How To Launch A Popular YouTube Channel For Your Blog

For bloggers, the benefits of a YouTube presence are obvious. More exposure, more traffic and some highly reputable backlinks to boot. Despite this fact, look for your favourite bloggers on YouTube and in most cases you’ll find them noticeably absent.  Most bloggers reluctance to join YouTube stems from the fact that they believe it’s difficult to attract a following there.  The reality however is that if you have what it takes to produce a popular blog, you have what it takes to produce a popular YouTube Channel.

If you think it’s time that your blog had its own YouTube channel, here are some simple tips for making it happen.

Get the Basics Right

The first step towards YouTube success is obvious; you need to create a professional looking channel that will ensure more visitors. Try to;

• Use the same name and colour scheme as your blog, as well as branding it properly.
• Make your channel’s niche immediately apparent.
• Include a tempting description of your blog in a prominent location (with a link back to your site).
• Cross promote your other social media pages.

Be Professional

You don’t need fancy video equipment (or skills) to build a popular YouTube channel. At the same time however, video quality does matter. If you haven’t already done so, invest in a reasonably high quality webcam/video camera. Educating yourself on the basics of video recording and editing is also highly recommended.

Always Start with an Overview

YouTube users aren’t exactly known for their patience. When somebody clicks on one of your videos, it’s therefore important to get them hooked early on. This can best be achieved by starting every video with a brief introduction explaining what you will be talking about. The better your intros, the more people will stick around.

Look at What Works

If you want to be successful on YouTube, it pays to learn as much as you can from established players. Take a look at the different types of YouTube video that you can create and make a list of the most popular YouTube channels in your niche and study their videos.

• What topics are being discussed?
• Which videos are getting the most views?
• Are the videos educational or more entertaining in nature?
• What separates them from the competition?

Look at What’s Missing

When looking at other videos in your niche, another thing to look out for is topics that aren’t being discussed. Regardless of your blogs niche, there’s likely to be no shortage of competition. And the easiest way to stand out immediately is to bring something new to the table. What kind of potentially popular videos are your competitors missing? Take a note of every little detail.

Optimise for Search

If you want your videos to gain the attention of the search engines, don’t forget to optimize them accordingly. The basics of YouTube SEO are incredibly straightforward. Keywords should be included in the title, description and video tags. After that, just build backlinks like you would for any other kind of content.

Add Thumbnails

A recent test by Visibility IQ suggested that YouTube thumbnails increase video clicks by 56% among men and a staggering, 154% among women. If you want your videos to get the attention that they deserve, well chosen thumbnails are therefore essential. Aim for thumbnails that are attention grabbing but don’t sacrifice on relevancy.

Engage with Your Viewers

When somebody leaves an intelligent comment on one of your videos, always respond in kind. The more you can get people to engage with your videos, the faster your popularity will rise. Provided you don’t spam, leaving comments on other videos in your niche is also very much recommended.

Call to Action

Finally, if your primary motive for joining YouTube is to increase your blogs traffic, don’t underestimate the importance of actually asking people to visit. Every one of your videos should end with a quick call to action telling people that if they enjoyed your video, they’ll love your blog.

What other tips would you suggest to help create a popular YouTube channel?  What things have you done to help your YouTube channel grow?  Please let us know in the comment section below.