How to get more views on YouTube: 8 things I'd try

To get more views on YouTube, get more people to click your videos, then keep them watching and glad they did. That's what YouTube says its recommendations look at.

Start with where the video is losing people. Is it getting few impressions, getting shown but not clicked, or losing viewers after they click? Those are different problems. Here's what I'd check first.

What should you fix first?

When you compare videos, use similar topics, formats, and traffic sources, and the same amount of time since publication. A Short and a long video aren't the same test. Change one thing at a time so you have a better chance of seeing what helped.

A lower click-through rate can also happen when YouTube shows a video to a wider audience, so don't read that number on its own.

What does YouTube actually reward?

From YouTube's search and discovery tips, its system looks at:

• Whether people choose to watch a video when it's shown to them, ignore it, or click Not interested.
• Whether they stick around. YouTube uses both average view duration and average percentage viewed.
• Whether they enjoyed it, based on likes and post-watch surveys.

The same page says the system "has no opinion about what type of video you make" and doesn't favor any format. YouTube's page on its recommendation system says it has two goals. One is helping each viewer find videos they want to watch. The other is long-term viewer satisfaction.

So stop asking whether the algorithm likes your video, and ask whether your audience does.

1. Make your title and thumbnail clear and specific

Your title and thumbnail are your whole pitch on YouTube's home feed and in search. Together they should tell someone exactly what they'll get.

• Say the specific thing. "I tested 6 travel tripods under $100" beats "Tripod review".
• Make them work together. The thumbnail shows it, the title says it. Don't repeat the same words in both.
• Keep a recognizable style. YouTube's recommendation page says a consistent title and thumbnail style helps viewers spot your videos.
• Don't oversell. Keep the thumbnail and title accurate, so the video matches what someone expected when they clicked.

If your channel has advanced features (extra tools you get after verifying your channel in YouTube Studio), you can use A/B testing in Studio on a computer to compare up to 3 titles, thumbnails, or combinations. It uses watch time, not just clicks, and a test may have no clear winner. Shorts and some other videos aren't eligible, so check YouTube's testing requirements before you set one up.

2. Earn the first 30 seconds

YouTube's audience retention report has an Intro metric showing the percentage of viewers still watching after 30 seconds. I'd use it to check whether the opening matches the title and thumbnail.

A few things that help:

• Open with the thing from the thumbnail, or show that it's coming.
• Move the channel intro, the "before we start", and the sponsor read out of the first few seconds.
• Tell people in one sentence what they'll have by the end.

Then check this on your last few videos. In YouTube Studio, click a video, then Analytics. If a lot of people leave in the first 30 seconds, fix the opening before anything else.

3. Use your retention graph to find the slow parts

The same report can highlight dips, where people skip or stop watching, and spikes, where they watch, rewatch, or share a section. These moments have to be detected, and the video must be at least 60 seconds long with at least 100 views.

Watch those sections before deciding what to change. A dip doesn't tell you why someone left. A spike can mean people liked a section, or that they needed to replay something confusing.

Chapters let people jump to a section they want, though they don't guarantee anyone stays. Here's my guide on how to add chapters to a YouTube video.

4. Use Shorts to point people at your long videos

Shorts can reach people who've never heard of you. The problem is that people watching Shorts are swiping, and a Short has no obvious next step to your longer videos.

If your channel has advanced features, you can add a related video to a Short. Pick a public or unlisted video from your own channel that follows YouTube's guidelines, and viewers get a clickable link below your handle. Clip the best moment from a long video, post it as a Short, and link the full video. Now the Short has a next step.

5. Send every viewer to the next video

I'd make a useful next video easy to find for someone who finishes this one.

• End screens: on an eligible video, point to a useful next video, not just a subscribe button. End screens appear in the last 5 to 20 seconds and need a video at least 25 seconds long. They aren't available on made-for-kids videos or every viewing surface.
• Playlists: group videos that belong together, like a series or a topic, so one leads into the next.
• Say it out loud: something like "If you're planning a trip to Japan, watch my rail pass video next" is clearer than a generic end card.

6. Be consistent at a pace you can keep

YouTube's recommendation page says to put consistent quality ahead of uploading a lot. It also says taking breaks isn't penalized. For ordinary uploads, YouTube says publish time isn't known to affect long-term performance. Timing still matters for live streams and Premieres.

So pick a schedule you can keep for a year, not one that burns you out in a month. I'd take one good video every two weeks over three rushed ones a week. For an ordinary upload, I wouldn't worry about hitting exactly 3pm. For a live stream or Premiere, I'd check when viewers are around.

7. Answer the questions in your comments

Answer questions you can help with, especially when someone gets stuck on something in the video. If the same question keeps coming up, it may need a clearer explanation or a video of its own.

8. Find what's already working in Analytics

If your channel has enough history and data, YouTube Studio can help you check:

• Your top videos over the last year. Which ones keep getting views long after upload? Make more like those.
• Your YouTube search terms. YouTube's reach report shows the terms viewers searched when they found your videos.
• Your audience. When available, the Audience tab's What your audience watches report shows other videos, Shorts, live streams, and podcasts your viewers watched over the past seven days.

Look for a pattern, then make the next video on purpose. If you're stuck on what to make next, start with these YouTube video ideas.

If you already have a website, a useful tutorial can also become a written guide with the video embedded. Treat that as a separate experiment, not the first fix for a video people aren't clicking or finishing.

What doesn't help much?

• Buying fake views or subscribers: YouTube prohibits artificially inflated engagement. Artificial traffic may be removed and can lead to strikes or account action. This is different from running legitimate ads.
• Sub-for-sub groups: YouTube also prohibits offering a subscription in exchange for one. I'd look for people who want to watch, not a reciprocal count.
• Stuffing tags: YouTube says tags play a minimal role in discovery, so a long list won't make up for a weak title.

FAQs about getting more views on YouTube

Why did my views suddenly drop?

YouTube names three things outside your control. There's how much interest your topic has right now, how other videos are doing with the same viewers, and seasons like holidays. A drop isn't always something you did.

Does one video that flops hurt my channel?

Not on its own. YouTube says it uses fresh performance data for each video, so one experiment that doesn't land won't necessarily hold your channel back. It does say that regularly posting videos your audience doesn't respond to can affect your channel over time.

Where I'd start

Pick the problem in the table that matches your video, make one change, and check what happens before changing something else.