Ask any YouTuber and they will tell you that generating significant views and subscribers isn't easy. But with the right strategy and tools, any video creator can build an engaged subscriber base when they understand what those subscribers want to watch.

Appealing to an audience to watch content you are passionate about making is just the first step, you need to know how to reach them and get your videos discovered. Our guides to how to guide more views on YouTube will give you the best tips to succeed on the platform.

YouTube Views

How To Get More Views on YouTube

Do you want to make money on YouTube? Millions of creators are earning a very good living from monetizing the platform and uploading content that drives huge views and engagements. Whether that YouTube income is from advertising revenue, merchandise sales, or brand deals, or subscriptions, we keep you updated with best practices and ideas.

YouTube Monetization

How To Make Money on YouTube

Getting thousands or even millions of YouTube subscribers is a dream for most creators. In the articles below, we'll show you how to turn casual viewers into long-term fans. 

YouTube Subscribers

Want to see how your channel is performing? Read these YouTube analytics articles to discover what's working and what isn't. You'll learn how to identify which videos have the most Watch Time, clicks, audience retention, revenue, and more.

YouTube Analytics

Watch Time is arguably THE most important metric on YouTube right now, and creators won’t be able to monetize their content without 4000 hours of it. But what is it and how can creators increase the amount of Watch Time their videos attract? We keep you updated on the best practices around Watch Time, and how you can increase how much your video content generates.

YouTube Watch Time

YouTube Shorts content is set to explode! 

All the latest tips, tricks, and rock-solid advice you need for this new feature.

YouTube Shorts

Do you know how to do keyword research so you understand what videos people are actually searching for on YouTube? Do you know how to create a custom YouTube thumbnail? Do you know how to create a Playlist on YouTube?

vidIQ has a ton of tips that will help every creator maximise their video content. We publish content every week to keep you up to date with all the best practices.

Tips & Tricks

YouTube Tips & Tricks

Welcome to TubeTalk, the online video industry’s #1 podcast for news, insights and best practices on YouTube and beyond. Each week, experts in their field take us through a deep-dive on a range of topics for video creators like personal branding, how to master the YouTube algorithm, and how to get more brand deals as a YouTuber. TubeTalk has been informing video creators and marketers since 2014, and is one of the most respected and listened to podcasts in the online video industry. Subscribe today so you never miss an episode of the best YouTuber podcast!

TubeTalk Podcast

TubeTalk

Why do YouTube videos get demonetized? It’s a valid question, especially when someone takes the time to film, edit, and upload a video. Most creators try their best to make positive, original content for viewers around the world. What are they doing wrong in terms of making money and staying monetized on YouTube?

Google AdSense 101 - How to Benefit from Ad Revenue on YouTube

Most of the time, it's a lack of information. Creators know the basics of YouTube's rules, but they don't always know the fine details. And overall, people are just ready to record!

: A set of rules to ensure everyone’s safety on YouTube

 An explanation of which videos are suitable for advertisers

: A set of terms and conditions for placing ads on YouTube videos

: A set of terms and conditions for how viewers and creators operate on YouTube

Violating any of the four could lead to demonetization. Here's how to avoid that outcome.

What Does ‘Demonetized’ Mean on YouTube?

If YouTube demonetized a video, that means it restricted 

 ads from appearing. That includes every type of ad available to creators: display ads, overlay ads, sponsored cards, and skippable and non-skippable video ads. You won’t earn Google AdSense revenue for demonetized content.

Turning off ads is just one form of demonetization.

. This option bars you from all the money-making features: Google AdSense, Super Chats and Stickers, Super Thanks, merchandise shelves, Channel Memberships, and YouTube Premium revenue. It’s like being kicked out of the 

How to Tell If a YouTube Video Is Demonetized

After uploading a video, you can see its monetization status in less than an hour. It takes a while because YouTube is making sure the video is suitable for ads.

In the YouTube Studio, there are seven monetization icons

. Each one tells you the status of a video’s earning power.

