15 Surefire Tactics to Massively Increase Your YouTube Watch Hours

What Are YouTube Watch Hours?

Watch hours are one of the most important metrics that YouTube employs to evaluate the effectiveness and popularity of a channel. To put it another way, your watch hours are determined by adding up the total amount of time that people have spent watching your videos, which includes any replays that may have occurred.

Watch time is of the utmost significance for any YouTuber who is interested in employing the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) in order to generate revenue from their channel. In point of fact, one of the fundamental prerequisites for joining the Young People’s Program (YPP) and earning money from adverts that are displayed on your videos is to have obtained a minimum of 4,000 public view hours in the last 12 months.

---

The Importance of Increasing Your Watch Hours

More watch hours don’t just open the door to monetization – they’re also a strong signal to YouTube’s algorithm that your content is engaging and should be recommended more widely across the platform.

Higher watch hours lead to:

– More video views
– Greater subscriber growth
– Higher rankings in YouTube search
– Increased suggestions in the recommended videos sidebar
– Eligibility for YouTube revenue sharing and promotional opportunities

Essentially, increasing your YouTube watch hours creates a virtual cycle where engaging content leads to more reach, which leads to more views and watch time…which continues boosting your growth on the platform.

So how can you start racking up more public watch hours? Here are ten proven tips to send your audience watch time skyrocketing.

1. Create Engaging Videos That Educate, Entertain or Inspire

---

This one may seem obvious but creating videos that are able to hold the attention of viewers from the beginning to the end is the first and most important step in increasing the amount of time that they spend watching what you have to offer. Videos that are uninteresting, difficult to understand, or that do not live up to their promise will cause viewers to click away within a few seconds of the play button being pressed.

To hook your audience, focus on creating content in a niche you’re passionate about that either:

– Educates viewers by teaching them something new
– Entertains with humor, animations, sketches, etc.
– Inspires through storytelling or by showcasing talent

Thoroughly plan, script, and edit your videos to create a flawless final product with no lulls or filler content. Make sure to place your most captivating hook toward the beginning to keep new viewers from bouncing.

2. Increase Video Length and Invest in Quality Production

Simply said, longer videos have a greater possibility for earning more cumulative view time than shorter clips have to earn more watch time. It is possible for videos to be of any length; however, the algorithm that YouTube uses provides additional preference to lengthier videos that are able to sustain a consistent audience engagement.

Your objective should be to produce videos that are at least 10 to 15 minutes long without losing the flow of the video or becoming repetitive. By making investments in high-quality production equipment such as cameras, lighting, microphones, and editing software, you may support the development of lengthier video pieces.

If the production value is high, it indicates that the content is of high quality and will more likely keep people watching until the very end. It is important to use caution when dragging out videos for longer than is required for the topic.

3. Encourage Viewers to Watch Complete YouTube Playlists

YouTube playlists are an effective method for extending viewing sessions since they automatically queue up your relevant videos one after the other with auto-play enabled. The difficulty of having to manually choose what to watch next is largely eliminated when playlists are created.

To leverage playlists:

– Group complementary videos together that flow well back-to-back
– Use playlists to house full-length courses, video series, tutorials, etc.
– Add playlists to your channel’s navigation and promote them in descriptions
– Use eye-catching thumbnails enticing clicks on your playlists
– Frequently update playlists with fresh content to keep fans watching

The longer you can keep viewers watching videos on your channel through playlists and auto-play, the faster those watch hours will accumulate.

4. Publish Videos Consistently on an Optimized Schedule

One of the most reliable strategies to optimize watch time is to maintain consistency, in conjunction with a deliberate posting schedule that is structured around the viewing patterns of your target audience.

In order to determine the appropriate cadence, video length, and timing, it is necessary to conduct thorough testing. Nevertheless, if you establish a consistent viewing pattern that your members can adhere to, it will be much simpler for them to acquire those highly sought-after completed views.

