the dips, which means viewers are abandoning or skipping certain parts of your video.

When you make tweaks to your next video, based upon the data you studied in your previous video in YouTube analytics, you’ll be able to improve your sales.

Promote Your Videos OFF YouTube

If you want to expose your video to a wider audience than just YouTube, share it on other social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etcetera. You may even generate some extra sales.

If you have a website or blog, embed your video in the blog post to receive additional traffic. For example, here’s a review of TubeBuddy that I posted on my blog. Creating an optimized blog post increases the chances of your video getting discovered in Google search, as well as your blog post.

If you follow all the steps I outlined in this video, you can effectively use affiliate marketing on YouTube to generate a decent income. Just keep in mind that successful affiliate marketing requires constant effort in building a connection with your audience.

Do you want to know my proven strategies to make your bank account grow even while you’re sleeping? Watch this video right now on “how I make money on YouTube while sleeping and earn more with less effort”

How To Find (HOT) Trending Topics On YouTube

This shorts video got 1.5 million views in a couple of days because it was trending on YouTube.
“If you can get your mom anything for Mother’s Day, what would you get her Whoa. Let’s Go Get It”

Finding trending topics on YouTube is a great way to get new content
ideas and make videos that go viral.

In the video below, you’ll learn 7 ways to find trending topics on YouTube
so you can get more views and grow your channel fast.

https://youtu.be/I7zBPg-NGtg

YouTube Trending Page

The easiest and fastest way to find hot trends on YouTube is to go to YouTube’s trending page. This page shows a wide range of videos that are currently trending in your country and ranked by popularity. It’s updated every 15 minutes, so you’re guaranteed to find the latest trends. You can get there by going to youtube.com and clicking on the trending tab at the left hand column. 

At the top, you’ve got what’s trending now, music, gaming, and movies. You’ve also got the creator on the rise. If you scroll down, you’ll see trending shorts such as this shorts video. “What should I buy your mom for Mother’s Day“, 1.5 million views, and here’s all the other training videos as you scroll down further.

For example, here’s a video from Mr. Beast. Protect the yacht. Keep It, which currently has 52 million views. It’s only a couple of days old. 

TubeBuddy Chrome Extension

TubeBuddy is a free Chrome extension that can help you find trending topics on YouTube. After you install the TubeBuddy Chrome extension, you’ll see the TubeBuddy icon at the top right. Click on the icon, then click on Keyword Explorer. Enter your main keyword under your keywords. I’ve entered YouTube algorithm, and immediately you get the suggestions from YouTube Search, YouTube Algorithm 2024, YouTube algorithm Explained, et cetera. Click Explore. It shows the weighted score, which is how good this keyword is to target for your specific channel based upon your search volume, competition, relevancy, and how you compare to others currently ranking in search.  The overall score is poor, but I’ve also got related searches, YouTube algorithm 2024, YouTube Algorithm Explained, et cetera.

So if I click on “YouTube algorithm 2024” the overall score is now very good, which means it’s a great possibility that I can rank for that particular keyword phrase in YouTube search. I’ve also got the search volume, weighted competition, optimization strength videos in search results, monthly search estimate estimate, and a top ranked videos.

If I click on results, I can see the current videos that are ranked at the top of YouTube search. If I click on Google, I can see the related searches in Google search. If I click on topics, I can also see related topics that I can use to title my video.

For example, I could choose “how to make a killer YouTube intro for the 2024 algorithm” Since I know that the keyword phrase YouTube algorithm 24 is a trending topic on YouTube, I can make sure to include that in the title of my video. If I click on tags TubeBuddy gives me all the tags that I can use to put in my video.

For example, here’s a shorts video I made titled “How does the YouTube Shorts Algorithm work in 2024” If you click on analytics, it says, “Great job, views are 4 times higher than your other shorts” It got 409 views in the first 24 hours and since uploaded, it’s got 715 views.

YouTube Comments

Another way to find trending topics on YouTube is to read the comments under your videos or the comments under your  competitors videos. Viewers will often ask questions or suggest related topics for the content created to cover.

For example, here’s a comment from one of my viewers that says, “Hi there, could you make a video on how to use Google Trends trending tab to create videos that get a lot of views and go viral I’m really looking forward to it. Thank you very much” 

That comment was inspiration for making the video that you’re currently watching. When studying the comments on your competitors’ videos, make sure those videos are very popular and getting a ton of views.

Here’s how to find the most popular videos for any competitor’s YouTube channel. Click on the videos tab under the profile picture. Then click on popular. Now, you’ll be able to see the videos that receive the most traffic for that channel.

Google Trends

Google Trends is a fantastic way to find trending topics on the web as well as on YouTube search. To access Google Trends, go to trends.google.com. If you click on Trending now, you’ll see all the topics that are currently trending. Click on explore.

Here you’ll see the current search topics that are currently trending on the web, such as chatGPT software. You’ll also see the current search queries which are trending. If I click on chatGPT software, I can see that the graph is really trending upwards, so that’s a hot topic. I can also see the interest over time. You’ve also got related topics as well as related queries. If I click on the dropdown, select YouTube search, this gives me the trend data on YouTube search and the interest over time. Also I’ve got the interest by subregion, as well as related topics and related queries.

I can also explore a search term. Let’s enter “YouTube algorithm 2024”. Here’s the trend data and here’s the interest over time, so I can see it’s trending upwards. Here are the related topics as well as the related queries such as YouTube algorithm change, which is a breakout. If I click on the three dots, I can explore it, add it to comparison or search it, so click explore.

I can see this keyword phrase is trending upwards and has a high interest over time. If I select YouTube search, I can see that’s also currently trending upwards.

The only downside when using Google Trends is that it doesn’t show the search volume for each query. However, you can still use TubeBuddy to get those search volumes.

YouTube Analytics

If you study the YouTube analytics for your niche, it’ll provide a gold mine of topics that you can make videos for. If a topics currently getting a lot of traffic, make a similar video on that topic, but approach it from a different angle. Here’s how to find the top videos on your channel that are getting the most traffic.

Log into your YouTube channel and click on the overview tab in YouTube analytics. Under your top content, you’ll be able to see the top videos that are currently bringing in the most traffic for each channel. If you click on the audience tab, you’ll see videos that are currently growing your audience, channels your audience watches, what your audience watches, and when your viewers are on YouTube. If you scroll down, you can see the formats your viewers watch on YouTube, such as videos, shorts, and live, your top geographies,watch time from subscribers, age and gender and top languages.

YouTube Research Tab

If you click on the research tab for your YouTube Channel, it’ll show the top searches for your channel as well as the most recent videos for those particular topics. If you scroll down, it’ll show you the content gaps for your shorts. If you click on one of the top searches like how to get your videos on YouTube algorithm, you’ll be able to see what searched on YouTube as well as what is watched on YouTube.

