Hasta La Motion!

What sustains a YouTube channel and builds world audiences on the platform? Well, it is not rocket science, but human science. Some videos go viral while some appeal to a very niche audience. It all depends on what the creators wish to or not to communicate. In most cases, to cater to maximum audience on a digital platform, the creation has to be something which the audience demands, and what they demand is based on a set.

YouTube Family and Learning, programming head, Lauren Glaubach has with her experience, dissected the phenomena of mass appeal of content on a digital platform and provided insights of the same in her session on the first day of Animation Masters Summit 2017.

Glaubach explained the 10 fundamentals of a creative strategy on YouTube which drive towards building a loyal audience, “an audience that keeps coming back. That’s the goal,” she said. “None of these fundamentals are necessary, but they can surely help.”

1. Shareability

To make a video viral, it is important to know if you will share a video. People share videos because of what it says about them, i.e. it’s relatable to them. “If you share a video which is funny, it means you are funny,” she added. If a video wants to be shared, it has to be topical – become a part of a conversation. One way to do that is to align your content to seasonal moments throughout the year. A video will also be shared if it provides value – teaches something or solves a problem.

2. Conversation

It is an element of speaking directly to the audience. YouTube is a social site and people on this platform become your friends. Your favourite star talking to you or watching behind the scenes of a show that you love are powerful tools to generate loyal audience.

3. Interactivity

Is there a way to involve the audience? “It is about them being part of the story,” Glaubach highlighted. According to her, this element provides a way for the audience to participate.

4. Consistency

Consistency can be in the upload schedule or personality format. “Set expectations with your viewers, it makes them want to come back,” she explained.

5. Targeting

On YouTube, you must know who your audience is and make sure you are delivering content that is for them. Even within the same channel, you can target different groups.

6. Sustainability

“If the audience loves it, can you make more of it?” she asked. “You cannot make one thing and make it successful overnight. You need to engage and grow your audience overtime.” Dubbing the content for international audience can make the animation sustainable.

7. Discoverability

“YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google and this fundamental is all about taking advantage of that.” Will your content get found in Search or Related Videos? “There are two ways to tap into this.” You can have content that taps into trending themes or have evergreen content.

8. Accessibility

Can every episode be appreciated by a brand new viewer? “Having a show with standalone episodes is important because if you have series with 30 episodes, that’s 30 opportunities for a new viewer to find and enjoy your content.”

9. Collaboration

Collaboration, featuring guest stars, is a great way to get the audience to watch your content. Cast people with similar audiences and promote your content.

10. Inspiration

Does the idea come from a genuine place of interest? Do you love what you are doing? “Your audience can see the passion in everything that you do,” Glaubach concluded.

The post The 10 fundamentals of a creative strategy on YouTube decoded by Lauren Glaubach appeared first on AnimationXpress.