YouTube + MAKE Video Playbook

Start out with a killer video concept, then workshop the idea and script with coworkers.

• As seen in: Shrikify your Arduino Projects

Optimize the first 15 seconds of your video to grab the viewer's attention.

• Hold off on the series/episode branding until after you've given the viewer a reason to watch.

Include viewer interaction in your videos through asking specific questions, featuring fans, or by addressing the audience in the videos. Provide specific calls-to-action:

• Ask for comments
• Ask for viewers to show you their projects
• Ask viewers to subscribe and watch related videos
• Examples: Lonely Christmas Tree, Doily Wedges, Beating Heart Headband

Plan your annotations ahead of time to go along with calls-to-action.

Consider producing videos or segments specifically for your audience and the purpose of engaging with them.

Release on schedule!

• One key to success on YouTube is releasing videos on a consistent schedule.
• If you know you're going to be late, let your producer know ASAP in case the schedule can be shuffled.

Know your numbers!

• Use Analytics to better understand your audience, improve your content, and help you develop effective programming and production strategies.

Matt's Enough Already gained a lot of blog traction both upon release and again later on.

Collin's Homebrew Piezo video had a spike in viewership when included as an end card/annotation in his later DIY Contact Mic episode.

The baseline channel viewer-to-subscriber conversion rate increased when we started making sure every video contained the "subscribe" annotation throughout (over the corner logo bug)

Include logo bug at 60% opacity

Include clips of related videos for annotating later

Gaining subscribers and click-throughs on related videos are very important - edit your credit sequence accordingly

• Some great credit sequences: Tuning Fork, Lonely Christmas Tree, iPhone Gloves

Download the sample graphics package (logo bug overlay, Benton Sans font, etc. at 720p and 1080p)

Write detailed and comprehensive metadata following keyword strategies and formatting.

• The YouTube metadata may be a 3rd person conversion of your 1st person blog post, or vice versa.
• Titles are important! Use keywords; they're worth more for SEO in the title field than anywhere else.

Create an eye-catching thumbnail at the same dimensions as your video

• Keep in mind many playback locations will see a big PLAY button at the thumbnail's dead center, so don't hide the image's focus behind it.

Upload the video's thumbnail AS SOON as the video is finished processing.

• Otherwise the default thumbnail may "stick" for ~24 hours before rolling over to the one you uploaded.

Annotate the video with community calls to action, subscribe button, and links to related content.

• Annotations make a big difference in traffic and viewer-to-subscriber conversion.

Go into the annotations editor on an existing video for examples on annotation styles - Example here is The Wolfe's Den Treehouse

Add the video to your playlist and any other relevant topical playlists on the channel, and move the video to position 1 in the playlist(s)

Set the video as featured video on the channel page.

Move the video's primary playlist to the top of the "featured playlists" block.

Optional: Set video as a video response to a popular and relevant video from your channel.

Blog your video on MAKE with proper categories, tags, and links (see the Launching a Video on MAKE technique for full instructions)

Interact with viewers in the first few hours after you upload new content.

• Respond to comments and be active on social media sites to build engagement around new uploads.
• Keep an open mind for viewer suggestions, requests, and questions. They can be great fodder for future videos.