There are many ways to get more views on YouTube, but researching your audience is the most underrated. After all, you can only chase viral trends for so long. Eventually, viewers will need a deeper reason to stay on your channel, like getting a problem solved or enjoying your personality.

We’ll show you how to build that foundation in six powerful steps. This article will teach you how to research your viewers, create a persona to understand them better, and use that information to sharpen your YouTube strategy. Best of all, we’ll do it using 

 is the best place to learn more about your viewers, subscribers, and non-subscribers alike. It has almost everything you need to know, from viewer demographics to the type of videos your audience is watching.

Here’s how to find the YouTube Audience tab:

Analytics option on YouTube Studio navigation bar

Now you’re in YouTube Wonderland, aka Channel Analytics. This page has a dashboard that shows your channel's unique viewers, subscribers gained over time, and how many new viewers return to your channel.

Below that is a series of panels with even more insights, but more on that later.

Building a Persona for Your YouTube Audience

 is a fictional character that represents your most engaged fans, and it’s one of the best ways to understand your target audience. With a persona, you’ll create a snapshot of your viewers and why they take specific actions on your YouTube

Ideally, you’ll give this persona a name — Jack, Amanda, Bill, or something else. Then you’ll create a story for your character. This short narrative (around 200 words) summarizes your main viewer, from the videos they watch on YouTube to where they live. This becomes a guiding light you can reference later, especially when deciding which videos to make.

The Audience tab and all of its data will help you build an accurate persona. So let's explore it in detail, and give you the tools to develop a content strategy and make successful YouTube videos.

If you want to know your viewers better, always start with the basics:

When they’re on YouTube (days and times)

This will help you build the foundation of your audience persona. Knowing their age, gender, where they live, and more brings context to their YouTube behavior.

Which videos do your viewers watch when they’re not on your channel? This question is important because they interact with other creators’ content too — not just yours. To truly understand why they’re on YouTube, you need a broad understanding of what they do on the platform.

You’ll find this data on two panels within the Audience tab:

A list of other channels and videos vidIQ viewers watch

Here, you’ll learn which topics your viewers follow on YouTube and who your competitors are. It also answers a gigantic question: 

3. New vs. Returning Viewers to Your Channel

“New viewers” is a pretty straightforward metric, but what does 

 mean on YouTube? Overall, it’s the number of viewers who have visited your channel before 

, the breakdown of new versus returning viewers on your channel indicates your audience's loyalty.

If you have more new viewers than returning viewers

“This indicates that viewers may watch some of your videos but are less likely to return to watch more. It’s common to see this trend among channels that upload videos about different topics, which attract different types of viewers, or 'how-to' channels, where viewers watch a video to learn how to do something but aren’t likely to return to watch more.”

If more people are “returning” to your channel versus discovering it

“This indicates that a channel has a loyal audience who is likely to return to watch more. It’s common to see this trend among channels that upload consistent content about similar topics or in a familiar format, channels with consistent hosts such as familiar faces and personalities that viewers grow to love, or channels that create popular series to keep viewers coming back for more.”

Depending on what you find, it may be wiser to target new viewers (if your channel is stagnant) or aim for loyalty (if you’re new to YouTube).

4. Videos That Bring Viewers Back to Your Channel

Now that you’re familiar with new versus returning viewers, let’s take it a step further. Which videos inspire people to return to your channel?

A list of videos bringing return viewers to the vidIQ channel

Study this panel closely, and you’ll learn which videos turn new viewers into repeat viewers!

You probably know that most YouTube viewers don’t hit subscribe right away. There’s a little dance at first, where creators have to “prove themselves” by posting good videos, and viewers have to decide if the channel is right for them. Depending on the audience, you could end up “dancing” for months.

But you can end this tango by discovering which videos bring in the most subscribers. You won’t see this on the Audience tab, though, so here’s how to navigate there:

 below the YouTube dashboard showing monthly views, subscribers, revenue, and watch time.

4. See which videos attract the most subscribers. Write those ideas down because you’ll need them later!

top videos bringing in subscribers on the vidIQ channel

Lastly, check the Audience tab to see which videos get the highest watch time on your channel. 

 is the total amount of time people spend watching your content, both on your channel and individual videos.

Like the previous metric, you won’t find this information on the Audience tab. So here’s how to get it:

3. Next, you'll see a list of videos and the watch time they accumulated, starting with the highest amount. You can filter data by the last week, month, 90 days, year, or since the beginning of your channel. Be sure to write these videos down (perhaps the top 10).

