25 Ways to Increase YouTube Views by Yourself – for Free

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Increasing your views on YouTube is the key to growing a successful channel. From creating better thumbnails to writing click-worthy titles, here's how to unlock your best content.

Preparing for More YouTube Views

YouTube is tons of fun, but that doesn't mean there's no strategy involved. You need the right mindset – a growth mindset, to be exact – before you press record and upload your first video.

Don't worry: We'll break down that elusive path to YouTube growth.

1. Adopt the Creator’s Mindset

Whether you want to attract...

100 views

100,000 views

1 billion views

Reaching those goals requires the same thing: a creator's mentality.

Here are three underrated beliefs you need to succeed on YouTube:

You can grow a YouTube channel using only a smartphone and WiFi (no fancy gear required).

Making terrible videos won’t destroy you or your channel (if you’re willing to learn as you go).

Longevity is better than overnight success (consistent views are better than one viral hit).

These statements fly under the radar, but they’re the foundation of successful channels and the creators behind them.

2. Focus on One YouTube Niche

It’s tempting to post whatever you want on YouTube, from DIY projects to hair tutorials to your latest cryptocurrency splurge. After all, it’s your channel, and what’s wrong with mixing things up from time to time? Viewers will learn to appreciate your love for baseball, boba tea, and trail running, right?

Unfortunately, that’s not how viewers think; they want to see videos that cater to their interests over and over again. To make that happen, you’ll want to find a niche you’re passionate about and start creating videos within that sphere.

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Read More: How to Choose the Best Niche for Your YouTube Channel

You’ll get more views on YouTube by making focused content in the long run.

Here’s why:

YouTube will categorize your channel, then recommend your videos to people with similar interests (free promotion).

You'll gain like-minded subscribers who return to watch more videos on your channel (consistent YouTube views).

3. Create a Value Proposition for Your Channel

On YouTube, you’re essentially trading value for views. That means each video you upload offers something the viewer wants – an escape from boredom, home buying tips, delicious recipes, or whatever your expertise is. You’ll get plenty of views on YouTube if you master this exchange.

Read More: How to Make the EXACT Videos YouTube Subscribers Want to See

The first step is creating a value proposition or a short slogan that describes your channel’s worth.

Here are a few examples:

“Educating your YouTube journey” (YouTube education channel)

“Decoding the mysteries of space” (space exploration channel)

“Maxing your digital money” (cryptocurrency channel)

These statements look like channel summaries on the surface, but they’re actually promises. They remind you of what viewers want to see on YouTube so you can address those topics only.

4. Do Some Keyword Research Before Filming

It’s almost impossible to make popular videos if you don't know what people are searching for on YouTube. The solution? Do some keyword research within your niche. Look for high-volume keywords with low competition so you can boost your channel's search traffic.

Read More: 7 Ways to Discover the Best YouTube Keywords for Your Channel

If you need help finding keywords, check out the vidIQ keyword research tool. Simply type any word or phrase into the tool’s search bar to discover how keywords are performing on YouTube.

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By doing this, you’ll get:

The monthly search volume of any keyword

A list of related keywords to deepen your search

A score showing keyword competition

Once you find the right keywords, add them to your video title, description, and video chapters to increase your YouTube view count.

5. Create Video Titles Using the Keywords You Discovered

We haven’t gotten around to filming yet, but that’s OK. The keyword research you did earlier will help you write an awesome title for your video.

Of course, a good title has more than keywords. It also indicates:

What a video is about

Why people should care

The emotional draw of the topic

Read More: 9 Ways to Write Exciting YouTube Titles for Your Videos

Here’s an example. If you have a video about getting YouTube subscribers, “How to Get 1,000 Subscribers,” is a good starting point.

Now compare that to a title like “Under 1,000 Subscribers? Try This.” Adding that last bit of information at the end – “try this” – begs the question: What exactly should I be trying? The next logical step is to click and find out.

A boring title is usually too vague. If you write something like “Real Estate Tips for Buyers,” that’s not helpful because the real estate market is location-based. Plus, are we talking about houses, land, or commercial buildings? In this case, your title isn't specific enough.

