Youtube Titles That Get Views

YouTube Titles That Get Views

Person filming and creating YouTube titles that gets views.

You've had a great idea, filmed an amazing video, edited it perfectly, and uploaded it only to find… no one's watching.

Sound familiar?

It does not matter what you have filmed if your title and thumbnail aren't eye-catching, your video doesn't stand a chance.

Here are a few things you can do to create video titles that get views:

Keep An Eye On What Is Trending

Some of the most popular videos on YouTube are part of a trend. These trending videos might be about a particular topic, be a popular tag, or be a specific video type. Whatever it is, if you want to join in, you need to communicate this in your title.

If you have ever noticed that after you have finished watching one video that YouTube starts playing another similar video, then you will understand why. Joining in on a trending topic can be a great way to get an influx of new subscribers. But only if your title makes it clear to YouTube and your potential viewers what your video is about.

Still not sure what your title should say? Simply make sure you are doing your research on what titles popular YouTubers and trending videos are using.

This doesn't mean copy them!

Your content should have a uniqueness about it – something only you can bring.

Use Numbers

More specifically: use digits. So rather than writing "five tips…" write "5 tips…". Not only does this provide you with more space in your title, but using a number can increase your clicks significantly.

Why is this? Well, it provides audiences with clear expectations, they know what will be in the video. It also communicates value, as the audience knows they are getting a specific number of something.

Use The Right Keywords

It sounds boring, (keyword research hardly sounds like a great start to a viral video) but keywords are what search engines (Google/YouTube search), use to determine whether to rank your content on the first page.

Ranking highly for popular keywords is a great way to ensure your video gets a tonne of views.

If you are wondering what the right keywords are for your video, don't worry: there are tools for that. The YouTube keyword tool or Kparser are good places to start. Simply enter a topic, your country, and your language, to find out what key phrases people are searching for.

Keywords are particularly important for creators who are just starting, and who are relying on their video being found by strangers, rather than being clicked on by subscribers.

Use Your Name Last

If you include your YouTube channel or real name in your video titles, make sure you put it last.

The first thing your potential viewer needs to see is an attention-grabbing hook that gives them an indication of the type of video they are about to click on.

You can include your name after a vertical bar, for example: "The 5 Best YouTube Titles | ContentCareer" of you could use a hyphen: "Top Tips For Your YouTube Titles – ContentCareer". Either way, make sure the most compelling content is first.

Be Accurate

This might seem to go against click-bait tactics (that can do very well). But if your video is too far from what people were expecting, they will feel deceived and quickly leave your video. If your audience does not stay and watch around 30 seconds of your video, they do not count as a view.

Make sure your title gives your audience an idea of what to expect.

Use Title Capitalisation

Capitalising the first letter of each word, rather than all or none of the letters can make it easier to read, and ultimately leads to more clicks. This isn't always the case though, so I'm afraid you're going to have to test.

I recommend that if you currently capitalise everything, give title capitalisation a go and see if it makes a positive impact.

Create Anticipation

Those clickbait titles we all hate are used for a reason… because they work. The trick, however, isn't just building anticipation by not giving the viewer the full story, but it is following through and being relevant.

This doesn't mean your video has to be as outrageous as your title, but it should still provide the viewer with some context, so you keep their trust.

Use The Right Title Length

YouTube lets you use up to 100 characters to write your video description. But that doesn't mean you should use every single character.

If you are a new channel, and you're relying on Google traffic for your views, then you need to keep in mind that Google will only show the first 70 characters, and the rest will be truncated. And as part of this 70 characters "YouTube" is included as your first word.

So try to keep your video title under 70 characters (or rather 62 after you remove YouTube) or potentially less, while still being descriptive and using the right keywords.

Don't Ask Questions

Unlike other titles online, YouTube titles containing a question perform worse than titles without a question. According to a piece of research by Tubular Research, YouTube videos they looked at did 24% worse when they included a question, so it might be worth reworking this idea.

Test Them!

With that said, all of the above tips may be absolute rubbish to you. Your niche may not act the way others do, and you may not want to create how others do. It's completely up to you. This is a creative space, and how you word your titles is your prerogative.

The best tip you can get, however, is to test.

Compare all of your video stats with your video titles, what are the trends? Look at what works for you and do more of that.

A Quick Summary:

Review the trends and if you create a similar video, use a similar title
Use digits where appropriate
Do keyword research and use a popular and relevant keyword
Put your channel name last
Make it accurate to the content
Capitalise the first letter of each word
Create anticipation in your audience
Keep the title length under 62 characters
Avoid using questions
Test, test, test.

What types of video titles work best for you? Do you have any other tips to add to this list? Let us know in the comments section below.

Author Amy Baker

Digital Marketer And Creator Of Content Career.