How To Add a Custom Thumbnail To YouTube Shorts On Mobile Phone

This short (see image below), currently ranks #1 on YouTube and has gotten over 75,000 views since it was published and still gets over 283 views every 48 hours.

Notice how my custom shorts thumbnail stands out from all the other shorts thumbnails. It’s also currently ranked on the first page of Google for “how to trim videos on your iPhone or iPad without an app”.

In the video below, I’ll show you how to choose a frame for your Shorts thumbnail when uploading it from your phone using the YouTube app. You’ll also learn how to add text and filters to your Shorts thumbnail after uploading it to YouTube. Later, we’ll look at the best practices of using this tool and how YouTube plans to improve it.

How to Select A Frame for Your Custoim Shorts Thumbnail

  • Tap the YouTube app,
  • tap the plus sign.
  • Select short from the bottom menu.
  • Tap add to add the shorts video from your phone.
  • Select your video.
  • Tap the check mark.
  • Caption or title your short. “How to trim a video on your iPhone or iPad without an app.”
  • Tap the pencil icon on top left hand corner to select the frame from your shorts video.
  • Slide your finger along the bottom to select the frame.
  • Add text, emojis and filters by tapping the icons on the thumbnail.
  • Tap the text icon.
  • Type your text.
  • You can change the font by tapping at the top.
  • You can add some background to it,
  • you can also align it to the left or right.
  • If you want to change the color, just tap on the colors, red, green, et cetera.
  • If you want to enlarge the text, just move the slider up to enlarge it or move it down to shrink it.
  • When you’ve finished adding the text, tap done.
  • If you want to add a filter, tap the filter icon. You’ve got all these ones down here.
  • I chose the “pop” filter so the colors pop
  • When you’ve finished adding the filter, tap the check mark.
  • If you want to remove the text, tap the text icon again.
  • Tap on the text,
  • tap the X on the keyboard
  • tap done.
  • When you’re happy with the thumbnail, tap the check mark.
  • Select your visibility…public, unlisted, or private. I’m gonna select unlisted for now.
  • Tap the back arrow,
  • tap upload Short. It says, “now uploading to your videos, see video”
  • Now you can see the videos uploading and being processed.
  • If I tap shorts, then I can see my new shorts video with the custom shorts thumbnail.

Your custom shorts thumbnails will appear on YouTube Search, your channel pages, and even on hashtag pages.

Keep in mind, most viewers will discover YouTube shorts in the shorts feed while scrolling the YouTube app on their phones.

They won’t see your custom shorts thumbnail.

Most viewers found my shorts via external traffic source, which is mostly Google search.

My second highest traffic source was YouTube search, and my third highest traffic source was the shorts feed. Therefore, it makes sense to upload a custom shorts thumbnail so it stands out in the search engines and differentiates your thumbnail from your competitors.

If you go to your video details page and look under thumbnail, it says
you can change the thumbnail on the YouTube mobile app”.

Currently, you can only edit your Shorts thumbnail after uploading it via the YouTube app. You can’t upload a Shorts thumbnail or customize it by selecting a frame using a desktop computer.

My recommendation is to design a Shorts thumbnail, then add it to your Shorts video during the creation process. You can then select that frame after you’ve uploaded it to YouTube.

Here’s what YouTube says about future improvements.

“Although Shorts thumbnails don’t display in the shorts feed where the majority of views come from, the goal of these features is to give creators more aesthetic control over their short across devices and shelves like home, subs and channel pages.

As a reminder, short thumbnails will only show on search, hashtag and audio pivot pages and on your channels. We’re exploring bringing additional functionality to shorts thumbnails next year, and we’re curious to better understand what you’d like. So leave us your thoughts in the comments. Specificity is appreciated.”

If you want to learn how to create clickable thumbnails that capture the attention of your viewers, watch this video right now titled “How to Create YouTube Thumbnails Viewers Can’t Ignore

How to Create YouTube Thumbnails Viewers Can’t Ignore (Pixelmator Pro Tutorial)

Millions of videos are uploaded every day, but one thing determines
whether your video gets seen or completely overlooked.

YOUR THUMBNAIL!

Think of it as your video’s front door. If it doesn’t catch their eye, they won’t step inside. A boring thumbnail can kill your video, whereas a clickable engaging thumbnail will skyrocket your video.

Today I’m revealing the secrets about how to create a great thumbnail that will not only stop the scroll, but will make viewers want to click on it and watch the video.

Steps to create a clickable engaging thumbnail using Pixelmator Pro on the Mac.
It’s only 49.99 for a lifetime copy.

  • After you’ve opened up Pixelmator Pro on your Mac, choose “all templates” if you don’t want to start your thumbnail design from scratch.
  • Alternatively, select a blank document with 1920 pixels wide and 1080 pixels high.
  • Scroll down to see the YouTube thumbnail templates that you can use. There’ll be under YouTube video thumbnail. You’ve also got templates here for YouTube channel Art.
  • Click the arrow to the right to see more templates.
  • I’m going to start from scratch, so I’m going to use the custom template of 1920 by 1080.
  • Click create.
  • Let’s create the background first.
  • Click on the brush to see the color fills
  • If you click on the arrow… you’ll see gradient fills…I selected blue/purple gradient.
  • You can change the gradient by clicking on the arrow under gradient
  • Click on this image to show or hide the gradient handles.
  • I can move these handles around to change the gradient
  • Now I’m going to add a face to my thumbnail. Here’s a screenshot of me smiling in my video.
  • I’m gonna drag this image onto my document.
  • To remove the background, so I just show my face, I click on the image and click on this background removal icon. Now it’s removing the background.
  • Now I can just drag the image to where I want it
  • Enlarge it by just clicking on the handles and dragging it.
  • If I want to sharpen the image, click on the effects icon
  • Click add effect
  • Click sharpen, then click sharpen again.
  • I can increase the intensity and the radius.
  • If your image contains multiple subjects and just want to just keep one of them, use the rectangular selection tool.
  • Click on the image,
  • Go to tools, select “rectangular selection”.
  • Create a rectangle around the image you want to preserve.
  • Click on the background removal tool…now it’s removing the background.
  • If you want to erase some of the image like a hair strand, use the erase tool.
  • Click on the erase tool, and now you can erase some of the hair strands.
  • To save the image to your desktop, go to file, export, save the PNG file so you preserve the transparency.
  • Here’s the saved image on my computer.