How to Speak Your Audience’s Language

To write better titles, try to capture your community’s shared language.

For example, have you heard of Zeusy the Pitty? This adorable “talking” dog has a YouTube channel with more than 29 million views. People love his droopy eyes and classic head tilts.

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It also helps that Zeusy's videos have amazing titles. His owner uses keywords like “talking pit bull,” (because pit bulls are vocal) and it’s a relatable detail. Zeusy’s owner also calls himself “dad” to emphasize the parent-child relationship between owners and their pets.

Check out this title to see how it all comes together: “Talking Pitbull Argues With His Dad! This Dog Is Too Smart!!”

Do you see the appeal? The title speaks the language of dog enthusiasts and has some emotional intrigue ("this dog is too smart"). And guess what? The video has more than 170,000 views.

6. Create an Attractive, Uncluttered Thumbnail

Did you know you can upload custom thumbnails after verifying your YouTube channel?

You don’t need thousands of subscribers, watch time, or a certain number of videos to do this. Your channel doesn’t even have to be monetized. From day one, you can use custom graphics to encourage more clicks and views.

Check out this thumbnail from our YouTube channel. The video it’s paired with, “How to Get 4,000 Hours of Watch Time,” has more than 450,000 views. We’d say it’s working for us so far.

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Here are nine tips for creating better YouTube thumbnails:

Keep your thumbnails simple. Viewers should be able to understand them in mere seconds.

Communicate one idea, theme, or concept.

Stick to three dominant colors or less.

Increase the saturation and vibrancy of the image to make it pop.

Remove the background from your image and insert a better design.

Use a ring light to take well-lit thumbnail images.

Fill enough negative space so the image feels complete.

Incorporate short, snappy text – perhaps four words or less.

Aim for three main elements and one background color.

Read More: YouTube Thumbnail Guide: 9 Ways to Boost Click-Through Rate

If you’re making custom thumbnails but aren’t getting more views, read this post to see what you’re doing wrong. Once you’ve found the problem, download vidIQ and use the thumbnail preview tool to compare your images to those from other creators before publishing. Simply type in a keyword to compare different thumbnails.

Creating Popular YouTube Videos

Want to go viral with at least one of your videos? Get more views in 24 hours than you have in the last 24 months?

Start your journey here. We'll show you how to create popular videos and attract new viewers on YouTube.

7. New to YouTube? Go for Quantity Over Quality

Here’s the deal with being new on YouTube: No one – and we mean nobody at all – knows who you are. You get zero views because YouTube’s algorithm hasn’t “noticed” your channel yet.

You can fix this by creating 25-50 videos in your first six months. If each video addresses your niche, YouTube will begin to understand your content. It will know whether you’re the go-to creator for cat videos, bitcoin investing, or another topic. Eventually, YouTube will recommend your content to those enthusiasts.

Read More: Quantity Over Quality - The One Thing New YouTubers Should Focus On

Creating 25-50 videos isn’t just a way to penetrate the algorithm.

You’ll also get better at:

Staying consistent

Video production

YouTube SEO

Knowing what makes a quality video

You’ll eventually learn to make quality videos as you strive for quantity.

8. Ready to Film? Hook Viewers with a Good Intro

Your video’s intro is crucial. Within the first 30 seconds, viewers decide if they're going to A) keep watching or B) abandon the video.

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Making them stay means you collect more watch time, which is always lovely. But a better reward is satisfying people so they return to give you more views.

Want to create better intros? Here’s what you need to do:

Make it quick so viewers get what they came for sooner.

Don’t do a generic intro introducing yourself and the video topic. Jump right into the good stuff and introduce yourself later.

Do your best to hook the audience. It’s not so much an intro as a chance to keep people watching. Tease the juicier parts of your video or do something funny to hook the viewer.

Make sure the intro aligns with the title. It should also align with the video’s thumbnail, but more on that later.

