To monetize your YouTube content using Adsense, you must have 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of viewing time on your channel during the last 365 days. We’ll provide you with wise guidance on how to increase the number of people who watch your videos and reach your objective more quickly.
Duration of Videos and YouTube Watch Time
You might believe that a longer video will get more watch time hours.
That is untrue and could even backfire if your statistics show that people leave the video before it is finished. YouTube monitors these indicators, and the more visitors who leave your content without watching it, the less likely it is that YouTube will promote it to more users of the platform.
Making shorter movies that viewers stick with may be a much more effective technique than producing long videos that viewers only watch 20% of. How lengthy should your videos be? The response is as long as it takes to make its point. You will gain a great deal from editing and packaging your films as quickly as possible.
Increase YT Watch Time for Free
How do YouTube Shorts and Watch Time work?
Should you be making shorter-form videos rather than lengthier ones if we’re advising you to keep your videos as brief as possible? No, not always.
Your objective of obtaining 1,000 subscribers will be met by any subscribers you acquire from your Shorts (the other metric you need to qualify to join the YouTube Partner Program and become eligible for monetization).
However, the YouTube Shorts watch time does not count toward your required 4,000 hours, especially if it is delivered to users via the Shorts shelf. Therefore, if you enjoy producing Shorts, keep doing so, but remember that they won’t result in more viewers tuning in.
Your friend is audience retention metrics.
If you’ve been uploading videos to your channel, you should have some performance data at your disposal that can help you gauge how well viewers receive your content. You may use various tools on YouTube to help you with issues like audience retention and drop-off rate.
You can use YouTube Studio to check your audience retention analytics on the platform. Just select “Analytics” from the published video menu. Select “Engagement” from the new dashboard to obtain the required data. Keep an eye out for the metrics “Typical Audience Retention” and “Key Moments for Audience Retention.”
Make Your Videos Public When the Public is Online
You want to ensure that your video gets seen by as many people as possible when you launch it—knowing when and where most of your viewers are watching will be a crucial measurement.
To take advantage of those potential viewers and subscribers, for example, if you are based in the United States but most of your readers are in Japan, you should post in Japan Standard Time.
Maximize the Use of Playlists, Info Cards, and End Screens
You can link to other videos on YouTube with the help of info cards and end screens (and much more). It can help your audience better understand the subject you’re talking about or allow you to advertise more of your material. Therefore, start using one of these additions if you aren’t already.
Did you know that you may add a playlist as a link in addition to the common methods of end screens and info cards? Why not use that content to your advantage by compiling a playlist of the videos that have helped you earn the most subscribers?
It is a crucial tactic for increasing people’s time watching your channel. YouTube recognizes video content that maximizes user engagement on the site. Additionally, directing viewers to a carefully curated and pertinent Playlist will increase your watch time.
Encourage Engagement with Comments
It always pays to reply to comments on your YouTube videos quickly, especially in the first few hours following uploading. Why not make a prefabricated answer comment that includes a link to your most popular video or a playlist of videos on a related subject to encourage participation and increase watch time and views?
You can also use prefabricated responses with open-ended questions to encourage more dialogue. For instance,
- What was your main takeaway from the video?
- Have you discovered anything new?
- What part did you like best?
When viewers receive a signal you have answered, they frequently revisit your video and possibly give it another look, increasing engagement.
Conclusion
We hope this post helped you to increase your free YouTube watch time.