VidIQ Chrome Extension (Daily Ideas & Trend Alerts)

If you have the Chrome extension VidIQ installed, you can click on Daily Ideas.  If you have the free version installed, you’ll get 3 personalized ideas every single day. You can also save your ideas and then click Saved Ideas to see all the ideas that you’ve saved and also the dismissed ideas.

If you click on Trend Alerts, you can create a new trend alert, so you can name your alert, and then you can enter a keyword which you’d like to create an alert for.

You can then select how often you would like to receive email alerts every day, every two days, each week, each month. Here’s live preview of the first 10 results to show what this alert might look like. Here’s an alert I set up for YouTube algorithm. If I click on Most Viewed, I can see the most viewed videos that are currently trending on YouTube.

The beauty of making a video for a trending topic on YouTube is that video can go viral and grow your channel fast.

Another highly effective way to find trending topics on YouTube is to find hidden content gaps.
Watch this video on how to find hidden content gaps in 2024 and beyond.

SECRETS TO INCREASE AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT ON YOUTUBE
Discover how to hook your viewers’ attention, get them to spend more time on each video, and motivate them to watch more videos from your channel, so YouTube will recommend your content to other channels.
Click here to learn more

How To Trigger The YouTube Algorithm In 2024 (GET MILLIONS OF VIEWS)

Have you ever published a video that only resulted in a few views then wondered why the YouTube algorithm hates your channel? 

In the video below, you’ll learn how the YouTube algorithm works and how to trigger it so you can get a ton of views even weeks, months, or years later.

For example, this video only received 207 views within the first 24 hours, but now it’s got 1.1 million views.

So how does YouTube algorithm work in 2024? 
Keep in mind YouTube tailors videos based upon each viewer’s interests. It does its best to show the right video to the right viewer at the right time across the whole planet. Primarily, YouTube looks at the titles, descriptions, and if viewers are enjoying the video. Therefore, instead of worrying about what the YouTube algorithm likes, focus instead on what your audience likes the most.

Here are 7 ways to trigger the YouTube algorithm in 2024, so you can get more views.

  1. Select a topic that your audience is interested in.
    A simple way to do this is to type your main keyword in YouTube search. For example, if I enter YouTube algorithm in YouTube search, it gives me YouTube algorithm 2024, YouTube algorithm explained, et cetera. If I place an underscore, then space before the YouTube algorithm, I get
    – how the YouTube algorithm works, 
    – this video breaks YouTube algorithm, 
    – how does the YouTube algorithm work, et cetera.
    If you have the Chrome extension Keywords Everywhere installed, it’ll even give you the search volume per month.

    For example, how  YouTube algorithm works gets a 1000 views/month at a cost per click of 2 cents.

This means you can quickly discover what kind of topics your audience is interested in.

  1. Title. 
    Create a Title that includes the keyword or keywords people are using to find that information in the search engines. For example, the main keyword for this video is YouTube algorithm, which I’ve included in the title.

    Write a title that motivates viewers to click and watch the video. For example, the title of this video is “How to Trigger the YouTube Algorithm in 2024.” This makes viewers curious about how the algorithm works in 2024 and how they can use it to get more views for their videos.
  2. Clickable Thumbnail.
    Your thumbnail should compliment the title because it’s what viewers see first in the search engines, and then they read the title. Use bold and contrasting colors and give it a personal touch by including your face. If including text, just use a few words and don’t repeat the title in your thumbnail.
  3. Video Description.
    Try to summarize your video content in the first three lines of your video description. Viewers will be able to read the first three lines while they’re watching the video. Make sure you also include your main keywords in the video description, so it’ll be picked up by the Google search engine.
  1. Use A Strong Hook.
    The first 30 seconds of your video will determine if your viewers will watch your video all the way through. Therefore, use a strong hook such as asking a question, making a bold statement, or tease about what’s coming up later in the video.
  2. Keep Viewers Engaged.
    One of the biggest ranking factors on YouTube is how long you keep viewers engaged on your video. Therefore, you want to reset their attention every few seconds. You can do this by adding text, graphics, transitions, or even asking a question.

Let me know in the comments below what you do to keep viewers engaged on your video.

When you first publish a video, YouTube exposes it to a small audience on YouTube. If that video receives high engagement like a 1 out of 10, then YouTube will expose it to a wider audience. When this happens, you’ll often see a jump in views. When your audience no longer engages with your video. Your views will flatline, therefore make a similar video so you can capitalize on the views.

  1. Create A Playlist Of Related Videos.
    Another huge ranking factor is how long you keep viewers engaged on the YouTube platform. Instead of just watching one of your videos link to a related video in the playlist by using an end screen or end card. This will encourage your viewers to binge watch multiple videos in a row. If you discover that the topic of your video really resonates with your viewers, because it’s getting a ton of views, make a similar video.

As I mentioned earlier, most videos don’t do well within the first 24 hours. However, weeks, months, or even years later, they may take off and get a ton of views. Therefore, don’t delete a video if it’s only getting a few views within the first 24 to 48 hours.

YouTube Shorts algorithm versus the Longform Algorithm: What’s the Difference? 
Most viewers discover YouTube Shorts while scrolling through the feed on their phones. When they see a shorts video that captures their attention, they stop scrolling and tap on it to watch the video. This is a very different format to long form content where viewers choose to watch a video after discovering it in YouTube search, or it’s recommended on the YouTube homepage. They’re more actively searching for information such as “how to tie a tie” or “how to change a light bulb“. If they click on the video, it increases engagement, then if they remain engaged throughout the video or watch more than one video, YouTube will recommend that video to a wider audience.

Long form videos are mostly discovered because of the thumbnail and title, whereas short form videos are mostly discovered through people scrolling the feed on their phones. If they hover over the shorts video, they’ll be able to read the subtitles.

How Does Video Performance Affect The YouTube Algorithm? 
YouTube looks at how the video performs when it’s recommended to viewers. For example, when a video is recommended to a viewer, do they watch it, ignore it, or click “not interested.” YouTube primarily ranks videos based upon average duration and average percentage viewed, which you can see in YouTube analytics.

My recommendation is to ask yourself, which videos does your audience
like the most, then make more of those types of videos.

Let me ask you a question….do you get depressed when you get little or no views on YouTube videos, especially when you spend hours filming and editing them? 

If that’s a yes, watch this video now on “Why is my YouTube video not getting views and how to fix it”

How To Find Hidden Content Gaps On YouTube

When YouTube introduced Shorts, almost everyone was using their phones to create them, however, I found it much easier to create them on my computer, yet nobody was talking about how to do it.

I had identified a content gap that nobody was talking about on YouTube, so I uploaded a video called “How to Upload a YouTube Short on YouTube from PC“.

As a result, it has attracted over 1 million views since it was published in 2021.

I wanted to share this experience so you can identify the content gaps in your niche nobody else is talking about, and make a video that stands out from your competitors.

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Here are 6 other ways to find content gaps on YouTube so you can
generate more traffic and revenue for your channel.