    Now I’m going to add the text, “Steal Their Attention” so it evokes emotion and it motivates viewers to want to click and watch the video.
  • Click insert.
  • If I click on the text, then click the text icon, I can decrease the size or increase the size.
  • I’m going to make the text, “STEAL” really big.
  • I’m also going to add a drop shadow, so the text stands out on the thumbnail.
  • Click on the brush icon, turn on this layer style.
  • Add some distance, a blur if you want, or you can increase the opacity.
  • You can also change your font by clicking on the text icon, and you can change it to Impact or Moderna.
  • Now I’m going to add the rest of the text.
  • Now I’m going to add a YouTube icon to draw viewers’ attention to the thumbnail.
  • Let’s check if the text can be viewed on small screens.
    Looks good to me.

    If I want to test 3 different “designs, I could just change the text to something like irresistible clicks” or “stop the scroll”. Alternatively, I could try different expressions on my face.
  • After you’re happy with the thumbnail, you need to download it to your computer.
  • Click file…export.
  • I’m going to save it as steel.png
  • Choose a PNG format for the best resolution, otherwise, click the dropdown to select jpeg.
  • Click export.
  • Here’s the image of my computer.
  • If I right click then open with preview, I can view the image.

The thumbnail is now ready to be uploaded to YouTube. You can use the free “Test & Compare Thumbnail Tool” from YouTube to test up to 3 different designs for your videos. YouTube will automatically select the “WINNER” thumbnail that resonates best with your audience.

Watch this video right now to learn how to MASTER YouTube’s
TEST and COMPARE Thumbnail feature in minutes.

You’ll be glad you did.

10 Thumbnail Mistakes 90% of YouTubers Make & How to Avoid Them

Are your thumbnails struggling to get clicks? 
You’re putting in the effort, but the views just aren’t coming in.

Today, I’m going to break down why your thumbnails aren’t working,
and more importantly, how to fix them fast.

Let’s get into it!

Cluttered Design

When your thumbnails are packed with too many words, images or graphics, viewers won’t know where to focus and they’ll click right past your video. You can fix this by simplifying your design.

Focus on a single clear focal point, whether it’s a face, product or action shot, and keep the text minimal. Limit your design to three main elements like a face, object and an arrow. This helps viewers quickly understand the thumbnails message.

Ignoring Contrast & Color

Colors that blend into each other aren’t going to grab anyone’s attention. Use bright contrasting colors that make your thumbnail pop.

For example, in this thumbnail I use the background gradient colors of purple and blue, so it stands out from my competitors.

thumbnail

Notice how I circle the text “Hindu Dubbed” in this video on “how to reach global audiences with YouTube dubbing”. By circling the text, it immediately draws viewers’ eyes to the thumbnail and makes them curious to want to find out the solutions.

Tiny or Hard To Read Text

Keep in mind, most viewers are viewing your thumbnails on a mobile device. Therefore, if they can’t see the text, they’re going to instantly click away. Stick with bold, simple fonts and keep the text large enough so it stands out on small screens. Also, don’t include too many words in your thumbnail because it’ll just look cluttered. Only include a maximum of up to three words, and sometimes you can even make a thumbnail without words.

For example, this video is titled “Five Surprising Mistakes, killing Your Audience Retention. How to Fix” The Words On the Thumbnail, say, “Fix It Now”, so it makes viewers curious to want to click and watch a video to find out the surprising mistakes.

Here’s a thumbnail that doesn’t use any text, but I use a red arrow to draw viewers’ attention to the object in the thumbnail.

Using Low Quality Images

If the images in your thumbnail are blurry or pixelated, it looks unprofessional and will turn viewers away. To fix this, always use high resolution images so your images are crisp and clean. I always design my thumbnails with a image size of 1920 pixels wide and 1080 pixels high, and with a resolution of 72 pixels per inch. The minimal thumbnail image size to use on YouTube is 1280 pixels wide by 720 pixels high.

For example, Peter McKinnon uses high contrast and vibrant photography. These closeup shots and dramatic lighting help capture viewers’ attention and convey professionalism.

Lack of Emotional Appeal

Emotions are processed faster than rational thought. Therefore, make a thumbnail that evokes an emotional response so it instantly connects with the viewers causing it to click.

One way to do this is to include your face in a thumbnail. It could be smiling or surprised. Displaying these kind of emotions in your thumbnail can help trigger viewer engagement.

Tell A Story

Designing thumbnails that tell a story is a powerful way to capture your viewer’s attention and entice them to click and watch your video.

Here’s a thumbnail I used for a video on how to hack proof your YouTube channel. By just including the one word “HACKED” in the thumbnail, it motivates viewers to want to click and watch the video.

Here’s a thumbnail I used for a video titled “How I ranked a video on the first page of YouTube for multiple keywords” Showing how the number of views increased on my thumbnail,  makes viewers curious to want to find out the solution.

Here’s a thumbnail I used for a video on “how to find hidden content gaps on YouTube” Including the text HIDDEN CONTENT with a red arrow pointing down between two mountainsides makes you as curious to want to check out the content. 

In this video from Mr. Beast titled “Men and Woman Survive the Wilderness for $500,000,”  the thumbnail tells a story comparing men and woman. Doesn’t the thumbnail make you curious to want to hear his story?

Misleading Thumbnails

Creating misleading thumbnails may be good for clickbait, but will hurt your channel in the long run. If you promise something outrageous or incredible in your thumbnail that’s unrelated to the content in your video, it’ll be a big let down for your viewers.

Misleading thumbnails are the classic bait and switch tactic. They might get the click once, but will turn off your viewers to want to keep coming back for more of your content. Make sure your thumbnail is a true reflection of your video content so when they click on the thumbnail, they’ll get the content they deserve. Try to capture the most interesting moment in your video and use that in your thumbnail.

