How to get to video

10 Clever Ways to Make Video Using Just a Laptop

Need to make a video, but don’t have a camera? No problem!

There are plenty of imaginative ways to create video with just a laptop. We’ll walk you through ten of the most accessible and straightforward ways you can make video without any fancy gear at all. Warning: once you read this post, you’re out of excuses for not making more video!

1. Artificial Intelligence

No, really. There are online services that allow you to create videos using AI to handle the editing process.

First, you’ll need to pick a topic by entering text or a URL. Then, the platform you’re working with will put together a video using sophisticated algorithms, licensed content, and automated editing tools.

One such platform is Wibbetz, a startup using AI to automate video editing. Another option is GliaStudios, which works in a similar manner.

A related option is Magisto. They allow you to upload your own clips, and uses AI to edit them together according to the mood you select for your video. This is a good option if you’ve already got some content to work with.

None of these options are fully automated – at least, not yet. You still retain plenty of control over the branding and final output of your video.

2. Live Stream

Don’t have time to record and edit a video? Live streaming is a quick and easy way to get a message across to viewers.

As a bonus, a recording of your live stream is automatically saved to your SproutVideo account. You can then share the on-demand video as-is, or download it, make some tweaks, and reupload it to our platform. It’s basically a two-for-one solution to creating a video with just a laptop.

You can live stream using your camera’s built-in webcam, a screencast, or pre-recorded video files. For a more thorough guide on how to live stream, check out our recent How To Video episode on the six simple steps to live streaming for business.

3. Screencast

Screencasts allow you to capture activity on your screen as you navigate different programs or webpages. Often used for support videos, screencasts are a great way to walk viewers through a specific process, or teach a new skill.

Here’s our guide to making a professional screencast, with detailed steps to follow:

First, you’ll need a screen capture program, like Quicktime, SnagIt, Screenflow, or Movavi. There are many, many other options, from free to paid. Try out a few, and pick the one that best suits your workflow.

Key features to look for include HD video support, easy navigation, audio capture, and special effects, like the ability to highlight a specific part of the screen.

Then, pick a topic. It could be showing viewers how to use a new tool, or to complete a process correctly.

Practice the steps you’ll be navigating ahead of time. It will help ensure a smooth video, with fewer mistakes.

Although you can record the screencast and audio at the same time, that might not be ideal. If you miss a line, or stumble for a word, you don’t want to have to redo the whole sequence. For this type of video, recording the audio separately could save you a lot of headaches, even if you have to edit the audio and video together afterwards.

However you choose to record the audio, quality does matter. You don’t need a fancy microphone to sound great. The most important factor might be a really quiet room in which you can record your script.

You can make do with the built-in microphone for your laptop, use your phone, or spring for an accessory. For instance, this microphone does a great job for voiceovers. Whichever microphone you choose, jot down the bullet points you’ll need to hit, and start recording!

4. Webcam Talking Head

Technically, this requires your laptop to have a built-in camera. Most do these days, so we’re counting it!

The key to making a talking head video that looks professional is to get the lighting right, position the laptop correctly, and frame your shot well. Your traditional desk setup is not likely to be optimal for this type of video.

If your laptop is on your desk, it’s much too low to get a flattering angle when filming your face. You’ll want to raise it up so the camera is roughly at eye level. Then, angle the camera slightly downwards to avoid giving viewers a glimpse up your nose, or the dreaded double chin effect.

The photo above contrasts two different camera angles. On the left, the model is looking slightly down at the camera, resulting in a less flattering image. On the right, she’s looking slightly up at the camera, which is typically flattering on most people. It’s subtle, but a small change in a camera angle can work wonders on film.

Lighting is equally important. Move any available table or floor lamps behind the laptop, and position them so they softly illuminate your face. Make sure there aren’t any harsh shadows behind you. Also, check to be sure you’re not silhouetted by a backlight, such as a window.

Finally, frame your shot properly to make sure it’s visually interesting. Be sure to take care of the basics, like clearing clutter behind you. Rearrange furniture and art if you have to, in order to create a visually appealing space.

With your laptop positioned correctly, flattering lighting, and a properly framed shot, you’re ready to film! In order to do so, you will need software to enable you to record video from your webcam. If you’re using a Mac, you can use Quicktime, or if you’re on Windows, you can use the Camera app.

5. PowerPoint

Did you know you can export video from PowerPoint? This isn’t really the best way to make video, if we’re being honest. But, it will do in a pinch!

Microsoft provides an extensive guide to using PowerPoint to create video. You’ll need to be familiar with using PowerPoint. Even then, their guide warns that it could be a time-consuming process to undertake.

You’ll probably want to add a voiceover to your video, too. We wrote a guide recently about making professional voiceovers on the cheap. If you’re working with just a laptop, you’ll be limited to your built-in mic. You can still get a good result as long as you can control the amount of background noise in your environment.

6. Animated Video

If you go with an animated video instead of live action, the world is your oyster. Not only can you be extremely creative, you have a plethora of options to choose from, and total control over the end result.

Unless you are a talented artist or design professional, we’d recommend going with an online service that takes the guesswork out of creating animations. Some of our favorite options for animated video include Vyond, Raw Shorts, and Powtoon, but there are plenty of other great choices.

Sketch out the different scenes of your video to help visualize how you’d like the end result to be. This can be as rough or as detailed as you’d like. It’s a simple step, but it’ll help you stick to your concept, and achieve a polished result.

This animated explainer video for Padmapper by Grumo Media is from 2011, but it’s still engaging and nicely done:

Keep it short and sweet! Especially if you’re just starting out, it’ll be easier to stay motivated if you don’t try for a feature length film right off the bat.

If you get stuck, there are professional animation studios, like Grumo Media, or our friends Adelie Studios, that can help bring your ideas to life.

7. Stock Imagery

Believe it or not, you don’t even need actual video clips to make a video. You can use still images, and some simple editing techniques, to create a visually interesting video.

This type of video works best for news, current events, or historical videos featuring well-known figures. It can also work for short commercials or clips.

In this case, you’ll want to carefully script your video so you can more easily search for the imagery you’ll need. When reading through your script, think about possible ways you could portray different sections visually. Any specific places or renowned people are key to include.

You can purchase images from popular sources like Getty Images or Dissolve. Or, scour free sites for the images you need. We love Pexels, Unsplash, and Pixabay.

To keep it visually interesting, you’ll want to use a mix of panning, zooming, transitions, and possibly an editing technique known as the Ken Burns effect. Each adds motion in different ways to make it more of a video rather than a slideshow.

8. Stock Video Clips

You really don’t have to film everything yourself. If you’re pinched for time, or only have a laptop, you can find everything you need on the internet.

For example, Dissolve put together a pretty convincing video using only stock footage:

Although it’s meant as a parody, the video effectively proves the point that you can make a polished and attractive video with only stock footage.

Check out this updated article for an extensive guide to using stock footage, and finding it for free (or cheap).

9. Recorded Webinars

Webinars can be a great way to grow thought leadership, answer customer questions, or attract new leads. Once it’s over, don’t just discard the recording. Make it available to other website visitors as a resource, or as marketing for future webinars.

Most webinar platforms, like Webex or GoToMeeting, offer the ability to record and export video out-of-the-box. You don’t really need to do any more than that if you don’t want to.

However, it might be worth cleaning things up a bit. Say there’s a bit of chitchat at the start that doesn’t really add anything to the content of the webinar. You’ll likely want to trim it using a video editing program like iMovie or Movie Maker.

Sometimes, the visuals for the webinar aren’t that great, but the audio content is. In that case, you can go even further to edit your webinar into a more polished video. Swap out the visuals for higher quality screencasts, images, or stock video content.

You’ll need an editing program that can separate audio and video tracks. Both iMovie or Movie Maker offer that, as does Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere, among other options.

10. Repurpose Existing Videos

This one might be cheating slightly on the “you only need a laptop” premise. However, unless you’re really just getting started with video, you probably have an existing library of clips or finished videos.

Dive into that library and remix and match to create new videos. It might be as simple as creating a shorter version of a long video to share on your social channels. Or, an updated voiceover for an older video.

…Or, a Combination of the Above

Each of the approaches above could result in a finished video. However, you might need a combination thereof to achieve the result you want.

For instance, you could mix voiceover from a webinar with a screencast of your website. Or, take some old content, and add a new intro using your webcam to frame it differently.

Variety is the spice of life, as they say. There’s no real reason to exclusively use one technique when making a video.

Once you’ve created some quality video content, you’ll want to pair it with the proper video marketing tools. Here at SproutVideo, we provide premium video hosting that comes with a whole host of powerful marketing tools to take your video marketing efforts to the next level. Try us free for 30-days to see for yourself.

How to Get More Views on YouTube: 13 Proven Ways to Grow in 2022

Last Updated on: August 08, 2022

Create PRO videos in minutes with InVideo

Once a place for entertaining videos, YouTube has now evolved into a competitive playing field for brands and creators alike. Over 2 billion people use YouTube today and over 500 hours of new content is uploaded on the platform every single minute to satiate their need for content. This means that getting views on YouTube is no child’s play but at the same time, it is super important if you want your channel to grow.

But how do you do that? If you’ve been wondering how to get views on YouTube, you’ve landed on the perfect article. We will walk you through the secret to getting views on YouTube, proven tips you can deploy so that you don’t have to shoot around in the dark, and finally how you can create thumb-stopping videos in minutes using InVideo’s YouTube video editor so that you can ensure your channel grows.

Here’s what we will cover:

What’s the Secret to Getting Views on YouTube

That secret here lies in understanding how the YouTube algorithm works to push a video out. You could have the best, most relevant idea in the world, but if people are not clicking on it or are clicking on it and bouncing off within the first 30 seconds, your video is going to be stuck in a limbo. To ensure that doesn’t happen, here are two factors that you need to nail if you want to generate higher views:

1. CTR (Click-Through Rate)

In simple language, click through rate is the percentage of people who click on a video after coming across it on YouTube. CTR is calculated as the number of clicks divided by the total impressions. Impressions are the number of instances where YouTube showed your video thumbnail to a YouTube user. This could be in the search results, recommended videos section, or other places. Here’s what CTR looks like on YouTube analytics:

Essentially, the higher the percentage of clicks on your videos, the more YouTube tends to push the video out to similar viewers, thereby increasing the number of views. If your CTR is low, the algorithm doesn’t deem the video interesting or relevant enough to push out to other people.

