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There is no better way to get people listening to your music than to be posting it on YouTube. With over 1.3 million daily users and almost 5 billion videos watched every single day, YouTube holds the potential to expose you and your music to a vast audience. With this in mind, it is important to have a polished, branded, unique YouTube profile with plenty of video content.
A report conducted by Viacom highlights the critical role that YouTube plays in typical music listeners’ and buyers’ behavior. The report found that 66% of respondents search for info about a song online before purchasing it, and 91% listen to the song on YouTube before purchasing it. This inarguably solidifies the powerful marketing potential of YouTube.
A general rule of thumb to keep in mind while using YouTube is that you want to be adding value to viewers’ lives. What about your video is new and useful to the pool of users on YouTube? What is different about your video or your content? Aside from the basics—that you should post regularly, use quality content in both photos and videos, and share unique content— there are a few major pointers that will help you in starting, or refreshing, your YouTube channel.
1. Create Smart Titles and Descriptions
Just as you want your channel and profile to be customized, your titles and descriptions should be too. They should be informative (What is the video about and why does it matter to viewers?) and captivating (What can you say that will draw in the most amount of viewers?). In a title, using keywords is key. People search for what they’re looking for on YouTube using a few words and phrases, so maximize your SEO (search engine optimization) by including these keywords in a complete title or description. Just as they shouldn’t be boring or non-descriptive, they shouldn’t be too long.
2. Use Annotations
When I say use annotations, I mean so sparingly. You don’t want to spam your viewers with annotation after annotation as too many will disrupt and distract from your video. Video annotations allow you to promote things like a new album, a new song, a different video, a website, etc. These annotations allow for a deeper level of engagement with all of your content, so linking to other material directly in your video could help to drive traffic to other websites or content you may be sharing.
3. Be Social
Just like Instagram and Twitter, YouTube is a social platform that connects you to an incredibly large network. So you should be engaging with other users. This could mean responding to all comments on your own videos, commenting on others’ videos, collaborating with other artists to do a joint video, etc. You can encourage comments on your own videos by adding interactive questions or comments to your description (or directly in your video). Ask your subscribers what kind of content they want to see from you, ask them what inspires them as musicians or artists, ask them if they play any instruments, you get the picture. The point is to show you care to hear from them.
4. Generate Buzz Before and After the Release of a Big Video
If you plan to release a debut single, debut album, new music video, or anything of the like, generate hype and excitement around the release of the video by releasing promos before and behind-the-scenes or Q&A videos after. Doing this will create anticipation for the big release and prolong viewers’ interest after the fact. Long story short, you should promote your primary content (the big release) in various ways before, and provide a recap to your viewers once the release has happened.
Whether you are kick-starting or revamping your YouTube channel, these pointers are important to keep in mind in order to maximize the benefits of YouTube. There is an astounding amount of fame and success that has come out of individuals’ YouTube channels, so don't underestimate the power that YouTube has. With smart tactics—using meaningful titles, capitalizing on the annotations feature, being social, and generating before-and-after buzz—you, too, can skyrocket your success and grow your exposure.
A note from Your EPKvault Team: Using and promoting your own EPK on social media is a sure way to expand your reach and exposure. Including the link to your EPK on EPKvault.com in your Instagram bio, featuring it as a link in a Facebook post, or posting a direct