Putting it All Together: How to Build a Persona for Your Audience

By this point, you should know a few things about your audience:

How many are new versus returning viewers

The type of videos they watch, in general

Which videos make them return to your channel

Which videos hold their attention (watch time)

After completing the exercise above, here’s a basic persona we could build for the vidIQ channel:

Matt is a 24-year-old male who lives in the United States. He likes to watch channels like Film Booth, VEED Creators, Creator Booth, and Channel Makers, which means his main goal is to grow a YouTube channel. He’s interested in several topics, like how to start a faceless YouTube channel, get more YouTube Shorts views, and grow his subscribers. That’s the type of content he watches, and he typically does that on Sundays between 7 a.m. and noon.

Matt is a loyal viewer of the channel. He often returns to watch videos about monetizing a YouTube channel, achieving 4,000 watch hours, avoiding the biggest YouTuber mistakes, and growing as a small creator. To make Matt subscribe, I usually have to post videos targeted to small creators.

Steps to Take After Building Your Persona

The next step is creating videos that appeal to the needs of that persona, plus using 

 that signal their deepest desires. On our channel, those phrases seem to be “small channels,” “4,000 watch hours,” and “get 1,000 subscribers.”

You should also take new versus returning viewer data into account. If you have an overwhelming amount of new viewers, maybe it’s time to “niche down” and post what they’re 

 interested in to build loyalty. If they’re loyal already, perhaps it’s time to experiment with other topics to reach a new yet similar audience.

When you’re ready, here’s how to test a video idea before you start filming.

A group of people watching a youtube video

Diverse group of young adults looking at a smartphone together in a casual setting

Want to get more views on YouTube? Create a persona for your audience, then use it as a guide for making relevant videos they can’t ignore.

Understanding YouTube Viewers: 6 Steps to Build an Audience Persona

 is never easy, but fortunately, you don't have to do this alone. On YouTube, everyone is pulling inspiration from each other. If one creator goes viral with a video title, thousands more will remix the same idea.

And that’s what title expert Jake Thomas has been studying for years. He looks at the most successful video titles on YouTube and shares those insights in his weekly newsletter, 

In this article, we’ll share the high-performing titles that Jake has discovered, plus a few others that get massive clicks on YouTube. Watch this video to hear his insights, or keep reading for the complete list of titles!

Adding “stop this” to your title is an easy way to 

take your video from “meh” to mesmerizing

. After all, viewers are bound to be curious when a video claims they’re doing something 

Just imagine it: You’ve been cooking eggs on the stove your entire life, and now YouTube is suggesting a video titled “Stop Making Eggs on The Stove.” It’s enough to make you question your whole life! Now you’re thinking, 

That sense of curiosity is why people click on a YouTube video. For example, fitness channel 

 on a video titled “Stop Doing 100 Pushups a Day. I’m Begging You!”

Millions of people want to improve their daily habits, whether that’s exercising, being productive, or detoxing from social media. That’s why titles promising a clear solution get clicked on more often; viewers are looking for tips they can use right now!

, a productivity creator, used strategy to write a title for her most popular video yet. It’s called “4 One-Minute Habits That Save Me 20+ Hours a Week.” It has over 

“This video targets a huge, broad audience. Everyone wants to save 20 hours a week. Also, the timeframe of one-minute habits makes this video way more enticing,” Jake says.

According to Jake, this title achieves two things at once. It provides quick tips (one-minute habits) and says why the video is beneficial (save 20+ hours a week). That’s a powerful pitch!

3. “This Will Change Your Life Forever.”

Titles that promise life-changing results cause viewers to dream bigger, fantasize deeper, and imagine more clearly. They create a sense of hope so strong that millions of people watch the video.

3 Secrets for Writing Click-Worthy YouTube Titles

“I used this framework in an A/B test recently,“ Jake says. “Title A was ‘This Will Have a Huge Impact on Your Mix - Excite Audio LifeLine Console.’ Title B was ‘This Plugin Will Change the Way You Mix Forever,’ and that 

But it’s not just the idea of changing one’s life that people love; it’s the idea of change in general.

That’s why a channel like BassFishingHQ can get over 

This Study Changes Everything We Know About Bass Fishing

This YouTube title plays on a viewer’s fear and curiosity at the same time. Implying that someone should 

 do a specific task or refrain from some behaviors is pretty controversial! Most people will either click on the video to see if it’s talking about them or click to start a debate in the comment section.