 YouTube is checking your video for ad suitability.

 Monetization is on, and your video is eligible for most ads.

 Monetization is on for a song cover, but a music publisher claimed the revenue.

 Monetization is on, but YouTube is still determining who will get paid.

 Monetization is on, but ads are limited.

 You turned on monetization for the video, but YouTube won’t show ads.

 You turned off monetization for the video.

 means your video is demonetized, as shown below.

How to Check a Video’s Monetization Status:

Log into YouTube and click your profile icon in the top right corner. Select 

Find the video in question using the search bar at the top of the page.

. You’ll see one of the seven icons (shown above) indicating your video’s status.

Videos that aren't advertiser-friendly won’t earn much revenue. Here are 14 ways to avoid demonetization on YouTube.

? One of the requirements for monetizing your content is to avoid being repetitious. That means you shouldn't post videos with no recognizable differences on your channel. Your content needs a healthy dose of variety, from the audio tracks you use to the topics you cover.

That doesn’t mean you can’t explore one topic in depth. You can create similar videos as long as the bulk of each one is different. Take a look at the 

, for example. We share tips for gaining 1,000 subscribers all the time. But the advice changes as we discover new methods, which means we’re always talking about something new within the context of gaining subscribers.

2. Add Something Valuable to Repurposed Content

Using another creator’s intellectual property, such as songs, video clips, and images, could lead to one or more 

 on your channel. You’ll get these alerts when your video contains media that doesn’t belong to you. Copyright claims aren’t the end of the world, but YouTube might demonetize the video(s) in question or only give you partial revenue.

Can I Still Monetize My YouTube Channel If I have a Copyright Claim?

 happens when you reuse someone’s content without adding something new or transformative. If you’re posting a reaction video, for example, add some commentary that brings a fresh perspective to the original event, opinion, or narrative.

YouTube says it's OK to monetize reused content when:

You’re using brief clips for a critical review.

You’re adding original commentary to an event (movies, sporting events, etc.).

You’re adding an original storyline to edited footage from other creators.

Your best bet, of course, is to use your own content. But at the same time, YouTube understands that there are thousands of reaction channels out there. And guess what? Lots of creators are making money with that format.

3. Don’t Be Spammy, Deceptive, or Participate In Scams

YouTube wants every viewer to have a positive experience. And no user can do that while being tricked or misled by deceptive videos and comments. If you’re on the platform for the wrong reasons – like running scams and leading people to shady websites – YouTube might demonetize your content.

To stay on YouTube’s good side, don’t:

Repeatedly post content about making fast cash.

Lead viewers to websites with harmful software (viruses, information theft, etc.)

Use misleading thumbnails, video descriptions, and titles to “trick” viewer into clicking.

Promote “get rich quick” content or pyramid schemes.

Sell engagement metrics, like views, comments, and subscribers. That includes Sub4Sub, a type of spam where creators ask people to subscribe to their channels.

Post comments to gather information from viewers or drive them off of YouTube.

Live stream content that doesn’t belong to you.

Check out the image below to see an example of comment spam. Notice how the circled comment is impersonating the owner of the video, finance creator Graham Stephan. If you look closely, you can tell that “Replied_by Graham Stephan” is a bogus account.

This user is trying to drive people away from YouTube. Practices like this will get you demonetized.

Read more about spam, deception, and scams on YouTube’s support page

YouTube doesn’t tolerate hate speech of any kind. If you want to successfully monetize your videos, don't say (or type) harmful, offensive things. YouTube will demonetize your content if you're inciting violence or hate against specific groups.

Avoiding hate speech is easy. Think of all the ways people discriminate against others, and simply avoid saying those things in your videos. 

The most egregious hate speech revolves around age, sexual orientation, gender, race, disabilities, religion, immigration status, and veteran status.

Are there certain “demonetized words” on YouTube? Is it possible to say the wrong thing and lose all your ad revenue?

