Effective thumbnails make users click right away and make your YouTube channel more recognizable. Thumbnails should be relevant to the video’s content and title.

Include short descriptions and relevant images in your thumbnails to help people understand what your video is about.

• Use standard video sizes – 1280×720 or 1920×1080. Smaller sizes can look blurry.
• Use only high-quality images.
• Include the video title on your thumbnail as it helps attract more views.
• Image formats should be JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, or TIF.
• Use the 16:9 aspect ratio that works best for YouTube players.

If you want to get the most out of your videos, focus on their total watch time. Based on the Comscore survey, the duration of the majority of the YouTube videos is about 5 minutes.

If you create long videos by just repeating yourself, it won’t help. People need a good reason to be interested in your video.

• Create high-quality content in each video
• Optimize your videos to be under 5 minutes
• Make them interesting, informative, and short

Branding your YouTube channel is the next thing you should do to make it visually attractive and encourage visitors to take you seriously. It helps you increase brand awareness and spend more time with your audience.

Use your company logo for your channel. If you’re an independent video blogger, you can use your headshot instead of a logo.

To help people find you, add titles and descriptions to your videos. On top of the banner image, you also can include links to your website and social media.

It’s important to make an informative and relevant bio about your company or your personality.

Adding calls to action to your videos will help you create more engagement on YouTube. They can also be irritating, so try to use them in the right way.

No matter what goals you have, to get more likes or more subscribers, be clear and concise about key actions people need to take.

You can add your website link or ask for subscribers to your channel within the video or at the end to help people understand the next step.

If your goal is to attract a lot of subscribers, try to do it smartly. Your efforts will be rewarded in the long run.

Sharing your videos on social media is fundamental if you want to grow your channel. As a savvy marketer, it’s important not only to publish your latest videos on social media but also to be active in social communities and groups.

Each social platform has its own culture, and you need to figure out which one is best for you and where your efforts will be appreciated.

• Share your videos on Pinterest and Twitter
• Make mini promo videos on your Facebook page and link back to your original YouTube video
• Integrate your videos into your blog content

Сollaborative videos have become popular among content creators. It’s a good way to find a new audience and increase your subscriber base. It’s also a win/win situation for you, your target audience.

Collaborating with other influencers is a great social proof move for your audience.

• Interact with your audience and ask what else they want to watch in the comments.
• Find YouTube influencers and other brands in your niche and make videos together.
• Collaborate with brands and YouTubers that are more powerful than yours. The most powerful Youtubers work only with people they know well.

If you want to grow your YouTube presence, you should start to promote your YouTube channel and experiment and learn what works best for you and adhere to these tactics.

Staying true to your brand is as important as your personality. Keep monitoring any changes, see how they are influencing your audience’s behavior and update your YouTube strategy.

Create quality, interesting video content for your viewers, grab their attention with thumbnails, hook your audience, stick to your word, and deliver on your promises.