1. Start video at a particular point.
Sometimes the entirety of a video it is not relevant to certain demographics in your audience. You may want to skip over some parts of the video. YouTube has a feature that allows you to dictate at which point your audience starts watching your video.
There are two ways to set up this feature:
- Go to the video and a specific starting point in your video. Then, right click and select “Copy video URL at current time.” Finally, send the link to your audience and when they click on it, the video will start from that point.
- Alternatively, go to the “Share” tab below your video and check the “Start at” box. Then put in the time you wish the video to start. Finally, share the URL with your audience.
It is a simple process, but this can make one video more interesting to a variety of people within your audience.
2. Upload longer videos.
Have you ever created an awesome video that you are really proud of, then you try to upload it to YouTube and it says the video is too long (it exceeds 15 minutes)? It can be very frustrating, especially when YouTube offers a simple way to increase the length of videos, but it is hidden.
Simply follow these steps to activate the option:
- Visit the upload page at www.youtube.com/my_videos_upload.
- Click “Increase Your Limit” at the bottom of the page, or visit https://www.youtube.com/verify.
- Follow the steps to verify your account with a mobile phone number.
This is currently the only way to “verify” your account, but it is a very useful option to have.
3. Customize your video thumbnail.
Avoid random images that don’t fully represent your video by uploading your own thumbnail image.
Here’s how:
- Click your username in the upper right corner.
- Click “Video Manager.”
- Click “Edit” for the corresponding video you’d like to change.
For more information on uploading thumbnails to new videos follow this link: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72431?hl=en
Note: This feature can only be activated once you’ve verified your YouTube account.
4. Add subtitles and closed captions
Subtitles and captions can help expose your content to a larger audience, including those who speak other languages or those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
To add subtitles and closed captions, visit YouTube’s instructions here: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734796?hl=en
5. Create a transcript
Many people enjoy watching videos, but find it hard to take in all the valuable information at once. This option allows the user to view a transcript of the video for their reference.
To view the video transcript, simply select the tab below the video.
Here are some tips for creating a transcript: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734799?hl=en#
6. Create playlists
Creating playlists with relevant keywords can give your videos more opportunities to be found on the second largest search engine! They also improve the user experience of your channel, helping viewers navigate and find more of your content.
Here’s how to create and manage your own playlists: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/57792?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en
