It takes a lot of work to create high-quality YouTube videos, yet it can take even more work to build a YouTube audience. For ecommerce entrepreneurs, the effort may be well worth it because you can leverage a strong YouTube presence into online store traffic and retail sales.
There are a few ways to build a YouTube audience. You can buy Google ads to gain YouTube subscribers, or you can boost content organically by using YouTube SEO strategies.
Here are some effective ways to promote your YouTube channel and boost your brand’s visibility in the process.
Table of contents
18 ways to promote your YouTube channel
- Post high-quality videos
- Create descriptive video titles
- Use trending keywords in your video title
- Try a YouTube title generator tool
- Create custom YouTube thumbnails
- Write accurate YouTube video descriptions
- Write an accurate YouTube channel description
- Promote YouTube videos on other social media platforms
- Collaborate with other YouTube creators
- Leverage influencer marketing
- Offer a mix of live and pre-recorded videos
- Use YouTube Analytics
- Create playlists to group existing videos
- Create thematic YouTube Shorts
- Create interactive content via the YouTube community tab
- Follow YouTube trends
- Embed videos on other websites
- Promote your entire channel
YouTube marketing takes skill, dedicated effort, and a little luck. Use these YouTube strategy tips to get more eyes on your videos and increase awareness of your brand:
1. Post high-quality videos
Many factors inspire a person to check out a new YouTube video, but quality is often at the top of the list. Respect your viewers’ time and provide them with high-quality videos.
For a good example, look to Ruggable’s videos, which feature crisp, clean backgrounds and text overlays explaining key steps and features. The brand’s customer testimonials, tutorials, and Q&A videos all have a cohesive, professional look.
In Ruggable’s “How to Assemble Your Ruggable Rug” video, the production quality is high, with well-composed shots, good lighting, and professional-grade cameras that ensure crisp and clear visuals. The set design, often minimalistic yet visually appealing, adds to the overall aesthetic.
To improve video quality, start by planning your content before hitting Record. Invest in decent audio and video equipment to guarantee crisp sound and visuals. During post-production, focus on tight editing for improved clarity and pacing. Remember your target audience and keep your content relevant and valuable to them.
2. Create descriptive video titles
YouTube relies heavily on titles to connect viewers with content. Well-crafted titles boost your visibility in search results, set clear expectations for potential viewers, and entice them to engage with your content.
If you search “best running shoes,” for example, you’ll notice the RunningXpert video shows up first in the results. The title clearly states what the video is about—running shoes for beginners—making it easy for viewers to understand the content at a glance.
The title includes popular search terms like “Best Running Shoes,” “Beginners,” and “2024.” Including the year in the title signals the video is current, which viewers like when looking for the latest recommendations.
When creating titles, aim for specificity over broad appeal—particularly if your channel is relatively new. For example, rather than a generic title like “The Best Fashion Tips,” consider something more targeted like “The Best Fashion Tips for a Foggy Day.” While this approach may narrow your audience, it precisely addresses a specific need, attracting viewers actively seeking that information.
3. Use trending keywords in your video title
You can make your video stand out on a YouTube search engine results page by peppering your title and video description with trending keywords. Try Google’s free keyword planner tool to discover trending keywords that are relevant to your channel and content. Or, find trending keywords in the YouTube search bar by typing a few words and letting YouTube’s autocomplete feature populate the rest of the search term.
Use the title YouTube suggests to inspire a title of your own. Strike a balance between search engine optimization (SEO) and accurately representing your content. Avoid using trending keywords to imply you cover topics that aren’t in your video. This can lead your viewers to believe you don’t follow through on your promises and dissuade them from watching more of your video content.
4. Try a YouTube title generator tool
If you’re stumped on a title, the internet has AI-powered YouTube title generators tailored to search engine optimization. Platforms like TubeRanker and CoSchedule offer them, though keep in mind that you don’t have to use their titles verbatim. Use AI-generated titles to jumpstart your writing process and get ideas for capturing more clicks.
Simply enter your topic and see what the generator creates. In the example below, the CoSchedule generator gives you options with emojis and catchy hooks.
5. Create custom YouTube thumbnails
Video thumbnails can grab users’ attention and inspire them to click on your video. You’ll upload these when creating a video within your YouTube Studio content creation page. They help attract viewers on search results pages so they click on your video.
MrBeast (a.k.a. James Stephen “Jimmy” Donaldson) is a legend when it comes to creating custom thumbnails. He’s said he spends between $5,000 and $10,000 on each video’s thumbnails because a good thumbnail can mean the difference between 50 million views and 200 million.
MrBeast’s thumbnails often use vibrant and contrasting colors that grab attention quickly. They usually feature MrBeast or others with exaggerated facial expressions that convey strong emotions like excitement, shock, or surprise. Human faces with clear emotions naturally draw viewers in, as people are wired to connect with and respond to faces.
The imagery in MrBeast’s thumbnails is simple but highly impactful. He often highlights a single, attention-grabbing element that relates directly to the video’s content, such as a massive stack of cash, an enormous object, or a large group of people.