Controversy aside, this title gets massive views on YouTube. One example is “20 Halloween Candies You Should Never Eat” from a channel called 

People love experiments on YouTube because they learn something new without going through a full, all-encompassing experience. Think of it like 

Pairing this idea with the title “I Tried…and This Happened” allows you to introduce a challenge, connect it to a core desire, and get people excited about the outcome.

One example is “I Tried YouTube Automation For 150 Days (Channel Exploded)” from 

. This title introduces the challenge of automating a YouTube channel, from hiring voice actors to thumbnail designers. It targets the popular goal of making money on YouTube, and claiming that the “channel exploded” gets people excited to watch the video.

6. How to… [Insert Task] in… [Insert Timeframe]...

Imagine writing a title that promises to:

Remove the biggest obstacle on their path.

Help them do 1 and 2 in a short amount of time.

That’s how viewers feel when they see the “how to do something” + “how long it takes” formula. It addresses a problem they have while promising a solution that works quickly.

"What’s interesting about [these titles] is that their videos can get views from browse features, suggested videos, and also, they can help you rank in YouTube search,” Jake says.

One example is “Become a Better Reader in 8 Minutes” by 

. Many people want to read faster, but how many videos promise to do that in eight minutes? Not many! That’s why it has over 

Secrets are bound to draw eyeballs. They make people feel excluded, and that triggers a healthy dose of FOMO (fear of missing out).

. You only need six words to get the ball rolling, and those are “what no one tells you about.”

To see this in action, check out “The Best Relationship Advice No One Ever Told You” by 

What No One Tells You About Writing Video Titles

See what we did there? We used the previous tip to make you read this section. 🙂

 things no one tells you about writing video titles. The biggest one is that you don’t even have to write them. Once you’ve chosen your title format, let our 

 do the heavy lifting, then head over to our 

Here are some examples of using AI for writing catchy titles.

Man in casual wear sitting on sofa surprised by smartphone screen content indoors

Want to write better YouTube titles? These 7 ideas are proven to get you more clicks, from the "stop doing this" formula to the “change your life” strategy.

7 Types of YouTube Video Titles That Get Massive Clicks

Earning 4,000 hours of Watch Time is the dream for most creators, but it isn’t easy. Gaining 100 hours, sure. But thousands? That’ll test your determination to keep going on YouTube. Essentially, you have to post multiple videos and hope people watch them for long enough.

But once you have 4,000 hours, everything gets easier. You’ll be one step closer to applying to the YouTube Partner Program, which lets you monetize your channel with advertisements. Having those valuable hours allows you to focus on other things, too, like 

. That’s the second  requirement for earning ad revenue.

YouTube Partner Program – How to Monetize Your Channel

When you’re collecting watch time hours, it’s easy to overlook certain parts of the process. The biggest, most understated part, is that 

These 5 Videos Aren’t Eligible for YPP Watch Time

Before you start earning watch time, know which videos are in your best interest to create. There are five videos that make it hard — in most cases, impossible — to reach 4,000 hours.

Years ago, private and unlisted videos counted toward YPP watch time. 

 when YouTube decided that public videos, not partially viewable content, could accumulate watch hours.

prioritize public videos over private or unlisted ones.

 Unlisted videos can only be watched if certain people have the link. This privacy option benefits creators with specific content plans. They may want to send videos to friends and family or create a webinar for a limited audience.

But if you’re trying to monetize your channel, unlisted and private videos aren’t helpful. Make sure videos that need to be public are, in fact, set to public. That’ll help you reach 4,000 hours and apply to the YPP.

How to set private or unlisted videos to public on YouTube

YouTube Studio option is below the Your Channel option

Content option is below the Dashboard option

3. Find the video you want to make public, then go to the 

 column. Click the eyeball symbol to reveal a menu of options: private, unlisted, members only, and public. Choose 

 from your total count. For example, imagine your channel has 2,000 watch hours. If you delete a video that contributed 500 of those hours, you’ll be left with 1,500. Before you delete anything, check to see how many watch hours your content has earned.

Sometimes deleting a video is inevitable. Maybe you’ve grown as a person since it was first published and want to clean up your image. Or perhaps someone appeared in your video without prior consent, and they want you to take it down. Whatever the reason, make sure it’s worth deleting a video and losing precious watch hours.

