In this article, we won’t be answering your YouTube questions — not that we don’t want to 😉! 

It’s just that this time, we’re letting our 

 take the lead. This is one of our newer YouTube tools, and it exists primarily to answer all of your questions about growing a channel. It can also fix your video titles, write short video scripts, and help you flesh out your content strategy. All you have to do is ask!

The vidIQ AI Coach shares 5 video ideas in response to a creator asking for them

So what are people asking our AI Coach? What questions (and answers) can you expect from a machine that “lives” to help you 

. We’ll show you the most popular questions asked by creators and how our AI Coach responded. You’re about to learn 

1. “What type of YouTube channel should I create?”

 The type of channel you should create depends on what you're passionate about and what content you will enjoy creating and sharing. Think about what topics you're interested in and would enjoy learning more about or talking about. 

Additionally, consider what type of content you would like to make and what value it can give to your audience. Once you have an idea about the focus of your channel, consider the types of content you can create, like tutorials, reviews, interviews, vlogs, tips & tricks, and how-to videos.

How to Choose the Best Niche for Your YouTube Channel

2. “Should I cover multiple topics on one channel or explore each topic on separate channels?”

 That's an interesting question! It really depends on what your overall goal is. For example, if your goal is to grow a broad audience and have a variety of topics covered in your content, then it may help to cover multiple niche markets in one channel. If you want to focus on a specific market and build a strong brand presence, then creating branded channels for your content might be the better route.

Having a separate channel gives you the opportunity to create a clear brand identity and focus on the niche audience you are catering to. Additionally, you can use cross-promotion to draw viewers from one channel to the other and vice versa. However, it will be up to you to experiment and see which strategy works best for your channel.

3. “What are YouTube keywords? Why do I need them?”

YouTube keywords are words and phrases related to your content that viewers are using to find your videos. It's important to find the right keywords and to include them throughout your video titles, descriptions, tags, and other metadata so that your videos show up in the right searches.

How to Find YouTube Keywords that Grow Your Channel

4. “Do keywords matter for YouTube Shorts?”

 Absolutely. Just like any other type of video, keywords play an important role in YouTube Shorts discovery. Optimizing your keywords will make sure that your videos appear in the right search results, allowing you to reach more viewers and build your channel. To get the most out of keywords, choose ones that are related to the topic of your video and use them throughout the video title, description, and tags.

5. “Tell me some tricks about the YouTube algorithm?”

 A few tips on understanding the YouTube algorithm:

Likes, comments, and views are the three most important signals for the algorithm to decide which videos to prioritize.

Content that is generated almost daily, or at least on a regular basis, will help create a schedule for subscribers, which the algorithm will recognize.

Watch time is also a major factor. The longer a user stays on your video, the more it will be shown in the future, so make sure to keep your viewers engaged.

Interacting with other creators will help create more exposure for your channel as well.

Check your video analytics to get an understanding of how your content is performing so you can adjust and optimize your strategy.

5 Secrets You Didn’t Know About the YouTube Algorithm

6. “My videos used to get thousands of views and now they don't. Why?”

 It's possible that your videos no longer get thousands of views because the landscape of YouTube has changed. Over time, YouTube's algorithms have become increasingly sophisticated, meaning that viewers are now seeing more personalized recommendations based on their interests and past viewing history.

In order to increase the number of views your videos are getting, it's important to stay on top of trends and create content that is relevant to what's popular right now. Additionally, optimizing your titles, thumbnails, descriptions, and tags can help ensure that your videos are being recommended to the right viewers.

How to Grow Your YouTube Channel - The Ultimate Guide

7. "Will I get more views by uploading more videos?"

: Absolutely! Creating regularly scheduled videos can help you gain more reach by providing consistent content for viewers, which can increase your subscribers. It will also help you maximize your discoverability on YouTube, as the algorithm favors channels that upload frequently and have a large selection of videos.

Additionally, creating regularly scheduled videos will help you build an audience since viewers will know when to expect your content.

8. “How do I make my YouTube Shorts go viral?”