How To Use The Research Tab in YouTube Analytics

The Research Tab in YouTube analytics enables you to explore what viewers are searching for on YouTube. You can use this tool to research some of the top searches from viewers on your channel and all across YouTube in the last 28 days.

  • Click on analytics in YouTube studio,
  • click on the research tab.
  • Under top searches, you’ll be able to see the top searches for your channel.
  • Click see all…you can see all the top searches for your channel.
  • If I want to save “how to make more videos on YouTube,” I can just click save
  • If I click the three dots, I can click save,  not interested, report or help.
  • If want to explore a topic, I can just enter my topic in the search bar. For example, if I enter “how to research keywords for YouTube videos” then tap return on the keyboard, it says not enough info about your audience, but this is what’s searched on YouTube, how to research for YouTube videos, how to use keywords on YouTube, how to use the YouTube keyword research tool.
  • If I click “see all” I get even more suggestions.
  • Now if I want to find the content gaps, then click content gaps.

What is a content gap and how do they happen? 

The content gap is a way of measuring what viewers are searching for and the results they find.
This happens when…

  • viewers can’t find any results for their searches
  • viewers can’t find an exact match for their searches
  • viewers can’t find relevant videos for their searches
  • For example, the content is old or low quality.

These are all content gaps I can use to make future videos.

  • How to clear search history on YouTube,
  • how to tag someone on YouTube video,
  • how to clip a YouTube video.
  • hown to use keywords on youtube

If I click on how to use keywords on YouTube, it shows me the top videos for that particular keyword phrase as well as the YouTube thumbnails.

This means when I make my new video, I can use a similar title and similar thumbnail to make it stand out from my competition. It also reduces the time to find new content ideas for future videos. If I scroll down, it shows content gaps for shorts.

I can use these content gaps to create future shorts videos for my channel.

If I scroll down further, it shows top searches related to keyword research. If I click see all, then I can see all the different keyword phrases that I can use for my future videos.

For example, if I click on “how to check tag ranking for YouTube video,” I can see the keyword phrases that are searched on YouTube, how to find tags on YouTube videos, how to properly tag YouTube videos, how many tags should I use on YouTube. 

These are the top videos that I watched on YouTube, their titles and their thumbnails.

Now you know how to use the new research tab to find content gaps as inspiration for content that needs to be improved or doesn’t even exist.

How To Use The Reach Tab In YouTube Analytics

Another way to find the content gaps on YouTube channel using YouTube analytics is to hit the reach tab for a popular video. It will show you a bunch of search terms people are using to discover your video on YouTube.

For example, if I click on the reach tab for this video in YouTube analytics, then look under search terms, I can see all the alternative keyword phrases people are using to find this video. If I click “see more” under the traffic sources, I can see even more search terms that I can use for future videos that are related to the original video.

Use the same technique for any of your popular videos that are currently ranking on YouTube.

Analyze competitors videos to find hidden topics

Take a look at the content your competitors are creating on YouTube. then look for topics they haven’t covered yet. This will help you to identify the content caps that you can fill with your own videos.

For example, when I enter the keyword phrase, “how to easily translate YouTube comments to English on mobile,” there were no videos to be found on YouTube. Therefore, I created this video “how to easily translate YouTube comments to English on mobile.” 

This video currently ranks at the top of YouTube and has gotten 117,000 views over the last two years. If I enter the same keyword phrase in Google, it shows my large thumbnail at the top of the page, and it currently ranks number one on Google search out of 124 million results.

Before you make your video, analyze your competitors’ videos to see if there are any topics they’re not covering. You can then fill the content gap with your own video.

YouTube Comments

YouTube comments are a great resource to find content gaps for your channel. If someone’s asking a question in YouTube comments, there’s probably a lot of people that are asking the same question but are too afraid to ask.

Make sure you read the comments under your videos to find the frequently asked questions people are asking about your content. It may be a content gap you can make a video for that easily ranks on YouTube, attracting evergreen traffic and revenue,

For example, here are some comments for the video I made on “how to easily translate YouTube comments into English on mobile“.

“Dude, how to change that setting like existing in French. Change that to English. I’m getting translated to Chinese while I need to switch it to translate to English. Could you please help. I can’t set the translation back to English.”

As a result of these comments, I created a Shorts video titled “YouTube comment translate app not working How to fix.”

Here’s my Shorts video. If I go to analytics, it says, this short has gotten 9,450 views since it was published, and that was just a few months ago.

As you can see, this Short currently ranks #1 on Google search out of 37,400,000 results and shows a large thumbnail at the top of the page. On  YouTube the Short currently ranks on the first page of YouTube.

Add A Poll To The Community Tab

If you’re not sure what content your audience is interested in, add a poll to community tab.

Here’s a poll asking, “which title would you click on” 

Here’s another poll asking my audience, “what topics do you need help with. If other Comment below” You can also add image polls such as this one where I ask “which thumbnail do you prefer” You can also use the community tab to quiz your viewers, upload an image or notify your viewers about your recent video.

If you’re one of the first ones to upload a video to YouTube on a trending topic, that video may skyrocket to the top of the search engine rankings. For example, YouTube recently talked about how to permanently remove the community guidelines warning from your channel.

When I read this news, I immediately created a video titled “How to Get Rid of Your YouTube Community Guidelines Warning For Good” It currently ranks on the first page of Google out of 40 million results. It also currently ranks on the first page of YouTube.

As a result, it’s accumulated 1400 views since it was published only three months ago. As long as the video ranks on the first page of YouTube and Google, it’ll receive evergreen traffic and revenue for years to come.

Research trending topics to attract lots of views

Previously, I showed you how to find content gaps using the research tab in YouTube analytics. If you click on the three dots next to a keyword phrase, then click on “Go to Google Trends” it’ll show me the trend data for that keyword phrase. It’ll also show me the interest over time.

This means if I make a video targeting the keyword phrase “YouTube playlist not showing” there’s a high probability it will do well in the search engines.

If I click on web search, you can see it’s also trending well on Google search. If I enter that keyword phrase into Google, it shows one of my videos I made in 2019 titled “YouTube Playlist not working, what can you do about it?” 

If I enter the keyword phrase, YouTube playlist, not working into YouTube, it shows my video I created two years ago titled, “YouTube Playlist  Not Working. what can you do about it?”  and it currently has accumulated over 24,000 views. 

As long as it continues to rank on the first page of YouTube and Google it will generate traffic and revenue for years to come.

The Benefits of Finding Content Gaps

A content gap is a way of measuring what views are searching for and the results they find. It happens when someone can’t find any results for their searches, they can’t find an exact match for their searches, or they can’t find relevant videos for their searches.

Content gaps are a great starting point to research videos that don’t exist or can be improved. The key to finding content gaps on YouTube is to be proactive and constantly look for opportunities to create unique and valuable content that meets the needs of your audience.

