As the new year arrives, we want to congratulate every creator who stuck beside their channel in 2023. For all of us, this year was full of ups and downs; now it's time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t, prepare for the coming year, and stay ahead of the game. A channel refresh will help you do that and more!
Refreshing your channel doesn’t necessarily mean a complete overhaul of it. It also doesn't imply just keeping up with trends. It's about leveraging the power of YouTube Studio analytics to drive growth in a meaningful way.
But how do you know if your channel needs updating? Here are some signs to watch out for:
The competition is rising on YouTube, so you have to be surgical in your method of getting more views, subscribers, and watch time. In this section, we'll show you how to refresh your channel from the inside out using pure data.
Do you have several videos that are struggling to get clicks? It’s safe to say the current video title isn't working and needs a meaningful update. Maybe it doesn't speak to your viewers' core desires, or perhaps it's lacking the right keywords. Either way, a new and improved title can boost your views, especially if the topic is still relevant.
Read More: 11 Ways to Write Exciting YouTube Titles for Your Videos
When crafting new titles, be sure to:
Similar to refreshing your titles, you might need better thumbnails if people aren't clicking on your videos. The good news is that YouTube is rolling out A/B testing for thumbnails. This means you can test up to three images with different audiences, and use the one that leads to higher watch time.
But not everyone has this tool yet. So, in the meantime, it helps to know the impressions click-through rate on your channel. That could be 4%, 5%, or even a whopping 10%. No matter the percentage, you want to create thumbnails that bring in a much higher CTR, and then add them to low-performing videos.
1. Go to the YouTube Studio, then select Analytics from the navigation menu on the left.
2. Underneath the dashboard showing views, subscribers, watch time, and revenue, click See More.
3. Next to the views by content filter, choose a second filtering option: impressions click-through rate.
4. Change the time period to the last 365 days.
Next, you'll see a list of videos, along with your channel's average CTR at the top. For example, ours is 4.1%.
Now, browse the list of videos, the thumbnails beside them, and their respective CTRs. Which videos are beating the overall CTR for your channel?
Study those thumbnails, then use similar design elements to create new images for underperforming videos.
Building a series of playlists is an easy way to get more views in 2024. So, check your content inventory. Did any videos go viral or gain more views than expected? Consider adding these newer, more popular videos to existing playlists. If you don't have any playlists on your channel, it's time to build some and take your viewers on a binge-worthy adventure.
Read More: How to Grow Your Channel with YouTube Playlists
Do you have a bunch of underperforming videos on your channel? After you've given them new titles and thumbnails, add those videos to some of your existing end screens.
On YouTube, end screens appear in the last 5 to 20 seconds of a video, and you can use them to send viewers to more content on your channel. So, place those underperforming videos on the end screens of your high-performing videos. Just make sure the content you're recommending is relevant and make sense according to what the viewer just watched.
Having done that with one of our videos, we can guarantee it works brilliantly if done correctly.
Read More: YouTube End Screens: How to Make Cool Video Outros
Preparing for YouTube growth isn't just about seeking more views. Sometimes, you only get more views when there's a high level of engagement within your wider community. And what better place to engage your fans than YouTube's own Community Tab?
To make this easy, create a bunch of posts this month and schedule them to release in January. You can post relevant memes for your audience, simple text messages, polls, GIFs, and even videos from your channel. Just be engaging, and always aim to start a conversation. In due time, this will bring a lot of exposure to your channel.
For example, check out this Community Tab post. It got 1.5K likes and produced over 500 comments. That's a lot of attention!
Growing your YouTube channel in 2024 isn't as hard as you think. More than anything, you just need to double down on video ideas that made people subscribe or return to your channel.
Read More: How to Get Subscriber Feedback from a YouTube Analytics Deep Dive
First, go to the Audience Tab in the YouTube Studio, then check the "videos growing your audience" panel. This will show you which videos are prompting viewers to return to your channel and watch more content.
Next, look at videos that brought in the most subscribers:
1. Go to the YouTube Studio.
2. Click Analytics in the left navigation menu.
3. Click See More, which is below the YouTube dashboard showing monthly views, subscribers, revenue, and watch time.
4. Select Subscribers Gained in the first filter box.
5. See which videos attracted the most subscribers. Use those successful content buckets and storytelling formats to get more views in 2024.
Most creators want to know which video topics to post on their channel, but have you thought about content types? There's a panel in the YouTube Studio, "viewers across formats", that shows the percentage of viewers watching your Shorts, livestreams, and long-form videos.
Go the Analytics section, then navigate to the Content Tab to see your viewership. This will help you decide which formats are worth pursuing in 2024.
Now that you have better titles, thumbnails, playlists, and an overall awareness of your best content, you can plan stunning videos for 2024. Start brainstorming ideas, using keyword research as your foundation.
Alternatively, our AI Coach can offer more support. It plugs right into your channel, and uses your performance history to suggest video ideas and effective YouTube strategies. Sign up for vidIQ to get started!
Sometimes, it's hard to move past the failures you face during content creation. But December is a time to reflect on everything that happened and seek every possible lesson to help you move forward. The content space will only get bigger and better in the following years, with YouTube’s brand value estimated to be around a whopping 29.71 billion USD right now.
So, capitalize on the opportunity! Use resources from this blog and the vidIQ channel to reach your goals.
Speaking of YouTube growth, here's how to grow your channel in 2024!
In addition to being an avid movie and gaming enthusiast, Uttaran Samaddar is an experienced writer who has lent his creativity and unique perspective to various publications. He loves hearing and telling stories.
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