Playbook Guide Media Companies March 2013
Created by the YouTube Next Lab, March 2012
What is a Creator Playbook Guide? In 2011, we released the Creator Playbook – the one stop shop for best practices to build a loyal and engaged audience on YouTube. Since then, we’ve been working hard to tailor these strategies to the unique needs of our different content creators. Whether you’re a nonprofit organization trying to drive social awareness, or a musician looking to engage further with your fans through live streaming, we recognize that you all have different needs.
Table of Contents Media Companies Category Overview Optimization Priority List Launching a Channel Branding Organizing and Uploading Celebrities on YouTube Further Reading & Resources 4 5 8 11 18 23 28 32
Category Overview
Category Overview Introduction The term “Media Companies” encompasses a variety of production and programming groups: from smaller studios that distribute content exclusively online to large production and distribution companies that make YouTube a part of their business. There are two main types of media company channels on YouTube, those that “repurpose“ content and those that create “new” content for YouTube.
Category Overview Introduction Let’s get optimized! The content in this guide places a special emphasis on meeting the needs of media companies. This guide covers how to: 1. Repurpose content for YouTube 2. Maximize limited YouTube-programming resources 3. Make efficient and effective use of celebrity appearances in your content 4. Address upload schedule 5. Launch, maintain, and cross-promote between multiple channels General Note: YouTube Analytics (YTA) is an amazing resource.
Optimization Priority List 5
Optimization Priority List Priority Guiding Principles Please use the five points below as a quick reference to build a better audience around your channel’s content. As always, the first ingredient to audience building is great content! 1. Take advantage of YouTube as a search and discovery engine. Maximize metadata, namely titles and thumbnails. 2. Keep your audience in your content funnel. Use annotations efficiently. 3. Know the space.
Optimization Priority List 10
Launching a Channel 5
Launching a Channel See Playbook Sections: Calls to Action, Regular Schedule and Frequency, Cross-promotion and Collaboration, Annotations, Channel Page Optimization At what point is it smart to launch a new channel? YouTube is a personality-driven site – each channel is meant to appeal to a specific group of people. If your content is meant to reach disparate audiences, it may be more effective to create multiple channels to reach these audiences.
Launching a Channel Schema/Checklist How many audiences? I have multiple audiences I have one main audience No new channel How much content? Content is a limited run or one-off I can support a year of content Dedicated resources to manage a channel? No Launch! Yes 13
Launching a Channel When launching a new channel, think about your audience. Launch a new channel to serve a new audience that your current channel cannot satisfy or retain. Remember: a new channel needs a new subscriber base to ensure consistent viewership. • 14 /RT – Organizes content in playlists and uses channel design to surface these playlists. Channels they manage are surfaced in the “Other Channels” module.
Launching a Channel By utilizing best practices from the Creator Playbook (including Calls to Action (CTAs), Annotations, Cross-promotion and Collaboration, Regular Schedule and Frequency, and Channel Page Optimization), you can successfully launch a channel. It is helpful to have an anchor channel from which you can funnel viewers to your new channel, but these techniques also apply for single channel launches that collaborate/cross-promote with other independent channels.
Launching a Channel Examples Calls to Action and Annotations Collaboration • • /RhettandLink2 and /theSpanglerEffect /Vsauce and /PeriodicVideos Channel Design and Organization • 16 /PBSOffBook • /Hungry
Launching a Channel Repurposed and New Content Repurposed New Regular Schedule and Frequency In addition to repurposed content best practices, new content best practices include: • Ensure that your main channel (if applicable) as well as your new channel have a regular upload schedule. Channel Page Optimizations • Communicate your regular upload schedule through the channel branding on main and new channels.
Branding
Branding Can branding be compelling, catchy, and short? Make your branding compelling and catchy, without being overwhelming. Communicate to audiences that you are a trusted content source. Our channel page optimization, bugs, bumpers, metadata, and thumbnails on YouTube all offer your company opportunities for branding.
