Engagement is a big deal on YouTube. It is an official ranking factor, and when you can generate it on demand, you are in a league with the most successful creators on the planet.
You see, YouTube audience engagement drives rankings and also creates advocates out of subscribers and viewers. People watching your content vote for how far and wide it will be shared with each like, share, and comment they leave.
How do you generate as much engagement as possible? I have created a list of 5 tips you can use to do just that. These tips also come with examples and insights that make them easy to incorporate into your next video.
In this Article:
Tip 1: Zero-In on Your Audience
It is easy to look at successful channels and get lost trying to figure out what they are about and who they serve. Most appear to create content that seems to have broad appeal, and others seem tightly niched.
But a closer look can be revealing. Channels that appear to have broad appeal play towards a specific culture.
Take Mr. Beast as an example. His videos are largely social experiments designed to create positive outcomes. He establishes challenges, feel-good videos, and give-aways. Watching Mr. Beast’s video leaves you feeling optimistic, too.
What does it take to achieve Mr. Beast-like success? Several factors. To stay true to the purpose of this blog post, you will need to clarify who you are creating videos for and why.
Mr. Beast has figured out that his audience is filled with people who are genuinely interested in watching fun videos that touch on light and positive issues in life.
And that is a huge market.
You can take a page from his playbook by figuring out what kinds of videos you want to create and for whom you want to create content.
You can also get specific and examine demographics if need be. But what matters most is clearly defining who you serve and what they want.
Tip 2: Tell Stories
This next trick may sound obvious, but executing it effectively requires practice. Telling stories is both art and science. It involves creating interesting ideas that can be communicated in a compelling way.
On YouTube, your ability to tell compelling stories determines how successful your channel will be and how much engagement you will receive.
Brett Malinowski is able to engage YouTube subscribers, and over 420 thousand tune in to watch new videos on new technologies, business opportunities, and trends. His video on 7 productized services that will make you $10,000 a month generated 34 thousand views and 69 comments in just 2 days.
How did he achieve these results? He used and uses Storytelling. It is a major contributor to his success.
Brett’s videos follow a simple but powerful format that you can use, too:
Step 1: Hook Your Audience
Brett hooks viewers by identifying a challenge they may be experiencing, why they may be struggling, and how watching his video will help.
Step 2: Deliver the Goods
He proceeds to define the solution and show how it works clearly. Brett’s channel is all about new tech and business opportunities, however you can still apply this approach by zeroing in on what your audience needs to feel like they have gained value by watching your video.
As an example, in Mr. Beast’s Face Your Fear video, he challenges a friend, Mack, to 10 fear experiences that, if passed, win him $800,000.
The “goods” in this video are the challenges his friend must complete. Anyone watching this video can not help but sit at the edge of their seat as Mack spends 10 minutes in a confined space with 1000 spiders, is submerged in a sinking car, and more.
Step 3: Close with a Win
Viewers want to experience payoffs and victories they enjoy for investing time in your content. Payoffs do not have to be big or complex. They simply need to be aligned with the challenge established in Step 1 and the value delivered in Step 2.
This implies that Step 3 closes the loop, tying together all the ideas shared for a well-rounded story.
In Mr. Beast’s Fears video, the pay-off is getting to the end and seeing whether Mack wins the $800,000. Do not worry, I would not spoil that for you.
Tip 3: Actively Engage YouTube Subscribers
Engagement from your audience is a major content ranking factor on YouTube. But do not treat it as just another metric. Use it as an opportunity to have conversations because that is what the comments section is all about.
What should your replies look and feel like?
Firstly, it is important to channel your brand as consistently as possible. That said, here are 7 ways to create replies that resonate with your audience:
Be Prompt and Regular: Respond to comments promptly to show your audience that you value their engagement. Regularly check and reply to comments to maintain an active and responsive channel community.
Express Appreciation: Show gratitude for positive comments by liking or hearting them. Acknowledging positive feedback helps build a positive relationship with your audience.
Keep it Polite and Casual: Respond in a friendly and approachable tone. Casual language can make your interactions feel more personal and relatable to your audience.
Address Concerns Professionally: Respond professionally and constructively when dealing with criticism or concerns. Avoid engaging in arguments and focus on positively resolving issues.
Use Emojis and Multimedia: Emojis can add a touch of personality to your responses. Additionally, consider using multimedia responses like images or short clips to enhance your engagement.
Encourage Further Interaction: Pose questions or encourage viewers to share their thoughts to stimulate ongoing discussions. This can boost engagement and create a sense of community on your channel.
Do not be Afraid to Use Calls-to-Action (CTAs): Incorporate CTAs in your responses, inviting viewers to like, subscribe, or check out related videos. This can help maximize the impact of your audience’s support and contribute to channel growth.
Tip 4: Use Community Spaces
Fosters a sense of belonging that encourages them to promote your content within the community. The great news is that YouTube has a feature designed specifically for engagement — and it is not the comments section of your videos.
The Community feature is designed to serve as a way to offer updates on drive engagement with your community.
Ali Abdaal is a well-known creator with over 5 million subscribers. He uses YouTube’s Community feature to share updates and content his audience may find interesting and entertaining.
Using different kinds of posts, like polls and questions, is also a great way to generate engagement.
Tip 5: Reward Loyalty
Recognize and appreciate your most engaged followers with exclusive perks, shoutouts, loyalty programs, or giveaways to show gratitude and encourage ongoing support.
Everything Always is a YouTube channel dedicated to sharing updates on the Marvel cinematic universe. Launched in 2009, it has amassed over 1 million subscribers and over 349 million views, and loyalty is a major contributor to its success.
Everything Always built its audience by creating and publishing detailed and interesting videos on the latest news from Marvel Studios and by rewarding its community with weekly giveaways.
It is interesting to note the prize the channel offers and how easy it is to qualify for it. As a channel dedicated to Marvel Studio updates, its founder learned early on that his audience was into gaming and entertainment.
With the launch of the Sony PlayStation 5, pairing an in-demand gaming console with a gaming enthusiast community was a no-brainer.
To qualify for the prize all you need to do is subscribe to the channel and leave a comment for an automatic entry.
Which Tip Will You Use?
Cultivating an engaged community is a worthwhile endeavor. On YouTube, it can translate into YouTube channel memberships and additional income. While income is always a worthy goal, at the heart of it all, it is about creating real value for your audience.
People who love what you do will always come back for more. Try these ideas on for size. Each will help you get closer to creating stronger relationships with your audience.
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