 To make a YouTube Short go viral, you need to focus on creating a video that is engaging and attention-grabbing for viewers. Make sure you start your video with an interesting hook that will make viewers want to watch more. Optimize your video by using the right keywords in your title and description so viewers can easily find it. Share your video on other social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, and also consider 

Finally, create a compelling thumbnail that will draw people in and engage with your audience as much as possible.

How to Get More YouTube Shorts Views on Your Channel

9. “What kind of YouTube Shorts can I create in 10 minutes?”

 Here are a few ideas for YouTube Shorts content that you can do in 10 minutes:

How-To Tutorial: Film yourself demonstrating something simple, such as creating a pizza from scratch or stitching a button.

Q&A: Ask your viewers questions, then film yourself answering them.

Documentary: Tell a short story in a short documentary format.

Short Film: Shoot a short film that is creative, funny, or uses different types of effects.

Unboxing: Unbox something new, then review it and let your viewers know what you think.

9 Video Ideas to Go Viral with YouTube Shorts

10. “I want to monetize my channel with either Shorts or long-form videos. Which requirement is easier to satisfy for the YouTube Partner Program: 10 million Shorts views or 4,000 watch hours?”

 In terms of difficulty, 10 million Shorts views is generally easier to achieve than 4,000 watch hours. To reach 10 million Shorts views, you'll need to create content that is short and engaging, with a focus on optimizing for algorithms and trends. Whereas for 4,000 watch hours, you'll need to produce more longer-form content that is watched for longer periods of time by your audience. This requires more strategic planning and creative ideas to keep viewers engaged.

YouTube Shorts Monetization - How to Profit from Short Videos

11. “What is the best time to upload a YouTube video?”

 The best time to upload a video is going to depend on your target audience and the type of video you're producing. Generally, the most successful YouTube videos are uploaded during peak hours for your target demographic and time zone.

It's also important to take into account which day of the week the video will be posted, as certain days tend to generate more viewings.

Finally, the topic of the video should be taken into consideration when determining the best time to upload. For example, if you're creating content related to current events, it would be more beneficial to post the video when that topic is trending.

How to Craft a Foolproof YouTube Upload Schedule

12. “How can I reach more subscribers on my YouTube channel?”

 As with any online platform, having a strong foundation is key to success, and YouTube is no different. Here are some tips to help you reach more subscribers on YouTube:

Use high-quality thumbnails that grab the attention of viewers.

Have a consistently branded profile or channel.

Optimize your titles, descriptions, and tags for search engine optimization (SEO).

Leverage social media to drive engagement and increase your subscriber base.

Use analytics to measure your progress and refine your tactics.

Sponsor other content creators and collaborate with others in your niche.

Respond to comments and interact with viewers.

Engage with the YouTube community and participate in trends.

Promote your YouTube content in forums, on websites, and in other online communities.

Offer viewers incentives to subscribe, such as exclusive content or giveaways.

13. “What is the optimal video length?”

The optimal video length really depends on the content that you want to share and the goal you have for your channel. Generally, you'll want to keep your videos around five minutes or less so that viewers won't lose interest. However, if you're creating a video series or a tutorial, then you'll want to create longer videos that cover all the necessary information.

14. “How do I get more impressions on each video so more people see my content?”

Getting impressions on your YouTube channel is all about optimizing your videos for discoverability and visibility. To do that, you need to create a good title and thumbnail for each video, which should grab attention and encourage people to click.

You also need to make sure the keywords you use in your titles and descriptions are relevant to your content and help YouTube's algorithm find your videos in search. Additionally, consider connecting with other creators in your niche and building relationships with potential viewers. This will help get your videos seen by more people and boost your impressions.

YouTube SEO - How to Optimize Your Videos for Maximum Views

15. “My titles and thumbnails are really good, but my YouTube videos aren't doing well. Why won’t the algorithm promote my content?”

I understand how frustrating it can be when your videos don't seem to be performing as well as you'd like, even when you know your 

 are good. This could be due to a variety of factors, from not optimizing your content for the algorithm to not having enough engaging content.

