- What is the most important algorithm on YouTube?
Well, I'm here to tell you,
It's not this, it's not this, or this, definitely not this.
And I'm afraid to say, it's not even this.
It's this.
You need to get inside the mind of your target audience
and figure out what they watch
so that YouTube can recommend your videos
to those viewers, rather than to turning you off.
The best way to engage viewers on YouTube
is through topics they are interested in
as well as concepts that intrigue them.
You might call this a video idea.
And what we're going to do today is show you
how to unlock this YouTube algorithm.
And it starts with your channel.
Every time you publish a video, your audience and YouTube
learns a little bit more about you, and so does vidIQ.
Our new daily ideas tool will match up your content
with similar channels and suggest brand new video ideas.
You can decide whether to save or dismiss each one
up to a total of 50 ideas, every single day.
Every idea can be matched up
against the top ranked videos on YouTube,
where you can research the thumbnail and the title
Even watch the video itself.
The daily ideas tool is available with free access
to any channel of any size on any video topic.
And there's even a mobile version
for some of that swipe right, swipe left, action.
Should you need it, this tool will constantly suggest
over a thousand video ideas every single month.
So you'll never have to worry about finding
the right video topics to interest your viewers, ever again.
But what about those concepts
that are going to intrigue those viewers?
Let's take a look.
A few years back, the simple task
of trying to record your iPhone screen
was far more difficult than it should have been.
And when I wanted to know how to do it,
it took me hours to figure out.
What frustrated me most, was that
the internet couldn't provide me with an answer,
which in this day and age sounds ridiculous.
The solutions that I did find were either plain wrong,
badly out of date, or just really badly worded.
So once I knew the answer to
how to record your iPhone screen
I said to myself, you know what?
I can do a better job. And I did.
It's how I built my first YouTube empire.
And who knows, if I hadn't joined up with vidIQ,
I still might be making such videos on the topic today.
Simply put, the more rare the knowledge,
the more valuable it becomes.
With that in mind, let's apply some very simple logic.
If there is a question within your video topic space
that cannot be answered with a simple search
on the internet within 30 minutes,
you need to find out that answer
and make a YouTube video about it.
This is how dozens of small YouTube channels
have breakthrough content earlier this year,
showing people how to get clubhouse invites.
A knowledgeable few took advantage
of a sudden demand for crucial information.
All right, very quick question
regarding the vidIQ, YouTube studio.
Light mode
(single clap)
versus dark mode.
I'd love to know your thoughts in the comments below.
Of course, if you ask the same question
about the YouTube layout theme,
dark mode resoundingly wins every single time.
It just so happens to be that you're all, oh, so very wrong.
When you take two popular things from your video topic
and pit them against each other,
it forces the viewer to make a choice
and it divides opinion which creates injury.
The advantages of this video formats are manifold.
It can help viewers make purchasing decisions,
inform the viewer of the counter-side of a debate,
build conflict and tension, in a story,
and of course create controversy and heated debate.
You also get the added benefit of being able
to use at least two keyword phrases in your content,
likely increasing its discoverability.
More often than not, this is a play on the human algorithm.
You have to find things that the viewer
actually cares about.
So when it comes to growing a YouTube channel,
subscribers versus watch time?
The answer is neither it's actually return viewers.
The easiest way to get started with this type of video
is to put a keyword into the YouTube search bar,
add versus, and boom, plenty of suggestions
for you to start researching.
Yeah, I might need to explain this one a little bit.
So first off we start off with
the best, worst, cheapest, tallest, fastest something.
That might be cameras or movies or travel destinations,
basically, something.
Then, and here's a really important bit.
You attach these somethings
to your target audience of somethings.
For example, if your video is about
the best camera under $500,
you're instantly establishing that your target audience
is for viewers on a certain budget.
If you change the title to
Best Camera for Professional YouTubers
then all of a sudden you're targeting
a very different audience,
albeit within a very similar video topic.
Another couple of random examples will be
Worst Movie Blockbusters of 2021
Most Economical Lawnmower For Large Gardens
All the rarest, loot boxes, items, weapons
for Minecraft, Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto.
Again your knowledge of your video topic
will take you much deeper
than the general suggestions I've offered you here.
The key is to get inside this YouTube algorithm
so that the viewer says to themselves.
Heh, this video's for me!
Listicles certainly aren't new.
They are the classic, tried and tested video concept
that's proven to work
and are hidden in plain sight everywhere.
You're watching one right now.
Again, this can be the best, worst, top, tallest,
fastest, longest, coldest, cheapest
anything you want it to be, within your video topic.
The real fun begins when you assign a number to the listicle
because it triggers two things in that YouTube algorithm.
It sets a certain expectation in the viewers mind,
but it also has the capacity to challenge that.
How many video ideas are there in this video?
Five? Maybe six, because I mentioned that daily ideas tool
at the beginning of this video,
but that can generate 50 ideas a day in itself
over 1500 video ideas a month.
It's a statement that's kind of true,
but is the viewer going to believe me
if I put that in the title and the thumbnail?
How do the numbers in a listicle
impact the potential viewer?
If you are able to do a longer list
than anybody else on YouTube
for your particular topic, that has appeal in itself.
But what if you could do, say,
the top 10 of a listicle in three minutes?
That's nice, they're bite-sized, compact
That may be another reason to convince a viewer to click.
On the other hand, simply a unusual number
may be enough of a reason to convince a viewer to click.
Yep. All right. For some weird reason, you had me at 27.
In a recent interview Film Booth conducted
with legendary YouTube editor, Hillier Smith,
he said, "If your audience has the same emotion
that they had at the start of the video,
and then the same emotion at the end, you have a problem."
This centers around the concept
of taking the viewer on a journey,
literally changing the emotional state
of this YouTube algorithm.
If the viewer is wiser, happier, more motivated,
perhaps even a little teary by the end,
they are much more likely to remember the video.
On the other hand, if the viewer experiences
no change in emotional state by the end of the video,
they will have likely forgotten about it within the hour.
Which curiously is exactly what happened
when I watched Solo, a Star Wars story.
Can't remember anything about it.
These types of videos are often told through stories.
For example, first time experiences. First time driving.
First time home buyer. First year at college.
The list is endless.
Daily routine videos.
They may sound boring to you
as a person doing all of the routine,
but that could be absolutely fascinating
to your loyal, committed, loving audience.
And then there are stories such as "My Life as a Teacher",
prison guard, farmer, a foster parent.
Again, the list is endless.
Whatever your video topic, these are the concepts
that are going to trigger this YouTube algorithm.
And this is a tool that's going
to help you generate tons more video topic ideas
specifically in your area of interest.