So, you want to increase your CTR if you want to increase your number of views. This stands true whether you have a 100 subscribers or 100,000 subscribers. The question then is, how exactly do you increase your CTR percentage? The answer lies in these two details:

— The thumbnail of your videos
— The title of your videos

We talk about these further down in the article. But these are by far the two most important factors that determine your CTR. Here’s an in-depth video on how you can improve CTR for your videos:

Note : YouTube only counts an impression when the thumbnail was shown on a user’s screen for more than one second, and they were able to see at least 50% of the thumbnail. However, it won’t count as an impression if a viewer ends up on your video from an external website or a notification.

2. Audience retention

The second thing the YouTube algorithm looks at to determine whether it should push your video out to more people is audience retention — that is the average percentage of a video watched by those who click on it. For instance, if your video is 5 minutes long, and on average, people watch it for 2.5 minutes, your audience retention is 50%. Here’s what the watch time and average duration look like on YouTube analytics:

Your retention rate determines whether your video ranks higher up in the search terms that your video is targeting or if it gets suggested to viewers in the suggested videos section on YouTube. Think about it, if the people clicking on your video, drop off before they even watch it for a minute, what does that signal to YouTube? That people aren’t finding it interesting and hence there is no point pushing it further.

A higher retention rate improves the Watch Time for your videos and channel — this is the amount of time viewers spend watching your video – which further helps increase the number of views as well as helps your monetization efforts.

When it comes to retention, the first 30 seconds of your video are the most important. You want to have as many people as possible watching your video after the 30-second mark as possible, because after that the number of people dropping off your videos reduces and you have a higher chance of getting them to watch till the end.

The only way to improve retention is to make your videos engaging so that viewers want to watch it all the way to the end. We will cover several tips on how you can achieve this going forward but one of the key steps is editing your videos to perfection. Check out this guide on how to edit YouTube videos to get more views and consider using the free YouTube video editor on InVideo to make your editing 10 times easier.

Here’s another in-depth resource that will help you understand audience retention and increase it.

The greater your retention, the higher is your watch time, and the more number of people your video is pushed out to.

Now that you know the secret to getting more views on YouTube, let’s go ahead and take a look at what you can practically do to affect both these metrics and increase your views.

13 Proven Tips to Get More Views on YouTube

Intellectually understanding that higher CTR and Audience Retention help you get more views on YouTube, but how do you go about increasing these in the first place? Here are some proven tips that will help you improve both these metrics:

1. Create eye-catching thumbnails

Your YouTube video’s thumbnail gives a potential viewer a first impression of your video. This is what determines whether someone will click on your video or not, and consequently has a direct impact on your video’s CTR. So to say that it should be compelling, high-quality, and well-edited, is an understatement. You want to create thumbnails that make people want to click.

This means that your thumbnail should be eye-catching through the use of visuals, colors, images and text. At the same time it needs to convey what is going on in the video and also be in sync with the title of your video. That sounds like a huge task, but it is one that needs to be done.

Here’s a useful video that talks about how to design thumbnails that get clicks:

To figure out what kind of thumbnail design will work, search for the keyword you’re making for a video on and observe the thumbnails of the videos that rank for that term. You can take inspiration from them to create a similar design or you can try to create something radically different that will make your thumbnail stand out during the search results.

Another thing you want to keep in mind is the usage of text. Avoid small and too-much text. Often people view videos on their phones, which means smaller screens. So if you make your thumbnail have too much text, it might not be readable to the viewer and that can cost you a click.

If you want to take things a step further, you can also maintain some form of consistency in your thumbnails so your videos are easily recognizable. Consistent thumbnails aren’t a necessity but can be particularly helpful for certain types of videos or playlists. For instance, here’s what YouTube champ Nick Nimmin’s thumbnails look like:

2. Keep your title short and interesting

Notice how the truncated title can turn into a big problem? The viewer doesn’t get much clue about what the title says after the word “under.” The creator has added text to the thumbnail, but the dollar amount is hidden under the video duration too. Essentially, viewers will need to work hard to find out what to expect from the video, and we all know that an online audience doesn’t like to put in that kind of effort because they have options.

So, let’s talk about how to make power-packed titles. Within the short 100-character title, you need to look for certain characteristics. Here are three important things to remember when coming up with a video title:

— Make it catchy: It goes without saying that you want your title to grab a potential viewer’s attention. While it boils down to using creativity and knowing your target audience well, you can also use general best practices. For instance, including a number in your title and charging your title with emotional words or phrases have been known to increase CTR.

— Steer clear of click baits: It’s tempting, but it will do more harm than good. YouTube explicitly states that using a clickbait title can negatively influence the chances of being recommended to new viewers.

3. Focus on the first 30 seconds of your video

When trying to learn how to get views on YouTube, it’s critical to talk about the first 30 seconds. Your viewers will take less than 30 seconds to decide if your video is worth their time, which means the first 30 seconds are critical for retention rates. While this can sound scary at first, it’s actually an opportunity to give your viewers a reason to stay. The golden rule here is to provide instant value.

Now, the nature of value depends on the type of content you create. Nobody does it better Sam Oh from Ahrefs. Pick any Ahrefs video on YouTube and you’ll see that he reserves the first few seconds just to give a preview of what’s coming or tell the audience exactly what he is going to share.

For instance, in his tutorial on ‘How to Increase Domain Rating’ he answers the most important question right at the beginning by saying that the most effective way to increase Domain Rating is high-quality backlinks:

So, did he give away all of the value? Not quite. Doing this assures viewers that this video will provide a solution they’re looking for, and they’ll watch the rest of the video to learn how to get high-quality backlinks.

Depending on your niche, providing value may take a different form. If your niche is comedy or entertainment, you can also start by showcasing the most interesting bits of your video first, or you can pick one of hte most surprising elements from your story and show it upfront. If you’re making travel videos, adding scenic shots of the location with some cool effects and an upbeat music track can help hook the audience.

It’s also good practice to add a separator between your intro and the rest of the video. For instance, once you’ve hooked the audience, add some motion graphics or short logo reveal (keep them short, though) and then move on to the rest of the video. Just make sure this section isn’t dragged on for too long. Just 5-6 seconds is more than enough. You don’t need to create a logo reveal yourself, just use one of the templates on InVideo. Here’s a good one you can use:

4. Pay attention to the video length

How to get views on YouTube by optimizing the video length? Well, the short answer is that your YouTube videos should be as long as they need to be, but as short as possible.

To put that into perspective, think about a video that explains how to clean your washing machine. The video might need to be 10 minutes long, so creating a video that’s a little over or under (say 8 to 12 minutes) is okay, but don’t make it a 25-minute video. Says who? YouTube does:

You’ve probably heard that long-form videos can fuel your channel’s growth. Now, that’s not entirely untrue; it does. But you should also consider that people might not want to watch those long-form videos from someone who doesn’t have enough authority yet, which means low watch times, audience retention (if any), and lower views.

Think about it. If you’re trying to learn about valuation, would you sit through an hour-long video created by a college junior, or would you listen to the likes of Warren Buffet or Dr. Aswath Damodaran? For this reason, it’s important to keep your videos short, at least when you’re starting out.

6-10 minutes is a good sweet spot, and you can always split longer videos within minutes using a tool like InVideo and get two smaller ones. After all, that’s what playlists are for. That said, don’t stress yourself out if your video runs 20 minutes and you can’t seem to split it. Edit out as much of the fluff as possible and Just make sure it’s packed with value, and you’ll be able to generate ample views (provided you check other boxes too).

5. Avoid repetition and optimize content for value per minute

Your viewers have short attention spans. This is why repeating the same point again and again in your videos can be terrible for your retention rates. It’s important to understand that even though you might not be repeating yourself word-for-word, you might be conveying the same message in a different way. Instead of beating around the bush, you’ll do your retention rates a favor by cutting to the chase.

You need to keep your videos laser-focused. Try not to say things that don’t add value or deviate from the point, at least initially when you’re just starting out. To do this, write your script in advance, let a day pass, and then read it with a fresh set of eyes. Edit out sentences that aren’t packed with value. Then start creating the video. Once it’s ready, edit the final video and edit out parts of the video that are not adding value.

Here’s an in-depth guide on how to write better scripts to optimize your videos for Watch Time:

Analyze the end product for value per minute. You don’t need to quantify it, but look at each portion of the video, and you’ll get a sense of how much value it delivers. If it feels you didn’t learn anything new during a certain 60-second portion, take it out.

Note that the value doesn’t necessarily have to be in the form of knowledge. If you run an entertainment channel like Mr. Beast, the value will be in the form of “fun.” Again, it’s hard to analyze value delivery when you’re posting “fun” content, but you’ll still get a fair idea of moments that feel dull in a video that’s supposed to entertain.

6. Work on the pacing of your videos

Pacing is a big part of the equation when discussing how to get views on YouTube. Regardless of your niche, you’re trying to create videos that are coherent, have a smooth flow, and don’t feel dull. Creating such videos does take some creativity, but it’s critical to keep the viewers hooked till the end, thereby improving watch time and retention.

It’s not about rushing, though. You don’t want to go too slow or too fast; it’s about hitting that sweet spot. Here’s a video that takes you through the ins and outs of pacing:

Here’s what you can do to improve your video’s pacing and make them more engaging:

— Change visuals every 3-5 seconds: You don’t want the same visual on screen going on for too long. Whether it is your talking head or any other scene – because that makes people get bored and drop off your video. Give your viewers some flavor by changing the visual on the video every couple of seconds. Think about adding B-roll, supplemental images, text, title slides, and transitions to create visual intrigue on screen.

— Hide editing cuts: Cutting and trimming videos is helpful to cut out parts where you made a mistake, deviated from the script, or that don’t add significant value. Cuts are a natural part of the video creation process. But for most people, when they’re starting out, the way they cut their videos makes them look choppy and jarring.
Zooming in and out of the frame is also a great way to hide cuts and create some visual difference in your frame without actually adding anything extra. In addition to zooming, adding transitions, effects, and animations can also smoothen your video’s flow and nicely conceal the cuts. As a bonus, these elements also make your video a lot more engaging for your viewers.

Check out this video to learn about the types of cuts you can use in your videos:

7. Ensure high audio quality

Poor audio quality can spell bad news for your watch time and audience retention because people are very likely to stop watching your video right at the beginning. Most videos on YouTube have good quality audio, thanks to the availability of good quality mics. You can also use your phone’s mic provided it’s capable of recording high-res audio.

Using a good quality mic and using the right audio format is key to producing high-quality audio. If you’re looking for a mic, you can get the Movo VXR10 Universal VideoMic at a pocket-friendly price and it should work just fine if you’re only getting started.

Once you have a good mic, there are a few more things you need to be mindful of. First, you’ll need a room free of any distracting noises. Avoid any type of white noise too. Ensure that the room is furnished so that you don’t end up with an echo. If you do have an empty room, consider using sound blankets or sound absorbing foam to ensure you don’t get echo.