Experiment. What works for one creator may not work for another. Do some testing and follow the proven success path, even if that means having no intro.

9. Follow Trends on YouTube and Use Them to Create Videos

Do you pay attention to YouTube trends? If not, now’s the time to start. Hopping on a trending topic is one of the best ways to dominate YouTube search results.

The key to making trend-worthy videos is knowing which topics to embrace. That often means staying within your niche so your channel remains focused. Every video you post needs to matter to your audience whether it goes viral or not.

Also, don’t fall into the trap of only posting trending topics. You still need evergreen content to generate long-term value and get steady views. We recommend dedicating 10-20% of your content to following trends.

Need a way to keep up with trends? Download vidIQ and create custom trend alerts for your channel. With this tool, you can:

Keep tabs on specific keywords and track their performance.

See how many views per hour a competitor is getting on a trending topic.

Set up email alerts for the top trending videos on any topic.

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10. Create These 4 Videos to Boost YouTube Views

Are you a small YouTube creator? Do you need more views right this second?

Perfect. Here are four types of YouTube videos people love watching. They'll be popular today, tomorrow, and basically forever, so capitalize on them when you they can!

The versus video: A video comparing any two things – video games, cities, makeup products. You name it.

The listicle video: A video listing the qualities of any topic – the “Top 10 Vacation Sites in Mexico,” for example.

The how-to video: A video explaining how to do virtually anything – unclog a toilet, get a job, ride a bike, etc.

The reaction video: Reacting to exciting events. That could be a sports game, a TikTok dance, or a funny meme.

With the ideas above, you can start earning at least 1,000 views on YouTube per upload.

11. Make Unique, Hard-to-Replicate Content

What makes you different from other creators? If you have a superpower of any kind, such as juggling, animating, or dog whispering (yes, it’s a thing), use it to give your content some pizzaz.

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Why? The harder it is to replicate your videos, the more you’ll stand out as a creator. Once you’ve found your lane on YouTube, it's easier to become the go-to person for one topic and attract more views.

Ask yourself five questions to embrace your uniqueness:

Is my content any different/better than my competitor’s content?

Have I established traditions and rituals with my audience? (giving subscribers a collective nickname, using catchphrases, turning their behavior into memes, etc.)

Am I the first person to post a particular type of video?

Is my content relatable yet refreshing?

Why should someone watch my videos?

12. Experiment with YouTube Shorts to Increase Views

YouTube Shorts are vertical videos with a duration of less than one minute. And guess what? They can get you more views. Shorts are similar to the type of content you’d see on TikTok – brief videos that replay on a loop and rack up millions of views.

Here’s an example of a YouTube Short:

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Read More: How to Make a YouTube Short - The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide

When YouTube introduced Shorts in 2020, creators got more views just by posting them. In fact, the Shorts player in the YouTube app was getting more than 6.5 billion daily views in March 2021.

The short-form video space is more competitive today. YouTube rolled out Shorts beta globally, so most creators have the feature.

Even still, Shorts is one of the best tools for video discovery. That’s why some creators are making more Shorts than long-form videos. Take a look at Jake Fellman, LegalEagle, Dental Digest, and Block Facts.

Optimizing YouTube Content for More Views

You can do lots of little things to make a video succeed on YouTube. Follow the tips below to optimize your content the right way.

13. Write a Good Video Description

Descriptions aren't as prominent as thumbnails and titles; it's true. Nonetheless, you need them to optimize a YouTube video for more views.

To start, make your descriptions short and sweet. While the description box accepts 5,000 characters, viewers only see the first 157. They have to click “see more” to read what's left.

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That’s why vital details, such as the video's topic and why it matters, should appear in the first 157 characters. You can put extra information (video chapters, subscribe link, etc.) below this point.

Read More: YouTube Descriptions - 7 Essential Tips, Tricks, and Hacks

Here are other things to keep in mind:

Make the description an accurate representation of the video to satisfy viewers.

Ignore large channels leaving the description area blank. From an SEO standpoint, descriptions with relevant keywords attract more YouTube views.