If you want to know how I got over 1 million views from a video I published two years ago, watch this videoHow I got over 1 million views from YouTube and Google Search” 

SECRETS TO INCREASE AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT ON YOUTUBE
Discover how to hook your viewers’ attention, get them to spend more time on each video, and motivate them to watch more videos from your channel, so YouTube will recommend your content to other channels.
Click here to learn more

STOP trading time for money! (How I Generate A Full Time Passive Income On YouTube)

Back in the year 2000, I started a professional web design business and often wasted many hours dealing with picky clients that wanted multiple changes to their website. It often resulted in a lot of stress, and I had little time for travel or leisure because I had to meet deadlines. There was also a limitation about how much money I could make because I was trading time for money.

So what’s changed? 

Now I generate a full-time passive income from YouTube by bundling multiple income streams together and no longer trade time for money.

How do you do that? 

Get My New Shorts CourseMastering YouTube Shorts: The Complete Guide
Click here for more info

5 Ways I Generate A Passive Income From YouTube

YouTube Ad Revenue

One of the easiest ways to generate a passive income on YouTube is by displaying ads on your videos. When a viewer  clicks on your ad or watches it for 30 seconds, you get paid by YouTube. YouTube gets a 45% cut from what the advertiser pays, and you get the remaining 55%.

Here’s the estimated ad revenue I’ve generated since starting my channel.

Keep in mind, if you want to make money from ad revenue, you need to meet the minimum eligibility requirements of 1000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months, or 1000 subscribers and 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days.

After you’ve been admitted to the YouTube partner program, you can monetize your ads and generate revenue on autopilot. The more views you get on your videos and the more videos you upload to YouTube, the more revenue you’ll make.

YouTube Channel Memberships

YouTube channel memberships are a great way to generate passive income from YouTube, by offering perks in exchange for a monthly fee from your viewers. Click this join button to become a member of my channel.

You’ll get exclusive members only live streams every month, get your questions answered live, get access to my members only Facebook group, get badges so your name stands out in the comments. You’ll also be supporting my channel, which helps keep it growing.

To become eligible for channel memberships you must have 1000 subscribers, be in the YouTube partner program. Be 18 years old, come from an eligible country and your channel cannot be made for kids.

You can turn on channel memberships by going to the monetization page in YouTube studio, then click on “Memberships”.

Click here If you want to know how to set up and turn on channel memberships

Promote Affiliate Products

The beauty about promoting affiliate products on YouTube is that your channel doesn’t have to be monetized and you don’t have to do much work. You don’t have to create the product or the marketing materials.

All you have to do is promote the affiliate link from a brand or company in the description below your video, and you receive a 50% commission. For example, in this video, I show how to use TubeBuddy’s, keyword Explorer tool to uncover keywords that can rank #1 on YouTube.

I tell viewers to click the link in the description to check out TubeBuddy. Once I’ve set it up, I generate a passive income by TubeBuddy sending me commissions every month.

Here’s a video on “How to shoot cinematic footage used in a GoPro Hero 9“. During the video, I direct viewers to the Amazon affiliate link in the description. I get automatic commissions as an Amazon affiliate.

Here’s a digital product I created on Mastering YouTube Shorts.

income earned by digital entrepreneurs on Gumroad last week

Here’s the amount of income earned last week from digital entrepreneurs using Gumroad. It’s a free online platform that includes a flexible page builder and you can host your products there for free. There are no monthly charges and it just takes a 10% flat fee for processing your payments. All you have to do is open an account, add your product, and start selling.

The more digital products you create, the more money you’ll make.

Types of digital products you can sell through your YouTube channel

  • eBooks and reports,
  • online tutorials,
  • templates,
  • membership sites,
  • coaching services.

Example for why you should STOP trading time for money and what to do instead.

If you make $20/hour building websites, you can make about a $1000/week. That means the maximum you can make in a year is about $52,000. Let’s compare that to selling a digital product.

If you created a course that sold for a $100 and you sold 20 copies per week, you’d make $2,000 per week. If you made $2000 per week for 52 weeks selling a digital product, you’d make $104,000 per year.

If you only took 5 hours a week to market the course, you’d still make $104,000 per year. That means you’re trading value for money, not trading time for money.

If you created 2 courses, how much would you make? 

BIG TAKEAWAY
The big takeaway is stop trading time for money and start trading VALUE for money. When you create and promote your own digital products and courses, the growth of your business is endless.

If you want to know how I stopped trading time for money by ranking my video on the 1st page of YouTube and Google, watch this video on “How I got over 1 million views from YouTube and Google search.”

Get My New Shorts CourseMastering YouTube Shorts: The Complete Guide
Click here for more info

How To Rank #1 On YouTube In 2024 | Generate Traffic & Revenue While Sleeping

This video currently ranks on the first page of YouTube and has gotten over 114,000 views since it was published two years ago. It also ranks on the first page of Google out of 178 million results

In the video below, I show you how to rank on the 1st page of YouTube and Google so you can receive evergreen traffic and revenue year after year, even while you’re sleeping.

Discover my top strategies to get your first 1000 subscribers FAST, so you can join the YouTube Partner Program and start generating a passive income from your YouTube Channel
Click here for more info

What are the benefits of ranking your video on the 1st page? 

The greatest benefit is that your content is exposed to new people every single day as long as your video remains on page #1. As a result, you’ll receive evergreen traffic and revenue. If you offer a free report in exchange for contact information, you can build a profitable email list on autopilot.

When I had a web design business several years ago, I generated leads on autopilot with my videos ranking on the Ist page of YouTube.

If your video constantly ranks on the first page, YouTube will recommend it to a larger audience. This means it’ll appear in suggestive videos, which are the videos that appear on the right side of the watch page of the video that a viewer jut watched.

Initially, a video may not get many views in the first 24 to 48 hours of uploading it, but over time, it may generate thousands and millions of views.

For example, this video has only received 81 views in the first 24 hours, but now it has gotten over 114,000 views since it was uploaded. It also currently generates 269 views every 48 hours.

As long as your video continually ranks on the first page, it’ll generate traffic and revenue forever. That’s the beauty of YouTube over all other social media sites, you do the work once and read the benefits forever. Another great benefit is that it’s the fastest way to grow a new or small channel.

Here are the steps to rank a video on the 1st page of YouTube.

Identify your ideal viewer
YouTube shows the right videos to the right viewer at the right time across the whole planet, and tailors videos to each viewer’s different interests. The more you know about your target audience, the easier it’ll be to create the right content for them.

Think about the demographics of your audience, their age, gender, income range, education, relationships, et cetera. Think also about their psychographics, what are the burning questions that keep them up at night, what are their beliefs, values, attitudes, behaviors, and fears. 

Demographics are the boring facts, whereas psychographics identifies who your audience really is. Keep in mind the YouTube algorithm follows the audience, what they watch, what they don’t watch, how much time they spend watching viewer satisfaction, and what videos they are typically watching together.

Watch this video Why Is It Important To Know Your Target Audience (IDEAL VIEWER)

YouTube keyword research
One of the easiest ways to find out what your ideal viewer is interested in is to type your main keyword into the YouTube search bar. YouTube will suggest a bunch of keywords related to the keyword you typed in.