YouTube won’t demonetize a video for containing words like “hell” or “damn.” That’s considered light profanity, and most people aren’t offended by those terms. It’s the vulgar words that will get you into trouble, like repeatedly dropping F-bombs or constantly saying “b*tch.”

Can You Swear on YouTube and Still Make Money?

Here is a list of words that lead to demonetization:

Even when misspelled, adding these words to any element of a video (titles, thumbnails, etc.) is against the rules.

Our advice? Minimize the profanity in your videos. It's an easy way to get full monetization.

6. Don’t Show Dangerous or Illegal Activities

Want to make sure YouTube doesn’t demonetize your video? Avoid showing clips or images of bodily harm, gruesome injuries, and death. These themes are disturbing to viewers and scare advertisers away.

Logan Paul’s 2017 “suicide forest” video

. This was a huge scandal. Paul uploaded a YouTube video showing a dead body, and people around the world were deeply disturbed. He later shared a video of himself tasering dead rats. Eventually, 

YouTube temporarily demonetized his channel

Posting illegal activities is a bad idea too. You’ll have a better chance of monetizing your videos if you don't show:

glorifying dangerous acts results in demonetization or worse.

 If you can expect certain injury or death from an activity, it’s not suitable for YouTube.

7. Avoid Posting Sexually Explicit Content

YouTube will demonetize any video that gratifies sex. This type of content focuses on nudity, sex scenes, and pornography. If that’s the creator’s intent – indulging in sexual scenes – the next step is a no-brainer for YouTube. There will be no ads on the video, zero AdSense revenue, and (possibly) a channel termination.

Clothed or unclothed, YouTube states that showing genitals, breasts, or buttocks in an indulgent way violates its monetization policies. Also, sexual fetishes of any kind and in various formats (video, text, images, audio) are not allowed.

Read more about nudity and sexual content on YouTube’s support page.

8. Use Royalty-Free Music From the YouTube Library

Music copyright is a deep subject on YouTube. But for the purpose of monetizing videos, you only need to know two things:

Never use someone’s music without their written permission.

Did YouTube demonetize your video? Here are 14 ways to make positive content that stays monetized no matter what.

14 Ways to Avoid YouTube Demonetization

Six months ago, we told creators to experiment with YouTube Shorts. We advised them to film vertical videos under 60 seconds (as the requirements suggest), post them to YouTube, and create a featured section on their channel to house the content.

Why did we suggest this? In just a few weeks, we saw channels getting thousands of views from Shorts. They mostly came from the YouTube Shorts shelf, a display area where different Shorts are featured. By the time a creator’s video left the shelf, it would have hundreds, thousands, or millions of views.

That’s how powerful Shorts are. With them, you can gain more subscribers in two weeks than you’ve had all year. Without them, you’ll miss a valuable opportunity to get discovered on the platform.

How to Create a YouTube Short: The Complete Beginner's Guide

If you want to know exactly why that is, watch our latest video about Shorts and the competition that’s quickly surrounding them.

The best time to post a Short was months ago. But if you hurry, you can still reap the benefits of creating content that gets played millions of times.

Need a push to get started? Here are three undeniable reasons to experiment with Shorts.

Reason 1: Creators Are Still Getting More Views and Subscribers From YouTube Shorts

The first reason is a little obvious but worth repeating. Extra views from Shorts have helped many channels grow, and they’ve got the numbers to prove it.

. In September 2020, he had 40k total channel views. After posting original, 3D-animated Shorts, he now has more than 3M subscribers and almost 2B views.

How This YouTube Creator Got 1.5 Billion Views In Just 80 Days

Jake isn’t the only creator to reap the benefits of Shorts. There’s also MrBeast, a popular creator who grew his 

 to 4.79M subscribers. Professional YouTube channels such as 

 have Shorts with more than 200k views each. Members of the vidIQ community have seen explosive growth, and some TikTok creators have successfully transitioned to Shorts.