14. Use Video Chapters to Index Your Content

Video chapters have a bad rap on YouTube. Some people think they let viewers skip around within a video, get the information they need, and bounce. Unfortunately, that’s exactly how video chapters work sometimes.

But consider this. Would you rather have someone watch a three-minute segment of your video or leave in the first 30 seconds? At least with a video chapter, you have a better chance of satisfying viewers. They get what they came for, and if your chapter is long enough, they might watch for several minutes.

Read More: Why You Should be Using YouTube Video Chapters

Also, you get to name video chapters, which means you can add keywords to them – another trick for optimizing videos.

As of July 2021, video chapters are automatic on all YouTube channels. However, every video isn’t eligible for that treatment, and even if they are, you can edit those automatic chapters.

15. Add YouTube Cards and End Screens to Your Videos

Some people pay for views on YouTube, but you should never do that – not while YouTube cards and end screens exist. They're the best tools for promoting your channel, and they're also free.

Info cards are in-video notifications that recommend related content to viewers. That could be a video, playlist, extra channels you’ve created, and even outside links. When you’re aiming for more views, info cards containing videos and playlists are most helpful.

End screens appear in the last 5-20 seconds of a video. During this video outro, viewers click an additional video of yours to watch next.

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Obviously, you want people to watch 100% of a video, and info cards will interrupt that. That’s why you should add them well into the video – past the halfway mark, if possible.

16. Create Transcripts of Your Videos for Closed Captions

We have to be honest about YouTube captions and auto-generated text. Most of the time, it’s filled with embarrassing errors that make a video hard to understand. Sometimes a speaker will say something on camera, and YouTube shows a totally different message. That’s a problem when an estimated 38.2 million Americans over age 12 report some degree of hearing loss.

If you want to attract viewers from all walks of life, create transcripts of your videos. You can outsource the work using transcription services like Rev or Temi. Once you have a caption file, go to the YouTube Studio and attach it to your video before publishing.

Closed captions are great for accessibility, but people without disabilities appreciate them too. These days, 69% of people watch videos without sound in public.

17. Analyze Video Performance and Pivot if Necessary

Going viral isn't the fastest way to get consistent YouTube views. In fact, that’s a rare phenomenon for most people. It's better to measure the performance of each video to see what worked and what didn't.

Everything you need is in the YouTube Studio. If you go there often, you’re already familiar with this analytics screen:

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Challenge yourself to track extra YouTube metrics, such as:

Click-through rate: How often viewers watch a video after seeing its thumbnail. Number of clicks / number of impressions x 100 = CTR.

New vs. return viewers: The number of new viewers on your channel, plus how many returned to watch more content.

Audience retention rate: A percentage showing how long viewers watched a video, on average. If you post a 10-minute video and people watch for eight minutes, your audience retention rate is 80%.

Audience retention after the first 30 seconds: The percentage of people still watching your video after the first 30 seconds.

Watch Time: The total amount of time viewers spend watching your video.

Video views: The number of views on your channel or individual videos.

Also, if one video surges in popularity while others don’t, investigate the cause. Whatever seems to be working, double down on it to increase your YouTube views.

18. Make Sure Video Embedding Is Enabled

Letting people embed your videos across the web is a great way to boost YouTube views. It’s usually a default option, but it never hurts to double-check and ensure the feature is on.

Go to the YouTube Studio and click Content in the left navigation menu.

Hover your mouse over a recent video and click the pencil icon (video details).

Scroll down until you see embedding options. Make sure Allow Embedding is selected.

19. Create Playlists for Extra YouTube Views

Once you have a large batch of content, start dividing those videos into playlists.

These collections help people explore one topic in depth. For example, a pets channel might have a playlist called "How to Teach the Sit Command to Dogs."

We recommend creating a “new to this channel” playlist before any other. Fill it with videos illustrating what your channel is about, then move the playlist to position one on your channel homepage. With any luck, new viewers will see it and understand the value of your content.

