People often ask me how I’ve managed to have such incredible luck with creating and distributing political Youtube videos. With quite a few viral hits under my belt I’ve had plenty of time to experiment. When I find something that works I add it to a checklist. Now when I’m producing new Youtube content each clip has to go through a 200+ item checklist to make sure it is able to get the highest number of views possible. Here are 10 of my favorite Youtube tips from my checklist:

1. Quality Cameras give you quality video. This should go without saying, but a better camera will give you a better Youtube video. The old 4:3 format is fine, but you really want to be shooting in 16:9 widescreen. Keep in mind that a higher resolution camera will give you a higher quality video, so HD resolution is obviously the way to go.
2. Be Brief. Most Youtube accounts are capped at 10 minutes, but your video should be much shorter than that. Get to your point. Seriously. I’ve done enough research on this to know that your average viewer is only going to put up with you for about a minute. At the very least make sure to front load your video with the most important information.
3. The clip stands alone. Make each video capable of standing alone. People aren’t going to sit there and slug through an entire series, so treat each clip as it’s own individual installment.
4. Hyperlinks! Always put a link to your website, blog, Twitter account, Facebook page or whatever at the very top of the description field for your video. It’ll be the first thing a viewer sees when they read your description and it will make whatever you say in the video actionable. If you tell people to follow you on Twitter, you’ll have a link to your Twitter account right there in the sidebar.
5. Catchy titles work. Give your video a title that’s so irresistible that people have no choice but to click and watch it. Keep the title relevant to whatever you’re talking about and keep it brief. Very often the title is what will make or break a potentially viral clip.
6. Tags! Use ‘em. You’ll be surprised how many people will discover your video through simple keyword searches. Good tagging makes those searches significantly more lucrative for you in the long run.
7. Write detailed descriptions. That big ol’ description section should be filled to the brim with text describing what’s in your video and when possible should summarize all your main points. Search engines have no idea what you said in your video, so use descriptive text to help people discover your content.
8. Manage expectations. A video rarely goes viral on it’s own. Some videos will get a couple dozen hits, while others may be seen by thousands of people. I have plenty of experience with clips that have gone viral and I can tell you that it’s all about your distribution strategy. Sending a clip out to thousands of people doesn’t mean you’re going to get thousands of views. My most successful clips are always carefully controlled and limited in distribution.
9. Favorite stuff. Make sure to ‘favorite’ other people’s videos. People will look at your Youtube page and notice this kind of thing. ‘Favoriting’ increases your visibility and marks you as someone actually interested in participating. It sounds odd, but it will bring your videos more viewers.
10. Always leave your fingerprint. Watermark your videos. I don’t care if it’s with your website or your Twitter account or even just your name, just make sure your branding is somewhere on the clip. Releasing a video without a watermark is a missed opportunity for a call to action.

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