While it certainly helps to have professional graphic designers work on your thumbnails, you don’t need to spend $5,000 to get an effective image. Pull a thumbnail image from the most exciting or visually interesting portion of your video or upload a separate image from your computer that combines a few visual clues about the video’s content. No matter what image you use, adhere to the following specs:
- 16:9 aspect ratio (for instance, 1280 pixels x 720 pixels)
- JPG, GIF, or PNG format
- No larger than 2 MB
When designing your thumbnail, focus on clarity and relevance. Use bold, contrasting colors, easy-to-read text, and imagery that accurately represents your video’s content. Your thumbnail should be intriguing enough to encourage clicks while honestly reflecting what viewers can expect from your video.
6. Write accurate YouTube video descriptions
Video descriptions influence your placement on YouTube search results pages. The best YouTube video descriptions are short and to the point (although YouTube lets you use up to 5,000 characters).
For example, Allbirds posted a YouTube video introducing its Pacer line of shoes, explaining the thought that went into the design. In the video’s description, the brand succinctly mentions the designer, the shoe’s sustainable materials, what the Allbirds brand is all about, and links to the product page and social channels—all in 119 words. The description is short, clear, informative, and rich with relevant keywords like “sustainable shoe” and “natural materials.”
Aim for brevity and precision in your video descriptions. Start by summarizing your video’s content in the first couple of sentences. Then, incorporate relevant keywords from your SEO research. Make sure your description accurately reflects your video’s content to build trust with your audience and avoid disappointing viewers.
7. Write an accurate YouTube channel description
Your YouTube channel description is a space to introduce yourself. This often-overlooked feature is a concise pitch for your entire channel, influencing potential subscribers and YouTube’s algorithm.
There is no hard and fast rule for channel descriptions. Just make sure they reflect your content and explain why viewers should care.
For example, Dude Perfect has more than 60 million YouTube subscribers and a simple channel description: “5 best buds just kickin’ it. If you like Sports + Comedy, come join the Dude Perfect family!” In two sentences, it tells viewers exactly what to expect when subscribing to the channel.
8. Promote YouTube videos on other social media platforms
YouTube’s API (application programming interface) lets you embed videos on websites programmed in HTML5. You can post videos on other social media channels like Facebook and X, which may entice your followers to find you on those platforms. On Facebook, set your videos to public view so that others can share them on their site timelines.
Consider creating teaser content or highlights for other platforms to pique interest in the full video. Once your posts are live, engage with your audience’s comments and shares across these platforms to build community and encourage further interaction with your YouTube content.
9. Collaborate with other YouTube creators
Collaborations can help build relationships within the YouTube community and open doors to future promotions. They also help grow your subscriber count when you find the right partner.
Jeffree Star, the CEO of cosmetics brand Jeffree Star Cosmetics, promoted their channel and products through collaborations. One iconic partnership was when Trixie Mattel turned Jeffree into a drag queen.
Identify potential partners whose content aligns with your niche but isn’t directly competitive. Look for creators with a similar audience size or slightly larger for balanced partnerships.
Once you’ve found suitable collaborators, brainstorm creative ways to work together. This could involve co-creating videos, appearing in each other’s content, or even cross-promoting through shout-outs or featured links.
10. Leverage influencer marketing
Influencer marketing refers to partnering with popular content creators who have established audiences in your niche. It works similarly to collaborations, but your brand doesn’t need to be in the video itself. An influencer can promote your products to their audience and lend your channel credibility.
When choosing an influencer, look beyond subscriber count. Engagement rates and audience relevance are more important. After identifying a few options, approach them with a clear and mutually beneficial proposal through influencer networking platforms like Shopify Collabs.
💡Note: Be transparent about any paid promotions in order to maintain trust with your audience. Also, ensure that any collaborations comply with platform guidelines and relevant advertising regulations.
Find influencers to drive sales with Shopify Collabs
Shopify Collabs makes it easy to partner with creators, promote your products, reach new customers, grow your sales, and track affiliate campaign performance all from Shopify admin.
Discover Shopify Collabs11. Offer a mix of live and pre-recorded videos
YouTube is among the most popular livestreaming platforms worldwide, and its users have come to expect live videos in addition to pre-recorded ones. Even if you specialize in pre-recorded content, consider hosting a livestream in which you answer customer questions, interview an industry expert, or launch a new product.
The Ecom King, for example, goes live and then posts the recording on his YouTube channel. That way, subscribers can still check out his talk if they can’t make it live.
When planning live content, promote it in advance to build anticipation and ensure a good turnout. During livestreams, actively engage with your audience through chat, addressing comments and questions to create an interactive experience.
Remember to balance your content mix based on your audience’s preferences and production capacity. Regularly analyze viewer metrics for live and pre-recorded videos to refine your strategy.
12. Use YouTube Analytics
YouTube Analytics lets you monitor your videos for user engagement. Important metrics include the number of views, average watch time, and new subscriber growth.
If you’re part of the YouTube Partner Program, it also tracks how much you’re making from ads. YouTube Analytics uses the same technology that powers Google Analytics. It can reveal which of your videos perform the best, giving you clues about what content to make going forward.