No Focal Point

If you don’t have a single focal point on your thumbnail, it’ll make it more difficult for your viewers to take action. Decide on an eye-catching element such as a face or product, and build a thumbnail around it.

For example, in this thumbnail from Marcus Brownley, the focal point is the Dyson product that he’s holding up to his ear. Adding an arrow and having a contrasting background immediately draws your attention to the product.

In this video from Mr. Beast titled “I Survived 50 Hours in Antarctica”, he uses bold and contrasting colors to draw viewers attention to the thumbnail. Obviously, the main focal point in the thumbnail is himself because he’s the main character in the video.

Not Optimized For Mobile Viewing

Most creators, including myself, designed the thumbnails on a large computer screen, however, when a viewer views that thumbnail on a small device, it can look very different.

Before you upload your new thumbnail, make sure the elements on the thumbnail are clear and readable on a smaller screen so the text and images are not lost.

For example, I used large bold text on this thumbnail, so it not only can easily be viewed on a computer, but also on a smaller screen like a phone.

thumbnail

Inconsistent Branding

If your thumbnails don’t have a recognizable style, viewers won’t connect them to your channel. For example, on my channel, I always include my face in the thumbnail, so viewers immediately recognize which channel it comes from, even if they view the thumbnail in the search engines, suggested videos, or on the home screen.

Try to develop a consistent style across all the thumbnails on your channel. Use similar fonts, colors, and design elements for all your thumbnails. This will help build your brand and make your videos instantly recognizable.

If you rely on a single thumbnail design, it can limit the potential of your video. For example, when I first started my channel, I created thumbnail designs that I thought were great, but were actually horrible because they didn’t win the click. I kept using the same designs, then wondered why I didn’t see an increase in traffic to my videos.

Albert Einstein said:
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.” 

That was exactly what I was doing. 

When I changed the design of my thumbnails from thiS, to this (see image below), I saw a huge increase in traffic to my videos. I also used the a/b thumbnail testing feature from TubeBuddy to see which thumbnail resonated best with my audience.

BEFORE AND AFTER

You can now use the free. test and compare thumbnail tool from YouTube to test up to 3 different designs for your videos.

Watch this video right now to learn how to MASTER YouTube’s
Test and Compare thumbnail feature in minutes.

You’ll be glad you did!

Master YouTube’s SECRET Thumbnail Test & Compare Tool in Minutes!

Do you want to maximize the views to your videos? 

In the video below, you’ll learn how to master YouTube’s test and compare  feature in minutes.

Here’s what you’ll learn…
How it works,
The eligibility requirements,
How to use it to get the best results
How to read the test results
Pros and cons of using the thumbnail test and compare feature.

How It Works
– Click on content in YouTube studio
– select the video that you wish to test.
Testing is only available for public long form videos and the testing begins once you publish the video. 
– Hover over your thumbnail, then click on options. 
– Select test and compare. You can  upload up to 3 images to learn which one viewers prefer.

YouTube will show you 3 thumbnails evenly across your videos audience, then select your winning thumbnail, based on which one generates the most watch time share.

Here are my 3 images for this video. YouTube will see which thumbnail performs the best.
Wait up to 2 weeks for the results. 

Viewers will see the winning thumbnail because YouTube automatically updates your video when the test is done.

Later, I’ll show you the test results and the pros and cons of using this test and compare feature.

What if you don’t have the feature yet? 
Here are the eligibility requirements to use the test and compare feature.

  • It’s currently only available on computers through the YouTube studio, so you can’t use it for Shorts thumbnails.
  • You need to enable advanced features to be eligible.

    Here’s how to check if you have advanced features enabled.
    – Click on settings,
    – click on channel,
    – click on feature eligibility.
    Make sure you have advanced features enabled.

    Here are all the options you get with advanced features,
    including test and compare different thumbnails.

    – You can test thumbnails on public long form videos and even podcasts.
    – You cannot test thumbnails if your videos are made for kids, mature audiences or are set to private, therefore, make sure your videos are set to public to use this feature.
    – When your test results are ready, they’ll be available in your YouTube studio.

    You can view them by going to your content page, then selecting the video where you’ve run the test. Hover over the details page. Hover over the 3 dots that are on your thumbnail where it says options. Click on that. Click “view test report”.

    You can also view your results in analytics.

    – Click on analytics,
    – click on the reach tab and here are your thumbnail test results.
    – I could redo the test by uploading 3 different thumbnails or just choose the
    best thumbnail that I think performs the best.
    – Keep in mind, you can test a new video or run the test on an existing video. It’s up to you.

Here’s my test and compare report that tested these 3 different thumbnails.

  • Thumbnail 1 got 32.4%, watch time share.
  • Thumbnail 2 got 45% watch time share,
  • Thumbnail 3 got 22.6 watch time share.
    Because the test results were so close to each other, YouTube says the test finished
    without a conclusive result, so they chose the first thumbnail.

If there’s a statistically significant result, you see the winner label, YouTube will
automatically update your video to this winner.

If you see a preferred label, it means results were not statistically significant, but there was a thumbnail that performed slightly better.

If there’s no clear winner out of the 3 thumbnails that you’ve uploaded to your video, as in my case, YouTube will select the first thumbnail and show it to your audience.

The winning results may take up to a few days or 2 weeks to be finalized.

How’s the winning thumbnail selected? 
YouTube selects the thumbnail that generated the highest share of your videos watch time. Watch time refers to how long your viewers were engaged on your video. The longer the better.

Why didn’t my video have a clear winner? 
Here are 3 reasons why YouTube didn’t select a clear winner.

  • There was minimal difference between thumbnails. There was not much difference in design between the 3 thumbnails, so there’s not a measurable impact on the video performance. To remedy this, upload thumbnails that have very different designs. For example, you can upload a thumbnail with a face and one without a face.