Have you created video ads for YouTube? If you were hoping these would help you apply to the YPP, unfortunately, they won’t. Watch hours from advertising campaigns don’t count toward YouTube monetization. Even if you’ve earned 10,000 hours, none of it will go toward the 4,000 hours you need.

This seems fair because ads can get millions of views. If YouTube counts them for YPP acceptance, that’ll create a shortcut to monetization.

 contribute to a creator’s 4,000-hour goal, so rely on long-form videos when you're racking up those hours!

Live streams are a great way to increase your watch time. These videos are usually lengthy, and if people stick around until the end, you can add several hours to your overall count.

According to YouTube, live streams that aren’t converted to video-on-demand content won’t earn YPP watch hours. The information around this is pretty vague, so we'd suggest making sure your live streams are public when they've ended. Don't archive a live stream by setting it to unlisted or private. 

Just to be sure, we asked YouTube if this advice made sense for creators. 

We didn't get a straightforward answer, but creators chimed in with their personal experience. A few of them said they earn watch time both during and after a live stream, which includes video-on-demand viewing.

Whether these hours were recorded for YPP watch time is another story. That's why, as soon as possible, we'd recommend checking to see if your live stream is public after it ends. If it's unlisted or private, switch it to public.

How to Get 4,000 Hours of YouTube Watch Time

To reach 4,000 hours of watch time, create a diverse set of content. Be intentional with the videos you upload, and go for quality over quantity. Once you've covered those areas, the six tips above will help you maximize your watch hours.

Make Money on YouTube – How to Get 4000 Hours Watch Time

But don’t stop there. Your next goal should be applying to the YPP, which you can learn how to do 

A phone showing the YouTube logo while positioned next to money

Close-up of YouTube app on smartphone screen with US dollar bills background.

You need 4,000 hours of watch time to monetize your YouTube channel with ads. But did you know these 5 videos will slow you down?

YouTube Monetization: Which Videos Count Toward 4,000 Hours of Watch Time?

Growing a YouTube channel is a tricky task. When you're just starting out, the main goal is attracting enough viewers so you can eventually turn them into subscribers. After that, it's a constant game of retention, where you do everything in your power to 

 loses subscribers sometimes? A slight decrease is normal, especially when YouTube deletes bot accounts or people age out of your community. But overall, you want your audience to keep growing as you chase other goals, like 

So how do you keep your subscriber count high on YouTube? It boils down to one secret:

, you need more than action-packed videos. You have to build a community!

Online Communities: What the Research Says

, Hubspot asked more than 1,000 people why they joined online communities. Unsurprisingly, the top reasons were to have fun, share common interests, and stay connected with others — the same goals people have when hanging out in person.

But that’s just one part of the equation. To keep growing, a community needs its members to show up repeatedly, engage with others, and inspire more connection. So what makes people commit to those behaviors?

According to the same report, community members reported 

Meeting people with similar interests (29%)

This explains why some people don't just join communities; they become active, long-term members.

A graph showing the 7 benefits of online communities

So what does this mean if you’re growing a YouTube channel?

. They’re looking for safe spaces to have fun, share common interests, and develop a sense of belonging — even on video-sharing sites.

: Entertainment + community building = new subscribers gained and old ones retained.

Step 1: How to Grow Your YouTube Community

Where do subscribers come from? Which creators are they drawn to? You’ll find the answers you need in three powerful habits.

1. Start with a Passion, Hobby, or Interest

From the research above, we know people join communities to learn something new or find inspiration. That’s why you should 

 focused on your passion or a strong hobby. Then you can attract like-minded viewers who are more likely to subscribe to your channel.

Plus, it’s much easier to talk about what you know. You can make videos quickly and are less likely to give up on something you're passionate about.

No matter what kind of channel you make, be your raw, authentic self. That doesn’t mean you have to overshare with viewers or let strangers into your life. But you should open up to people about the topics you care about while showing your personality.

Don’t be afraid to get emotional, either. A 

 found that movie-goers paid more attention to emotional scenes connecting them to the human experience (sad, happy, humorous, etc.).

. As viewers get to know you, it becomes easier for them to get to know each other!

You never know what’s going to take off on YouTube. That’s why experimenting is so important, whether you’re trying out 

And fortunately, you have many to choose from. There are pranks, vlogs, tutorials, Q&As, reaction videos, and even YouTube challenges. When you find a concept that gives you more views repeatedly, stick to it!