Before you start recording, you should also do a trial run. Record a few sentences and play them back. Do you hear anything in the background? Is the video too loud and distorted or too low that it’s difficult to decipher the speech? Find the right distance from the mic so it records at just the right volume.

You should never use audio formats like MP3 or AAC – they’re not hi-res. Hi-res formats include WAV, AIFF, FLAC, etc. If you need more information about audio formats, here’s an excellent resource:

Finally, you should also ensure that any sound effects or background tracks that you add are high quality. For this, you should ensure that your editor preserves audio quality when you export the video. Using a cloud-based editor like InVideo will ensure that your audio and video quality stay intact in the exported video.

8. Use music and sound effects correctly

Adding music and sound effects to a video can make them significantly more engaging, and therefore, improve retention rate and watch time. However, it’s important to not overdo them. For instance, if you post entertainment content, you will add different sound effects than if you run a channel that talks about cryptocurrencies. The same goes with music. If you’re a travel vlogger, your videos could use an upbeat music track, especially at the beginning, but if you’re creating tutorials, you want something that doesn’t cancel out the voice of the person speaking.

Here’s an excellent resource from YouTube Creators that talks about the appropriate use of music in your videos:

You should also add music and sound effects, but avoid overdoing them. Add them where they’ll add some flavor to the video or enrich the viewing experience, and more importantly, give your viewers some variety – don’t just use the same music track or sound effects everywhere or even on different videos.

9. Keep your conclusion short and guide viewers to the next video

How you conclude your videos can be the difference between someone subscribing and someone clicking away not to remember you ever again. A small percentage of the people watching your videos stick around till the end, but those who do are seriously interested in your content. These are people you can easily convert into subscribers and ardent followers.

So while concluding, you want to keep things short. You don’t want to unnecessarily lengthen the video by beating around the bush. But more importantly, you should put your viewers attention to use by guiding them to the next video they should watch – which will either help them learn further or supplement their learning in the current video. This way you give them more valuable content and also keep them on your channel for longer, thereby increasing your watch time.

10. Add subtitles to improve retention

Why are subtitles a part of the discussion when talking about how to get views on YouTube? Well, subtitles make your videos accessible, provide SEO value, and improve watch time. If you’re ignoring captions, you might be sleeping on an otherwise impactful tactic. It’s not just about accessibility, however. A lot of viewers ( 83% of people on average, as per a study) like watching videos on mute and subtitles can help them view videos without having to turn the sound on.

Understandably, captions are important for someone to be able to understand what’s happening in a video with sound off. Plus, they’re also a necessity when the video is in a different language, even partly. Here’s an excellent explanation about why captions can have a direct impact on the views your videos get:

You’re probably thinking to yourself, “YouTube adds captions automatically, doesn’t it?” Well, yes, it does. But it’s far from perfect. The captions are generated using machine learning, and it can often be inaccurate. Plus, if your video is in a different language, automatically generated captions aren’t an option. Consider adding captions to your videos using an editor like InVideo. InVideo will let you stylize your captions so you can make them more engaging and change font size so you can make them bigger for improved readability.

11. Publish content on a schedule

Publishing videos at a certain time can help move the engagement needle on your videos, and therefore, help you get more views and better retention. So, how to get views on YouTube by scheduling videos at the right time? Here’s a summary of the best times to post:

Best Days and Hours to Post YouTube Videos

Days

Hours

Monday to Wednesday

Thursday to Friday

Saturday and Sunday

In addition to publishing videos that’s optimal for your target audience, scheduling also ensures that you create a cadence for your current subscribers. Knowing when your next video is coming helps them keep an eye out on a specific day, consequently improving the video’s engagement stats.

12. Ensure your description is optimized for search

Just like the title and subtitles, descriptions are another part of your video that can generate SEO value provided you use the right keywords. They’re also a great asset when it comes to improving your CTR, but make sure that you never use them as click baits. Descriptions are important because they give you more estate. You get 5000 characters to add as description, so you can optimize for keywords more flexibly. You can also add call-to-action phrases and hashtags in your description, but there are two things you should keep in mind as you write a description.

First, focus on front-loading your descriptions. Sure, you’ve got 5000 characters, but only the first 200 characters show up in the search results. Use these 200 characters to grab a viewer’s attention, and add your main keywords here. Here are two great examples of you should write the first 200 characters:

They quickly give you a peek into what you’ll see in the video and they’re catchy.

Second, don’t write like a robot. You’re still trying to connect with humans. Keep your description conversational and engaging rather than writing it like an academic paper. A lot of people might read your description to decide whether they should continue watching your video. If they do, you want to ensure that it’s written such that it resonates with your audience, which can help improve watch time and retention.

13. Engage with your community regularly

At the end of the day, you’re building a community. The larger your community, the greater the number of views that your video will get. Engaging on YouTube can take several forms. The most common way to interact with your YouTube audience is in the comments section. Your community will often have questions about your videos or you. Try to engage with them and give a good answer.

Of course, if you’ve already built a sizable following, it might not be possible to respond to all comments. Plus, some of them may be spam. However, you should answer as many as you possibly can, and prioritize comments that ask great questions or discuss a topic that will also be valuable to other members of your YouTube community.

Philip Lemoine sets an excellent example of how to deal with comments:

He responds to questions as well as appreciative comments, but doesn’t respond to ALL comments – and that’s okay.

It’s not just comments that can help you build a community, however. You can connect with your community even outside of YouTube. For instance, if someone mentions you on Twitter, you might want to respond to that tweet or use it as user-generated content. You can essentially distribute your videos through any social media platform, just by engaging with your community on those platforms.

How to create a video that gets views using InVideo

You’ve got your footage ready, and you’re all set to edit your masterpiece. Where do you start, and how do you go about it?

1. Go to InVideo’s YouTube editor and select the Make A Video button. Select an aspect ratio, and that will take you to the editor.

2. Add it to the editor by selecting the Upload Media button. Alternatively, you can also start with a custom template from the Templates section.

4. Add your logo to the video, or if you don’t want to add a logo remove the logo element from the frame.

At this point, you’ll have downloaded your masterpiece. If you need some more help, we teach you how to edit with InVideo here:

Wrapping Up

It’s important to note that the tips in this guide don’t work like a magic wand. You’ll still need to deploy these strategies with consistency. However, you’ll be able to grow faster than competing YouTube channels if you follow these tips diligently.

If you’re short on time, consistency can feel daunting. The easy solution is to use tools that make things easier. For instance, YouTube’s scheduling tool will let you create a pipeline of videos that you can fall back on if you’ve got a busy month coming. You should also use an editor like InVideo that can help you save a ton of time that you’ll otherwise spend editing your videos. And if you learn better via videos, definitely check out our YouTube channel where we help you grow your business and YouTube channel.

This post was written by Arjun and edited by Adete from Team InVideo

18 Easy (and Free) Ways To Get More Views on YouTube in 2022

But, here’s the kicker… 62 percent of businesses use Youtube as a channel to post video content — which is crazy!

But first, let’s talk quickly about how to make a video on YouTube.

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How to Make a Video on YouTube

Based on your video plan, begin writing your video script. Try to keep the language relatable and appealing to your audience. If your video is a beginners guide, don’t use too many technical terms. If you are making an in-depth YouTube video, make sure to include terms that are specific to the industry to build trust with your viewers. Don’t create a long script if your storyboard is short as it will mean a lot of lingering on screens that will not make for a good viewing experience.

Having a shot list will encourage you to think about the smaller details, like lightning direction and camera placement. Make sure to create one once you’re done writing your script. It should include all of the things that help give a sense of direction to your production, such as the camera setup or action/dialogue each scene requires.

If you are starring in the video, or just directing it, it is important to prepare and practice so that the real thing will go off without a hitch. The devil is in the detail when it comes to making a YouTube video, so practicing will account for all the things that could go wrong when shooting.

After doing a few takes of each scene the magic starts – you can start editing your video to omit small mistakes or elements of scenes that don’t fit. Take the time here to ask whether each line sounds natural, and delete lines that don’t fit into the overall video.

Once you have enough experience creating videos, why not try going live and talking to your audience in real-time. Answer questions from your audience in the moment and give your viewers the ultimate viewing experience.

How to Get More Views on YouTube

Now let’s jump straight into the specifics of getting more views on YouTube.

1. Create Compelling Content

It won’t matter how many hacks or ads you use if your videos aren’t good. So how can you create compelling content that will get more views on YouTube? Well, one of the best ways is to create ‘how to’ videos :

Simply identify what your ideal customers most want to know, and then create videos that meet their needs. Does this work? You bet. YouTube creator Graham Cochrane racked up 51 million YouTube views by focusing on how-to content.

Cochrane finds video ideas in the comments of his social channels. If that doesn’t work, he asks his community what they’d like him to make videos about.

2. Encourage Viewers to Subscribe

Have you ever heard the saying, “Your best new customers are your old customers”? In other words, retaining customers can be a powerful way to grow your business. Well, the same holds true for YouTube views.

Which is why one of the easiest ways to get more views on YouTube is to encourage your current viewers to subscribe because gaining subscribers will increase the number of views on each new video that you release. How do you get viewers to subscribe?

The best way is simply to ask at the beginning and end of each video!

But don’t just ask viewers to subscribe to your YouTube channel. Make sure that you also prompt them to turn on the notification bell after they’ve clicked ‘Subscribe.’

This way, once a viewer subscribes, they’ll be notified every time you upload a new video. Growing your subscribers is vital to getting more free YouTube views, so start asking your viewers to subscribe now!

3. Create Playlists to Keep People Watching

YouTube’s own statistics show that “top-performing brands on YouTube build and promote twice as many playlists as the bottom 25%.”

Why do playlists work so well? Auto-play. It takes effort to pull your attention away from videos you’re enjoying when they just keep playing. In fact, there’s a cognitive bias at work called ‘loss aversion.’

The question is no longer, “Do you want to watch another video enough to actively click play?” Now, the question is, “Do you want to stop watching enough to actively click away?”. It’s subtle but powerful, and if your content is good, viewers will often keep watching. Also, playlists can help improve search rankings, as playlist titles are another opportunity to target keywords.

The easiest way to create a YouTube playlist is to navigate to each video you’d like to add and click the ‘+’ icon underneath the video.

Then you can create a new playlist or add it to an existing playlist. To get more views on YouTube, create a playlist of your best content and start promoting it today!

4. Promote Other Videos with End Screens and Cards

Cards and end screens are tools that you can use to promote your videos to get more views on YouTube. First, you’ll need to verify your YouTube account to access these features. To do this, click on your profile picture in the top right, and then click ‘Creator Studio’. Next, click on the ‘Status and features’ tab:

On this page, you’re able to view extra YouTube channel features and set them up. Now let’s take a closer look at end screens and cards.