Some tips for optimizing your schedule:

– Analyze your YouTube Analytics data to find patterns in when your viewers tune in and for how long
– Try publishing on a consistent weekly schedule (e.g. Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5pm ET)
– Spread longer videos out, and use shorter videos as “snacks” in between
– If your audience is global, schedule video releases for different time zones
– Promote your publishing schedule frequently to train your subscriber base

An organized calendar with videos viewers can rely on is a major driver of those binge-worthy YouTube watch sessions you’re after.

5. Implement Effective YouTube Video SEO

It is equally important to optimize your videos for visibility in YouTube search results, even though engagement is the most important factor in increasing the number of hours that people view it. Videos that have been properly optimized achieve the highest possible level of organic traffic from relevant searches, which in turn drives fresh watch time.

To rank better in search, implement these YouTube SEO best practices:

– Research valuable, high-volume keywords related to your topics
– Use compelling titles and descriptions with those target keywords
– Apply detailed tags relevant to the video’s content
– Customize thumbnail images designed for click-throughs
– Encourage engagement signals like comments, shares, etc.

Not only will search optimization result in an increase in the number of video views that come from organic traffic sources, but videos that are optimized for search engagement will also benefit from an immediate increase in the number of suggested video recommendations that are driven by the viewer statistics.

6. Promote Your Videos Across Other Marketing Channels

Despite the fact that YouTube’s enormous user base enables you to reach people all over the world, spreading the word about your videos through your other marketing channels is a new opportunity to attract more viewers and increase the amount of time they spend watching them.

Be sure to share (and encourage viewers to share) your latest video releases across distribution channels like:

– Other social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, etc.)
– Email lists and subscriber communications
– Your website or blog
– Any relevant communities, forums, or groups related to your niche

Every time a new viewer visits your channel as a result of an external promotion, you have the opportunity to engage them by utilizing YouTube’s autoplay feature, playlists, and related video suggestions, all of which have the potential to cause them to watch for extended periods of time.

7. Interact With Your Audience and Ask for Watch Time

When you actively communicate with your YouTube audience and ask them to increase the amount of time they spend watching your channel, you should not undervalue the power of this interaction. By taking an active role in driving interaction, you can demonstrate to your most devoted fans that you appreciate their ability to watch your content.

During your live streams or through your video uploads, you should begin by allowing audience interaction options such as likes, comments, and polls. Then set aside time to:

– Promptly acknowledge new comments with replies, hearts, etc.
– Respond to any audience questions or feedback left on your channel
– Participate in constructive discussions under your own videos
– Encourage viewers to watch other related videos on your channel
– Run live stream sessions dedicated to open Q&A and audience chat

This level of community involvement not only retains your current viewers, but it also elevates the stickiness of your channel and incentivizes longer, more engaged watch sessions from fans.

8. Collaborate With Other YouTubers Through Cross-Promotions

Through cross-promotions, guest appearances, collaborative videos, and other forms of collaboration with other YouTube creators, you have the opportunity to cross-pollinate audiences with new viewers who are ready to watch for prolonged periods of time on each creator’s channel.

[Suggested image placement: A photo of two YouTubers collaborating on content together]

Some effective ways to cross-promote include:

– Doing a split video that lives on each of your channels
– Appearing in a guest episode or interview on another creator’s series
– Giving a shoutout to a partner creator in your video and asking audiences to check them out
– Launching coordinated video releases around a shared theme or topic
– Starting an ongoing collaboration series between channels
– Creating complementary content part of the same broader topic

Each collaboration exposes both audiences to engaging new material that can earn significant combined watch hours from those viewers interested in seeing what else each creator offers.  

9. Leverage YouTube’s Analytics to Optimize for Audience Retention

A wide variety of informative data, including analyzing audience interaction, traffic sources, and other metrics, are made available by YouTube. Digging deeper into these metrics to determine areas in which you may increase the amount of time that your audience spends watching depending on what resonates with them the most is the solution.

Some key YouTube Analytics metrics to monitor include:

– Audience Retention Report highlighting where viewers are rewinding or dropping off
– Traffic Sources showing which videos and channels are driving the most viewers
– Impressions and Click-Through Rate surfacing your best thumbnails 
– Audience Demographics for age, geolocation, and other segments
– Best Overall Videos based on collective watch time

Leverage these reports to:

– Replicate content and optimization strategies around your top-performing videos
– Adjust video structure, hooks, or delivery addressing any drop-off points
– Create new playlists and suggested video sequences capitalizing on proven viewer flows
– Customize video messaging, scheduling, and promotion to better reach your core audience
– Update lower-performing videos or repurpose concepts more effectively

The more you pay attention to your channel analytics, the easier it becomes to refine your content for maximum watch hour potential.

