YOUTUBE HOW TO GUIDES: Why write a YouTube description
Navigate Video - YOUTUBE HOW TO GUIDES: Why write a YouTube Description
Don’t think the description of your video is important? Think again.
YouTube is becoming a major area of focus for marketeers with 89% of video marketers planning to include YouTube in their 2021 video marketing strategy. With more and more brands prioritising YouTube, how can you ensure your content stands out from the crowd?
Why write a YouTube description?
YouTube descriptions are valuable for two important reasons, one being content discovery and the other being consumer understanding.
Descriptions are essential for content discovery. The first couple of sentences (‘the hook’) will appear in search results, and well-written descriptions with relevant keywords are an important factor when indexing your content as it gives it more words to index against.
A description also enables you to give your audience the essential knowledge they will need before, during or after watching your content; for example, where they should go to find out more. It is also an opportunity to entice and direct the viewer outwards to your website, your products, your services or even other relevant content.
5 tips on how to write a YouTube description
Determine a structure: Having a consistent template in place that can be easily maintained will be time-saving and will help with content recognition.
Have a hook: Prioritise the first couple of lines of your YouTube description as it is what viewers will see first in search results. The first sentences of your description are an opportunity to describe the film and entice the viewer to click to watch your content or read more about the video.
Provide a brief description: The hook is what the viewers will read first, but what’s next? This is where viewers will look to find out more information about your brand and the topic your film is exploring.
Never forget the CTA: A call-to-action is essential for creating a user journey. Consider where you want your viewers to go after they’ve watched your content.
Remember to add links: The description is a place where viewers will look to find out more about your brand and enhance the user experience. Make sure that you add links to your channel, relevant playlists, website and social channels.
Should you use hashtags in YouTube descriptions?
Hashtags are used on all social media platforms including YouTube as they can help viewers find your videos and classify your content.
As with other channels, users can click on a hashtag, as it will become hyperlinked, and be directed to that hashtag’s search results and see more content related to that topic. There are three places on YouTube where hashtags can appear:
Above the video’s title (only the first three hashtags in your description will appear above your video title)
In the video’s title
In the video’s description
The important things to remember with hashtags is to not overuse them (we recommend no more than three hashtags per video) and make sure that they are related and specific to your content (for instance, ‘#video’ will not be as productive as ‘#YouTubeStrategy’). It’s also important to remember that a video has more than 15 hashtags, YouTube will ignore all of the hashtags on that video, and it’s possible that they may remove your video from your uploads or from search.
Need help?
We are YouTube experts who will help manage, integrate, optimise, amplify and evaluate your YouTube content and channel, ensuring you reach the right audience and drive high quality engagement and action rates.
Get in touch to find out how we can help with your YouTube marketing strategy: stuart@navigatevideo.com