    You can also try different backgrounds and colors. 
  • Not enough impressions. If your video doesn’t generate a sufficient amount of impressions, then you may not receive a clear winner. If it gets a higher number of views, it’s more likely that a winner will be selected.

Why is watch time share used? 
A great thumbnail doesn’t just get viewers to click. It also helps viewers understand what the video is about so they can make an informed decision about what to watch. When selecting a thumbnail based upon watch time share, the winning thumbnail gets viewers to both click and to stay to watch the video.

Pros & Cons of Thumbnail Test & Compare Tool

Pro 
Free and as available to all creators.
Con
It takes longer to upload 3 different thumbnails.

Pro
YouTube will select a winning thumbnail.

Cons
If your video doesn’t get a high number of impressions, YouTube won’t select a clear winner.
If the designs are similar across all 3 thumbnails, you may not get a clear winner.

Pro
Easily upload thumbnails from your computer.

Cons
This feature is currently only available on computers through YouTube Studio.
You cannot test thumbnails on videos that are set made for kids, mature audiences, or set to private. 

Pro
The more your thumbnails differ or get a high number of impressions, the faster your thumbnail test will finish.

Con 
The winning results may take a few days or up to two weeks to be finalized.

Pro
Evaluating winning thumbnails by watch time share will best support creators growth. 

Con
3rd party tools like TubeBuddy often optimize solely for click-through rate, which may determine a different winning thumbnail than measuring for watch time share.

My recommendation

  • Use this test and compare feature from YouTube since it’s free and available to everyone.
  • When you upload 3 thumbnails that have different designs. YouTube will select the winning thumbnail that’s generated the highest share of video watch time. 
  • By selecting the thumbnail based upon watch time share, your winning thumbnail is the one that gets viewers to click and to stay and watch your video.

Watch this video on “5 game changing tips that will increase your click-through rate: #3 will shock you!

10 Ways Mr Beast Keeps Viewers Watching (WITH EXAMPLES)

In the video below, I’m going to show you 10 ways that Mr. Beast, who has the number one channel on YouTube and almost 300 million subscribers, keeps viewers watching his videos and gets over 80% audience retention rate.

His latest video is titled, “I Built 100 Houses and Gave Them Away”, and it currently has 68 million views at the time of recording this content. As you can see, most of his videos get over 150 million views within a few weeks.

How does Mr Beast keep viewers watching? 

Start with a strong hook
If 70% of your viewers or more are still watching your video in the first 30 seconds, there’s a high probability they’ll watch the rest of the video. Here’s an example from Mr. Beast’s video.

“In this video, we are building and giving away 100 houses”.

When you make your next video, start with a strong hook, such as asking a question, making a bold statement or teasing about what’s coming up later in the video,

Emotional Connection
Mr. Beast makes an emotional connection with the audience by telling a story of how he gave away a hundred houses to very poor people in poor countries. This was their reaction.

“Take off your blindfolds and turn around. Behind you is your brand new Home” .

Try to make an emotional connection with your audience by telling your own personal story related to the content of your video.

Preview what’s coming up later
If you preview what’s coming up later in your video, it’ll motivate viewers to keep watching the video to find out the answers. Here’s an example from Mr. Beast’s Video.

“With every single home we’re building in this video, we’re improving quality of life for families who don’t have a safe space to call home, and we spent millions of dollars just on this video building these houses”.

One of the easiest ways to preview what’s coming up later in your video is to create a listicle video. For example, you could list the main points that are going to be covered later in the video.

Use Cliffhangers
A cliffhanger is a situation or part of a play or movie that is very exciting or frightening because you are left for a long time not knowing what will happen next. Here’s an example of how Mr. Beast uses a cliffhanger in his video to keep viewers engaged.

“You are about to witness a family that lives in this house go to living in this house, and I cannot wait to see the look on their faces”.

Think about how you can include a cliffhanger in your own videos so it’ll motivate viewers to keep watching the video. Here’s another example of a cliffhanger used in Mr. Beast video,

While walking through their new home, we realized they didn’t even know their house was free yet. Oh, you haven’t told ’em it’s free. No, no. Yeah, tell ’em it’s free.”

Add curiosity hooks
Curiosity Hooks are similar to the Strong Hook used in the first 30 seconds of your video, but you can use them throughout your video such as this example from Mr. Beast.

“But of course, this was just the beginning. We were able to build home after home for families in Jamaica, and we weren’t going to stop until we had built 100 houses”.

One way to add a curiosity hook in your own videos is to tease a valuable insight or solution, such as “By the end of this video, you’ll learn one trick that professionals use to engage their audience.” 

Include a subplot
A plot contains the essential elements of a story, whereas a subplot contains extra elements that add interest and depth. Here’s an example clip from Mr. Beast’s Video.

“Come over here. I have something way better than just a picture. Can you ask him if he wants to play football with me?

Yeah.

Well, that’s convenient because not only are we giving this community houses, but we’re also giving them this giant soccer field.” 

Mr Beast includes multiple subplots throughout his video to maintain viewer’s interest. I’ll   place a link to his video in the description.

Keep viewers surprised
If you keep stacking value in the video by keeping them surprised, it will inspire them to keep watching, such as in this example,

“And this got me thinking. While giving away all these houses, I noticed a lot of people were struggling with transportation and I’m gonna solve it with this truck. Open it up. We’ve got bicycles for every single kid in this village.”

Think about how you can include a surprise factor in your video so you can wow your audience.

Higher Purpose
This is what Mr. Beast says on the about page on his channel…

“I give away money because it makes me happy”. Instead of keeping the millions of dollars he makes from his YouTube channel for himself, he gives it away by helping others.”

Do you have a higher purpose for your own videos rather than just making them for yourself? 

Impactful Ending
How you finish presenting your content will determine if viewers will stay watching a video to the end as shown in this example from Mr. Beast

“And finally, house 100, take your blindfolds off and look at your new home”.

You probably won’t be able to create as high impact as Mr. Beast within your own videos because he has a whole team working for him and uses high production graphics

“I say used to because a tornado destroyed it.”

