20 Creative Ways How to Promote Youtube Videos

YouTube videos are a daily staple for many people looking for advice, entertainment, an escape, or something else entirely. With that said, popping into the top video search results is no small feat.

Unless you happen to be doing something incredibly unique on YouTube that no one else has thought of, getting eyes on your content is an uphill battle.

One of the best actions you can take is to promote your YouTube channel. Success isn’t guaranteed, but at least you maximize your chances of resonating with your audience.

If you want to compete with other creators in your niche, check out these 20 great ways to go about YouTube promotion.

1. Tagging Accounts in Your YouTube Channel Niche

You may think this to be counterintuitive. Why would you want to tag other people as a part of your video content promotion efforts? Well, research will tell you that doing so can put you in front of eyes that didn’t even know you existed before.

Promoting YouTube videos by posting on other platforms and shouting out creators in your niche is an excellent strategy. Who knows? You may just land yourself a partnership or a chance at a collaboration, which could net you more YouTube subscribers and views in the long run!

2. Branded Content on Instagram

The number of influencers using this strategy as a part of their YouTube marketing efforts is much greater than you’d think. It makes sense too! The people who are on Instagram are the same people checking out YouTube channels at other points during the day.

So, why not use the platform to pull these people in as you attempt to build a brand? You want a recognizable logo that viewers can make a mental association with.

Who knows? You could just end up getting your next YouTube video sponsored by going this route.

3. Use Direct Message Groups

The days of a DM space on Instagram being limited to one on one conversations are now a thing of the past, thanks to the introduction of direct message groups. Now, people can join conversations consisting of people who may have similar interests and be involved in a particular niche.

Since active members will need to post fresh content, it’s the perfect opportunity to get your latest video out there so others can watch, like, and subscribe!

4. Leverage Social Media Correctly

Video promotion needs to be a concept that you approach both within and outside of the YouTube sphere. The reality is that many of the currently successful creators established a presence elsewhere and brought people back to stimulate their growth.

As you promote your YouTube videos, you need to have the same kind of mindset. Everyone won’t discover you in a search.

Venture onto Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc., and let the world know what kind of video content you have to offer!

5. Capitalize on Forums Conducive to Your YouTube Content

You can also promote your YouTube videos by incorporating online forums. Reddit, for example, is a place where people with similar interests can establish mini-communities to talk about their passions and see what others put out there.

Don’t treat the space like an advertisement hub though. Ensure you’re contributing to conversations and the community as a whole. You don’t want anybody to get the impression that you’re just pushing your YouTube video agenda.

On that note, remember that some of these forums have rules that forbid promoting your content, so be respectful.

6. Run Contests

The chances are that if someone does a YouTube search that seems to be indicative of some kind of giveaway, the person is going to be intrigued. That’s because there’s a positive mental link associated with winning things.

Be careful how you do this as you don’t want to impact your YouTube channel negatively. Whatever contest you have should be relevant to having people buy into you as a content creator.

You don’t want people to just be around for what they can win before taking off.

7. Get into Active Publishing to Reach Your Target Audience

This one will require some research on your end, but it’s a great way to get more eyes on your YouTube videos. The idea here is to understand when people are most active and try to practice posting your video content during these windows.

For example, around 11 AM is typically a good time to put content on your YouTube channel during weekdays.

8. Video Tags and Hashtags

This is more of an indirect form of YouTube video promotion. Remember that popping up in search results on YouTube, Google, etc. is very important. Therefore, apart from having descriptive video titles, you also want to pay attention to the tags and hashtags you use.

When people search for keywords that align with YouTube video hashtags and tags, they can be taken to related videos. Ranking in the search results may mean finding out what these key terms are and setting up tags that capitalize on them.

9. Descriptive and SEO-friendly Video Titles

This works in tandem with the previous point and it even extends to whatever video description you may put together. If your videos are meant to rank well in YouTube search results, they must be algorithm-friendly.

After all, it has the final say in what constitutes “relevant videos,” and you certainly want your target audience to find you.

Keyword research is essential here in helping you understand what terms your potential viewers are searching for and how you can adjust to get your YouTube channel in the mix.

10. Create Video Content That’s Conducive to Different Promotion Channels

While it’s a great idea to promote YouTube videos using different avenues, you should also bear in mind that different types of content are effective in different places. For example, the standard videos on your channel will have a certain length.

You could edit a 10-second interesting compilation together complete with captions, which would be conducive to garnering interest on TikTok.

Similarly, a 30-minute section with a cliffhanger may make a great Instagram reel. You can’t take a one size fits all approach with video content.

