Key lessons from getting over 1 million views on a YouTube video

For the first time, I got over one million views on a personal (rather than client) 10 minute YouTube video. Here are the most important things I learnt from this – and I think this applies to any kind of content that you publish online.

1) The thumbnail image for your video is THE most important thing to consider. This is pretty much the only thing that a potential viewer will use to decide whether or not to watch your video.

2) The title of your video is the next most important thing to consider. It needs to be short and it needs to grab attention.

3) Does the combination of your thumbnail and title make the viewer curious? If not, they probably won’t watch your video.

4) You have approximately 3 seconds to prove to the viewer that your video is worth watching. 

5) Front-load all of your effort towards crafting a brilliant start to your video.

6) Audio quality is more important than image quality. Viewers will tolerate terribly-lit, out-of-focus footage, but if your audio quality is poor, your viewers will click off faster than you can say ‘internal microphone’.

7) The higher the number of views your video has, the more likely it is that you will attract new viewers. People are interested to know why a video is performing well. 

8) You need to give your viewers a reason to stick around and watch until the end of your video. 

9) The pace of your video is important, but you don’t need to edit your videos so that every breath and pause is removed. If you are sharing useful information, viewers will respond well to this. 

10) Authenticity is essential. Viewers are not stupid. Be genuine, truthful and respect your viewer’s time. 

That’s it! If you’re interested in seeing the video which got over one million views, you can watch it below. It’s called, ’The only thing that stopped me from infinite scrolling’.