10. Incentivize Viewers to Subscribe and Turn on Notifications

A large, loyal subscriber base represents a steady influx of ready viewers each time you release new videos, which is hugely valuable for driving those initial watch hours that lead to broader discovery and growth.

To steadily build your YouTube subscriber count:

– Explicitly ask viewers to subscribe on your videos and live streams
– Run channel promotions, contests, or giveaways requiring a subscription entry
– Create compelling channel art and branding visually marketing your content
– Release regular videos on a consistent schedule your fans can follow
– Produce high-quality videos in a specific genre or niche in-demand with audiences
– Include clickable subscription links in descriptions and annotations

In addition to your subscriber count, you’ll want to encourage new subscribers to enable notifications so they become aware the moment you release any new videos or jump on a live stream. This allows them to catch the premiere and count toward those early, crucial watch hour totals.

11. Leveraging YouTube Shorts to Increase Watch Hours

A new path for increasing viewership and subsequent watch hours has been opened up as a result of the meteoric rise in popularity of YouTube Shorts, which is the platform’s video feed that highlights bite-sized vertical videos that are up to sixty seconds long.

While Shorts themselves don’t directly contribute toward public watch hour totals, they offer an extremely accessible and shareable medium for:

– Promoting and linking back to your standard YouTube videos
– Building an audience drawn to your content by showcasing your personality
– Testing out fresh video concepts quickly to gauge audience interest
– Creating Preview or “cliffhanger” teasers driving clicks to your full videos

Effective strategies for using Shorts include:

– Splicing together gripping preview clips culminating in a call-to-action for your latest video
– Sharing funny outtakes, behind-the-scenes moments, or comedic skits relating to your channel
– Running tutorials or educational Shorts covering just the initial steps to hook viewers on a larger topic
– Filming casual vlogs, stories, or commentary riffing off current events or trends in your niche
– Actively engaging with your Shorts audience by promptly responding to comments

Despite the fact that they are not a source of watch hours in and of themselves, shorts have the potential to be an effective top-of-funnel tool that continuously exposes your channel to new viewers who are likely to remain engaged and contribute significant watch time once they have been hooked on your content.

12.  Repurposing and Updating Existing Content

You may give your overall view hours a significant boost by revisiting and repurposing earlier content that has already been successful on your channel. This is in addition to producing a regular stream of new videos, which is another way to increase the number of watch hours you have.

This allows you to efficiently revive and breathe new life into previously popular videos by:

– Improving production quality with modern editing
– Refreshing older videos with updated information or graphics 
– Repackaging content into new video formats like courses or topical compilations
– Adding commentary, voice overs, animations, or visual enhancements
– Cutting fluffer or streamlining pacing for better audience retention
– Optimizing titles, descriptions, and thumbnails for improved search rankings

Determine which of your earlier content is performing the best and has the potential to generate even more watch hours if it were polished. Make sure that the changes are important enough to warrant releasing as a new video rather than simply re-uploading the exact same file. This is necessary in order to avoid any confusion.

When you are able to give your best “proven” content a new coat of paint and optimize it based on the knowledge you have gained from your more recent production abilities, there is a tremendous amount of value in repurposing that content. It is possible to expose older videos to a large number of new viewers who are starting to become familiar with your channel for the first time by renewing them and combining them with clever promotion.

13.  The Role of Live Streaming in Earning Watch Hours

Live streaming is an extremely useful tool for YouTube creators who want to establish a direct connection with their audience, cultivate friendships within their community, and generate a substantial amount of watch hours from highly engaged live viewing sessions.