For example, recently I purchased a gravel bike to ride the local gravel trails. If I enter the main keyword phrase, gravel bike and YouTube search bar, it gives me a bunch of related suggestions, gravel bike versus mountain bike, gravel, bike trail riding, gravel bike race, gravel, bike riding, et cetera.

I can also use the alphabet to get even more suggestions. For example, if I place the letter a before gravel bike, I get a gravel bike build, what is a gravel bike, How to choose a gravel bike. Let’s try B budget gravel bike, best gravel bike. If I add the letter H, it says How to ride a gravel bike, how to clean a gravel bike, how to choose a gravel bike, how to go tubeless gravel bike, how to convert MTB to gravel bike, how to convert a road bike to gravel bike.

So I can just go through the alphabet to get more suggestions. I can also do the same by entering letters after gravel bike, so if I enter the letter a after gravel bike, I get gravel bike accessories, gravel bike adventure, gravel bike assembly, et cetera.

If you have the browser extension keywords everywhere installed, you’ll get the search volume as well as the cost per click.

For example, gravel bike accessories gets a 1000 searches per month at a cost per click of 15 cents. How to clean a gravel bike gets 40 searches per month at a cost per click of 4 cents, how to choose a gravel bike gets 70 searches per month.

Use TubeBuddy to uncover what people are searching for on YouTube. The Keyword Explorer tool from TubeBuddy helps you to quickly find the best keyword phrases to rank for.

For example, if I enter gravel bike into TubeBuddy then it gives me a bunch of suggestions. If I click explore, I get a poor score, which means that phrase is too competitive. If I place the word “how” in front of gravel bike, I get a bunch of different suggestions like, what gravel bike should I buy If I enter “difference between road bike and gravel bike” and click explore,I get a excellent score, which means that this keyword phrase has a high probability of getting the first page rankings.

As you can see, it’s got a search volume of 170 searches per month and a cost per click of 4 cents. Even though that keyword phrase doesn’t have a high search, volume there is a high probability, I can rank for it on the first page of YouTube. It also includes my main keyword phrase, gravel bike, in the title.

Create a list of keyword phrases you want rank for. 
Based on your keyword research, you want to come up with a list of 10 to 20 titles of videos you can rank for on the first page of YouTube Specifically, you want to target low competition keywords, especially if you’re just starting out or have a small channel.

If you go after very competitive keywords, it’s going to be very hard to rank on the first page of YouTube and Google. So instead of targeting a very competitive keyword phrase such as gravel bike, I go for a longer keyword phrase, such as “difference between the gravel bike and a road bike.” These are called long tail keyword phrases, which are much easier to rank for on the search engines.

Research your competition.
If you enter a keyword phrase in the YouTube search bar, you can quickly see the videos that are currently ranking on the first page of YouTube. You want to do this using incognito mode so you don’t get personalized results based upon your own browsing behavior.

If I enter the keyword  phrase “difference between road bike and gravel bike” in the YouTube search engine using Incognito mode, I can see all the competing videos. I can see the titles, thumbnails, how old the video is, how many views they got. 

To outrank the videos, I can come up with a better title thumbnail, and also get a higher audience retention on the video. Try to aim for at least 40% audience retention on your video.

Optimize your video
YouTube knows if you mention your target keyword in the video, so remember to say it in your video. Create a clickable title for your target audience. Instead of using a keyword phrase, “difference between gravel bike and road bike“, I can ask the question, “what is the difference between a gravel bike and a road bike?” This would make my audience more curious to click and watch the video.

If nobody clicks and watches your video, you’ll have wasted all that time making the video. A great tool for coming up with different titles is ChaGPT. Just ask ChatGPT to write 10 super engaging titles for a video about how to ride a gravel bike.

These are the titles it suggested within a few seconds.

If you have TubeBuddy installed, you can use the AI title generator to come up with a bunch of different titles. Also include your main keyword phrase in the description and tags of your video. Your video description helps YouTube understand the context of your video. The better they understand the content of your video, the higher you’ll rank and you’ll also appear in YouTube suggested videos.

Keep in mind the first 3 lines of your video description is what people see while they’re watching your video.

Upload a transcript of your video so people that can’t hear well or have the sound turned off can read the subtitles on your video. You can even translate your video into different languages, to expose your content to a wider audience. 

Add video chapters in the description below your video. include keywords in your video chapter titles to make it easier for YouTube to identify your content. It also helps your audience to skip to that most interesting part of your video.

As I mentioned previously, place all your related videos in a playlist and link them to each other in a end screen. This will motivate viewers to binge watch multiple videos in a row. At the end of your  video, give a strong call to action to watch the next best video in the series,

Create a high retention video
If you wan to get your videos to rank on the first page of YouTube, youv’e got to keep people watching as long as possible. The amount of time you keep people watching is called audience retention, which is a huge factor in the ranking of your videos.

YouTube says, “your goal is to keep audience retention as close to 100% as you can, because this means viewers are watching all the way through your videos and videos with consistently high audience retention and watch time, have the potential to show up more frequently in search and suggested locations on YouTube”

In other words, if your video keeps people on YouTube, your video will rank higher in the search results. You can also encourage them to stay longer on the YouTube platform by getting them to watch multiple videos in a playlist. So at the end of your video, encourage them to watch the next best video in the playlist.

Tips on how to create a high retention video.

  • Make sure you include high quality content that keeps viewers watching.
  • Hook your viewers in the first 30 seconds of a video by asking a question or making a bold statement. You can also tease them about what’s coming up next.
  • Maintain the attention of your viewers by using text, transitions, graphics, et cetera.
  • You can also ask them a question to keep them engaged. For example, in this video, I could ask, “what keyword phrase would you like to rank on the first page of YouTube?

Create a video series around one topic.
So if my theme is gravel bike, my topics may include how to build a cheap gravel bike, what is a gravel bike, how to choose a gravel bike, how to clean a gravel bike, riding a gravel bike, how to fit a gravel bike, et cetera.

The more keyword phrases you can rank on the first page of YouTube, the greater authority your channel will have.

For example, you can create 10 videos and put them all in a playlist, then link them to each other in the end screens. When someone watches one video on the playlist, they’ll automatically see all the other videos in the playlist, so they’ll binge watch multiple videos in a row. This sends a signal to the YouTube algorithm that people are very interested in this topic and will push your video out to a wider audience.

Create a clickable thumbnail
Your thumbnail is the first thing viewers see when they’re searching for information in the YouTube search engine. If your thumbnail doesn’t stand out from your competitor’s thumbnails, nobody’s going to watch your video and you’ll have wasted all that time making your video.

Therefore, before you create your thumbnail, look at your competitor’s thumbnails in the YouTube search engine, then make a thumbnail that stands out from your competitors.

Use contrasting colors, bold text, and just a few words or even no words. Avoid repeating the title in your thumbnail, and your thumbnail and title should work together to win the click. 