An end screen is a dedicated frame that you can place at the end of your videos to wrap things up, and highlight calls-to-action.

Cards are a tool that you can set to pop-up anytime in the video. You can set these to direct people to another video or playlist, or you can create a poll card which is a great way to ask viewers what they’d like to see more of (remember tip number 1?).

To add end screens and cards to your videos, go to the Creator Studio and click ‘Video Manager,’ then click ‘Videos.’ Find the video that you want to add the end screen card to and click ‘Edit.’ Once you’re on the video editor page, you can add end screens and cards by clicking the menu items at the top of the page:

End screens and cards are powerful tools, so make sure you use them to present calls-to-action in your YouTube videos.

5. Add a Watermark to Your Videos

Watermarks allow you to gain more subscribers and free YouTube views by promoting your channel across all of your videos. Essentially, a watermark is just an image that you can set to appear on all of your videos — most brands use their logo. When a viewer hovers their mouse over a watermark, it prompts them to subscribe. Which is why the Shopify YouTube channel has chosen a watermark saying ‘subscribe’:

Once again, you need to verify your YouTube account to be able to upload a watermark. It’s worth pointing out that you can’t pick and choose which videos display watermarks and which don’t — they either appear on all of your videos or none of them.

To add a watermark to your videos head to the Creator Studio and click ‘Branding.’

Then click ‘Add a Watermark’ and upload your image.

In summary, use this simple tool to promote your brand on your YouTube channel.

6. Make Sure Your Videos Are Embedding Enabled

You’ve spent ages creating an awesome video and now your viewers want to share it on their websites and blogs!

…but they can’t. Because you forgot to enable embedding.

Allowing viewers to embed your video on their websites and blogs is an effective way for your brand to reach new audiences and get more views on YouTube. If a video has embedding enabled, when a viewer clicks ‘Share’ underneath the video window, YouTube will show them the ‘Embed’ option:

Once they click on this, they’ll be able to copy the video’s embedding code and paste it onto their blog or website.

To enable embedding, head to the Creator Studio and navigate to the video’s edit page.

Then click ‘Advanced Settings’ and scroll down to the “Distribution options” and make sure the “Allow Embedding” is ticked:

Bottom-line: Make sure your videos have embedding enabled to encourage viewers to share your content.

7. Promote Your Videos on Other Social Channels

(Psst! If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to learn more about how to build your online business.)

8. Understand the Importance of ‘Watch Time’

Watch Time is how much time people spend actually watching your videos:

Bottom-line: YouTube rewards quality. The better your videos are, the more time people spend watching them. This will increase your Watch Time minutes and so YouTube will favor your videos and channel.

In summary: Focus on retaining viewers for as long as you can, and don’t be afraid of promoting other YouTube channels in your niche!

9. Nurture a Community

YouTube isn’t just a video search engine. It’s also a social network. So to get more views on YouTube, you need to use it like other social networks. In other words, it isn’t enough to just regularly share videos, you also need to actively engage your audience.

How? The best way is to simply respond to comments — especially if someone asks a direct question. Because other viewers will be more likely to comment themselves if they know they’ll receive a response. It only takes a second, and you can do it while you’re browsing your comments for new video ideas (remember tip number 1?).

Besides that, try to be an active member of your niche community. Subscribe to other channels in your niche, leave comments on their videos, and share any that your own audience might enjoy. In other words, give before you get.

If you engage generously and authentically, viewers will notice and it will be much easier to establish your brand in a niche of passionate fans. And remember, promoting other videos will score you Watch Time credits, which will help to boost your channel in YouTube’s algorithm. Lastly, you can also involve viewers directly.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to hold a contest or prize draw. For example, you could ask viewers to share your video on Facebook and leave a comment to be entered into a draw to win one of your products. Growing a loyal, active community is a surefire way to get more views on YouTube.

10. Optimize Your Video Titles

YouTube is a search engine. Which means search engine optimization (SEO) matters.

YouTube’s algorithm takes multiple items into account when selecting videos for search results. And the platform provides a number of opportunities to optimize your channel and videos — including video file names, titles, descriptions, and tags.

So include as much information as possible. Crucially, you need to know which keywords you want your videos and channel to rank for.

Sure, you need to use keywords to help your videos rank in search results, but to get more free YouTube views, you also need your video titles and descriptions to appeal to viewers. In general, aim for a balance between accurate, informative, and attention-grabbing.

11. Optimize Your Channel

Optimizing your channel is vital to strengthening your brand and boosting your YouTube views. And YouTube provides plenty of ways to optimize your channel. Here’s how Daniel Wellington has done it:

Let’s quickly run through some of the main components:

Create a strong, consistent brand aesthetic.

Optimize your YouTube channel description.

This is shown on your channel’s ‘About’ tab. You only get 1,000 characters, so make ‘em count. What should you write in your YouTube channel description? Well, start with a quick description of your brand and the benefits of your products.

Then tell viewers why they should watch your YouTube videos. Are you teaching them something? Or is your channel mostly about entertainment? Bottom-line: Tell viewers what’s in it for them. Just like your individual video titles, make sure that you include your targeted keywords in your YouTube channel description.

Add your social channels, links to your website, and a way to get in contact.

In other words, make it easy for viewers to find out more about your brand.

Add channel keywords.

Once you’ve researched and decided on the keywords you want your channel to rank for in the search results, click “Channel,” and then “Advanced.” Then simply input your keywords into the box titled “Channel Keywords.”

Lastly, enable related channels.

By turning it off, you remove your channel from YouTube’s recommendations. As a consequence, you’ll lose the network effect that makes YouTube such a powerful tool.

In summary, make sure that you optimize your YouTube channel and that all of your information is complete.

12. Create a YouTube Trailer Featuring Your Best Content

Your YouTube trailer is a short video that’s shown to new visitors on your channel. It’s a fantastic opportunity to:

There are no specific rules around the trailer’s maximum length, but most YouTubers keep it between 25-30 seconds.

What makes a fantastic YouTube trailer? A nice short video that conveys your story, ambitions, and vision. So, when thinking of ideas for your trailer, ask yourself, “What’s my background”? “What do I hope to achieve”? “What compelled me to create a YouTube channel”?

Keep the most interesting things you have to say reserved for the first few seconds, but sprinkle your personality throughout the trailer, like international serial entrepreneur Peter Sage did:

To create your trailer, go to your channel homepage and click “Customise Channel.” This will redirect you to a page where you can upload your trailer’s footage. Once done, write a description, enter your SEO tags, and click “Publish.”

After publishing, head back to your channel homepage and click the Customise Channel button again. The trailer should now be present in your video library. Set it as your YouTube trailer by clicking the “For New Visitors” tab.

And that’s it. Your channel trailer is ready to make an impact. Let it do the legwork of impressing whoever decides to check out your channel.

13. Create Compelling Thumbnail Images

A thumbnail is a video’s preview image. This little image is extremely important if you want to get more free YouTube views. When you upload a video, you can choose one of the auto-generated thumbnail images.

Don’t. Instead, create and upload your own custom thumbnail image. YouTube reports that 90 percent of the top-performing videos on YouTube use them — and for good reason.

(If you haven’t yet, you need to verify your YouTube account to access this feature.)

An effective thumbnail image can help your videos stand out.

In general, try to include:

Okay, what about the technicalities? Your thumbnail should:

You can also use a free image editing and graphic design tool like Canva to create your thumbnails. Remember, thumbnails are one of the best ways to catch the attention of people browsing YouTube, so make sure that yours are effective and compelling.

To learn more about the perfect YouTube thumbnail size and best practices, check out our guide here.

14. Transcribe Your Videos

Creating videos is great, but sometimes your audience will need a transcription due to language constraints or disability. YouTube allows for closed captions where a transcript is added as subtitles to a video. Viewers can toggle these subtitles on and off at will. If you plan on opening your videos to an international market, transcriptions can be a great idea. Translating scripts are useful for helping those with other language abilities to understand your videos better.

How do you create a transcription document for upload to YouTube? It is quite simple really. You create a SubRip Subtitle file, SRT for short, which includes the start and finish times next to the text.

This can then be saved as a file with timings included so that text displays at the right time in the video.

Once uploaded to YouTube, or any other video platform, double check your timings are right and viola, you’ve got yourself a closed caption video.

15. Publish Your Videos at The Best Time

The best time is when your target visitors are watching your videos. Fortunately, this is no longer a mystery as YouTube tracks the hours and days when your audience is on YouTube. You can dig into your “When your viewers are on YouTube” report to identify peak times and publish content in an hour or two before those peaks. Publishing earlier will give your audience a chance to discover your new videos, resulting in more free views.

16. Invite Guest Vloggers

Guest blogging is a great way to gain new followers and viewers. Identifying influencers who have a similar audience to yours will open your channel up to potential viewers who have the same interests as you. Building a close relationship with these influencers after creating a video with them will mean that they will share your videos with their followers if you do the same for them. This reciprocity is a surefire way to gain free new views on YouTube.

Guest Vloggers are great not just for free ways to get more views but also to add more variety to your videos. Having another person to brainstorm video ideas with can open the door to creative videography which will, in turn, create more views on your YouTube channel.

Digital marketer and author Jordan Platten often records videos with influencers:

For sure, it’s not only his audience tuning in and sharing these videos, but the influencer’s too.

17. Build an Influencer Community

Following on from guest vloggers, building a strong influencer community that shares community content and works together to help everyone involved is a great way to get more views on your YouTube channel. Being an influencer can be very lonely and competitive. Reaching out to influencers similar to yourself to share knowledge and information can help to build a community of influencers that look after each other and help people who are struggling.

Identifying similar influencers through tools like Unamo or Buzzsumo and reaching out to them will start the ball rolling but be sure to have a goal and compelling reason to maintain contact so that it is a reciprocal relationship and not one-sided.

18. Know What’s Viral

Keeping up to date with things happening in your industry can be the difference between becoming popular or sinking into the background. Those with a deep understanding of what is happening in their world can create videos that are current and interesting to those researching the niche. But this knowledge of your industry also helps you identify viral content as it happens so you can share it with your following before anyone else. Being the first to share information will identify you as a leader in your field, leading to more exposure to your content and more views.

FAQ about getting views on Youtube

What counts as a view on YouTube?

A view counts on YouTube when a user intentionally plays a video and watches it for at least 30 seconds. Repeat views also stand up to a certain point (around 4-5 views), after which YouTube stops counting repeated playback from the user’s account or device.

Where is the best place to share YouTube videos?