20. Pay Attention to YouTube’s New Tools and Features

YouTube is constantly updating its platform. In the past two years alone, we got:

YouTube Shorts

an improved video editor

new and returning viewer metrics

All of these tools, if used properly, can help you become a better creator. It’s as if YouTube is constantly whispering, “Here’s a small gift to help you gain more views.” So always test new features to see how/if they'll grow your channel.

Promoting Your Channel to Reach New Viewers

Publishing videos is only half the YouTube journey. Below, you'll learn how to promote content to subscribers and new viewers alike.

21. Post Content on YouTube's Community Tab

YouTube does an excellent job of recommending videos to viewers, but sometimes your channel needs an extra push.

That’s where the YouTube Community tab comes in handy. This social network is available to anyone with 500 or more subscribers.

Read More: YouTube Community Tab - The Underrated Growth Tool You NEED to Use

On the Community tab, you can publish:

text posts

GIFs

polls

images

videos

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The Community tab isn’t for promotion, per se – or at least that’s not how most creators use it. Rather than strictly promoting videos, most people start a conversation with polls and intriguing questions. Months ago, we did an experiment proving that such Community posts lead to more exposure for your channel.

Once you’ve mastered the Community tab, branch out to other areas of social media: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Clubhouse, etc.

22. Collaborate With Other Creators to Reach New Audiences

YouTube collaborations are a goldmine for keeping your channel fresh. When you’re brainstorming ideas alone, it’s easy to hit a wall and feel like there’s nothing worth recording.

But two heads are better than one, as the saying goes. Brainstorming with another creator removes the pressure to have all the answers.

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The real magic happens when you and that creator make a joint video. You essentially get to swap audiences. The other creator introduces their subscribers to you, and you introduce your subscribers to that creator. Before you know it, you’ll have a new group of viewers on your channel.

Read More: YouTube Collabs: 6 Tips for an Awesome Video Project

Don’t team up with just anyone, though. Make sure your collaborator has:

An audience interested in the topics you cover

Great chemistry with you, for the sake of making good content

Enough time to collaborate

Want to find collaborators organically? Join a digital community that represents your niche. That means exploring subreddits, Discord chats, and various Facebook groups. The goal is to find creators you like and admire and build genuine relationships.

Building a Relationship With Subscribers

How close are you and your audience? Building a relationship with viewers is an underrated way to get more views, so follow the tips below make genuine connections.

23. Engage with Your Audience Every Week

YouTube viewers are fickle when it comes to sticking around. But don’t blame them for being a tad distracted. There’s so much to see on YouTube! A viewer could visit 20 channels in five hours and leave without hitting subscribe.

That’s why creators have to build a relationship with viewers.

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Here are a few tips:

Live streams are the best way to engage with your community and create superfans. Use them!

Reply to as many comments as possible. When a viewer shares their thoughts, return the favor.

Post on the YouTube Community tab to connect with viewers.

Send fast responses with vidIQ’s comment templates.

24. Be Consistent

This tip is easy to grasp but hard to put in action.

To get more YouTube views, you should:

Upload regularly.

Maintain the quality of your thumbnails.

And generally, keep doing what we’ve mentioned in earlier sections.

We know that’s easier said than done. But if you want to satisfy your audience (and beat the competition), consistency is required.

Start by getting into a publishing rhythm. This post will help you find the right upload frequency on YouTube.

25. Follow YouTube’s Community Guidelines and Terms of Service

There are rules to starting and growing a YouTube channel. If you don’t follow them, your dream of getting 1 billion views on YouTube will never come true.

According to the platform, it will terminate channels (forever!) that violate specific rules. So following YouTube's rules is a requirement for building a relationship with viewers.

Want to keep your channel in good standing? Start by reading YouTube’s community guidelines. You’ll discover rules around fake engagement, posting violent or dangerous content, and showing illegal or regulated goods.

And one more thing: Don’t do sub4sub. It’s a spammy practice that never works, and it violates YouTube’s terms of service.

Now that you know how get more views, learn everything you can about gaining subscribers.

Here are 10 solid tips to snag your first 1,000.