📚 Learn: YouTube Analytics Basics: How To Analyze Your Data (2024)
13. Create playlists to group existing videos
Collect videos that share a common theme or subject matter—like how-to videos or review videos—and place them in a playlist on your YouTube channel. This can help you capture views from people who discovered your videos via search or embedded in a blog post or webpage.
For example, Amanda Rach Lee, owner of the stationery business Shop Amanda Rach Lee, has more than two million subscribers on her YouTube channel. Her videos often feature the range of notebooks and accessories she sells, and she groups these videos into categories that speak to different interests, like bullet journaling, drawing, and interior decorating.
Consider the viewer’s journey when ordering videos within a playlist. Place your strongest or most broadly appealing content at the beginning to hook viewers, then progress logically through the topic. Regularly update your playlists with new relevant content to keep them fresh and encourage repeat visits.
14. Create thematic YouTube Shorts
YouTube Shorts are vertically oriented videos less than 60 seconds long. The format lends itself well to thematically related videos—like hot takes on topical issues in your industry—that don’t take long to unpack.
Shorts show up on a user’s homepage and offer a great opportunity to potential customers to explore your channel further.
Integrate your Shorts strategy with your broader content plan. Use Shorts to tease longer videos, repurpose highlights from existing content, or address quick questions from your community.
Use a tool like Descript to turn your longer videos into Shorts with AI. The tool can help you find points in your video with a single, clear message. Then, you just add some on-screen text and visuals to grab attention in the feed.
15. Create interactive content via the YouTube Community tab
YouTube Community posts can be interactive and reminiscent of the content you see on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. These posts can feature a mix of polls, quizzes, GIFs, text, still images, and video. Use them to engage directly with your audience and update them on your company.
You can find the YouTube Community tab among the advanced features in the YouTube Studio content creation portal.
16. Follow YouTube trends
If you want to sell on YouTube, stay active and keep track of what videos are performing well. Look for content trends like explainer videos, music videos, or format trends like YouTube Shorts. Find ways to join in on popular trends without sacrificing your brand.
17. Embed videos on other websites
Use YouTube’s embed code to add your videos to outside websites, including your company’s own website. Every time someone streams a video on an outside site, it counts toward your overall YouTube view count. This can boost your ranking on YouTube’s recommendation algorithm.
To grab the embed code, simply click on the icon to share icon, which will open up a number of options for sharing your video. Click on the “embed” option and copy and paste the code to embed the video in a blog post, landing page, or FAQ page on your website.
18. Promote your entire channel
YouTube is arguably the one video-sharing platform where creator channels can carry as much caché as an individual video. You can promote your channel by encouraging people to subscribe after watching a video. When posting links on outside websites, consider linking to your YouTube channel’s landing page rather than a single video.
If you regularly attend networking events, consider putting a QR code on your business card or promotional flyers that links to your YouTube channel. You can create a QR code for free using Shopify’s QR code generator.
Grow your YouTube channel today
YouTube’s potential as a marketing tool goes far beyond video hosting. Its algorithm, which factors in metrics like view count and engagement, can improve your brand’s reach and reputation.
However, growing a YouTube channel requires a holistic approach that balances quality content creation, audience engagement, and strategic optimization. Sure, you can run YouTube ads and drive traffic to your videos, but that won’t get you very far in terms of sales.
Understanding the dynamics of a good YouTube channel can position your videos for more visibility and attract more customers to your brand.
Start selling your products on YouTube from Shopify
Shopify comes with powerful tools that help you promote and sell products on YouTube. Sync your product catalog, tag or pin products in livestreams, and manage all your sales from Shopify.
Start selling on YouTubeHow to promote your YouTube channel FAQ
How do you increase YouTube views?
Focus on creating high-quality content that addresses your target audience’s interests and needs. Optimize your videos with compelling titles, thumbnails, and descriptions, and promote your content across various platforms to expand your reach.
Why are views important on YouTube?
Views are important on YouTube as they directly impact your channel’s visibility, ranking in search results, and potential for monetization. Higher view counts signal to both the YouTube algorithm and viewers that your content is worth watching, which can lead to subscriber growth and overall channel success.
How do I promote my entire YouTube channel?
Promote your entire channel by encouraging viewers to hit the Subscribe button below a video, next to your creator name. You can also post links to the channel’s landing page rather than to individual video pages.
How can I promote my YouTube channel for free?
Promote your YouTube channel for free by using SEO keywords in your titles and descriptions. Cross-promote with other YouTube creators who may also want some free marketing.
How do you get 1,000 subscribers on YouTube?
While it takes time to build a successful YouTube channel, the best way to gain subscribers is to create a channel identity based on a theme or subject matter and post great content that aligns with that identity. Link to your videos on outside websites, place SEO keywords in your titles and descriptions, post videos consistently, and give your audience time to grow.
Where can I promote my small YouTube channel?
Consider promoting your YouTube channel on your social media accounts and company website.
What counts as a view on YouTube?
When someone plays a video and watches it for at least 30 seconds, YouTube counts that as a view. YouTube tracks things like browser cookies and IP addresses to make sure each user counts for only one unique view.
