How to increase views on YouTube

26.11.2025

You’ve become a blogger. You’ve posted your first video. But it doesn’t have many views. That’s normal. Without promotion, it gets lost in the vastness of the internet.

To get more views on your video, you need to try. However, the result is worth it. Today we’ll talk about YouTube views. More specifically, we’ll talk about how to increase views on YouTube.

How do views affect the promotion of videos on social networks?

The success of a video depends on the number of views. More views mean more people see the video in recommendations. The first few minutes after publication are particularly important. That’s when algorithms show the video to the maximum number of users. If it gets views, the algorithms continue to promote the video.

YouTube algorithms: what you need to know

Social media algorithms work on a similar principle. Their creators want users to spend time on the platform. Therefore, they show them content that may be of interest.

YouTube is no exception. It shows new users a selection of the most popular videos on various topics. Then the algorithm focuses on preferences and shows similar videos.

A distinctive feature of YouTube is that it most often promotes bloggers with an audience. It is difficult for a newcomer to break through here. But it is possible. To do this, the video needs to be viewed by a certain number of people. It doesn’t have to be thousands — hundreds are enough. Then the videos will appear in the recommendations.

For example, a book podcast with a small number of subscribers (up to 1,000) began to appear in my recommendations. However, you also need to make an effort to gain subscribers. We will tell you what to do to increase views on YouTube below.

How are YouTube views counted? It’s simple. A person needs to stay on the video for at least 10 seconds.

Optimizing videos before publication

Video promotion is taken care of during the video production stage. The video must be interesting to the viewer. It must attract them. This requires a bright cover and a clickbait headline.

But don’t overdo it. Both the cover and the headline must match the content of the video. If the viewer finds that the cover and title do not match the content, they will leave. If many people do not watch the video to the end, the algorithms will stop promoting it.
To make the video easier to find, come up with a description for it, include keywords, and add hashtags.

For example, if you are recording a book podcast, the hashtags “book podcast” and ‘ukrbuktub’ are appropriate. If you are releasing true crime content, use the hashtags “detective story” and “true crime.”

It’s good if the description hooks the reader and makes them want to watch the video. But don’t make the description too long. People come to watch, not read.

Add a timecode. Especially if you are shooting a long video. The viewer may want to watch a specific part of it. Or rewatch it. As a viewer, I can say that timecodes make life much easier.

How to get views on YouTube. Content that people watch until the end

It is high-quality and interesting. Take care of shooting and editing videos for YouTube. The image should be clear, aesthetic, and relevant to the theme of the video.

The sound should be clear and crisp. No extraneous noise or interference. Remember that you have 10 seconds to capture the viewer’s attention. So intrigue them from the very beginning. A common technique is to show interesting excerpts and reflections from the video first.

You can use another method. For example, storytelling. People love stories based on other people’s experiences. This makes the video more relatable to the viewer. Start the video with an intriguing story from real life. Or just say a concise, catchy phrase.

Ask viewers to subscribe to the channel and like the video. You can do this at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of the video. Think about your favorite bloggers. How often do they ask you to subscribe to their channel or like their videos?

You can also seize the moment and promote another video, especially if it is relevant. For example, the video may be on a similar topic or provide more detail on something that was only mentioned briefly in the first video.

How to increase YouTube views after publication. The most effective methods

The main work of promoting your video awaits you after publication. Utilize all available channels.

Share on social media. Leave links to the video wherever possible. In comments on other videos, on forums.

Create pages on other social networks and share the video there. Better yet, find out where your target audience lives and try to get the video to them.

Videos in articles on the website and blog. Create your own website or blog. Embed the video in a blog article or one of the pages on the website. Or go to an existing website or blog and agree with its owner to post the video.

For example, if you are a book blogger, partner with a bookstore or author. Release a review of a book from this store’s or author’s assortment.

Collaboration with bloggers or famous people. Collaborate with content creators in your field. Buy advertising from them or make joint videos. The blogger’s or celebrity’s audience will learn about you. Some of this audience will be interested in you.

Email newsletters. Send notifications about new videos to email addresses. Create a newsletter and encourage viewers to subscribe to it.

To do this, you must already have a certain audience. Write a short, intriguing text, design it in the style of your channel, add a call to action and a link to the video. Offer your audience something nice in exchange for subscribing. For example, early access to videos.

By receiving newsletters, viewers are always aware of new video releases. YouTube notifications are unreliable. They may not arrive, viewers forget about them, and they disappear.

Additional tools for promoting your video

Use additional tools. Buy advertising on YouTube. The site will promote your video, and more people will learn about it. Some will be interested and will go to your channel. You will get a few hundred or thousand views.

1. Go live. This will kill two birds with one stone—you will communicate with your audience and promote yourself. YouTube promotes live streams more than videos. Accordingly, you will get more organic traffic (these are viewers who did not come through ads purchased on YouTube).
2. YouTube Shorts. Cut short, concise, intriguing excerpts from your main videos. Upload them to YouTube Shorts and leave a link to the main video. The result will be a kind of promotional video.
3. Announcements. Announce the release of new videos with a post. The post should be exciting and intriguing.

Analyze and improve your strategy

Finally, analyze the results. There is a special tool for this – YouTube Analysis. It helps you track:

• number of views
• viewing time
• traffic source
• interaction (likes, comments, reposts, subscriptions)
• reach (how many times your video has been shown on different YouTube pages).

By tracking video statistics, you know what your audience likes and dislikes, which formats are most effective, and where your audience comes from.

Find what interests your current and potential viewers. Ask your audience directly what they want and give it to them. Communicate with your audience—it’s one of the most effective ways to increase traffic.

Conclusion

Increasing the number of views on YouTube is not an easy task. In a sense, it’s marketing. Be patient, try hard, and success will come.