Make sure your content is what was promised in your title and thumbnail. Typically, I’ll create my thumbnail before I create the video. This gives me time to adjust the design as I create the content. I also recommend split testing 2 different thumbnails. I use TubeBuddy’s’ thumbnail split testing tool to split test 2 different thumbnails to see which one gets the most traffic.

Often times, the thumbnail that I thought was the best design is very different to the ones that my audience chose.

Promote your video.
If you promote your video on other social media platforms and somebody watches your video on YouTube based upon seeing it on those platforms, it sends a signal to YouTube that that video is very important. The more signals YouTube receives from people watching your video, the higher the probability your video will rank in the top of the search engines.

Click the share button under your video to post a YouTube video to the community tab. You can also share it on other social media sites such as Tumblr, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogger, et cetera. If you have an email list, notify your list. You can also place a link to that video in your email signature.

I also embed my video in a blog post together with a transcript of the content. This helps my video to rank in Google search, which generates more traffic because Google is the number #1 search engine. 

Pin a related video or playlist to the top of your comments. When viewers comment on your video, rheyll see a link to the next best video to watch or a playlist to watch. This will motivate them to watch more than one video.

If you want to get even more views, make that video your channel trailer because it appears at the top of your YouTube channel homepage. When non-subscribers visit your channel homepage, they’ll see your video prominently displayed at the top of the page.

Keep in mind, the more videos you rank on the 1st page of YouTube and Google, the more authority your channel will have. If you’re just getting started, this is a great way to build authority for a small channel.

If you want to generate a passive income on YouTube, you need to know the most effective ways to make money from your channel. Watch this video right now on “How I make money on YouTube, even while sleeping”.

Discover my top strategies to get your first 1000 subscribers FAST, so you can join the YouTube Partner Program and start generating a passive income from your YouTube Channel
Click here for more info

Boost Your YouTube Cash Flow: Avoid These Monetization Mistakes

Is it possible to make some serious cash from your videos, even if you’re a small channel? 

I’ve been on YouTube for the last 17 years and would’ve made a lot more money from my channel if I hadn’t made these serious mistakes.

Today, you’ll learn the monetization mistakes to avoid so you’ll make more money faster.

Discover my top strategies to get your first 1000 subscribers FAST, so you can join the YouTube Partner Program and start generating a passive income from your YouTube Channel
Click here for more info

Mistake #1, Expecting instant success

One of the easiest ways to generate a passive income from YouTube is with advertising revenue. This is where you display ads on your YouTube videos and the revenue is shared between YouTube and the creator. The big problem is you need to become a YouTube partner in order to earn advertising revenue. This means you need to fulfill the eligibility requirements of 1000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months. So you need a lot of patience to achieve that goal before your channel can be monetized.

Alternatively, you can make money with channel memberships, YouTube shopping, super chat, and super stickers and super thanks. These methods of monetization only require 500 subscribers and 3 public uploads in the last 90 days, and either 3000 public watch hours on long form videos in the last 365 days, or 3 million public short views in the last 90 days. This means you’ll still need some patience to reach those monetization thresholds. Later on, I’ll talk about alternative ways to make money on YouTube without relying on advertising revenue or becoming a YouTube partner.

Mistake #2, Falling for sub4sub

I often see a comment under my videos that says, “I’ll subscribe to your channel if you subscribe to my channel”. Don’t be fooled. Real growth comes from genuine engaged subscribers. People who ask sub4sub are not really interested in your content, but more interested in gaining subscribers to their own channels.

Even if they did subscribe to your channel, they wouldn’t keep returning to watch more of your content. The best way to grow your channel is to upload quality content that your audience is interested in and engage with them in the comments. If you do that, interested viewers will keep coming back for more of your content and you’ll continually grow your community on YouTube.

Mistake #3, Choosing the wrong topics

If you just upload videos on topics that you like without considering your audience, you’re not going to grow a community on YouTube and you’ll have a hard time monetizing your content. Think about your ideal viewer and the burning questions that keep them up at night. Then, offer solutions in your videos. If a question pops up in your comments, it’s probably the same question that many people have on their minds, but we’re too afraid to ask.

If you answer that question in a video, it’ll satisfy many viewers. Alternatively, you can enter your main keyword phrase in the YouTube search bar, and YouTube will spit out a bunch of suggestions. For example, if I enter “How to Get Fit” in the YouTube search bar, it suggests

how to get fit at home,
how to get fit in one week,
how to get a fit body at home for men,
how to get a fit body for girl at home,
how to get fit without a gym.

If you use keywords everywhere, it’ll show you the searches per month, as well as the cost per click for each keyword phrase, for example, “How to get Fit at Home”, gets 1600 searches per month and has a cost per click of 30 cents. I highly recommend targeting longer keyword phrases because they’re less competitive and easier to rank for.

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Click Here to Install the Chrome Extension Keywords Everywhere
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If your video ranks on the first page of YouTube, you’ll receive Evergreen traffic and revenue. Videos I uploaded several years ago. still generate evergreen traffic and revenue day after day, week after week, year after year.

Mistake #4, Neglecting thumbnail aesthetics

YouTube monetization mistakes

Which thumbnail would you click on from the above 2 images?

Obviously, the second thumbnail stands out much more than the first one. Your thumbnail is the first thing viewers see when they’re searching for a topic in the YouTube search engine. If they subscribed to your channel, it may also appear on the YouTube homepage along with many other thumbnails. It can also appear in suggested videos, which are the videos appear on the right side of the video that they’re watching. If your thumbnail doesn’t stand out from your competitor’s thumbnails, viewers are not going to click and watch your video. As a result, you’ll have wasted all that time making your video for nothing.

The first thumbnail doesn’t stand out as much because the background color blends in with the color of the background image. It also looks cluttered, and there’s too many words on the thumbnail, which makes it hard to read on a small screen.

Another mistake is that the words inthe title are repeated in the thumbnail.

Let’s look at the second thumbnail and see what’s improved over the first thumbnail. This thumbnail uses contrasting colors and an image that represents the title and one large word that makes people curious to want to click and watch the video. The puzzled look on my face will motivate viewers to want to check out the video to see what it’s all about. Typically, I’ll design my thumbnail and write the title first before filming my videos. I can always adjust  them later based upon inspiration.

Mistake #5, ignoring SEO fundamentals.

If you master the art of SEO commonly referred to as search engine optimization, you’ll increase the visibility of your videos.

For example, this video currently ranks number one on YouTube search and still receives over 530 views every 48 hours. It also currently ranks number one on Google search for how to contact YouTube support in 2023 and shows a large thumbnail at top of the page. As a result, it generates evergreen ad revenue 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you want to generate evergreen traffic and revenue, you need to rank your video on the Ist page of YouTube and or Google. To do this, you need to optimize your video for the search engines as well as your audience.