There’s no one best place to share your videos, as you can get a bigger reach by distributing them on multiple platforms. Here are some websites where you can share or promote your YouTube videos:

How do I share a YouTube video from my mobile?

If you choose to share the video on a specific platform, tap on that platform’s name instead of copying the video URL. Then select the contact you wish to share the video with, and let YouTube handle the rest.

Your Turn

There you have it: 18 ways to get more views on YouTube!

In summary: First, focus on creating great content that your target audience will love.

Then do your best to optimize your content and channel, and promote your content through other channels.

Lastly, get involved in your niche community and nurture relationships with your viewers!

Which one of these tactics are you going to use first to get more YouTube views? Leave a comment below and let us know!

How to Get More Views on YouTube: 16 Tips that Actually Work

If you want to get more views on YouTube, you need to respond to viewer comments, create video playlists, design attention-grabbing thumbnails and more.

Want more views on Youtube? Of course you do. You’re a human with a pulse and a video to share! It’s only natural.

YouTube is the world’s second most visited website. More than two billion people use it every month — that’s one-third of all internet users. 74% of adults in the U.S. are watching videos there. (We could go on, but you can read all the latest YouTube stats on your own time.)

We’ve compiled this guide to point out all the easy wins that will amplify your brand’s message on YouTube, but we’re also going to detail some of the more advanced techniques the pros use to get more YouTube views.

To see how we’re getting views on our YouTube channel (which we started from scratch, because yolo), check out our cool video:

Psst: If you’re starting from scratch too, we have a primer on how to create a YouTube channel.

Now, let’s get those views rolling!

What counts as a view on YouTube?

Each time a viewer intentionally initiates the playing of a video on their device and watches for at least 30 seconds, that counts as a view. Pretty simple!

If you play your own video, that will be counted as a view.

If a viewer watches your video more than once, each screening will be counted as a new view. (That being said, refreshing over and over again to try to game the system will be detected by Youtube.)

Any views that take place with embedded Youtube videos or Youtube videos shared on Facebook will also be counted.

Live views are counted on YouTube, too.

Youtube analytics are updated every day or two, so if you’re not seeing an instant reflection of your activity, check back later.

What doesn’t count as a view on Youtube?

Youtube’s algorithm is designed to disregard any plays that might look like they were automated. It just wants to count the number of times a real human watched your video on purpose.

So when a single user or bot refreshes a video over and over, or if a website auto-plays a video, these views are not counted towards your total view numbers.

16 ways to get more YouTube views

Globally, people watch over one billion hours of YouTube every single day. If you want to stand out from the crowd and snag some of those eyeballs, here’s how to do it.

1. Ensure your YouTube basics are up to snuff

First we walk, then we run. Take a look at your fundamentals and make sure you’ve ticked all the boxes. Read our list of beginner tips for YouTube, then come back to dig into our advanced tactics.

Your basic YouTube housekeeping includes:

2. Zero in on your specific niche (and your ideal audience)

If you’re aiming to optimize your YouTube marketing strategy, you want to get precise and ruthlessly selective about your goals—and the content that will get you there.

Because you aren’t making videos for everyone. You’re here for someone special: your audience.

Yoga with Adriene has thrived because she makes ultra-specific videos with titles like “Yoga for Joy” and “Yoga for Courage,” and even releases versions of her videos in Spanish. She’s just one of the thousands of Youtube yoga instructors, walking people through poses, but her ultra-inclusive concepts and attitude have struck a chord — she’s got almost 10 million subscribers.

Pro tip: Have you worked up your audience personas yet? They’re kind of like Dungeons & Dragons characters, except make it business.

3. Do your research, and improve your video’s search ranking

Yes, YouTube is a social platform, but it’s also a search engine. And one of the top strategies for getting more views is YouTube SEO, i.e. optimizing your videos for search.

In other words, when your ideal viewer types in your chosen keywords, you want your video ranking near the top of YouTube’s results list. That means you need to know what your audience is looking for—tutorials, inspiration, or entertainment.

Ranking in search results is the best way to get brand new eyes—not just subscribers and people who are already interested in your channel (although we’ll talk more about them later) — on your videos.

But, this is easier said than done. So, what can you do to improve your videos’ search ranking on YouTube?

Research. You’re going to want to use a tool like Google Keyword Planner (note that you’ll need to set up a Google Ads account) to do two things:

Pro tip: If you haven’t already, now is the time to familiarize yourself with how the YouTube algorithm works. This AI determines not just search results, but recommendations for that important “what’s up next” suggested videos sidebar, too.

Just remember that it all comes back to your ideal viewer: the algorithm doesn’t care if your video is “good,” it cares if a specific user wants to watch it. That being said, users typically want to watch “good” videos.

4. Use metadata to get recommended after a popular video

If your goal is to get more YouTube views, take a cue from the most popular videos in your niche.

Start by taking a look at your top competitor’s most popular video. (Go to their video library and sort by “most popular.”)

YouTube’s main goal is to keep viewers on the platform for as long as possible (so that they’ll see as many ads as possible.) Thus the algorithm’s job is to feed viewers one (hopefully appealing) video after another.

But how does YouTube figure out what people might like? The algorithm takes the following into consideration:

The only point you can control here is the third.

So when you’re choosing keywords, think like a librarian. Describe your video’s topic and describe its overall category, and think of other words a person might use to search for that topic. (Check out more tips on effective YouTube descriptions and keywords here.)

Need a little inspo? You can actually peek behind the scenes of a competitor’s video to see what keywords they use by right-clicking on the webpage and selecting View Page Source. Then CTRL-F “keywords” until you find the list.

But before you go ahead and just copy-and-paste a more popular video’s metadata over to your similar video, think about your audience: they won’t want to watch the same video again. Maybe the first video raised a new question that needs answering, or there’s an interesting tangent to be explored. How can your video add value to what they just saw so that they’ll want to click on it?

Take the ball and run with it.

5. Increase your views with custom thumbnails

When your potential viewers are in discovery mode—skimming through search results and recommendations—thumbnails are a major part of what they decide what to watch.

While a lot of advice out there is a graphic designer’s nightmare — screaming fonts, cluttered information — let’s get objective: what are the properties of an effective thumbnail?

‘Standing out’ can be as simple as picking a bright color. Or making sure your giant hi-res face is making a weird expression in good lighting. Or, if your niche is full of shrill, high-key visuals, and the best way your channel can stand out is by being the calm, minimalist voice of reason.

6. Multiply your views by creating playlists

Organizing and creating video playlists on YouTube is the best way to minimize the chances that a viewer will move on to another channel once they’ve consumed your content.

Why? Because playlists go by the same rules as Netflix: as soon as one video ends, the next begins.

Since you’ve already done the hard work of helping your viewer find your video, click on it and watch the entire thing, it makes sense to guide them towards the video content they’re going to want next.

J.J. McCullough’s YouTube content covers a range of cultural commentary, so he’s divvied everything up nicely into thematic playlists. His fans who love his content on world leaders (and who wouldn’t?!) will be served up hit after hit.

7. Direct traffic to your videos using cards and end screens

Besides playlists, cards and end screens are two of the only tools that YouTubers can use to bypass the algorithm and directly influence our audience’s next choice.

Cards are clickable, interactive areas that appear any time during the video. They come in a variety of formats that can be used for things like fundraising or selling merch, but in this case, we’re interested in increasing views, so choose a card that links to another one of your videos — or even better, playlists.

(Note: cards aren’t available to use on videos identified as for kids.)

Cards are pop-ups, so it’s very important that they add value. You don’t want viewers feeling spammed. The videos or playlists you link to need to be relevant to the moment and provide additional information or entertainment.

For a super-meta example, check out how this All About Cards video has a card itself about learning about different kinds of cards.

Pro tip: If you have a noticeable retention problem with significant audience drop-off at a specific point in one of your videos, try inserting a link card at that moment.

Meanwhile, end screens are visual calls-to-action that you can add to the end of your video (in the last 5 to 20 seconds) to encourage viewers towards a next step. They’re valuable because you know if a person has reached the bitter end of your video, they are probably pretty interested in your great content.

Using end screens to encourage viewers to subscribe to your channel or visit your website are both good choices. But if you want more views, using your end screen to promote your other videos or playlists is the best choice.

(Note that to use end screens, you’ll need to include a few extra seconds at the end of your video when you’re editing it.)

Youtuber SssniperWolf features end cards that direct to four more of her videos. It’s like a choose your own adventure for… whatever her shtick is.

8. Go beyond the how-to video (i.e., make videos no one else is making)

Chances are, when you’re researching your target keywords (like we did back at point #3), you’re going to see a lot of search terms that involve the phrase “how to.” (The title of this article included, ahem.) This is because there’s a lot of search volume for how-to content.

But while you must work to attract new eyes, you also want to make time to preach to the converted. On YouTube, your brand’s value-added features come in the form of content that is meaningful to people who are already your fans.

Youtube chef Tabitha Brown, for instance, doesn’t just share her vegan nachos recipe… she sits down with her husband to talk about their relationship, giving fans an intimate look into her personal life. (And if they happen to get inspired to whip up their own batch of guac in the process? That’s a bonus.)

9. Build relationships with your viewers

“Audience engagement” is just another term for building relationships. The end goal here, of course, is actually just the realistic, organic and sustainable path to getting more YouTube views.

That is, engaging with other YouTubers (creators or commenters both) will increase the chance that they’ll care about your brand, that they’ll subscribe to your channel (see #12), and watch more of your videos overall.

Ideas for breaking the fourth wall, and creating a two-way conversation might include:

Pro tip: This tutorial on how to engage your community on YouTube using Hootsuite’s comment and sharing features will save you time as you build your audience.

10. Partner up

Crossovers, guest appearances, mash-ups, covers: people love that jolt of unfamiliar familiarity. Find the He-Man to your brand’s She-Ra; and the Billy Ray Cyrus to your Lil Nas X.

Maybe you’re a brand with a budget, and hiring a creator with their own following is an obvious choice. But if you’re a creator or aspiring influencer yourself, getting more views is your first step on the way to making money on YouTube, not spending it. In which case your best bet is to partner with like-minded creators.

Ideally, your potential partners are fairly aligned in values, popularity, and charm. And you actually like them. And you have fun together, and it shows, and it makes people happy to see you happy, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Easy, right?

This video is like a super crossover: two drag queens plus e.l.f. cosmetics plus Chipotle all get in on the mix. The cross-promotion opportunities are quadrupled, by our count.

Pro tip: If you do a crossover that involves a bunch of different videos—like one from your partner’s perspective to live on their channel, and one by you to live on yours, and maybe some supporting outtakes, any necessary background, etc.—make a playlist to compile them so that interested viewers can stan it all.