Branding In video, bumpers provide consistency with existing metadata. Bumpers should be short and should not detract from the content. Think about your graphical bumper, or the first few seconds of your video, in the context of your video’s thumbnail and title. If the thumbnail and title set the expectation for the user that the video’s content will be X, then the first few seconds of the video need to confirm that expectation.
Branding Examples Minimal Bumper Branding (1-2 seconds) Bug Branding • • /SoulPancake (The Flipside) /SesameStreet © Sesame Street copyright Sesame Workshop 2012 Channel Branding • /YOMYOMF 21
Branding Repurposed and New Content Repurposed New The First 15 Seconds In addition to repurposed content best practices, new content best practices include: • Keep the branding minimal (less than 5 seconds) OR don’t use any graphical bumpers. • Use a persistent bug in the top left/right of the video. • Start with the content and run a graphical bumper after the initial hook. • Make sure that the first seconds of your video meet the expectations set by the video’s thumbnail and title.
Organizing and Uploading
Organizing and Uploading How do I make sure viewers find my videos? Organizing your channel content makes content navigation easier for your viewers. Knowing when to upload, how much, and how to communicate your schedule, keeps your subscribers engaged. • Groups of linked videos can also have their own playlists (i.e., all of your behind-the-scenes videos, etc.). • Video responses are a good way to link together content as well.
Organizing and Uploading Establishing an upload schedule, communicating that schedule, and being careful not to overwhelm your subscribers’ feeds are important in maintaining an active subscriber base and a healthy channel. • Curate content that will appeal to your audience. By becoming a source for relevant content, your channel will better engage its subscribers. • Multiple uploads over a small period of time can overwhelm your subscribers’ feeds.
Organizing and Uploading Examples 26 Annotations Curation and Playlists • • /GeekandSundry /AssociatedPress
Organizing and Uploading Repurposed and New Content Repurposed New Playlists and Video Responses In addition to repurposed content best practices, new content best practices include: • Every video should be associated with a playlist. • Use video responses to cluster relevant content together. Channel Page Optimizations • Communicate your regular upload schedule through the channel branding. • Link to playlists in top banner.
Celebrities on YouTube
Celebrities on YouTube How do I maximize access to celebrities? TV, movies, and mainstream music dominate pop culture. Popular stars aid in the discovery of your content and channel(s) on YouTube. YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. Among the most-searched terms every year are celebrity names. To maximize content which features celebrities, partners can follow these best-practices: Behind the Scenes • Challenge your TV production crews to record behind-the-scenes footage.
Celebrities on YouTube Examples Shoulder/Ancillary Celebrity Content • 30 /Noisey - Maximized their time with MIA by shooting a music video, a behind-the-scenes video, and getting her to answer viewer questions that had been left as comments on the music video.
Organizing and Uploading Repurposed and New Content Repurposed New Calls to Action (CTAs) and Annotations In addition to repurposed content best practices, new content best practices include: • Use Annotations to link together 1-3 videos with the same celebrity, if possible Tent-pole Programming • Repurpose celebrity videos into playlists that align with big cultural or entertainment events Calls to Action (CTAs) and Annotations • Script annotated CTAs to subscribe and watch more in standalone vide
Further Reading & Resources
Further Reading and Resources Playbook Sections • • • • Metadata Thumbnails Playlists Channel Page Optimization • • • YouTube Analytics Social Media Promotion Channels to Explore PBS: Supports multiple channels and links their content together well. Pay close attention to all of their shows’ first 15 seconds - they lead with content, not a graphical branding introduction. PBS: goo.gl/qjDHV PBS Off Book: goo.gl/I3bXo PBS Digital Studios: goo.gl/7oSlj PBS Idea Channel: goo.gl/3AKsc PBS Parents: goo.
Further Reading and Resources Example Links Launching a Channel 14 15 16 16 16 16 RT: Organization goo.gl/2D0II PBS: Cross Promotion goo.gl/txWPw RhettandLink2 and TheSpanglerEffect: Calls to Action and Annotations goo.gl/tJQgd Vsauce and PeriodicVideos: Collaboration goo.gl/JKYkz PBSOffbook: Channel Design and Organization goo.gl/DjhkW Hungry: Channel Design and Organization goo.
Thank you!