You can add a strong ending to your video by encouraging viewers to watch a related video. This will increase your viewing session on YouTube, which increases the probability of your video being recommended by YouTube.

Connect with viewers
YouTube is a social media platform, so it’s important to connect with your viewers in your videos so you can keep them engaged and keep them coming back for more of your content. Here’s how Mr. Beast. does it.

“Shout out to you guys because obviously if you didn’t watch these videos, we wouldn’t have been able to build a hundred houses, and if the channel continues to grow, I hope to do a thousand in the future.”

Here are the 10 ways Mr. Beast keeps viewers watching his videos and gets over 80% audience retention rate.

Watch this video for “5 surprising mistakes, killing your retention rate and how to fix it.” 

Can’t Get 75% Audience Retention In First 30 Seconds Of Your YouTube Video? TRY THIS

75% of viewers are still watching this video around the 30 second mark.  That’s much higher than my typical videos. Throughout the rest of the video, the average percentage viewed is 58%. This refers to the average percentage of a video my audience watches per view.

Let’s look at the results.

This video has got 30,000 views since it was published, accumulated 392 hours of watch time, 72 subscribers, and gained estimated revenue of $99. It still attracts 144 views every 48 hours.

How did I achieve these results so you can do the same for your next video? 

Ask A Question
When you start your video with a question, it motivates viewers to keep watching to find out the answer.

Here’s how I started the video.

Should you create a brand account or a regular personal account when starting a YouTube channel, which is the right one to use?” 

Alternatively, you can make a bold statement or tease about what’s coming up later in the video.

Tell viewers what to expect
When you preview what kind of content your viewers can expect later in the video, it inspires them to keep watching to check out the answers.

“In this video, you learn how brand accounts differ from regular YouTube accounts, how to check if you have a brand account, and if you should migrate a personal account to a brand account if you already have an established YouTube channel.” 

Interact With Your Audience
Instead of having a one way conversation with your audience, interact with your audience by giving them a call to action.

“Comment below if you have a brand account or personal account.” 

You can also give a call to action at the end of your video by inviting viewers to watch a related video to the one that we’ve just watched. This will continue their viewing session on YouTube and increase the probability of your video getting recommended by YouTube.

Add Curiosity Hooks Throughout Your Content
I use Curiosity hooks throughout the video in the form of questions to reset the attention of my viewers and keep them watching. the video.  Spikes in the audience retention graph are where I added questions during the video.

“How do you check if you have a brand account?” 

Here’s another example I used on the video.

“How do you create a brand account?” 

What caused the drop off at the end of the or retention graph? 
As you can see, the audience retention was 93% at the start of the video. Retention remained at 75% around the 30 second mark and continued above 70%. halfway through the video. Retention started to decline around halfway through the video, then dropped down to around 40% near the end of the video. This was due to wrapping up the video. The big lesson is not to telegraph the end of your video, but add another curiosity hook to keep viewers watching.

If you liked this video, watch this related video on “12 ways to keep viewers watching your entire video”
You’ll be glad you did.

How To Make Your Videos More Engaging (5 Tips)

61% of viewers are still watching this video around the 30 second mark, which is above typical.

How did I achieve that? 

If over 60% of your viewers are still watching your video after 60 seconds, there’s a higher probability they’ll keep watching your video all the way through.

Here are 5 tips to make your YouTube Videos more engaging

1. Strong Hook

Some of the ways you can use a strong hook at the beginning of your video is by…
– asking a question
– making a bold statement
– teasing about what’s coming up later in the video
– telling a story.

Here’s an example of a strong hook where over 61% of the viewers were still watching after 30 seconds.

“When I first upload a video, it often only gets a few views, but a few days later, the views skyrocket due to ranking in browse features. How does this happen?”

Use curiosity hooks throughout your video
For example, you could ask a provocative question, such as, “Have you ever wondered why some videos go viral while others don’t?” 

You could present a surprising statistic such as, “Did you know that 80% of people never finished the videos they started watching…here’s how to keep your viewers hooked” 

You can also tease a valuable insight or solution such as “By the end of this video, you’ll learn one trick that professionals use to engage their audience.” 

2. Use Visuals

No one wants to watch a boring video, so if you reset the attention of your viewers every 20 seconds or so using visuals, it helps keep them engaged. You can use pattern interrupts such as props, graphics, transitions, change camera angles, or change scenes.

3. Study Audience Retention Graph

If you click on the engagement tab for an individual video in YouTube analytics, you will see the key moments for audience retention.

  • You’ve got the intro where people are still watching around the 30 second mark.
  • You’ve got the top moments where viewers are watching for longer than usual. 
  • Spikes appear when more viewers are watching, rewatching or sharing moments of your video.
  • Dips in your video means viewers are abandoning or skipping certain parts of your video.

When you make your next video, try to eliminate the dips and get more spikes. Ideally, you want to keep viewers engaged all the way through your video.

How to view the key moments for audience retention for the videos
on your channel over the last 365 days. 

  • Click on analytics in YouTube studio.
  • Under the content tab, select videos.
  • Scroll down to where it says “Key moments for audience retention.
  • It’s got above typical intros and below typical intros.
  • On the right, you’ve got the intro, top moments, spikes and dips.
  • If you click on “top moments”, it’ll show the videos with the top moments for audience retention.
  • If I click on spikes, it shows my top video with the largest spikes.
  • If I click on dips, it’ll show all the videos that got dips for audience retention.
  • I can also see how viewers find my videos and also the top videos on my channel that got the most traffic.

When you study audience  retention data in YouTube analytics, you’ll be able to identify what needs to be improved and what needs to be rejected so you can make a better video in the future.

4. Engage with your viewers while they’re watching your content

When you engage with your viewers while they’re watching the content, it’ll help you make your content more interactive.

For example, you can ask a question in your video, “What method do you use to keep viewers engaged…let me know on the comments below?” 

You can also encourage real time interactions, such as “If you find this video helpful, hit the like button and share it with your friends” 

You can also respond to viewers’ comments. For instance, “Last week I asked you about the best camera settings… here’s my answer” 

5. Storytelling

When you include stories in your video, it helps make a deeper connection with your audience.

