11 Proven Ways To Increase YouTube Engagement In 2024 : Smart Tactics

What do you think is better: 1000 views on your YouTube video or 100 comments?

We are sure you are likely drawn to the latter option, as many content creators on YouTube are looking to increase YouTube engagement.

And since YouTube engagement brings more traction to your channel, it’s understandable why engagement is crucial on YouTube. If you’re seeking ways to enhance your channel’s engagement, we’re here to assist. 

In this blog, we’ll explore a variety of methods for increasing YouTube engagement. Along with that, we’ll discuss some fundamental aspects of YouTube engagement. 

So without any further ado, let us get into it. 

What Is YouTube Engagement?

In simple terms, YouTube engagement refers to when viewers on YouTube take action while watching your videos. The level of engagement on your channel reflects how many times a viewer interacts with your content, through likes, comments, shares, and more. 

YouTube has metrics that help the channel to understand how much your audience is engaged to your channel. This is where YouTube channel owners draw information about their YouTube engagement. 

YouTube uses certain unwritten parameters to identify the trends, such as; 

• Which of your YouTube videos are retaining the most viewers?
• Which of the videos gained the most subscribers?
• Which videos are badging the most likes and comments? 

Now if you are pondering over why increasing YouTube engagement matters, There are two prime benefits of increased engagement: 

1. YouTube engagement tells you whether your audience is enjoying your content on the platform. This way you would create more YouTube videos like that. 

2. For the creators, having a good engagement rate is important, as this helps the brands decide whether to partner with them. It is more fruitful for brands to collaborate with creators that have a high engagement rate. As a highly engaged audience, it is proactive and ready to take action. 

Having a low YouTube engagement rate might deviate you from complying with YouTube’s fake engagement policy. 

If you do not follow YouTube’s policy about fake engagement. YouTube will also remove your videos or your entire channel from the platform. 

YouTube in its Fake engagement policy has clearly said that if any creator on YouTube uses any third-party automation tool to increase YouTube engagement will be terminated and removed from the platform. 

How To Calculate YouTube Engagement Rate? 

The most commonly used method to calculate YouTube engagement rate is by reach (ERR). To calculate the ERR of a specific video, you need to follow these steps:

1. Choose your most recent video.

2. Calculate the engagement rate of the video using the following formula: 

Engagement rate = (Total engagement / Total impressions) * 100

Here, impressions refer to the number of times your thumbnail appears to viewers on YouTube. The platform counts an impression if the thumbnail is visible to the viewer for more than one second, and 50% of the thumbnail should be visible on the screen. To calculate the total engagement, consider the following metrics: likes, dislikes, views, comments, shares, and subscribers.

3. Repeat the above steps for 5 to 10 videos, and calculate the average of all the numbers generated.

If your YouTube channel or YouTube video has 10 likes, 5 comments, 2 shares, and 100 views, here is how you can calculate the YouTube engagement rate. 

{(10 likes + 5 comments + 2 shares ) /100 views } * 100 = 17%

Note: If you are dubious about your calculation skills, you can also use any YouTube Engagement rate calculator tool available online. Some of these YouTube engagement rate calculator tools are free of cost. 

What Affects The YouTube Engagement Rate? 

YouTube’s algorithm rates videos based on various factors, including their level of engagement. A video with a higher engagement rate is likely to rank higher than other videos targeting the same audience. 

Several factors contribute to a video’s level of engagement, but some are more impactful than others. Here is a list of some important factors you must consider. 

a.) Account Activity

Is your YouTube Account inactive? 

Do you post a video and ghost your audience for months? 

Well, there can’t be good news for you. 

When we say that your account activity affects your YouTube engagement, we mean that it includes how often you publish videos, respond to comments, and engage with other YouTube accounts. 

Off-platform activity, such as traffic from search engines or social networks, can also help you boost YouTube engagement. 

b.) YouTube Video Duration

Conventional wisdom suggests that longer videos (8-10+ minutes) earn more engagement because longer watch times result in more time spent on YouTube. Think of it this way, if you post 5-minute YouTube videos on your channel, and your 1000 subscribers watch your entire video you will have a watch time of 5000 minutes. 

However, there can be exceptions to this. 

Remember that, YouTube does not favor longer videos. However, longer videos have better advantages over YouTube Shorts or shorter videos. 

c.) Video Titles and Descriptions

These details help YouTube understand what your content is about and ensure that your videos get suggested across other channels that serve a similar audience. 

