Watch time is one of the most important factors contributing to your success on YouTube. You need a lot of watch time to get your channel monetized and to have your videos promoted by the algorithm. Depending on your ad preferences, your ad revenue may be affected by your watch time as well.
Basically, the longer viewers are watching your videos, the better. If you can make your videos a little longer, you can improve your watch time score. However, you have to do so in ways that don’t tempt the viewer to click out of the video.
Here are a few ways you can easily increase your watch time.
1. Add an animated intro.
Many popular vloggers, especially beauty gurus, add animated intros to their videos. It’s like the title sequence in a TV series. Viewers associate an intro with their favorite creator’s videos, so having one is great for branding your channel as well.
Makeup artist James Charles has one of the most widely recognized animated intros. The animation mimics the marketing campaign for the eyeshadow palette he created with Morphe, and he sang the background vocals himself.
2. Introduce a special segment to every video.
Along with an intro, add a special segment to your call-to-action. Subscribers shout-outs are a good place to start. Every week, choose an especially active fan to shout-out at the end of your video. Include a screenshot or their profile or comments.
You might also add bloopers to the end of your video, the way Gabbie Hanna does with her vlog-style videos.
3. Tease viewers til the end.
To increase you watch time, you need to hook your viewers enough to keep them watching a video until the very end. To keep them in suspense, tease them with your thumbnail and title.
You may also put a teaser in the beginning of your video by taking a clip from the end out of context. Joey Graceffa uses this tactic along with really intriguing thumbnails and titles.
4. Add a behind-the-scenes video.
Increase your watch time even more by turning one video into two. When you film a more ambitious or intricate video, use your phone to record a behind-the-scenes video as well. Upload your behind-the-scenes video a few days after the original goes live.
Alternatively, if you’re involved in a larger project, drive more traffic from that video to your channel with a behind-the-scenes video. For example, when KickThePJ directed Dodie’s “Monster” music video, he created a behind-the-scenes video for his own channel.
5. Study your audience retention scores to see what’s working.
In the analytics section of your dashboard, the audience retention scores will tell you exactly when viewers are clicking out of your videos. Study these scores to see what videos held your viewers’ attention.
This video will help you understand the data more easily.
6. Promote playlists and series.
Playlists and series are the most effective tools for increasing your watch time. When you keep viewers on your channel for longer periods of time, your watch time score can increase exponentially.
Promote playlists and series by linking them in your video descriptions. Even if a playlist or series isn’t related to that video, you may include it along with a short explanation in case new viewers want to check it out.
Increasing your watch time helps your channel reach new viewers. Work on making your videos slightly longer and promoting playlists.
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Kristen Harris enjoys listening to a wide range of music, from Taylor Swift to, on occasion, Celtic instrumental. She also spends her time writing, reading, and baking.