11. Promote your YouTube videos across all your social media channels

You’re going to want to leverage all of your social media might to promote your YouTube channel.

But, if you want more YouTube views, DON’T do the following:

Promote your video by doing this instead:

Financial counsellor Max Mitchell puts a little trailer for his money-themed Youtube videos on his Instagram feed to pique interest, and links to the full video in his bio.

How to Make a Video: The Only Guide You’ll Ever Need

Last Updated on: August 12, 2022

Create PRO videos in minutes with InVideo

Did you know that viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video as compared to only 10% when reading it in text?

Even then, many businesses struggle to create videos to engage with their audience, and one of the biggest reasons for this is the myth that creating a video is expensive, time consuming and effort-intensive. But, w ith an Online Editing Tool like InVideo, you can now create thumb-stopping videos in less than 5 minutes, even if you have no prior editing experience!

Here’s what the plan of action looks like:

1. Building blocks of making a good video

A. Find topics to create videos on

While you can create a video about anything under the sun, it is important to understand what you bring to the topic and how it is different from everything that is already out there.

Let’s start by answering these 4 questions:

1) What do you want to talk about?

This question is mostly aimed at individual creators who are looking to share their work or passion. If you’re a brand or business, you may want to start by answering question 2 since your content will primarily be centered around your audience and will have to serve their interests.

Assuming that the end goal of your content is to get more people to discover you, the key is to create gold-standard videos consistently. To create consistently, you need to have clarity on what you want to talk about.

So, how do you decide on what you should create videos about?

It’s simple – on a piece of paper make two lists, one of the things that you’re passionate about and the other of the things you know really well or are good at.

At the intersection of these two lists, you’ll find something that you’re both passionate about and good at. For example, if you’re passionate about photography – then there is a list of things that you can naturally talk about – like camera basics, understanding lights, editing images, how to do portrait photography, what lenses are best for street photography, and much more. But if you’ve got a lot of experience with black and white photography then that’s probably the first place you should start creating videos around.

2) Who am I catering to?

While this is a critical step for brands and businesses, it can also be very useful for individual creators who want to identify their audience and create specific content for them.

As a brand, creating content is more than just identifying your target audience. It is important to understand what gets your audience’s attention, what are they actively searching for and how can that tie back to your business.

You can start by creating a persona centered around the problem statement. Think about the age, location (and profession, if applicable) of your desired target audience. This will allow you to understand them better and will help you create content that matches their needs.

For example, if you wanted to create content for photographers who are hobbyists or beginners in the US, between the age group of 15-40 – You can flesh out this persona further in terms of their exact pain points and what they could be looking for.

3) What are they looking for and how can I add immense value to them?

The next thing that can help you find topics to create videos is understanding what your audience is looking for. You can start with where they are going to interact with you – YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Google.

Auto-recommendation on search engines

YouTube and Google both have an automated search bar that will tell you what are the most popular topics that people are looking for around your topic of interest. You will also see what kind of videos are ranking for them which tells you what kind of content works for this search category.

For example, when you type ‘baking’ in the search box on YouTube, you get the following popular results:

As you’ll keep adding more words to your search query, you’ll keep getting more relevant search intents that can help you derive video ideas.

You can go one step ahead by clicking on any one of the results and check out the videos that have ranked for it.

You can also use filters to check the most recently posted videos, sort them by view count, rating, and duration.

Browsing through the top videos will help you understand what kind of content format works best for that topic. Whether it is listicles, interviews, Q&A, how-to videos, etc. More importantly, the top relevant videos for your search query will help you in the next step – which is finding out the content gaps that your video can fill.

4) What gaps can my videos fill / how are they different from the lot?

Every topic you can come up with will already have tons of videos that have already been created. How do you then make sure that your content stands out for your audience?

You can start by looking through the top-raking videos of your search. Select 10 top-ranking videos and make notes on the things you think they could have covered or presented better. These are information gaps that you can fill to make sure that the content of your video appeals to your audience.

How do you find information gaps?

(i) Consume the content yourself

When you watch the video, make a note of the parts in which you press rewind or rewatch a section of the video because you didn’t understand it or there was a lack of clarity. Also, make note of the points where you feel like dropping off which indicate a lack of value and may also tell you what you should avoid doing in your video.

(ii) Go through comments

One of the best places to get information on what your audience wants to know, what they agree and disagree with, and what they love and what they need in the comments section. Viewers will leave their comments, thoughts, and questions about their video. These are gateways to understanding what works and doesn’t.

(iii) Talk to people

It’s important to also engage with your audience and there are many touchpoints to have these interactions. You can start a conversation in the comments section, on social media or even asking people within your circle – especially those that share similar interests.

Now that we know how to identify these gaps, let’s look at our examples from before and see how information gaps can be leveraged.

L et’s say you are looking to create videos around the best cameras for beginners. The top videos that show up on YouTube are very comprehensive (mostly Top 5 picks) but when you watch the videos and go through the comments, you realise people are looking for a lot more.

B. Plan your Production

Once you know what you want your video to be about, it’s time to put the ideas on paper. It is essential that you cover all bases during the production phase so that you’re well prepared for everything on shoot days.

Here’s a list of things you can do before you start shooting your video:

1. Turn the idea into a script

You must turn your thoughts into a well-written script that will allow you to perfectly execute and communicate your ideas to the viewers. After you have locked on an idea, start with creating an idea map – in which you will mention all the elements you want to get into and what details you would like to add in the video. Researching on the topic by watching related videos, reading articles and blogs, and speaking with people who can add more information will help you dive deeper and add more layers to your video. Using this idea map, you can build on a script.

Once you’re happy with scripting the idea, add as many important details to the script as what location do you want to shoot at, what time of the day, what will the person in the frame be wearing. This will ensure that you have all the information you need about the scene right in front of you.

Pro Tip: Once you have your script ready, you can bring it to life by creating a stunning video using InVideo’s templates and the intuitive online video editor

2. Create a Storyboard

While creating a storyboard can be optional, it will really help you visualise and plan the narrative. You will be able to visually track how the imagery in your video will look even before you start shooting it, allowing you to have more control over how you want to shoot. You don’t have to be a professional artist or hire someone to create a storyboard – simply use stick figures and rough sketches. You can also add notes to cover any other specifications. You can also plan your shots by simply writing them in a sequence and mentioning the most essential details.

3. Planning your shoot schedule

As much as you have prepared for everything to run smoothly, on-ground shoot days can be hard to predict. Having a shooting schedule will ensure that you finish recording in time. Your shoot schedule will include dates and timings of the shoot but it is also important that you add buffer days for when things don’t go as planned – like the weather, transport information if you’re doing more than one location on a single day, and break schedules.

4. Recce

It’s always a good idea to visit the place you’re planning to shoot to understand its limitations and the on-ground problems you may face on shoot days. Make a note of this and come prepared with solutions to preempt being in an unfavourable situation on the day of the shoot.

To make it simpler, here are 3 things you must check during a recce:

i) Light

This is especially essential if you’re relying on natural light for your shoot – make sure that you’re getting the light you need to make your shot and also note the timings during the day when the light is the best and worst so you can schedule your shoots accordingly.

ii) Potential frames

One of the most important things to do while on recce is to find frames – this will not only allow you to visualise the video better but also figure out if you will need any extra equipment or tools to get the shot.

iii) Obstacles

Obstacles can range from permissions, traffic, and noise. Knowing your obstacles allows you to come better prepared with solutions to tackle them and also plan your shoot schedule accordingly.

C. Shooting the Video

After you’re done with the planning and production phase, let’s take a look at how you will execute the video. The three things you need to shoot your video are camera, lighting, and audio. Choosing the right equipment is quintessential to creating gold-standard videos. You don’t need the most expensive camera and light setup or a studio to record audio. Getting your hands on the right kind of equipment can make all the difference, and what combination of these three do you use goes hand-in-hand with the video type. Hence, we’ve put together this ready reckoner that will enable you to pick the right equipment for your video type.

Snapshots: Equipment list for different types of videos

(1) First-person videos

First-person videos are where you set up the camera on your desk and just talk into it, so it appears like you are having a direct conversation with your audience. These are simple to shoot and you don’t require a lot of equipment.

Here’s all the gear you’ll need with our recommended best buy for each piece of equipment.

Stabilizer : Manfrotto PIXI or any simple 3-legged tripod that will support your camcorder or smartphone.

Light : Ring light s are the best option for lighting up a single person in the video.

Audio : Opt for the Takstar SGC-598 Shotgun microphone that will connect to your compact camera or choose the Deity V Lav Lavalier Lapel Mic if you’re recording your videos from your smartphone. Blue Snowball mic is a great option if you will be recording your videos directly on your PC.

Softwares : InVideo for editing videos (lets you also add stock footage and animation, if needed), Premiere Pro for advanced editing (in case you’re making long videos), StreamYard, or Switcher Studio for live streaming, and OBS for screen recording.

(2) Product showcases like phone, unboxing, etc.

Creating unboxing videos, tests, and doing reviews are also simple set-up YouTube videos. However, you will need equipment that can easily move around so that you can show your audience different angles.

Here’s all the gear you’ll need with our recommended best buy for each piece of equipment

Softwares : InVideo for editing videos (lets you also add stock footage and animation, if needed), Premiere Pro for advanced editing (in case you’re making long videos), StreamYard, or Switcher Studio for live streaming, and OBS for screen recording.

(3) Performance art

Whether you’re shooting a dance performance or a band – having the right equipment will allow you to capture the movement and emotion of it.

Here’s all the gear you’ll need with our recommended best buy for each piece of equipment

Audio: Use a shotgun mic like the RODE Video with a dead cat to capture the audio (to match it to the original during edit) but you should put in the original track during the edit of the video.

Softwares: You should use Premiere Pro for editing the video and you can use InVideo to create an animated intro-text, StreamYard or Switcher Studio for live streaming, and OBS for screen recording.

(4) Vlogs and outdoor videos

If you’re going to be shooting outdoors, you want to have steady but portable equipment. More importantly, you want to make sure that all of your footage is recorded smoothly, with no audio or visual disturbances.

Here’s all the gear you’ll need with our recommended best buy for each piece of equipment

Audio: You will want a portable mic set up that should easily sit on your camera. Go for the RODE Video with a dead cat or the RODE Go Compact Wireless to record your audio.

Softwares: InVideo for editing videos (lets you also add stock footage and animation, if needed), Premiere Pro for advanced editing (in case you’re making long videos), StreamYard, or Switcher Studio for live streaming, and OBS for screen recording.

(5) Live streaming

Live streaming on YouTube needs some extra equipment – like a live stream encoder and podcast mic. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Here’s all the gear you’ll need with our recommended best buy for each piece of equipment

(6) Screen-recording tutorials

Want to show your audience how you get something done – like how you play a game or create something on Adobe Illustrator? You’ll need a screen recorder to capture all your activity which will help you guide your audience through a step-by-step tutorial.