I recommend taking a look at your videos and asking yourself if there is anything that could be improved. It could be something like creating more engaging content, optimizing for the algorithm, or even just creating better thumbnails and titles. If you need more help, you can always reach out to me and I'll be happy to help!

16. “How can I encourage people to watch my videos for longer?”

Great question. Retention is key to successful growth on YouTube, so it's worth investing some time in this. One of the best ways to increase retention is to create content that is relevant and engaging to your target audience.

You can also optimize existing videos, add intro “hooks” to keep viewers engaged, create playlists to keep viewers watching, use annotations or cards to push viewers to other related videos, etc.

5 Ways to Increase YouTube Watch Time on Any Video

17. “Where is the best place to ask people to subscribe within my videos?”

The best and most effective place to ask viewers to subscribe is at the end of your videos, preferably on an end screen. A call to action, such as, "If you enjoyed this video, please don't forget to hit the subscribe button and join our family" or "If you liked what you saw, please subscribe to join us," can be added to the end screen of your videos.

It’s also a good idea to add a subscribe link in the description box of your videos so that it is easily accessible to viewers who might not see the end screen.

There are many ways to promote your YouTube channel, so it can be a bit overwhelming to decide which ones to focus on. Here are the main strategies I recommend for promoting your channel:

Leverage other social platforms: Share your videos on other platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

Create a message for your brand: Make sure that your content aligns with the message you want to convey about your channel.

Network with other YouTubers: Connect with other creators in the same niche and collaborate with each other.

Advertise your channel: Invest in paid advertising like Google Ads or Facebook Ads to reach a larger audience.

Promote Your YouTube Channel - 17 Tips for Small Creators

Auditing your YouTube content is an essential part of having a successful channel. Here are some key points to keep in mind when 

Check how your videos are performing: Analyze the watch time and views of your videos. Check how many times a video was shared, liked, and commented on.

Analyze your target audience: Use Google Analytics to identify your target audience and analyze their preferences.

Evaluate your content: Review your content and make sure it is relevant and up-to-date.

Optimize your thumbnails: Make sure that your thumbnails are engaging and enticing for viewers.

Test your strategies: Monitor the performance of your content over time and test out different strategies to see what works best for your channel.

Analyze competitors: See what other channels in your niche are doing and take inspiration from them.

Want to talk to our AI Coach? Click here to get started for free.

What does an AI Coach have to say about growing a YouTube channel? Spoiler alert: almost anything you want to know!

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

When is the best time to post on YouTube? How many videos should I upload each week?

New creators tend to ask these questions at the start of their journey, but they're not alone in wanting to 

. Virtually every creator — from those just getting started to seasoned veterans — must reassess their workload at some point. It's a great way to balance viewers' expectations while ensuring you don't burn out on YouTube.

Want to find that sweet spot in your schedule? Here's how to build a content plan based on audience behavior and your own personal goals.

1. Let Your Viewers Choose the Best Dates and Times

Sometimes, the best way to determine what your viewers want is to ask them! Do they prefer to watch videos in the morning, evening, or as soon as they're posted? Would they rather watch your videos once a week or twice a week? Questions like these give you a basic understanding of your viewers' expectations and what a content schedule could look like.

 to learn more about your viewers. You can create a poll (or two) asking viewers to choose the dates and times they want to watch your content. In fact, lifestyle creators 

 have done this multiple times on their channel (shown below).

In the first poll, 92% of viewers said they would rather watch two videos throughout the week instead of two on Friday.

A poll asking viewers which week days they would watch videos

And the second poll indicates that most viewers watch videos at night. So instead of posting at noon or 4 p.m., Josh&Sav could experiment with publishing later in the day.

A YouTube poll asking viewers what time of day they watch videos

If you choose this method, remember that viewers' beliefs and actions don't always align. So while asking them what they 

 do is an excellent first step, try to back up those stories with data.

2. Determine When Your Viewers Are Most Active

Want to know the best time to post on YouTube without second-guessing yourself? Check your audience analytics in the YouTube Studio. In this section of the site, you'll find a graph showing which days and times your viewers are on YouTube.

The Analytics option is below playlists on the navigation bar

The audience tab is between the content and revenue tabs

" section, then analyze the graph to see when your viewers are most active. The bright purple areas show increased activity.