Previously, I showed you how to enter your main keyword phrase in the YouTube search engine to get a bunch of suggestions for future videos. Instead of choosing a highly competitive phrase like how to get fit,  I highly recommend choosing a less competitive keyword phrase that still has a good search volume.

How to get Fit” gets 8,000 searches per month, but that’s too competitive to rank on the first page of YouTube. Therefore, I highly recommend going for “how to get fit without a gym“  or “how to get fit after 50, et cetera.” These phrases will be less competitive and easier to rank on the first page of YouTube and Google. They also contain your main keyword phrase, how to get fit in the title.

Always include your main keyword phrase in the title, description, and tags of your video.

Mistake #6, ignoring advertiser friendly guidelines.

4 years ago, I received a community guidelines strike on my channel because I violated one of YouTube’s policies. As a result, YouTube removes the videos so I could no longer receive advertising revenue. I also received a community guidelines warning that has remained on my channel for the last four years, so every time I log into my YouTube channel, I see the warning.

Therefore, I highly recommend reviewing YouTube’s community guidelines so you don’t violate their policies and have your videos removed. They include spam, a set of practices, sensitive content, violent or dangerous content regulated goods and misinformation.

I’ll include links to YouTube’s community guidelines and YouTube’s policies in the description below the video.

Mistake #7, Relying solely on ad revenue.

Many YouTube creators that are just starting a YouTube channel or have a small channel mistakenly believe the only way to make money on YouTube is through advertising revenue. This means they may wait for years to monetize their channel because they haven’t met their eligibility requirements of 1000 subscribers in 4,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months.

Instead, they can make money right away by promoting affiliate products related to the content on their channel. As a result, they’ll receive a commission every time they make a sale. Alternatively, they can create their own digital products and receive a 100% commissions or even offer coaching services.

Another way to generate revenue is to do brand deals or offer sponsorships. For example, if you’re a fitness channel, you can promote fitness products and do brand deals with companies that are aligned with your content.

For example, here’s a video I created two years ago that promotes a wireless microphone, which I still use today. I receive a commission every time someone clicks on the link in the description and purchases the product. So if you’re just getting startled or have a small channel, don’t wait for your channel to be monetized, but diversify your income streams so you can generate revenue right away.

Keep in mind, you don’t need a ton of views or thousands of subs to generate revenue from your YouTube channel. You just need to focus on the right viewers by creating videos on topics that they’re interested in.

Mistake #8, ignoring YouTube analytics.

If you ignore the analytics for your channel and videos, you won’t know what to improve to grow your channel faster and generate more revenue. If I click on the earn tab in YouTube analytics, it shows me how much I’ve earned for last month, and also all the ways that I’m currently earning on YouTube, such as watch page ads, shorts feeds, ads, memberships, supers, shopping, giving, et cetera.

If I click on the revenue tab in YouTube analytics, it shows me how much I’m earning, how I currently make money, and also my top earning content.

If I click on the engagement tab for an individual video in YouTube analytics, I can see the key moments for audience retention. For example, in this video, I can see that 42% of my viewers are still watching around the 32nd mark. I can also see the top moments, 3 spikes and the 3 dips. 

Spikes appear when more viewers are watching rewatching or sharing moments of your video. So you want more of those. 

Dips mean viewers are abandoning or skipping certain parts of your video, so you want less of those. YouTube says that if  you increase the watch time and the clickthrough rate of your videos, there’s a higher probability that your videos will be suggested on YouTube.

This means that your videos will appear on the right side of the watch page of the video that your viewers are just watching.

If you want to make even more money on YouTube with less effort, watch this videohow I make money on YouTube even while sleeping“.

You’ll be glad you did.

Discover my top strategies to get your first 1000 subscribers FAST, so you can join the YouTube Partner Program and start generating a passive income from your YouTube Channel
Click here for more info

7 Reasons You’re Not Making Money On YouTube (HOW TO FIX)

Meet Sarah, a passionate content creator with a dream of turning her love for travel and adventure into a thriving YouTube channel. She’s eager to share her experiences and inspire others to make a living from her creative endeavors, however, she’s currently not making any money from her YouTube channel.

How can she fix this? 

Here are 7 reasons why she’s currently not making any money on YouTube and what to do instead.

Discover my top strategies to get your first 1000 subscribers FAST, so you can join the YouTube Partner Program and start generating a passive income from your YouTube Channel
Click here for more info

Lack of a target audience.

Sarah uploads any type of travel video from her adventures around the world, but they don’t seem to gain any traction. She knows that to stand out, she needs to offer something unique. After some research, she decides to focus on eco-friendly travel, a topic she’s really passionate about.

If you want your channel and videos to stand out from your competitors, you need to offer something unique to your audience to gain views and subscribers.

Creating low quality content.

Sarah has been using a low quality camera to record her eco-friendly travels. She invests on a good camera and updates her video editing skills. She meticulously plans each video by writing a script so she stays on point while recording the video. She also creates clickable titles and thumbnails, so if viewers will be motivated to watch her videos.

YouTube says “you can increase the chance of YouTube suggesting your content by increasing your click-through rate and your video watch time”. So if you increase the number of people, clicking on your video and watching it all the way through and even watching successive videos in a row, it’ll increase the probability of YouTube suggesting your content to more people.

She starts each video with a strong hook so viewers be more inclined to watch a video all the way through. At the end of her video, she includes a strong call to action to motivate viewers to watch the next video in the series,

Inconsistent Upload Schedule.

Currently, Sarah uploads videos whenever she feels like it, but realizes she needs to be more consistent to get more views and subscribers. She sets a realistic upload schedule by uploading a new video once a week on Tuesdays. This kind of consistency helps build anticipation amongst her viewers because now they know when to expect her new content.

Lack of Audience Engagement.

Sarah’s frustrated because she hasn’t been able to grow a community on a channel. She realizes she needs to actively engage with her growing audience by responding to comments, asking for feedback, and incorporating viewers’ suggestions into her content. This helps her create a sense of community around her channel.

Another thing she could do to engage with her audience is to post to her community tab on a regular basis. For example, she can upload travel images, share her latest video, add a poll, or quiz her viewers.

The more you engage with your community, the more they’ll get to know, like, and trust you and keep coming back from more of your content. 

Not taking advantage of monetization opportunities.

After reaching the eligibility requirements of the YouTube partner program of 4,000 public watch hours and 1000 subscribers in the past 12 months, Sarah’s channel becomes eligible for monetization. She links her YouTube account to her AdSense account and enables ads on her videos. As a result, she starts generating AdSense revenue from her channel. If she makes videos that are 8 minutes or longer, she’ll include mid-roll ads, which allows you to put multiple ad breaks throughout your video. This will help her to generate extra ad revenue,

Not diversifying income streams.

Sarah notices that her AdSense income fluctuates throughout the year and wants to generate more income from a YouTube channel. She doesn’t want to solely rely on ad revenue, so she explores other income streams such as affiliate marketing, merchandise, and sponsorships. 