The more details you provide about your YouTube videos on the platform, the better it will understand and help your YouTube video appear on the top. 

d.) Topics and Target Audience

Your audience and industry largely determine your YouTube engagement. Consistent topics for a specific target audience will give you more engagement than making your channel a dumping ground for clips. 

For example, a gaming channel is likely to grow faster than any SaaS-based YouTube channel. 

10 Excellent Ways To Increase YouTube Engagement

Well, there are no written rules for succeeding on YouTube. However, you can use some unwritten tactics to increase your channel’s YouTube engagement rate.

Indeed, you cannot control the algorithm, but you can tailor your content to be more visible on the platform. 

Take a look at the top tactics that you can also use to boost YouTube engagement. 

#1. Create Authentic and Engaging Videos On YouTube 

Creating engaging YouTube videos is crucial to increasing YouTube engagement. That’s why we’ve ranked it as the first step. To create authentic and engaging videos, it’s essential to understand your audience. Knowing your audience persona is the key to increasing YouTube engagement. 

Here are some important questions you can ask yourself to create an audience persona: 

• Who is your ideal audience? 
• What is their age group? 
• What are their pain points? 

Keep this information in mind while creating your videos. Also, create a consistent content publishing schedule to keep your audience engaged. The more you stick to a particular time to post your YouTube, the more your target audience will interact with it. 

#2. Write Click Worthy Title For YouTube Videos 

The title of a webpage plays a crucial role in attracting the attention of potential readers and search engines alike. It provides a summary of the content of the page and helps users understand what they can expect to find when they click through. 

A well-crafted title can improve the search engine optimization (SEO) of a webpage by including relevant keywords that match the user’s search queries.

It’s important to note that the title is often the first impression that users have of your content. It’s what appears in search engine results and social media shares, so it needs to be descriptive, and engaging. 

Along with that, it should also accurately reflect the content of the page. 

A strong title can entice potential readers to click through and explore the page further, while a weak or misleading title can lead to frustration and a high bounce rate.

Therefore, it’s crucial to put thought and effort into creating a strong title for your web pages. Think about what your readers are looking for and what keywords they might use to search for that information. 

#3. Create Strategic Thumbnails On YouTube 

It is common knowledge that one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but the same cannot be said about YouTube videos. 

The decision to watch a video is likely based on its thumbnail. 

As a content creator on YouTube, it is crucial to ensure that your thumbnail effectively communicates the message to your potential audience. 

Custom thumbnails play a significant role in informing your viewers what the video is all about. 

According to research, about 90% of the best-performing videos on YouTube have custom thumbnails. 

Therefore, if you want to increase engagement and encourage your audience to watch your videos, it is essential to create more customized thumbnails. Use vibrant colors to attract your target audience.  

#4. Provide A Call To Action To Your YouTube Videos

If you’re a content creator on YouTube, you know how important it is to engage your audience and keep them coming back for more. 

One way to do this is by providing a clear call to action (CTA) in your YouTube videos. 

A CTA is a prompt that encourages your viewers to take a specific action, such as subscribing to your channel, leaving a comment, or visiting your website.

By including a CTA in your YouTube videos, you’re helping your viewers understand what action you want them to take and increasing the likelihood that they’ll do it. 

When creating your CTA, be sure to make it clear, concise, and compelling. Use action-oriented language and highlight the benefits of taking the desired action.

Some examples of effective CTAs for YouTube videos include:

• If you enjoyed this video, please hit the like button and subscribe to my channel for more videos like this.
• Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts on today’s topic.

Remember, your CTA should be tailored to your specific audience and the goals you have for your channel. Know that, you must use only one CTA at a time. More than one CTA will confuse the viewer and refrain them from taking action. 

#5. Create YouTube Shorts to Increase YouTube Engagement 

Creating YouTube Shorts is a great way to improve YouTube engagement on your channel. Shorts are vertical videos that are 60 seconds or less, and they are designed to be quick, entertaining, and engaging. They can be created using your smartphone and they are a great way to showcase your creativity and personality. 

YouTube Shorts are a great way to reach a wider audience because they appear on the Shorts shelf on the YouTube home page, which means that viewers who are not subscribed to your channel can discover your content. While you are creating content for shorts, consider the YouTube Shorts updates in mind.