You could be next if you act now. Shorts are viewed 3.5B times each day, so there are plenty of people willing to watch your videos.

Reason 2: Pretty Soon, You’ll Have to Compete With Creators From the U.S.

Did you hear the news? Beginning in March, U.S. creators will get a beta version of the in-app Shorts camera.

The announcement came from Neal Mohan, chief product officer at YouTube. On Feb. 17, he shared the news in a 

“Currently, Shorts is available in beta in India. Since the beginning of December, the number of Indian channels using Shorts creation tools has more than tripled... In the coming weeks, we'll begin expanding the beta to the U.S., unlocking our tools to even more creators so they can get started with Shorts.”

To be clear, anyone can post a Short today. As long as a video is vertical and under 60 seconds, YouTube will recognize it as a Short. What Mohan is mentioning above refers to a TikTok-style camera that’s only available in India. With it, creators can record, edit, and post Shorts directly inside the app, adding music and other special effects to their content.

When the U.S. market gets the Shorts camera, things are going to get very competitive. More creators will have tools for creating better Shorts. Plus, thousands of people who never posted a Short will do so just because there’s a new feature encouraging it.

In the coming weeks, it’s going to be harder to do what creators like Jake, MrBeast, and LegalEagle have done. Rather than wait, it's better to experiment with Shorts right now.

Reason 3: If YouTube Monetizes Shorts, You Can Make More Money

Right now, there’s no way to monetize Shorts. The Shorts display area doesn't support ads, and advertisers may not want to appear on a seconds-long video.

But if you think about YouTube’s history, things are always changing at the company

Just because creators aren’t making money from

Shorts today, that doesn’t mean they won’t in the next five or 10 years.

It's likely YouTube isn’t doing this for free. With content as popular as Shorts, the platform could be searching for ways to monetize it as we type.

Before that happens, put yourself in a position to earn Shorts revenue. If you start posting them now, you can increase your chance of monetizing that content.

Use These Tools to Start Leveraging YouTube Shorts

Even if you decide to post a few Shorts, you’ll need a way to measure their impact on your channel. When you 

, you’ll find two powerful tools within the Chrome extension – one for tracking Shorts views and another for researching popular Shorts on YouTube.

This dashboard is on the top right corner of all YouTube pages. Hover your mouse over the menu to discover how many Shorts views your channel earned in the last 48 hours. For easy access, click the box beside this metric to add it to your dashboard.

This tool lets you research the most-viewed videos on YouTube for any keyword. To access it, go to the YouTube Studio and click 

Type #Shorts into the search bar, then filter the results to show channels with 1,000 or less subscribers. This will show you all of the small channels on YouTube getting tons of views with Shorts. You can use this as motivation to start posting your Shorts or an idea generator for future Shorts.

Shorts are doing well on YouTube. They’re going to be around for a long time, so don’t wait to post your first vertical, less-than-a-minute video. Do it now to reap the benefits before creators in both India and the U.S. can do the same.

Is it too late to capitalize on the viral nature of YouTube Shorts? No, not yet. But in the coming weeks, it may be harder to stand out with short video content.

3 Reasons to Upload YouTube Shorts Before the Competition Gets Tough

A small YouTube creator starts their journey in a vulnerable position. From the moment they post their first video, they have to face two hard truths. The first is that in the beginning, their content may earn minimal views. Another challenge is not knowing when or if their channel will grow and earn revenue.

That’s a lot of uncertainty for one person, but there’s good news. Instead of fumbling through the YouTube journey, you can follow a simple game plan to stand out from other creators. You can bypass all the guesswork, 

, and move one step closer to monetizing your content.

All you have to do, in the beginning, is 

make videos people are already searching for.

On YouTube, these videos tend to be informative, instructive, or highlight trending topics. There are four types of videos that easily provide such value:

Want to learn how to create each one? Watch our latest YouTube tutorial, then keep reading to discover the best tips for filming this powerful content.

