Now over 20-years old, YouTube is one of the oldest – and most feature-filled – social media sites … even though many artists still don’t think of using it to promote their music in the same way they would use Instagram or TikTok. So … why are so many artists still in the dark about all they can do on this platform?

One of the biggest mistakes we see musicians make on YouTube is focusing on amassing a huge number of video views instead of encouraging fan engagement and channel subscriptions. (Actually, this mistake is second, after “spending thousands … or hundreds of thousands of dollars on a slick video and being surprised when it doesn’t go viral just because they put it up on their channel with no long-term plan for promoting it.”)

Reality check: Collectively, YouTube users watch five billion videos per day, and each viewer sticks around for about 19 minutes per visit to the platform. Also, more than 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, which translates to 30,000 hours of new content per hour and 720,000 hours of new content per day. As people’s attention continues to be pulled in every direction from “Unlikely Animal Friends Supercut Compiulation #5,000,000” to the 11-millionth “Wonderwall” cover, the quality of the engagement with your content is becoming far more important than the number of views or “likes” you have, not only on YouTube but on every other social platform.

Below is an introductory summary of best practices for building a search-friendly, robust YouTube channel that will help you organically grow an audience of engaged fans. These are by no means all you can do … but they will help you develop steady habits that can lead to success on the platform.

Verify your YouTube account. Many artists start a YouTube channel from their personal account, so they are not necessarily automatically set up to become creators on the platform. Make sure that you verify your channel so you have access to as many features as possible while you are growing your channel. Verifying your account allows you to upload videos longer than 15 minutes (great for posting abbreviated live sets!), add custom thumbnails to your videos, livestream and appeal Content ID claims/copyright issues. Learn more HERE.

Encourage subscribers and favorites by helping them help you. Ask people (nicely and in a way that reflects your specific personality) to subscribe your channel and also “favorite” the videos they like. Also, make sure your directives in posts about your channel on Facebook and other platforms are clear and include the actual word “subscribe.” With free image-and-file-hosting sites like GIPHY that help you make eye-catching animated graphics with minimal design skills, showing people where and how to push the many “follow,” “subscribe,” “favorite,” “love” and “like” buttons they see online, giving instructions in creative ways is even easier and will add a special touch.

Respond to comments. Fans of your work love it when you pay attention to them, no matter where you are in your career. It’s unnecessary to sit at your computer all day writing gushing love letters, but pick a few comments every now and then and leave some thoughtful responses. (Though if you can, resist feeding the trolls!) Sometimes, even just hitting the “love” button in the comments section for videos can go a long way to making fans feel appreciated.

Use the YouTube “Shorts” Feature. YouTube has had “Shorts” – a feature similar to Reels and TikTok that allows artists to post video clips that are up to three-minutes long in vertical/1920 x 1080 format – for several years now … but some artists are still not using it. Every artist should be posting quality “shorts” regularly … including live video. Note that “quality” does not mean “expensive”/“imagined, written, directed and filmed by Steven Spielberg.” Get started by posting a few new pieces of thoughtful content weekly that highlight what you are working on, what you have released, or a recent live performance. Post a quick animation featuring some of your merch with your latest song in the background, a quick clip with lyrics, or whatever you’re excited about sharing. Even just a few minutes of you working out a new song or doing an impromptu live set somewhere with decent lighting and sound filmed with your or a friend’s steady phone camera will keep subscribers interested and excited for more. Live videos are critical, as they convey your performance energy/give people an idea of exactly what to expect at a show … which for artists can eventually become a key source of revenue that is far more important than those .0003-.0005 cents dripping in from Spotify. And any time you can tag one of your songs on YouTube Music will help direct fans to your catalog and keep everything fresh, even if all your songs are not so fresh anymore. Also make sure to add “related videos” from your video library (shorts and long form videos are both fair game!) each time you post so fans and potential fans are encouraged to keep watching your content.

Subscribe to other bands and artists you love or want to collaborate with. Subscribe to some bands and artists in your genre and style and share fans … and personally reach out to others who might want to collaborate on shows or co-writing. Comment on their videos, put their videos on a playlist on your channel, engage! Start locally/with people you actually know, then branch out as you go/grow. Resist planting comments with links to your music or videos, as this can come across as “thirsty” … and can be off-putting to potential fans and the artist.

Make use of Meta Data. Dive into the advanced features when uploading and optimizing your videos. For example, use the “tags” feature on YouTube to both organize your videos within your channel and make your videos more searchable. Add tags related to your name, genre, song title … and more!

Add cards and end screens to your top videos. Cards/end screens have been around since 2019, and they are a valuable way to encourage fans to click through to information about latest releases, tours,  merch and more. Providing a “Call to Action” on YouTube (and any other channel!) is important as it encourages your fans to watch more videos, listen to more music, learn more about you and actively invest in your career. Add cards to your Top 10 (or Top 5, Top 2, if you’re just starting out) most-watched videos to give fans more easy opportunities to visit your website, Spotify channel, online store, Bandsintown page and other places where they can get to know you and love you … and buy music, products and tickets. More details HERE.

Build Your YouTube Community. YouTube’s “Community” tab is available to everyone, and is a rolling news feed that allows you to post regular content to engage with your community and encourage comments and interaction between fans. You can post links to past videos on your channel, gifs, status message updates, photos, website links, links to tour dates and more. Adding it in to your posting routine – even if you are just copying content and messaging going up on your other channel – helps expand your reach and further connect all your efforts across platforms. Read more HERE.

YouTube Premieres and Instant Premieres. YouTube Premieres and Instant Premieres are another great way to keep audiences glued to your channel … and encourage them to share their love of your music. This feature lets you and your fans experience brand-new content together and create a buzzy “red carpet” atmosphere around your most polished or important content, such as official music videos, lyric videos or band EPKs. A shareable watch page counts down to the official premiere date and time in the days prior and allows fans to discuss their excitement with each other and you in real time. You can also do an “Instant Premiere” if you want to surprise your subscribers with something special and exciting delivered to them in the moment. More details HERE.

Some of the above features may be a little fancier than you’re comfortable with … but you really don’t need to be a viral sensation in order to build a compelling YouTube channel that will convey personality, showcase your art and generate the kind of slow, steady burn that keep fans excited and coming back for more. Use some or all of the above ideas to explore some new avenues and expand your reach … and as always, reach out to us for help if you need extra support managing YouTube or any aspect of your online marketing strategy. We know better than anyone how much there is to keep track of and how quickly everything changes … and we’re here to help you navigate the music world so you can focus on your most important job: making music!