YouTube shorts are also a great way to keep your existing audience engaged and entertained with fresh, bite-sized content.

When creating YouTube Shorts for business, it’s important to keep in mind that viewers have short attention spans, so make sure that your content is visually appealing, engaging, and easy to follow. 

You can use background music, captions, and transitions to make your YouTube Shorts more interesting and engaging. 

With the right approach, YouTube Shorts can help you increase YouTube engagement, grow your audience, and build your brand on YouTube.

#6. Collaborate With Influencers To increase YouTube Engagement 

Collaborating with influencers is a great way to boost YouTube engagement. It allows you to tap into the influencer’s audience and gain exposure to a wider range of viewers. 

By partnering with influencers, you can create engaging content that resonates with their followers and encourages them to engage with your channel. 

This can include sponsored videos, product reviews, or shout outs. The key is to choose influencers that align with your brand and have a similar target audience. 

This will ensure that the collaboration is authentic and effective. 

Apart from that, it’s important to establish clear goals and expectations for the collaboration to ensure that both parties benefit from the partnership. Collaborating with influencers can be a powerful strategy to increase YouTube engagement and grow your channel.

#7. Host A Contest Or Giveaway For Your Subscribers 

Giveaways can be a great way to quickly increase engagement on your YouTube channel. The good news is that they can also have a long-term impact. 

While many YouTube giveaways require viewers to subscribe and comment to participate, it’s a good idea to add a unique twist. 

For example, if you ask your subscribers to comment they might spam your comment section. Instead of that, ask a question in your YouTube video. This would come off as an intentional interaction rather than mindless spam. 

If you do this, your giveaway will stand out and be more memorable for your audience. 

#9. Keep An Eye On YouTube Trends From Your Niche 

If you are looking to enhance YouTube engagement, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest trends on the platform. 

By keeping an eye on what’s popular at the moment and incorporating it into your content strategy, you can attract more viewers and keep them engaged with your channel. Make sure that the trend is relevant to your niche. 

Whether it’s a new challenge or a popular meme, hopping on the latest trends can be a great way to increase your visibility and grow your audience. So, don’t be afraid to experiment with new ideas and try out different things to keep your viewers entertained and engaged.

#10. Form a Relationship With Your Audience 

As a creator on YouTube, it’s important to take an active approach to increase YouTube engagement on your channel. Simply uploading videos and waiting for views and likes won’t cut it in today’s competitive landscape. 

You need to put in the effort to engage with your audience and build a community around your content. One effective way to do this is by responding to comments from your viewers. Show them that you appreciate their support and value their opinions. This will help you increase your YouTube views and engagement.

Along with that, consider collaborating with other YouTubers in your niche to reach a wider audience and create fresh content. 

Don’t forget to promote your videos on social media and other platforms to drive traffic to your channel. With consistent effort and a willingness to engage with your audience, you can increase YouTube engagement and build a loyal following.

#11. Embed YouTube Videos On the Website 

If you want to work smart, embedding YouTube videos on your website is an excellent way to increase YouTube engagement with your YouTube content. This not only improves the visibility of your YouTube videos across your website, but also helps to boost overall website traffic. 

Using a YouTube aggregator tool, you can easily embed both YouTube videos and YouTube Shorts on your website without requiring any coding skills. These tools make it easy to bring the YouTube widget to your website and some of them even allow you to customize the overall look of the widget. For example, you can also alter the themes and layouts of the YouTube widget to go with the vibe of your website. 

Additionally, you can add a call-to-action button to your YouTube widget, inviting website visitors to subscribe to your channel. This would eventually increase YouTube engagement. 

Did you know that adding a YouTube widget to your website can help boost your YouTube income? Here’s how it works: when a visitor navigates to your website and watches your YouTube video on your website, they may also see the YouTube ads that appear alongside it. This can help increase your overall YouTube revenue.

Final Takeaway 

To increase YouTube engagement is crucial for content creators who want to grow their channels and attract more viewers. 

By understanding the fundamental aspects of YouTube engagement and implementing the methods we’ve discussed in this blog, you can increase your channel’s engagement rate. 

Remember, YouTube engagement rate is not just based on views, but also likes, comments, shares, and other metrics. 

So, make sure to keep your audience engaged with your content by being active on the platform, posting quality videos, and engaging with your viewers. 

By doing so, you will not only increase your engagement rate but also attract more brands to collaborate with you.