11. Cross Promote Relevant Videos

If you’re using all these other channels to promote your YouTube channel, why don’t you use it to promote itself? This is the idea of cross-promotion.

Near the end of a video, you can refer your audience to another video that you may have uploaded. Alternatively, there may be a story or concept that a previous video referenced. If that’s the case, instead of going over it, you can throw in a reference once it’s relevant.

You can even get people excited about upcoming YouTube content by making mention of videos that are yet to be released.

12. Make the Google Ads Keyword Planner Your Friend

The Google Ads Keyword Planner is invaluable for someone looking to appeal to the algorithm and grow a YouTube channel. Sometimes, you want to use appropriate keywords for the title and description after putting your videos together, but you don’t know how to.

Google is the one getting all the searches, so what better place to look if you want to know what people are looking for? The Google Ads Keyword Planner will provide you with a Search Engine Results Page (SERP) analysis, alongside other useful insights to help you promote your YouTube videos.

13. Utilize YouTube Analytics in Your Strategy

As you post your videos, YouTube will collect useful insights in the backend that will help you to promote your YouTube channel in a more targeted way than you could ever imagine. You can get a rundown of the age groups, gender distribution, location, etc of your audience.

Additionally, you’ll get to see watch time, the sections of your videos most replayed, and more!

When you combine this, you can then begin to form a profile of the kind of people interested in your video productions, which will guide the messaging you use for promotion.

14. Place a YouTube Widget on Your Site

Directing people to your YouTube channel from your website is a no-brainer. You should always try to get eyes on your videos that way. However, not everyone is willing to navigate away from the site just to go watch a video.

So, why not bring the video to them? With a widget embedded, you can have your video play right on your webpage with a miniature display. That way, no one feels forced to visit your channel, but you still get to generate traffic.

Provided the video is attractive enough, you may just convert people to channel visitors.

15. Mimic Effective Strategies of More Successful Video Creators

Don’t get this wrong. You’re not being told to go rip off other YouTube channels in their entirety just to get more views on your video content. However, it’s common knowledge that YouTubers repurpose ideas and tactics that others use successfully.

Bumper ads, non-skippable ads, and in-stream ads, for example, may be a part of the mix that a competitor uses. Perhaps you can stand to learn from the tactics being used and repurpose them to fit your video lineup and your channel’s brand.

16. Customize Your Thumbnails

Never let YouTube choose a thumbnail image for you. It will often be a random frame from your video, which is not flattering in the least. With customization, you get the opportunity to make your videos stand out from the rest.

Imagery, lettering, placement, etc. can all come together to grab user attention. Additionally, people are more likely to watch a video that seems to imply professionalism and creativity.

While only watching YouTube videos can give that kind of confirmation, people make their initial decision upon seeing the thumbnail.

17. Use the Power of Collaboration

Many top YouTube stars see some of their best video performances when they leverage collaborations. That’s because your audience and that of the other content creator both see what you’re about.

Other YouTube creators may not be keen on doing collaboration videos if they don’t feel like they have something to gain. Therefore, ensure there are benefits on both sides before you seek out this kind of video.

18. Post Regularly

Posting regularly does not mean that you should be uploading YouTube videos every day. Some channels do this, and the jury is still out on whether that contributes to stale content or not.

The point being made here is that the YouTube wheel will turn whether or not you choose to be present. If your audience isn’t getting videos from you, they will find content elsewhere.

Establish as consistent a YouTube posting schedule as possible and make your viewers aware of it. By promoting your video schedule, you give people something to look forward to.

19. Tease Upcoming YouTube Videos

You don’t need to fully release YouTube videos to get traction from them. As indicated before, you can talk about them as a cross-promotion strategy. Beyond that, you can use shorts, stories, or other options to even show people your being mid-production.

Again, these things promote YouTube engagement and give people something to hold on to.

20. Channel Trailer

What is your YouTube channel about? Can you articulate it in a short and spicy form? That’s what the trailer feature is all about. You can creatively use music, visual storytelling, etc. to relay exactly what you bring to YouTube.

Potential viewers often use trailers to decide whether a channel is worth looking at or not.

Youtube Video Promotion: The Bottom Line

Promoting YouTube content is no easy feat. Considering the sheer amount of competition out there, creators must work harder than ever to reach their intended audiences. Therefore, knowing the promotional tactics to use is almost non-negotiable.

If you were uncertain about how to build your YouTube brand before, you should be well aware of how to do so now with the insights provided above.

Bear them in mind and implement them in your promotional attempts going forward. While there are no guarantees, you may surprise yourself with what you achieve!