Here’s all the gear you’ll need with our recommended best buy for each piece of equipment:

Camera: You must use a webcam to record yourself doing the activity – like creating a graphic on Illustrator so that the audience can understand your thought process too. You could also use your smartphone or a compact camera to shoot it.

Stabilizer: You’ll need a simple tripod like the Manfrotto PIXI to mount the compact camera or smartphone.

Light: You don’t need a fancy light for a screen-recording tutorial. A simple ring light will do the trick.

(7) Animation / stock footage based videos

Got a great idea but don’t have the budget to shoot it? That shouldn’t stop you from creating a great YouTube video.

Here’s all the gear you’ll need with our recommended best buy for each piece of equipment:

Softwares: InVideo lets you add stock footage and animation from Shutterstock and you can edit your YouTube video on the online editor itself. If you have bought or sourced stock footage from elsewhere, you can edit it in Premiere Pro and FCP.

Here are some tips that will help you get the most out of your shoot day:

You don’t want to miss out on a great shot because your equipment battery ran out. Ensure all your batteries are charged and that you have spares for both lights and camera equipment.

Heavy equipment like lights on stand, medium format video cameras, etc. require special permission slips – whether you’re working on private or public property. Keep these slips handy to avoid any delays during the shoot. It is also a good idea to understand the rules and restrictions of the space before you start shooting.

If you want your videos to be in a certain format like 4K or square (for Instagram feed) or 16:9 (for IGTV) – it is imperative that you shoot it in that format and avoid cropping in post. Cropping during post production may take from the quality of the footage and you may also have to let go of parts that don’t fit in the format.

Do a mic check, light test, and rehearsal to avoid multiple retakes. It is also important that you have backups handy for light and sound – in case they malfunction or don’t work properly.

Before you move on to the next shot, check your final shot again – you can also get a fresh pair of eyes to see it. This is to confirm that you haven’t missed something in the frame or left something out.

D. How to make Video Edits?

Once you’re done shooting for the video, you will need to edit the best parts and fit them together so they flow as a narrative. Video editing can be extremely tedious with professional softwares like Premiere Pro, First Cut Pro (FCP), After Effects, and Cinema 4D – all of which are used to create movies and cinematic videos. However, there are simpler editing tools out there that can transform your footage into professional videos hassle-free. We’ve listed them based on how simple it is to use and what kind of editing they are best suited for. Let’s jump right in.

1. InVideo ($10/month)

If you’re just starting and don’t know much about editing videos or you don’t have the budget to shoot, InVideo is your best bet to create scroll-stopping videos. It comes with:

If you want to know more about how to use InVideo and get started today, check out this tutorial.

2. Adobe Premiere Pro & Final Cut Pro (FCP) ($19.99/month onwards)

A popular choice amongst filmmakers and content creators, both of these softwares are used for editing videos. If you have a basic understanding of filmmaking and editing, and you want to create videos using your own unique style, they’ll make for great options. Both of these softwares edit and render in HD and 4K, and you can choose different formats to export your video (like 1080p HD for YouTube and BlueRay for films).

Unlike InVideo, Premiere Pro and FCB require you to start at ground zero and edit your video from scratch. You will have access to tools that let you do more than just basic video editing and you can adjust sound, colour, and a lot more. You will have a lot of functions, creative tools, and presets to aid you but you need to have a working technical knowledge of transitions, colours, and design for you to make the best editing choices. This can be very intimidating for someone who is just starting out but you can find tonnes of tutorials on YouTube to help you understand the softwares better.

Check out this Final Cut Pro Vs Premiere Pro video by Tyler Stalman where he discussed how professionals choose the software they want to edit on.

3. Adobe After Effects ($20.99/month onwards)

If you’re already creating videos and want to level up by creating digital effects and stunning graphics (like this video by Roy Aldin ) After Effects is the best option for you. After Effects can be used for keying, tracking, transitions, and adding motion graphics and animation to your videos. Unlike Invideo, you will have to create these on your own using the many functions of the editing tool. However, if you are familiar with Premiere Pro, this software will be easier for you to understand. If you’re creatively inclined to try new things and create new visuals for your videos, there is no better playground than After Effects.

E. Adding Sound Effects and Music

Sound effects and background scores are the silent stars of videos. One of the biggest mistakes amateurs make is to not pay attention to the sound effects and scores in their videos, which makes the video sound flat. These simple additions go a long way in getting your audience’s attention and creating recall value. You can find many sound effects and tracks on the internet but it’s important to ensure that you can use them in your video or that you purchase it and credit the artist.

If you’re editing your videos on InVideo – you’ve got plenty of sound effects and royalty-free music, segregated by mood, to choose from. The audio timeline on InVideo allows you to do super critical changes that can help you selectively trim your audio, add voice over and add sound effects.

Follow these steps to add a background music track for your video:

Step 1: Select an audio track

You can either upload an audio track of your choice or choose one from InVideo’s audio library. The tracks are segregated by mood and you can listen to the track before making your final selection. When you select the audio track of your choice, it will show on the audio timeline.

Step 2: Selectively trim it to fit your scene

Click on the track that has now been added to your audio timeline and then click on the ‘Edit’ option. Then click on the ‘Trim’ option. This will open a wave timeline which will allow you selectively trim the part of the audio track that you want to add to your scene. Simply move the selection cursor on the timeline to choose the in and out the time of the track. When you’re happy with your selection, click on the done button and it will reflect on your audio timeline.

Follow these steps to add a voice-over to your video:

With InVideo, you have the option to record a voice-over for each scene or to record a single file for the entire video.

Step 1: Record your voice over

To record your voice-over on InVideo, simply click the ‘Voice over’ button above the video timeline. You can choose between an automated text-to-speech voice over or you can record your own. For the purpose of this example, we will record our own voice-over. Click on the record button and it will give you a 3-second head start before it starts recording and you can do multiple takes.

Step 2: Add your voice over

Once you’re done recording, click on the ‘Add’ option. Your voice-over will get added to a separate timeline. You can then move it around to perfectly position it for your video or scene.

Add Sound Effects to your Videos

Step 1: Choose the sound effect

You can either upload a sound effect to InVideo or choose from a variety of sound effects from our audio library. Select the one that best suits your video and it will get added to the timeline below (same timeline as the voice-over, if you’re adding one).

Step 2: Position your sound effect

Use the cursor to move around the sound effect to position it perfectly for your scene.

Once you’re happy with the video you have created, you can go ahead and export the file. If you’re editing your videos on InVideo, you can simply share the link with your colleagues who can share their feedback before finally exporting the file – saving you both, time and memory space.

2. How to make a YouTube Video?

Creating a video for YouTube is technically no different from creating a regular video. You can follow steps A-E (like finding topics, identifying information gaps, etc.) which will more or less stay the same, except when you’re creating videos for YouTube, your topics will be powered by keyword research. We’ll also be covering how you can do SEO for your YouTube videos to make them easily discoverable.

A. Keyword research for creating YouTube videos

The first place to start keyword research is right here on YouTube. Use the search bar and see what ideas you get for your search. You must also browse through the top-ranking videos to find patterns of keywords they have used.

A more precise way to do keyword research is to use tools like Ahrefs and VIDIQ. You can use the keywords you identified using YouTube’s auto-recommend on the search bar as a starting point and check their search volume and related keywords using these online tools. It is a great way to really dig deep into what people are searching for and what are the kinds of videos that show up in the top results on YouTube.

Here’s a step by step guide to keyword research on Ahrefs:

Start by typing in the keyword you identified by browsing Youtube’s recommendations. You must change the preference to YouTube as a platform to get specific data and then hit search.

Ahrefs Keyword Explorer will list for you the global and country-wise search volume for the keyword and it will also suggest some other popular keyword ideas that you can analyse before zeroing down on the final topic for your video.

Don’t stop here – you can dig deeper into hundreds of keyword ideas around your main search term by toggling to ‘All Keyword Ideas’.

If you are specifically looking for recommendations on keywords that include your main search term then click on ‘Phrase Match’/ ‘Having Same Terms’.

Check for keywords that have a high search volume every month and create videos on that to get the attention of your audience. After this, follow the rest of the steps listed in the section above to create your YouTube video.

Watch this video to understand how you can use VIDIQ for keyword research and create top ranking videos for YouTube.

We’ve also made an exhaustive list of time-tested ideas that work on YouTube and how you can leverage them to create top-ranking videos.

B. YouTube SEO

If this is your first time uploading a video on YouTube, you can follow this step-by-step guide to take your videos live. However, before you do that, you want to make sure you take care of the following YouTube SEO tenets to maximise the discoverability of your videos:

1) Title

Once you have identified the topic you want to create a YouTube video on (after doing keyword research) all you need to then understand is what your audience will be typing into the search bar to get your video as a result – this is called search intent. By marrying the search intent with your the most relevant keyword and ensuring that the syntax of your headline is based on the videos that are already trending – you’re title is SEO ready.

Here are some best practices for titling your YouTube video:

– Use the most relevant target keyword in your title
– Always keep your titles under 60 characters, with the most important information up front, like your target keyword.

– Write catchy titles that highlight a benefit and separates it from other competing videos. For example, instead of ‘Pad Thai Recipe,’ make your title more interesting – ‘The best Pad Thai recipe’.

Watch this video by Think Media to further understand how to title your videos to get more views on YouTube.

2) Description

One of the biggest mistakes video creators make on YouTube is underestimate the potential of a good description but honestly, it can be a gamechanger for your YouTube videos. A good description will give out the necessary information and further optimize your video for SEO.

Here are some best practices to make your description engaging:

– Write searchable descriptions: Using your target keyword and other related keywords (by checking descriptions of top-ranking videos) in your description will help your video show up in search results.

– Add timestamps to the description: When you add timestamps to your description, you make the video more discoverable and accessible to a wider audience. Not only this, your video may be featured for a particular section highlighted by a timestamp, especially on Google search.

Want to dig deeper into crafting the perfect descriptions? Check out this tutorial by YouTube expert Nick Nimmin on how to write searchable descriptions for your YouTube video.

3) Thumbnail

Thumbnails are the first thing that catches your attention when you’re searching for a video on YouTube – and so it is absolutely essential that it gets your audience to click. That’s why 90% of popular videos use custom thumbnails.

Here are some best practices to help you create click-worthy thumbnails:

– Use hi-resolution images for creating eye-catching thumbnails. Avoid using screenshots or images with distractions or text on them – you want your thumbnail to grab your audience’s attention.

