Keeping an audience engaged and increasing your subscriber count are possibly two of the most challenging tasks you’ll face as a YouTuber. As each day, more and more people are deciding to pursue a career in content creation, which makes it even harder to stay relevant.
However, with the right strategy, you can ensure that your content continuously receives the validation it deserves. To that end, it’s time to introduce you to one of the platform’s most underrated features: YouTube playlists.
In this article, we’ll not only explain how to create a YouTube playlist but also how to customize it.
What Is a YouTube Playlist?
Essentially, a YouTube playlist is a collection of videos categorized according to a topic or theme. As a creator, you have full creative power in terms of organizing the featured content on your specific playlist.
Surprisingly, not many creators are aware of how valuable playlists can be. The first thing that comes to mind is that they can help you gain more likes, shares, and subscribers. That being said, it’s time to take full advantage of this feature.
Improve the Viewing Experience
Creating a playlist allows you to organize your content in a way that makes it easier for potential viewers to find what they’re looking for. Let’s say you’re a fitness-oriented YouTuber. If someone is looking for your exercise-related videos, they can easily locate them on your aptly-themed playlist.
More importantly, once they check out one of your videos, they’ll immediately be able to see the rest of them without having to use the YouTube search bar.
Encourage People to Watch Your Other Videos
The fact that your videos will automatically continue playing will encourage the viewers to keep watching. Subsequently, this will improve your statistics and influence the AI-powered YouTube algorithm to recommend your videos to a wider audience.
Taking this into account, you can expect to see a substantial increase in your views within just a few days!
Step-By-Step Guide on How to Create Your Playlist
Fortunately, the process of creating a playlist is quite simple: all you need is a YouTube channel and, of course, videos. There are two ways to create your playlist.
Method #1: Add the Videos One by One
- Click on the Menu button located at the top left corner;
- Select the Collection option from the menu;
- Choose which videos you want to add to your playlist;
- Click on the three dots located under the video’s thumbnail;
- Select Save to Playlist;
- Choosethe Create New Playlist option;
- Pick a name for your playlist and set the Privacy Settings to Public;
- Click Create.
Method #2: Set up Your Playlist Through YouTube Studio
- Click on the Create button in the top right corner;
- Select the New Playlist option;
- Choose a Title for your playlist, and add a description;
- Change the visibility settings to Public;
- Click Create.
How to Customize Your Playlist
A carefully crafted playlist can do a lot to increase your views, likes, and shares. Though first, you will need to customize it by adding a well-thought-out title, an accurate description, and an eye-catching thumbnail.
Generate a Compelling Title
Coming up with a good title for your playlist is an essential step in the optimization process. Beginner creators often consider it a formality; however, using a title that accurately describes what your content is about will get your video noticed by a wider audience. Overall, since it’s the first thing your viewers will check out, the title should be compelling and, of course, precise.
When you use the right wording, YouTube can index your video correctly and recommend it to new viewers. Furthermore, an accurate title will ensure that your video stands out in the YouTube search results. And, due to the ever-increasing volume of content on the platform, you need all the help you can get.
Finally, a precise title will tell people exactly what they can expect to see on your playlist without having to go through each video separately.
Make an Accurate Description
While creating a playlist, you’ll notice that the description area is optional. However, an accurate description can ensure that your playlist immediately comes up in the YouTube search. In order to make sure this happens, you should incorporate keywords that are closely related to the videos on your playlist.
Ultimately, you can add up to 5000 characters in the description, but not everything will be featured in the search results. That’s why it’s necessary to front-load your description with a concise summary and attention-grabbing details so they’re immediately visible to viewers.
Add an Eye-Catching Thumbnail
Along with the title, the thumbnail is the first thing people will notice when viewing your playlist, so think of it as an ad for your content. With that in mind, you need something that is both visually appealing and informative.
Unfortunately, YouTube doesn’t have an option that allows you to create and upload a separate thumbnail for your playlist. Instead, the thumbnail from the first video is automatically set as the default. Alternatively, if you’re not happy with the visual, you can easily change it by going to YouTube Studio and choosing another video as the thumbnail.
On a different note, some creators will opt to make an introductory video for their viewers. Doing so will not only allow you to customize your playlist thumbnail, but it will also make your audience feel more appreciated. After all, filming an intro requires time, effort, and editing skills.
Organize Your Videos
The main idea behind creating a playlist is to encourage people to check out as much of your content as possible. With that in mind, arrange your videos in order of importance so as to make the viewing experience effortless. Though, you will first need to consider the order in which you want to place each video.
For example, if your content is episodic, the organization process should be easy; simply place the videos by order of episode. This will ensure that your viewers can binge-watch the entire playlist without having to search for each video separately.
On the other hand, if your videos don’t require a specific order, then place your top-performing content first. Overall, the idea is to get people to see your best work first, which will encourage them to continue watching the rest of your playlist. To find out which of your videos have the longest watch time, go to YouTube Studio and check out your channel’s analytics.
Using YouTube Studio Analytics
As mentioned, YouTube analytics can help you learn more about how your content is performing. Here’s how to access them:
- Sign in to YouTube.
- Go to the Menu in the top left-hand corner and select YouTube Studio.
- From the Menu on the left, click on Analytics.
In general, you’ll have access to information on the key metrics regarding your views, watch time, and subscriber count. If you’re in the YouTube Partner Program, you’ll also be able to check out your estimated revenue. Furthermore, you can find out how your viewers interact with your videos and what they watch the most. With all of this information at your fingertips, organizing your content should be a breeze.
Make Your Content Shareable
Upon utilizing all of our strategies, there’s no doubt that you’ll see a substantial increase when it comes to your views and likes. Nevertheless, we’d like to leave you with one more piece of advice that will also help you increase your shares.
As mentioned in the guide on how to create a YouTube playlist, the privacy settings are adjustable. That means creators have the option of setting their playlists to public, private, or unlisted.
Since your goal is to get as many eyes on your playlist as possible, always adjust the settings to Public. This will allow your viewers to not only view your content but also share it. Rest assured that once your playlists start circulating, your videos will inevitably reach a broader audience than anticipated!