While live streams themselves contribute relatively minimally toward public watch hours, they open the door for:

– Interacting with your audience in real-time through live chats
– Promoting your regular videos, playlists, and channel directly to a captive audience
– Premiering new content with built-in hype and fanfare maximizing early watch time 
– Allowing viewers to ask you questions and get to know your personality  
– Surprise guest appearances, interviews, or collaborative streamed content with other creators

To get the most out of live streams:

– Promote your stream schedule frequently so viewers can set calendar reminders
– Start and end streams by reminding everyone to check out your recent video releases
– Create themed streaming series’ or recurring live shows viewers will anticipate
– Have a plan for each live stream, but leave room for going off-script based on audience feedback
– Interact with your live chat as much as possible to drive participation and engagement
– Highlight any channel milestones, giveaways, or other incentives to reward loyal viewers

While live streams might not have much of an impact on their own, they have the ability to rally your core audience around a shared experience, which ultimately results in more of those highly sought-after completed views on your uploads.

14.  How YouTube Watch Hours Impact Channel Growth

We’ve spoken about a lot of tactics to increase your watch hours and the reasons monetization matters. The importance of view time, however, as a channel development component driven by YouTube’s algorithms cannot be overstated.

Ultimately, videos earning more cumulative watch hours signal to YouTube’s system that your content is: 

– Highly engaging and keeping viewers hooked until the end
– Delivering value warranting higher recommendations in suggested videos
– Worthy of ranking better for targeted search queries 
– Creating satisfied audiences more likely to explore the rest of your channel’s catalogue

As you earn more watch time, YouTube will naturally begin promoting your videos with greater priority through:

– More recommendations on the homepage, search, and suggested videos
– Placement in tightly competitive keyword search results 
– Feeds and notifications sent to your current subscriber base
– Features in curated categories, trends, or editorial placements

An infinite feedback loop results from this increased visibility, generating additional views, subscribers, shares, and watch time. Consequently, boosting watch hours is an essential part of any long-term, sustainable YouTube growth plan that aims to develop a sizable, fervent following.

A great method to boost the momentum of your channel and attract the kind of loyal audience that returns time and time again is to concentrate on gaining as much watch time as you can by posting interesting videos on a regular basis.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many watch hours do you need for YouTube monetization?

To join the YouTube Partner Program and begin monetizing your videos through advertisements, you need to reach 4,000 public watch hours over the last 12 months along with having at least 1,000 channel subscribers.

How much do you earn per 1,000 watch hours on YouTube?

YouTube revenue averages $3-$5 per 1,000 video views monetized with advertisements. However, the watch time metric doesn’t directly factor into YouTube pay rates – your earnings are calculated based on factors like:

– Your channel’s CPM rate
– Video ad placements and ad types enabled
– Number of viewers using ad blockers
– Location demographics of your audience
– Your overall subscriber count

While watch hours themselves don’t directly impact revenue, ultimately having more engaged watch time is critical for growing your overall audience and number of monetized video views.

Is it better to have more YouTube subscribers or more watch hours?

Both subscriber count and watch hours are key metrics contributing to your overall success on YouTube, but watch hours tend to be a stronger indicator of monetization potential. While you do need at least 1,000 subscribers to qualify for the YouTube Partner Program, the 4,000 public watch hours requirement in the last 12 months is typically harder to achieve.

Regardless of your current channel stats, continuously growing both your subscriber base and watch hours should be a top priority. More subscribers means more consistent viewers for those crucial initial watch hour totals with each new upload. And more watch hours indicate better audience engagement, leading to greater discovery and subscriber growth through YouTube’s algorithm.

The two metrics work in tandem to fuel each other for faster YouTube channel growth.

What counts toward YouTube watch hours?

Only public watch hours from videos accessible to anyone on the YouTube platform count toward monetization eligibility and your overall watch time metrics. This includes:

– Watch time from public videos on your channel
– Watch time from YouTube public playlists containing your videos
– Any re-watches or repeated views of public content
– Views from embedded YouTube players on other websites

However, watch hours from private, unlisted, or age-restricted videos do not count toward your public watch hour totals required for monetization. Viewer hours from videos uploaded before you joined the YouTube Partner Program also do not factor in.

Only public content consumed from the time you enable monetization on your YouTube account contributes to your running watch hour count each month.