Step 2: How to Keep the Subscribers You’ve Gained

Based on the research above, encouraging people to return to your channel boils down to 

. This goes beyond the typical advice of “make videos people want to see.” While that’s undoubtedly a part of it, people seek intimate communities where they can keep the fun alive.

1. Make Your Viewers a Part of the Creation Process

You may have started a YouTube channel to express yourself, but ultimately, you create videos for an audience. Including them in the video creation process is an excellent way to gain their trust.

Polling viewers about which video you should make next

Filming a Q&A where you shout out each person before answering their question

Highlighting supportive YouTube comments at the end of your video

These actions make people feel seen and celebrated. You’re helping them connect with you (and each other) by simply acknowledging their presence!

 people leave under your videos. It keeps people engaged, and seeing your replies may inspire other people to leave more comments. All you have to do is lead the way by being social first!

3. Create Gathering Spaces for Your Subscribers

Technically, YouTube is already a gathering space. But sometimes you need a more intimate setup. 

You can go the extra mile by hosting weekly 

 or chatting with viewers on the Community tab. If that goes well, experiment with members-only spaces outside of YouTube, like a Discord server, Facebook group, or Patreon. Providing a dedicated space helps people connect faster!

4. Grow with Your Audience Through the Years

As time passes, your audience will grow older and wiser. They may not be the same teenagers you started a YouTube journey with five years ago, so pay attention to their growth.

Did their aspirations change? Do they still care about the same things? Are you noticing comments that say, “No more pranks?” If so, it may be time for a shift.

Lastly, you can’t have an engaged YouTube community without showing up consistently. It’s easy to lose subscribers by not having an 

 or disappearing for long periods, especially without saying goodbye. Keep showing up for your audience, and they’ll show up for you!

Woman live streaming with microphone, headphones, and social media heart icons.

What's the secret to getting more subscribers, and how do you encourage them to stick around long-term? Keep reading to find out!

The Secret Formula for Gaining and Retaining YouTube Subscribers

Do you have writer’s block when it comes to 

? It may not seem like it, but you’re not the only one feeling this way. Many creators struggle to find words that both describe their content and encourage people to watch it.

Want some pointers? Instead of writing from scratch, find ways to 

 video title, so that’s a great place to start. This powerful tool uses artificial intelligence to take your titles from bland to brilliant, or perhaps even mundane to marvelous.

Bottom line? You can learn a lot by watching how it works. So here are four ways to write better YouTube titles, according to our AI Coach.

What do viewers want to achieve? That’s one of the first questions to ask when writing YouTube titles. Are they trying to lose weight? Do they want a big promotion that comes with a higher salary?

. If it’s a specific number, like “lose 30 pounds in 30 days,” say that. If it’s an idea, like “change your perspective to make new friends,” say that!

Let’s look at an example from our AI Coach. Someone asked it to fix a simple title: “How to Monetize Your Videos Without Showing Your Face.”

The AI Coach didn’t make many edits. But it spiced things up by replying, “How to Make $1,000 a Month on YouTube Without Showing Your Face.”

Here’s why the AI Coach recommended that title:

It’s more descriptive, which helps viewers understand the video.

It targets a widespread desire (making money on YouTube).

AI Coach explains why it suggested a video title

What makes a good video title on YouTube? That's what hundreds of creators asked our AI Coach, and it shared some of the best advice we’ve ever seen.

Lydia Sweatt

Posts Written By Lydia Sweatt

Understanding YouTube Viewers: 6 Steps to Build an Audience Persona

7 Types of YouTube Video Titles That Get Massive Clicks

YouTube Monetization: Which Videos Count Toward 4,000 Hours of Watch Time?

The Secret Formula for Gaining and Retaining YouTube Subscribers

Ask an AI Coach: 4 Ways to Spice Up Your YouTube Video Titles

From Weird to Charming: 10 Unique YouTube Channel Ideas That Actually Worked

How to Grow Your YouTube Channel in 2025: The Ultimate Guide

Ask an AI Coach: 19 Popular Questions (and Answers) About Growing on YouTube

No More Scrambling: How to Craft a Foolproof YouTube Upload Schedule

4 Common YouTube Mistakes (and How to Fix Them for Good)

YouTube SEO: How to Optimize Your Videos for Maximum Views

9 Video Ideas to Go Viral with YouTube Shorts