Last Updated: August 31, 2026
YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world, and if you want to gain viewership, there are a few key things to know. 10-minute videos are too long for most people to watch in one sitting. Keep it short and sweet by editing your video as much as possible. You also need to make sure that your channels have relevant and engaging titles, descriptions, and tags. If you want more views on your YouTube shorts or any other kinds of videos, these are five ways you can get them!
Short-form video works best when the content provides value quickly. Before publishing, consider what the viewer should learn, feel, or discover from the video. A clear purpose can make it easier to create a strong opening and keep the content focused. You can also experiment with different topics and formats to understand which ideas generate the most interest from your audience.
This article belongs to Social Media Marketing
Table of Contents
1. Keep it short
10-30 seconds is a good length for a video to be watchable. They need to be able to hold your audience’s interest before they move on to the next video in their feed. With the amount of content we have on the Internet, I don’t think anyone has the time or patience to sit and watch someone’s entire life story.
The first few seconds are particularly important because viewers can quickly move to another video. Start with the main idea rather than spending too much time on an introduction. A question, useful tip, surprising fact, or direct demonstration can give viewers a reason to continue watching.
It is also useful to remove unnecessary pauses and repeated information during editing. Shorter videos do not necessarily mean removing useful information. Instead, focus on delivering the most important part of the message without unnecessary distractions.
2. Keep it interesting
Think of interesting things that you can do with your own hands to create something new. Use videos that have already been released as inspiration, but have your twist on them. Whether it’s with new content or just mentioning updates, you want people to know what they can expect from watching your clips. Show off a skill or talent in a fun video! You could do anything from painting, playing an instrument, singing, or other kinds of performances, and then give some tips on how viewers can get started with it too! This will get them more interested in what’s coming next!
Your content should give viewers a reason to return. Developing a recognizable style can help your audience understand what they can expect from your channel. This might include a consistent topic, presentation style, editing approach, or type of video.
You can also repurpose ideas from longer videos into several short clips. A tutorial, interview, product demonstration, or discussion can provide multiple smaller topics that work well as short-form content. This approach can help you maintain a regular publishing schedule without creating every idea from scratch.
3. Have a tag or description
Every single video on YouTube begins with a three- to the four-word title. When you release your videos, make sure that your title is relevant and engaging. You’d be surprised at how many people are browsing YouTube looking for videos with titles like “how to make s” “tutorials” and so on. Make it as engaging as possible. Tags provide an additional piece of data for users who want to find your video in the search bar on their phones, the browser itself, or other popular services like Hulu, Netflix, etcetera. If you release a video about cryptocurrency, for example, it should include keywords like “Cryptocurrency” and “Bitcoin”.
4. Post them on Twitter and Facebook
You might not be on social media all day but many people are. Post your videos there, ask for feedback, etc. Reach out to your friends and family! Many people like bragging about their kids or pets so ask if they wouldn’t mind sharing your vid with everyone they know! This is a great way to spread the word about your videos and get people to click on them. You can also encourage people to subscribe, tell them when you’re uploading the next vid, etc.
Sharing short-form videos across other social platforms can give your content additional opportunities to reach viewers. Each platform has its own audience and style, so consider adapting the introduction or caption rather than posting the exact same message everywhere.
Instagram can also be useful when your audience is interested in short visual content. Businesses and creators looking to build an audience across platforms can explore ways to increase Instagram followers as part of a broader social media strategy.
When promoting a video, avoid relying only on asking people to watch. Give them a reason to care about the content. A short description of the tip, lesson, or entertainment value can make the shared post more appealing.
5. Engage with your community
To encourage people to watch more videos on YouTube, you need to start engaging with the community. This can be done by reacting to comments or questions that they leave on your videos or replying to content that they have shared on their channels as well. You can also comment or share content while they’re uploading a video as well, especially if you catch them at the end of the upload process. You can give your viewers a little something for free in exchange for their email address and a chance to be in your next video or give them a shout-out in an upcoming video as long as they subscribe or follow you.
This way, they’re already interested in new content from you before you ask them to subscribe so they’ll likely do it! Also, you can share a poll on social media and ask your viewers to vote. Later, in the video, reveal the results of the poll and share your thoughts on why it turned out as it did.
Community engagement should be treated as an ongoing part of creating video content. Pay attention to recurring questions because they can provide ideas for future videos. If several viewers ask about the same subject, you can create a dedicated short that answers the question directly.
You can also use comments to understand which parts of your content are most useful. Positive feedback can help you identify successful formats, while constructive comments may reveal areas where your explanation could be clearer.
Instagram can provide another channel for maintaining that relationship with your audience. If you want to expand your presence beyond YouTube, improving your Instagram reach can complement your efforts to distribute short-form content across social platforms.
Additional Ways to Improve YouTube Shorts Performance
Consistency is another important consideration when building a video channel. You do not necessarily need to publish several videos every day. Instead, choose a schedule that you can maintain without sacrificing the quality of your content.
Review your video performance regularly and look for patterns. Topics, video lengths, openings, presentation styles, and posting schedules can all be compared over time. This gives you a better understanding of what your viewers prefer.
Thumbnails and visual presentation can also influence whether people notice your content when browsing. Use clear visuals that accurately represent the subject of the video. Avoid making the design unnecessarily complicated or misleading.
Another useful approach is to create related videos around the same subject. If one short answers a basic question, another can address a more advanced question. This creates a connected collection of content and gives interested viewers more reasons to explore your channel.
Finally, focus on providing genuine value. Trends can help you discover popular content ideas, but your videos should still offer something useful, entertaining, educational, or interesting. A channel that consistently meets the expectations of its audience has a stronger foundation for long-term growth
Conclusion:
The more engagement you have on your channel, the higher your chance of the algorithm placing your video at the top of the list. These are five ways that you can increase your views on YouTube videos or any other kind of videos to gain a larger following. If you use these steps to engage the community, you’ll see that people are more willing to watch more videos on your channel.