YouTube's "when you viewers are on YouTube" graph

Want to go even deeper? Instead of only knowing when your viewers are online, 

 viewers watch your content. From there, it's easy to click through each day of the week and find the best time to post on YouTube.

3. Explore the 'Average Views Per Viewer' on Your Channel

Creating an upload schedule is tough when you aren't sure how many videos to post throughout the week. But don't worry: This is another piece of data you can pull from the YouTube Studio.

The specific metric you're looking for is 

, or AVPV for short. AVPV represents the number of videos each unique viewer watches on your channel. So if your AVPV is three, that means the average viewer watches three videos on your channel before clicking away.

Why is this important? If you know the number of videos people watch, you can build an upload schedule around that figure. 

So the first step is finding your AVPV with this handy guide

After that, here's what to do as you build your schedule:

 (1 or less): Focus on improving the quality of your content, not posting more videos.

 (2 or higher): Experiment with posting more videos. If the quality of your content goes down, go back to your previous frequency. After all, you don't want your AVPV to drop because your videos aren't as desirable as before.

4. Think About Your Current Schedule and Energy Levels

After you've done all the steps above, the only thing left to do is analyze the data and responses. Should you post one video each week or take things up a notch by posting three or more?

Once you have a number in mind, you can start asking the tough questions:

Can I commit to this schedule without burning out?

How will this new plan affect the quality of my content?

the best YouTube schedule is one you can maintain

. Try to build a realistic plan that sets you up for long-term success!

A woman writing in a journal that has a calendar

Creating an upload schedule leads to consistency, loyalty, and all-around YouTube success. Here’s how to build a content plan for your channel!

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

One of the biggest traps we see small YouTubers fall into is making the same mistakes over and over again. These can be tiny missteps, like forgetting to write video descriptions, or bigger problems, like not 

. In either case, mistakes pile up until they snowball into one big problem.

The good news is that these mistakes are temporary. You can fix what’s broken within your content, but the first step is understanding what you’re doing wrong.

If you aren’t sure what that is, don’t stress about it. You can start here by learning the most common YouTube mistakes, plus how to correct them.

1. Asking YouTube Shorts Viewers to Watch Long-Form Videos

Promoting a long-form video within a YouTube Short doesn’t 

 like a bad idea, but it kind of is! Most people look for quick bursts of entertainment when they watch short videos — not lengthy, slow-burning plots.

In fact, viewers are in a different mode altogether when watching Shorts. They’re swiping from one video to the next, and pulling them away from this task is not easy.

Not respecting the audience you’re making content for

Instead of guiding them to a different content type, focus on the Short at hand. Here are some tips for creating a superb viewing experience:

Make a Short that’s 20-30 seconds long (or use a clip from one of your longer videos.)

Communicate one point or overall theme. Maybe you can share an interesting fact or make viewers laugh!

 alongside your shorter ones to a broader audience.

2. Making Your Thumbnail Text Hard to Read

Do you add text to your YouTube thumbnails? If so, go to your channel homepage and browse the video section. Row by row, look at each thumbnail, and ask yourself a crucial question: Can I read the words easily, or does it take a few seconds? 

Because uploading a thumbnail with confusing text is a major YouTube mistake!

Here’s an example of what you want to avoid. The thumbnail below (from gaming channel  

) is readable, but only after you stare at it for a while.

A youtube thumbnail with skinny, hard to read text

 for this same channel. Lil_P66 has switched to a thicker, simpler font. It’s much easier on the eyes!

An improved youtube thumbnail with bold readable text

Instead of using fancy fonts, keep these tips in mind:

Stick to sans-serif fonts, and make your text big and bold.

Choose colors that create a nice contrast between the thumbnail text and the photo's background.

Never use red text (it’s hard to read).

YouTube Thumbnail Guide - 9 Ways to Boost Click-Through Rate

Another common mistake YouTubers make is not paying attention to video lighting. After all, a well-light environment doesn’t just 

 cool. It’s essential for helping viewers see every detail and understand what’s happening visually.

 has a video with blue and purple lighting (it looks pretty cool, actually), but their face blends right into the colors. Plus, the room is pretty dim altogether.