Want to appear on YouTube search pages for two keywords at once? That’s what you’d achieve (potentially) by posting a versus video, which is an in-depth discussion comparing any two things. They could be video games, types of homes, investments strategies, or anything within your YouTube niche.

People search for these videos all the time, especially when they want to make a purchase. If someone can’t decide between two products, they need you, an independent arbiter, to help them decide. That creates a valuable opportunity for you. You can film an objective video weighing the pros and cons of each product or create a subjective video, one where each product is useful, but there’s clearly a better option.

To get started, identify the most important topic on your channel. Whatever that is, type it into the YouTube search bar and add two more letters to the query: V and S.

If you’re a tech creator, for example, you may type in something like this:

Pay attention to how YouTube autocompletes the search term. In the example above, typing “iPhone 12 vs” gives you 10 search terms related to the topic. You could create a video comparing the iPhone 12 to the iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Pro, or Samsung S21. These are all potential video ideas.

To make these videos even more appealing, add emotional context to the title. These short phrases are usually tacked onto the end:

 to see how competitive a search term is.

You’ve likely seen list videos on YouTube. These popular pieces of content follow a simple titling convention: adjective + number + topic. That creates highly searchable content, such as “Top 10 Travel Destinations in LA ” or “8 Seafood Recipes to Try During Lent.”

When you make a listicle video, choose one topic to cover and quickly discuss several aspects of the subject. That allows you to cover plenty of searchable keywords and make your content more discoverable. For example, imagine posting a video titled “Top 10 Action Movies of 2021.” If you optimize the video properly, you should have at least 10 keywords – one for each movie.

Do you have a polarizing opinion in your listicle? That’s even better. An upset of any kind electrifies viewers. It motivates them to use the comment section, sharing what they’d view as the proper list or simply offer a dissenting opinion.

Listicle videos are hard to rank for unless a certain topic is being recycled on YouTube. When you 

, you’ll get access to a search companion that demystifies this entire process.

As an example, we used the term “top 5 stocks for 2021” to see what the search companion reported.

As you can see, the average age of these videos is about one month. If you posted a video with “top 5 stocks for 2021” in the title, you could earn 223,335 views in 30 days, on average.

When you combine an instructional video with a trending topic, you can’t go wrong. That’s what many creators learned when they posted how-to videos about a new social network called Clubhouse.

If you haven’t heard already, this app is for group audio conversations. The chats are invite-only, and that created a mysterious, FOMO-inducing panic among people who wanted to be involved. It became a trending topic, which found its way to every corner of the internet – YouTube included.

Because Clubhouse has limited access, how-to videos started appearing on YouTube. People wanted to know how to get invited, how to use the app, and how to host a group conversation. 

 have between 10k and 200k views on YouTube.

We found these videos using the search term “how to use Clubhouse.” On the right side of the search results, the vidIQ keyword score tells us this term is lucrative. The search volume is high and the competition low, which is perfect for new creators who want more views.

You don’t have to be a veteran creator to make popular how-to videos. There are two creators – 

 – that have less than 5k subscribers and earned between 10k and 50k views on their Clubhouse videos. They succeeded because they brought knowledge and education to a new trend.

Remember when GameStop stocks went crazy? Many channels reacted to the news that everyday investors were profiting from a short squeeze, which is when the price of a stock rises but hurts investors who betted against it.

It was such a new story at the time, and there were so many questions. What is a short squeeze? Why are GameStop investors making so much money? Should I buy GameStop stocks? On YouTube, reacting to the chaos can accelerate your channel’s growth.

This topic was in circulation for weeks, so corresponding videos were recycled by YouTube’s algorithm for a long time. Content from smaller creators had the chance to appear at the top of search pages, attract more views, and reel in more subscribers. That’s the power of a well-timed reaction video!

You can react to anyone or anything in your videos. You can add your style, knowledge, or point-of-view to a trending event within your niche. Just remember that the key to reaction videos is being one of the first creators to react.