For example, here’s how I use visual storytelling to make a video on 5 powerful ways to film a cinematic biking video.

“Recently, I biked the Kaikoura Coastal Trail on the east coast of the south island of New Zealand. It takes you along the coast, through native bush, along rivers and across back country roads while giving you picturesque views of the mountains. Watch this video to the end to learn 5 powerful ways on how to film a cinematic biking video as a solo creator.” I’ll include a link to this video in the description.”

What if you can’t break through your creative blocks to find fresh, creative video ideas? 
Watch this video right now for “10 creative ways to find inspiration for your next YouTube video”.

Secrets To YouTube Browse Features Revealed: What You Didn’t Know!

Have you ever noticed that whenever you upload a new video, most of the traffic comes from YouTube browse features? 

In the video below, you’ll learn…
– what browse features are
– the different types of browse features on YouTube
– how to get more views from browse features
– how to view browse features in YouTube analytics
– difference between browse features and suggested videos.

What Are Browse Features?

Browse features traffic comes from your YouTube homepage, your subscription feed, and other browsing features.

Let’s see what YouTube says…

Home is also called browse, and browse is a verb that  really means somebody looking through either a set of information or in this case a set of videos without a specific intent about what they want. So that’s actually very similar to how viewers behave on home when they arrive at that destination. Maybe they come there and they’re a casual viewer. They’re not quite sure with what they want to watch, and I think that matches our recommendations on that surface too, where we have a really diverse set of options. It’s videos from your past watch history, it’s videos from channels you subscribe to, it’s videos from new viewers and videos that were popular with similar audiences.

For example, recently I twisted my knee and have been searching YouTube for how to fix inner knee pain. As a result, YouTube has been feeding me videos on how to fix inner knee pain on my YouTube homepage. It also displays videos from channels I’ve subscribed to. It’ll also display videos based upon my personal browsing behavior, even if I’m not subscribed to that channel.

Here are the other traffic sources that are included in browse features
Home 
Watch history
Subscriptions
Watch later
Personalized playlists. 

Over 365 days most of my browse traffic came from home, watch history and subscriptions followed by watch later, personalized playlists and trending.

Keep in mind the videos you see displayed on the YouTube homepage are going to be very different to anybody else’s YouTube homepage because they have different browsing behavior and watch history.

Make videos on topics your audience wants to watch

Use community posts to poll your subscribers.
For example here’s a poll where I asked a question. What video creation tips would you like to learn or improve? Knowing your audience, script or outline your content, Increase retention, storytelling techniques, pace and flow. Increase retention was the  most popular.

You can also enter your main keyword in the YouTube search bar to get a bunch of suggestions from YouTube. For example, if I enter YouTube algorithm in the YouTube search bar, it gives me a bunch of related suggestions that I can make videos for. If I enter “how to” before YouTube algorithm, it gives me a bunch of related questions that people are asking in the YouTube search engine and I can answer them in a video.

Another idea is to go into YouTube analytics and look at the top videos that are currently bringing in the most traffic for your channel.

Here’s how to find the top videos on your channel…
– Log into your YouTube channel
– click on analytics. 
– Under the content tab, click on videos,
– scroll down to top videos.
– Click “see more” to view even more of your top videos.
– Double down on those videos by making a similar video with a different title and slightly different content.

Create a video series 
Instead of just making one video, create a series of videos on related topics. For example, recently I created a series of videos on the YouTube algorithm. This also saves a lot of time trying to come up with different video topics.

Add your videos to a playlist
YouTube says, the longer you keep viewers engaged on the YouTube platform, the higher the probability your videos will be recommended by YouTube. So if a viewer watches one video in your playlist, they’re more likely to watch the related videos in that playlist.

Here are 3 ways to save a video to a playlist.

1. Select a video from your YouTube homepage.
I’m going to select this one. Click the three dots, click save to playlist. You can save the video to a current playlist, or you can click Create new playlist. Then just enter your playlist title and click create.

2. Alternatively, you can go to your video details page.
Scroll down to where it says playlists. Click the dropdown, select your playlist or create new playlist. Add your title description, then click create.

3. If you want to increase the visibility of your YouTube playlist, add it to the top of your YouTube channel homepage, add it to your video description, pin it to the top of your comments, and you can also add it in the end screen.

Use end screens and end cards
Use end screens to increase the viewing session. You can add a end screen in the last 20 seconds of your video. That may include a video, playlist, subscribe button, channel link, or even a link to an outside source.

Cards are links you can place anywhere in your video. This can be a related video, a playlist, a channel link, or link to your landing page.

Increase watch time
This is one of the top factors that will decide if your video will be recommended on YouTube. YouTube says “You can increase the chance of YouTube suggesting your content by increasing your click-through rate and your video watch time“.

Click-through rate measures how often viewers watch the video after seeing an impression. 

Impressions click through rate measures how often viewers watch the video after seeing a registered impression on YouTube. So if somebody sees one of your thumbnails and clicks on it, that’s counted as part of your impression clickthrough rate.

Keep in mind that half of all channels on YouTube have an impression clickthrough rate between 2 and 10%, so if you can get higher than 10%, you’re doing really well.

What are some of the ways you increase the watch time on your videos? 

Use a strong hook in the first 30 seconds of your video, which could be asking a question, making a bold statement or teasing about what’s coming up later in the video. 

Keep viewers engaged throughout your content by including graphics, text, transitions, and most of all quality content.

Pinned comments.
Encourage viewers to watch a related video by pinning a comment to the top of your comments. When viewers read the comments or post their own comment, they’ll see a link to the next video posted at the top of their comments.

I also recommend posting a link to a related video in the first three lines of your video description. When a viewer is watching the video, they’ll see the related link below the video. Include keywords in your video description.

Upload a transcript of your video content.
YouTube and Google will index your videos based upon the words you used in your video’s transcript.