To be fair, John has videos where you can clearly see the subject in the frame. But it’s something to watch out for if you want to keep viewers' attention every single time.

Video editing and production are complex skills, so correcting this mistake doesn’t happen overnight. Don’t hesitate to give it a shot, though. Plenty of courses will show you how to light videos properly, and you’ll feel relieved to have mastered that skill.

4. Making YouTube Videos that Anyone Could Copy

Posting unique videos is one is the best ways to stand out on YouTube. It gives you a fighting chance to catch people off guard and hook them with a concept they never saw coming.

. And this goes beyond taking inspiration from other creators. If you’re using a video idea that’s 10 years old with millions of people repeating it each day, what makes you different from them? What will viewers find in your video that they haven’t found in all the others?

Let’s play videos are a good example of severely overdone content in the gaming community. This is where someone does a walkthrough of a video game they’re playing while sprinkling in some commentary here and there. 

 is doing this (because it’s easy and repeatable), yet only large creators seem to find success with it. Small gaming channels, such as 

, have a hard time getting discovered with this strategy.

A small gaming creator has 88 subscribers

Here’s what you can do instead as a gaming creator:

Start researching other topics that interest viewers in your gaming niche.

Show them secrets in the game. Bring them along for challenges. Look for trends that will surprise and delight them.

 kind of content serves a specific viewer and stops you from competing with large, established creators.

11 Killer Tips for Starting a YouTube Gaming Channel

Everyone makes mistakes, especially video creators. There’s nothing easy about 

 in a visual format, attracting people through titles and thumbnails, and keeping it up until your channel grows. It’s hard work! You’re bound to make mistakes, but you’re also bound to get better if you learn from the blunders.

Would you rather learn about YouTube mistakes by watching a video? If so, here’s a nice guide for you!

Are you making huge mistakes on YouTube without even knowing it? Here are 4 of the most common ones to watch out for.

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

Every creator wants to get more views on YouTube. That singular goal drives people to improve their videos in various ways, such as generating more watch time, getting a higher click-through rate, and enhancing audience retention. After all, these are the YouTube analytics you want to pay attention to because they serve as powerful ranking factors.

But as you focus on those areas, don’t forget 

 and understand how to get clicks, SEO is like gasoline for your content, blasting it to thousands of additional viewers on YouTube.

YouTube SEO (search engine optimization) is a set of methods for optimizing content, whether that’s individual videos, playlists, or even an entire channel. The practices range from using popular keywords in your video and its metadata (such as titles and descriptions) to using hashtags that reach more viewers.

SEO is important for YouTube because it helps the recommendation system understand what a video is about. Over time, this should help the content get featured on search pages. After all, the goal of YouTube SEO is to make videos rank higher and 

Ready to get started? If so, it’s time to build a YouTube SEO strategy. Read the tips below for a complete optimization checklist, from enhancing titles to adding hashtags to writing video descriptions.

1. Choose a Target Keyword for Your Content

Before you can optimize your video, you have to know what keyword you’re targeting on YouTube. Most of this knowledge comes from keyword research, so once you have a topic in mind, the next step is identifying the 

Any keyword research tool can help you with this. The best ones will show you the most important things about a keyword, such as:

From there, you can see which keywords are easier to rank for and plan your video accordingly.

For example, let’s say you want to make a video about teacakes. When you type this phrase into vidIQ’s keyword research tool, you’ll notice the term has 

The term "tea cakes" has a keyword score of 60

Because competition is low and searches are fairly high, “tea cakes” will make an excellent target keyword. Few creators are exploring the topic on YouTube, but 

 for that content every month; you can be the one to fill the gap!

Do you put a lot of effort into making quality YouTube videos? If so, don’t skip the most crucial step in getting your content discovered: YouTube SEO.

Posts Written By Lydia Sweatt

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

6 Golden Rules for Responding to YouTube Comments

Promote Your YouTube Channel: 17 Tips for Small Creators

How to Grow Your Channel with YouTube Playlists

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