– Use bright colours like blue, pink, green, yellow and orange for your thumbnails. These colours not only attract attention when someone is browsing but also stand out from YouTube’s brand colours which are red, black and white.

– Having a human element in your thumbnails, mostly faces get a higher click-through rate than those that don’t. Make sure that the face on your thumbnail is interacting and engaging with your viewer, encouraging him to click on the video.

– Don’t make your thumbnails text-heavy (limit it to 3-4 words) and always use a font that is clear and visible even on smaller screens.

To deep-dive into custom thumbnails and how to create click worthy thumbnails, watch this tutorial by Video Influencers.

4) Tags

Another way to get your YouTube video easily discovered is tags. Since you have already done your keyword research, adding related tags will not be difficult. Youtube will also suggest keywords and phrases that best fit your video or you can use online tools like VIDIQ and TubeBuddy. You can also do your own research by checking the tags on top-ranking and competing videos. Watch this video by VIDIQ to understand how to use ranked video tags for YouTube.

5) Cards and End screens

YouTube cards and end screens are interactive features on the platform that allow you to keep your audience engaged by redirecting them to more content and your website or other important links.

Cards on YouTube can be set at certain time codes – allowing you to add relevant links – for another video you created or the link to your website. It is important to not stuff your video with cards but instead use them at perfectly timed spaces like when you feel a user may take action or when they are most likely to drop off.

YouTube cards lets your audience take 5 actions:
– Watch another playlist or video
– Discover another YouTube channel
– Donate to a nonprofit
– Answer a poll
– Visit an external link like your website or blog

End screens on the other hand can only be added to the end of your YouTube videos. In an end screen, elements, like subscribe buttons, links to other videos, and playlist pop up, allowing your audience to engage with more content. This feature helps you keep your audience on the platform and most importantly consume content created by you.

Want to dig deeper into YouTube SEO and how you can get your videos to rank? Check out this guide we put together with one of the world’s best YouTube experts- Nick Nimmin. If you want to dig deeper on how to make YouTube videos, you’d definitely want to check out this one-stop-shop guide we’ve put together that covers everything from start to finish.

3. How to make an instructional video?

Instructional videos are exactly what the name suggests – they explain a concept or show you how to do something. It’s simple – what do you do when you want to fix something or learn something new? You look for a video that will teach you how-to. Statistics show that people prefer watching videos about a product instead of reading about it when they’re making purchase decisions.

These informative videos are the best way to build an audience pool, grow your business and support your customers. They allow you to connect with your audience by giving them the information they’re looking for – which creates a bond of trust.

Unfortunately, many businesses are still not creating instructional videos because of three bottlenecks – time, cost, and effort. That’s why we have not only listed the kinds of videos you can create for your use-case but we have also linked templates that you can start using right away, for free – and all of them take less than 15 minutes to create.

A. What are the different formats/types of instructional videos?

1) Micro videos

Micro videos are usually less than a minute long and focus on teaching or highlighting a simple concept or explain a topic in brief. These videos are great to get your audience’s attention because they’re quick to consume and best-made for social media platforms where the attention span of the viewer is always low. Here’s an example of a micro video.

2) How-to videos

Unlike micro-videos, tutorial videos are longer and usually explain a process or demonstrate how to do something in guided steps. These can be between 2-10 minutes long and work both on social media and video platforms like YouTube. These are perfect for tutoring your viewer on how to do something – like how to create shoppable posts on Instagram. Here’s an example of a how-to video.

3) Explainer videos

As the name suggests, explainer videos dive deep into a topic and give its viewer important information about it. These can be business concepts, something that’s happening in the news, or even about day-to-day topics like global warming. These videos are created to simplify these terms and make them easy to understand. They’re especially great for businesses to explain new technology or their latest product to their consumers. These are best suited for video platforms like YouTube and Facebook Watch. Here’s an example of an explainer video.

4) Presentation videos

Presentation videos allow you to repurpose your PowerPoint or audio presentations into videos for your audience to rewatch and absorb the content. While these are not the best option for engaging with your consumers, they can be used to share important information with your stakeholders, employees, and potential investors. Here’s an example of a presentation video.

5) Screencast videos

Screencast videos allow your audience to take a peek into how you create something by sharing a recording of your desktop or mobile device. The recording is then made complete with a voice-over and graphics that will help your audience mimic your step-by-step process. These kinds of videos are great to teach your viewers more technical how-tos like using a tool on editing software or creating a Facebook ad. Here’s an example of a screencast video.

B. Equipment and tools to create instructional videos

You don’t need expensive equipment to create instructional videos for your business. Instead, it is important to invest in trustworthy tools that can get the job done. That’s why we have listed these quintessential tools that you need in your kit to start creating gold-standard video content.

1) InVideo – Video creation software

This online editing tool allows you to create your video from scratch using pre-made templates, stock footage from Shutterstock, royalty-free music, animations, and graphics. You can also record and add a voiceover on InVideo itself – making it a one-stop solution for video creation. Check out this tutorial to learn how you can leverage InVideo to bring your ideas to life in mins.

2) Loom – Screen Recording software

If you plan on creating screencast videos or you would want to include screen recordings to help your audience understand better – you will need software like Loom. It is compatible with Chrome, Mac, Windows, and iOS, it is easy to use and free. Check out this tutorial to help you understand how you use Loom to create screencast videos.

3) Webcam

A webcam is essential if you’re planning to record yourself at your desk or if you’re screencasting tutorials. This allows your user to see you at work, guiding them through the process. Your computer webcam may not give you the best quality and so you should invest in an external webcam. If you’re on a budget, go for the Logitech C920S and you can later upgrade to the latest Logitech Brio – both of which shoot in high definition.

4) Microphone

C. 5 steps to creating super-effective instructional videos with InVideo

1) Identifying the right format

Before you start creating your instructional video, it is important to answer a few questions that will help you focus your video on the right audience.

– What is the purpose of this video?

Do you need to explain a concept to your audience or do you want to teach them how to do something? There is an instructional video for each use case so choose the one that best allows you to disseminate your information.

– What platform is the video going to be published on?

Each platform has its own limitation in terms of what your audience is there for. For example, a micro video will work best on Instagram but not on YouTube because people come to YouTube to get more information as compared to Instagram where they are just leisurely scrolling.
Longer videos will work best on YouTube and Facebook Watch.

On the other hand, corporate videos will work best on your website as opposed to any social platform. Your audience on social platforms wants to engage with you so be sure to post videos that add value to them.

Another technical but important thing to keep in mind is the aspect ratio that best suits each platform. Videos created for Facebook Watch, YouTube and your website should be in a 16:9 ratio, whereas on Instagram 1:1 works best (even though it is now compatible for landscape videos). On the other hand, IGTV and Instagram stories require a 9:16 ratio.

– What is your end goal?

What action do you want your audience to take after they have watched your video? If you want them to buy your product by clicking on a link, Facebook and YouTube allow you to redirect them, however, Instagram may not be a great choice for that. On the other hand, all of these platforms are a great choice to engage and build connections with your audience.

2) Storyboard/script

Once you have locked on the video format, you can start breaking down the content into scenes and turning it into a script. This will make it easier for you to shoot and edit the video.

If you’re using InVideo, you can directly transform your script into a storyboard. Click on the option to convert an article to a video. The online editor will then create scenes from your script and you build on it from there.

Here’s how you can create a storyboard from your script on InVideo in 4 easy steps:

Step 1: Log on to InVideo.io and click on the section ‘Text To Video’ on the homepage.

Browse through stories and listicle templates on InVideo and choose the one that is best suited for your video. These are compatible with landscape (16:9), portrait (9:16) and square (1:1) ratio.

Step 2: If you already have your script ready, go ahead and copy-paste the text lines into the editor. You can also paste your blog article’s URL if that is what needs to be converted into a video, and InVideo will pull up the text from there.

Note: Enter each sentence in a new line to add it as a separate scene.

Step 3: The next step is digital storyboarding. You can add, duplicate and delete scenes here. While InVideo will auto-recommend footage for the scenes, you can go in and choose footage from their stock library that is best for your brand. You can also upload your own footage to add to the video. You have to simply drag and drop the selected footage to the matched scene. Use the preview button to play each scene and check if you want to add or edit anything before finally exporting your video.

Once you’re satisfied with your edit, preview your video and then click on export. You’ve created an instructional video in less than 15 minutes!

3) Putting together scenes

With the framework in place, you can start building each scene from your storyboard. Whether you’re shooting the scenes or using stock footage, this is where you start adding them to your edit table and filing in the gaps.

On InVideo, you can choose stock footage and images from premium sources like Shutterstock and iStock or you can also upload your own footage and screen recordings.

4) Add text & record VO

Once you have added the visuals to complete the scenes, you may want to add text to highlight important points in the video. You can also use icons and graphics to make the video more visually satisfying.

If your video is a tutorial, you may want to add a voice-over (especially if you are using only a screen recording and no video footage with sound). Record your voice-over and match it to your video timeline for a seamless audio-visual experience.

InVideo has premade graphics that you can use by simply editing the text and they also have icons and symbols as stickers to creatively add to your video. These come with their own animation and you won’t have to separately add it in.

You can also record and add a voiceover on InVideo itself – either for each scene or for the entire video. If you have a pre-recorded VO, you can upload the file and add it to your video’s timeline. Simply follow the step-by-step guide to adding music and voiceover on InVideo in Section E.

5) Add music

With your timeline almost ready, all you need to do is add good music to keep the pace of the video naturally flowing. If you’re talking for most of the video, you may want to choose a soft track or not add one at all. In this case, you can add sound effects for your visuals, elements, and an important point. However, if your video does not have a voice-over or anyone speaking, you must have a soundtrack to keep the visuals flowing. Think about the mood and emotions you want to convey to your audience while choosing the music for your video.

If you’re editing your video on InVideo, you can choose from a list of royalty-free music and sound effects that are segregated based on mood. If you already have a track selected, simply upload it to the platform and add it to your timeline.

When you’re satisfied with your video, you can export it in the format suited for the platform it will be uploaded to. If you’re working with a team, InVideo allows you to share the link of the video to get feedback from your colleagues, saving you from multiple exports and downloaded files.

Summing it up

We hope this guide has answered all your questions on how to make a video. We’ve not only given you specific steps to follow but we’ve also directed you to information if you want to deep dive into bigger concepts of how to do video. All you need to do now is a start and you’ll be creating scroll-stopping videos in no time.

Found this article helpful? Please do share it with your friends and peers looking to get started with YouTube.

Want to be a part of a community of creators, just like yourself, and discuss video tips, video guides, strategies, and of course, inspire each other? Join the InVideo community – a place for you to connect and learn from 25,000+ other video creators like yourself.