How to quickly create a transcript of your own video or to transcribe any video on YouTube
Install the Chrome extension called “YouTube summary with chatGPT and Claude” 

Now, when you go to your video, you’ll see transcript and summary next to your video. Click the dropdown and wait for the summary.

Now you’ve got all your video content summarized.

Go through the transcript to correct any mistakes because it’s generated by AI. To copy the transcript, click this icon that says “Copy transcript”.

How to upload your video transcript on YouTube
Go to your video details page.
Click on subtitles, click autosync, 
paste your transcript.
Click edit timings,
click done.

Now, when you play the video, you’ll see the captions on the video.

Keep in mind you can use this extension to transcribe any video on YouTube. Make sure you also include a summary of your video content in your video description.

Keep in mind the first three lines of your video description is what viewers can see while they’re watching the video, so make it count.

How to view the traffic coming from browse features and channel analytics. 
– Click on analytics in YouTube studio,
– Under the content tab, click on videos.
– Under key moments for audience retention, you’ll see the videos that got the highest retention in the first 30 seconds of the video.
– If you scroll down, you’ll find how viewers find your videos.
– If you click on “See More”, you will see the main traffic sources for your channel.
– If you click on browse features…in the last 28 days, most of my browse feature traffic came from home and subscriptions.
– If I change it to the last 365 days, it also shows that most of my traffic came from home and subscriptions.

How to check the browse features traffic for an individual video on YouTube
If I click on analytics for this individual video, I can see that 72% of my traffic came from browse features. If you look under how viewers found this video, YouTube recommendations 60.7%, mostly from home and some from up next.

YouTube says “it recommends videos to viewers on home and alongside the video they’re currently watching under “Up Next. This is suggested videos.

So what’s the difference between browse features and suggested videos…which one gets the most traffic? 

Watch this video titled “YouTube Browse Features versus Suggested Videos: which one gets the most traffic?

Never Run Out of Ideas Again: YouTube Inspiration Tab Tutorial

Do you struggle to create new videos that your audience is interested in? 

The new inspiration tab, formerly called the research tab, can help you think of new video ideas your viewers want to watch.

It’ll also save you time by creating an outline for your next video.

Let me show you how to get to the inspiration tab and how it works.

  • Click on analytics after you’ve logged into your YouTube channel,
  • Click on inspiration. You’ll see…
    get ideas for your next video,
    what people are looking for,
    new ideas to inspire you
    make a short.

Later, I’ll show you how to access the inspiration tab from your phone.

Let’s look at “Get Ideas for your next video”.
Enter a search term under “Get Ideas for your next video.
I entered “YouTube Algorithm”.
Hit return on your Computer.
Under YouTube algorithm, it says “Your viewer’s interest in related topics in the last 28 days”.
If I click the heart symbol, it’ll show me similar topics on my feed.
If I click the 3 dots, I can save the topic, not interested, report or get help.
Under similar ideas, I’ve got..
– how to optimize your videos for search engine rankings,
– tips for optimizing your videos for the algorithm,

If I click refresh, I get even more similar ideas.
If I scroll down, it shows what type of videos people are watching for this particular keyword phrase.
If I click “show all”, it’ll show all the videos that people are currently watching for that particular topic.
If I click on videos, it’ll show all the videos that people are currently watching based upon the keyword phrase “YouTube algorithm”.

For example, this video from Think Media has currently 62,000 views.
This video from VideoIQ currently has 3.7 million views.

Instead of copying the title and content for any of these videos, come up with your own title and content, so your video is unique and stands out from your competitors.

For example, here’s a couple of videos I created on the YouTube algorithm that currently rank on the first page of Google.

If I click on Shorts under the what people are watching then I can see all the top shorts videos for that particular keyword  phrase…. “YouTube algorithm”.

For example, this shorts video made three years ago has 3.4 million views, whereas this video made six months ago has 2.3 million views. I can then study all the top shorts videos to get inspiration for my own shorts video. It also shows me the top searches for this topic, how to break YouTube algorithm, how to check YouTube algorithm, how the YouTube algorithm works.

If I click show all, I’ve got all the top searches for this topic. If I click “content gaps”, it’ll show me topics that I can make new videos on.

What do content gaps mean? 

A content gap happens when viewers can’t find enough quality search results on YouTube for that particular search. You can use content gaps as inspiration for content that doesn’t exist or needs to be improved. A content gap happens when viewers can’t find any results for their searches, they can’t find an exact match for their searches, they can’t find relevant videos for their searches because the videos are too old or of low quality.

The create outline feature included in the inspiration tab can help you quickly generate an outline for your next video. Keep in mind the outline feature on the inspiration tab can only be accessed from a computer, not from mobile devices.

Here’s how the “Create Outline” feature works.

  • Enter a topic in the search bar. 
  • I entered get more views on YouTube.
  • If you want to create an outline, just click create outline,
  • Here’s a quick outline,
    – 3 ways to check YouTube video SEO.
    – Check your videos title, description and  tags.
    – Learn how to improve your YouTube video SEO.
    – Get more views on YouTube videos.
    – Improve your YouTube channel rankings.
    – Learn how to use YouTube SEO to grow your channel.
  • Copy the outlines so you can use it for your next video.

Keep in mind, this is AI generated content, so it’s going to vary in quality, but I highly recommend adding a personal touch to make it unique.

Here’s how to get to the inspiration tab from your phone

  • Tap the YouTube studio app, tap analytics.
  • You’ve got Explore Topics, top searches, recent videos, and content gaps for Shorts.
  • Enter your search topic. 
  • Under “Get more YouTube views” I’ve got recent audience activity, searched on YouTube and watched on YouTube.

If you need more ways to find fresh, creative ideas to overcome your creative blocks, watch this video on titled “10 Creative Ways to Find Inspiration For Your Next YouTube Video”

10 Creative Ways To Find Inspiration for Your Next YouTube Video

Picture this…you’re staring at your camera eager to create, but inspiration won’t come. We’ve all been there feeling stuck and frustrated, but what if you could break through that creative block and find fresh creative ideas effortlessly.

In the video below, I share 10 unique ways to spark your creativity and create your next video masterpiece.