To generate revenue from affiliate marketing, she partners with Eco-friendly brands to promote products in her videos. As a result, she earns commissions on any sales generated from people clicking on the affiliate links in the description of her videos. 

To generate revenue from merchandise, she creates her own line of eco-friendly merchandise. From reusable water bottles to sustainable travel guides.

She generates extra revenue from sponsored content by collaborating with travel and eco-friendly brands. As a result, she earns a fee for promoting their products and services.

Not Measuring Success.

Sarah’s channel has been growing slowly and doesn’t understand why she’s not getting many views and subscribers on her videos.

She begins tracking the performance of her videos in YouTube analytics so she can see which videos are getting the most traction.

Under the content tab, she sees the key moments for audience retention, how viewers find her videos, and her top videos that have generated the most traffic on her channel.

Under the audience tab, she sees which videos are growing her audience and which channels her audience watches. She also notices when most of her viewers are on YouTube, so she knows which day and time is the best to upload.

Under the revenue tab, she can see how much money she’s making each month, which ads are generating the most revenue, and what is her top earning content.

By monitoring the performance of her videos in YouTube analytics, she knows exactly what she needs to improve to make better videos.  

Lack of Patience and Persistence (BONUS TIP)

Previously, Sarah was just uploading videos whenever she felt like it, so she didn’t see a significant growth in her channel. As a result, she lost patience, motivation, and stopped being persistent. As time passes, Sarah’s YouTube channel grows and her income steadily increases.

Her journey proves that with dedication, passion, and a well thought out strategy, it’s possible to turn her dreams into making money on YouTube into a reality.

If you want to know how to make money on YouTube as a small channel without becoming a YouTube partner, watch this video for 10 ways to monetize your YouTube channel without 1000 subscribers.

Discover my top strategies to get your first 1000 subscribers FAST, so you can join the YouTube Partner Program and start generating a passive income from your YouTube Channel
Click here for more info

How To Maximize YouTube Ad Revenue Even If You Get Less Views

How can you maximize your YouTube ad revenue, especially if you get less views on your videos? 

For example, this video received 307,000 views in the last 365 days and made $1,273. This video received over 175,000 views in the last 365 days and made $1,487. Later, I’ll explain the differences

In this video, you learn how to maximize your YouTube ad revenue, learn about the new ad controls, how to set the default ad formats for your channel, and how to override ad formats for individual videos.

Discover my top strategies to get your first 1000 subscribers FAST, so you can join the YouTube Partner Program and start generating a passive income from your YouTube Channel
Click here for more info

Improve ad controls 
From November, 2023, you no longer have control over the ad types displayed on newly uploaded videos. This means you won’t be able to turn off pre-roll post-roll, skippablel, and non skip skippable ads  for individual videos.

Why is YouTube doing this?
YouTube says, “we will utilize many factors to determine when viewers will see these types of ads to both maximize revenue and ensure a positive viewing experience.”

I like the fact that they want to maximize ad revenue. These factors include the amount of time viewers are exposed to ads and the number of times an ad interrupts a video they’re watching.

YouTube says they want to take the guesswork out of which ad formats to use by removing individual ad controls.

When you set default ad formats, you don’t have to change the settings for an individual video every time you upload it. Here’s how to set the default ad formats for your channel so you don’t have to change ‘them for individual videos later,

Click on settings in YouTube studio.
Click upload defaults,
Click on monetization.
Make sure all the boxes are checked under type of ads, as well as under location of video ads, which includes during video midroll then 
Click save.

Here’s how to override default ad format ads for individual videos.
This was still possible during the making of this video on November 1st, so I’m including it here.

Click on the content tab in YouTube studio,
Click on the title of the video you wish to select.
Click on monetization.
Make sure the monetization box is turned on.
Under types of ads, check all the boxes
Click save.

Keep in mind, you have to become a YouTube partner if you want to monetize your channel and videos. To become eligible for the YouTube partner program, you need 1000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months, or 1000 subscribers and 10 million valid public short views in the last 90 days.

What does YouTube recommend to maximize ad earnings?
YouTube says, “we recommend allowing all ad formats on your videos to maximize your earnings. Different ad formats may yield different amounts of revenue and affect video viewership differently. We can’t predict how changing your default ad settings might affect your audience or monetization, but you can use YouTube analytics to track performance changes.”

If you don’t want to display non-skippable video ads on all your videos, just uncheck the box next to Non skippable video ads. Then click save.

How will this impact existing videos on your channel? 
Previously uploaded videos will retain the existing ad format selections. Any future edits to a video monetization settings will only offer the option to turn the ads on or off. Any new uploads will only have the option for the ads to appear before or after the video, either on or off.

Here’s how to maximize your ad revenue when using midroll ads.
When you upload videos that are 8 minutes or longer, you can include ads in the middle of your video, which are called Midroll ads, as well as at the beginning or end of your video. Including more ad breaks during your video will increase your ad income. By default. midroll ads are placed at natural breaks throughout your video to maximize your earning potential. Instead of allowing YouTube to choose the ad breaks for your video, I highly recommend adding them manually.

How do I know where to place the ad breaks? 
Visit the audience retention graph in YouTube analytics and look at the spikes on the graph. Spikes in the graph referred to increased viewership. So place your ad break right after the spike. It could mean that you just made a point during your video.

Alternatively, you can get YouTube to place your ad breaks automatically, then manually add new ad breaks afterwards.

YouTube says In the coming months, they’ll optimize mid roll earnings by combining automatic ad breaks with manual ad breaks. This means you’ll have more choices to select the most appropriate time to show ads to your viewers.

Click place automatically to allow YouTube to place the ad breaks in your video. 
Click ad break to place them manually.
If you want to discard the changes, click discard changes or hover over the trash sign to remove the ad break.

If you want to maximize your ad revenue using midroll ads, create videos longer than 8 minutes. This can easily be accomplished by publishing live streams or podcasts. Increase CPM. It represents a cost and advertiser pays for every thousand ad impressions.

An ad impression is counted each time an ad is shown to a viewer. For example, this video made $1,273 in the last 365 days with  a CPM of $15.41 cents.

This video made $1,487 in the last 365 days with a CPM of $22.65 cents.

So as you can see, advertisers are willing to pay more depending on the topic of your video rank on the first page of YouTube and Google. If your video ranks on the first page of YouTube and Google, you’ll receive evergreen traffic and revenue.

For example, this video currently ranks on the first page of Google for how to contact YouTube customer support in 2023, and it shows a large thumbnail at the top of page. It also ranks at the top of the page in YouTube search.

As a result, this video generates evergreen revenue even while I’m sleeping or on vacation. If you have multiple videos that rank on the first page of Google and YouTube, you’ll maximize the ad revenue for your channel.

How can I make money on YouTube without being a YouTube partner? 
Watch this video for 10 ways to monetize YouTube channel without 1000 subscribers.

Discover my top strategies to get your first 1000 subscribers FAST, so you can join the YouTube Partner Program and start generating a passive income from your YouTube Channel
Click here for more info