New Creators Need High-Value Content to Get More Subscribers

When you start a YouTube channel, viewers won’t subscribe for your personality – not at first. In the beginning, they don’t know who you are. But they do know which type of videos they’re searching for.

If you’re working toward 1,000 YouTube subscribers, give people what they want. Answer their questions, solve their problems, and react to things they care about.

If you have less than 1,000 subscribers, this simple strategy will help you grow on YouTube.

Make These 4 YouTube Videos to Get Your First 1,000 Subscribers

On YouTube, there's nothing more rewarding than building a passionate community. It goes beyond likes, comments, and subscribers. When you create a movement people can get behind – especially as a source of entertainment – fans will follow you across the web.

It sounds simple, but growing isn't that easy in practice. The internet is a big, crowded place, and it's hard to be everywhere at once. You can engage with viewers on Facebook, Clubhouse, Twitch, Instagram, and Discord, to name a few options. These are powerful channels, but maintaining them is hard work. 

In this episode of TubeTalk, we sit down with vidIQ Community Manager Daniel Holzhauer as he shares tips for growing a community. By far, the best piece of advice is how to manage an audience without burning out.

 In the beginning, it's best to pace yourself and focus on your YouTube channel before branching out.

How the Community tab accelerates your growth.

 This social network is built into YouTube, so use it before creating a Discord or Facebook group.

How to enter communities within your YouTube niche.

 It's not about promoting your content; you should join a community to interact with others.

How to find a balance between self-promotion and joining discussions.

 Hint: It all depends on the value you can add to a community.

 Do you have 10,000 subscribers? A mental list of all your super fans? The stamina to maintain extra channels? That's a positive sign to start expanding.

 These are your super fans, and you're going to need them to avoid social media burn out.

Speaking of moderators, how do you choose the right ones for your community? For Daniel, the first step is identifying the leaders.

"We know they're the type of people that we want in our community," he says. "They also feel a bit of responsibility for it. They feel like they are part of the hierarchy of the community. They're the ones to set an example."

YouTube's Community Tab Is Essential For All Channels

We can't talk about community building without mentioning the YouTube Community tab. 

, learn all the benefits of engaging with viewers through YouTube's in-app social network.

TubeTalk is one of the most popular and listened to podcasts in the online video industry. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to TubeTalk on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode!

You can also find the complete list of all the​​​ ​TubeTalk podcast episodes 

Slow and steady wins the race. That's true about most things in life, and expanding your YouTube community is no different.

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Make These 4 YouTube Videos to Get Your First 1,000 Subscribers

How to Expand Your YouTube Community Without Burning Out

How to Use YouTube's Video Editor [2021 Update]

5 Tips to Get 40k YouTube Subscribers Like This 'Zelda' Creator

How to Get Full YouTube Monetization For Your Gaming Videos

3 Ways to Find the Best YouTube Video Length

YouTube's Community Tab Is Your Super Secret Weapon for Channel Growth

How to Get More Views on YouTube in 24 Hours

Why It's Not Too Late to Start a YouTube Channel in 2021

How to Take Your Brand Beyond YouTube and Build a Successful Business

How YouTube Creators Can Make Money Selling Products Beyond Merch

How Long Does It Take to Get 100 Subscribers on YouTube?

8 Killer Tips for Creating a YouTube Gaming Channel in 2021

YouTube Rolls Out Grant Program for Black Creators

How Mastering the Art of Storytelling Can Transform Your YouTube Content

Google AdSense 101: How to Benefit from Ad Revenue on YouTube

How To Get a Custom URL For Your YouTube Channel [2021 Update]

25 vidIQ Tools You Need to Grow Your YouTube Channel NOW!

How to Create a YouTube Short: The Complete Beginner's Guide

How This YouTube Creator Got 1.5 Billion Views In Just 80 Days

5 Tips for a Winning YouTube Custom Thumbnail

How To Win at YouTube Monetization

How to Use The Community Tab in YouTube Studio

Can You Swear on YouTube and Still Make Money?