1. Inspiration Tab – Ideas & Outlines

The goal of ideas and outlines is to help creators better understand their audience interests, overcome creative blocks and save time generating outlines for videos.

Here’s how to get to the inspiration tab.
Log into YouTube studio and click on the analytics tab.
Under inspiration, you’ll find get ideas for your next video. 
Enter a topic in the search bar. 
I entered, “Get more views on YouTube”.
It gives you similar ideas.
– “How to get more views on YouTube videos”,
– “Tips for optimizing new videos for search engines”.
– “Use tags relevant to your video”.

It also shows the videos that people are currently watching.
It also shows the top searches for this topic,
– “Which video has more views on YouTube” 
– “How to pay to get more views on YouTube” 
– “How to get more views on your videos”.

If you want to create an outline, just click “Create outline”

Here’s a quick outline.
– “3 ways to check YouTube video SEO”. Check your videos title, description tags.
– “Learn how to improve your YouTube video SEO”.
– “Get more views on your YouTube videos”.
– “Improve your YouTube channel rankings”.
– Learn how to use YouTube SEO to grow your channel.” 

Copy the outlines so you can use it for your next video. Keep in mind, this is AI generated content, so it’s going to vary in quality, but I highly recommend adding a personal touch to make it unique.

The inspiration tab also shows what people are currently looking for on your YouTube channel. For example, if a look under what people are looking for, it shows how to master YouTube algorithm, how to beat YouTube algorithm 2024 YouTube strategy 2024. If I click show all, it’ll give me a bunch more suggestions.

2. Go To The Community Tab

Your community tab is a great way to poll your subscribers to see what kind of topics they’re interested in. For example, in this community post I asked, “how do you get inspired for your next video idea? If other post below” 13% said analytics, 75% said Study my competition, and 13% so far said questions in the comments. Besides a text poll you can do an image poll, add a quiz, add a video, or an image.

I’ve discovered that polls get the most interaction, so I highly recommend using them on YouTube channel.

3. Questions In Comments

A goldmine of information can be found in the comments. When a viewer asks a question in the comments, it’s often a question many other people have on their minds, but were afraid to ask the question. For example, here’s a question from “Real music video” that asks, “Should you upload at peak view times in the evening… does it make any difference?” 

I recommend creating a list of questions that people are asking in the comments then make a video answering each question. Alternatively, study the questions people are asking in the comments of your competitor’s videos, then answer the question with a video.

4. Study Competitors Channels

If you can’t find inspiration for new video ideas from your own channel, study competitors videos in the same niche. Look for videos that have gained 1000s of views, are very recent and have also got a lot of comments. This is a good sign that that particular topic is a hot topic to make a video for.

Here’s how to find the most watched or most popular videos for any YouTube channel.
– Go to the homepage of your competitor’s channel,
– Click on videos.
– Click on popular to see the most popular videos on this channel.
– Click on latest to see the latest videos on this channel.
– Click on oldest to see the oldest videos on the channel.

What if you want to find the most popular shorts on your competitor’s channels?
Click on shorts,
click on popular.
Click on latest. You can see the latest.
If you click on oldest, you can see the oldest.
Instead of copying the exact title and video content, come up with a different title and approach the content from a different angle. You can do this by including your own examples, statistics, or stories. Try to come up with content that stands out from your competitors video, so it makes your video unique.

5. Study Channels Your Audience Watches

A great way to tap into the mind of your audience is to study the channels your audience watches.

Here’s how to find that information.
– Click on the audience tab in YouTube analytics.
– Go to “Channels your audience watches”.
You’ll also see what your audience watches, formats your viewers watch on YouTube, videos growing your own audience, and when your viewers are on YouTube. 

If you want to see your shorts, click on content, click on shorts and you’ll see how viewers find your shorts, how many chose to view versus how many swiped away and your top shorts.

If a recent video got a ton of views, double down on that video by making another one because you know that’s a hot topic that your audience loves. If that video also gets a ton of views, continue making a video series based upon similar topics. Place all those related videos in a playlist, so if someone watches one of those videos in a playlist, they’ll see all the other videos and continue binge watching them.

6. YouTube Search Suggestions

One of the best ways to find topics people are searching for on YouTube is to use the YouTube search bar. For example, if I enter “YouTube algorithm” in the YouTube search bar, it gives me a bunch of related suggestions that I can make videos for.

If I enter how to before YouTube algorithm, it gives me a bunch of related questions that people are asking in the YouTube search engine, and I can answer them in a video.

If you have the TubeBuddy extension installed, you can use TubeBuddy’s Keyword Explorer tool to find related searches. For example, if I enter YouTube algorithm, I get a poor ranking score on YouTube. If I place how before YouTube algorithm, then click explore, I get an excellent score. If I look under related searches, I can choose “How the YouTube algorithm works in 2024”  This gives me an excellent score.

This means this keyword phrase has less competition and the video would be easier to rank for than if I used YouTube algorithm.

Get The TubeBuddy Chrome Extension

7. Tap Into Popular Trends

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. You can get there by going to youtube.com and clicking on the trending tab at the left hand column. At the top, you got what’s trending now, music, gaming, and movies. 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. 

8. 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.

9. Go For A Walk or Bicycle Ride In Nature

When I don’t feel inspired or motivated and can’t come up with video ideas, I often go for a walk in nature. Another activity I do to come up with video ideas is to go for long bicycle rides. I find that when I’m relaxed and free from distractions, new ideas bubble up into my mind.

10. ChatGPT AI Software

If you’re stuck coming up with content ideas, I highly recommend using the AI powered software ChatGPT. Let me show you how to use it to come up with content ideas for your next YouTube video. I asked chatGPT to “List out 10 topics for a video on weight loss“.

Let’s see what it says. 
Within a few seconds ChatGPT gave me 10 engaging topics for a video on weight loss. You can also use it to generate video titles, descriptions, a video hook or video script.

Watch this video right now on How To Harness The Power Of ChatGPT To Create Captivating Video Ideas That Will Wow Your Viewers.