Hey there!

See what I did there? Try to think why you tapped on this article. Did the title trigger something in you? Curiosity maybe? This is exactly what we’re covering here today. 99% of YouTubers & aspiring YouTubers unfortunately do not understand this, so here is your chance to learn and get ahead.

It’s a mini-guide which won’t take more than 5 minutes of your time to read but can really impact your progress.

Understanding the concept of a funnel can be a game-changer. It’s all about knowing how your viewers move from discovering your content to becoming loyal subscribers. Let’s break it down and see how you can use this to your advantage. I’ll try to keep it simple, jargon-free and absolutely no BS as always to make sure it’s easy to understand for beginners out there.

The ‘F’ word? It’s just ‘Funnel’. But what’s that?

So, what exactly is a YouTube funnel? Think of it as a roadmap of your viewer’s journey. It starts when they first discover your video and ends when they hit that subscribe button (and beyond $$). By mapping out this journey, you can see where you might be losing potential subscribers and fix those weak spots.

Key Steps in the YouTube Viewer Flow

There are really 4 steps here. Let’s go over them quickly.

Discovery:

This is where viewers first find your videos. Maybe they saw your thumbnail in their feed or your video popped up in search results. The goal here is to attract as many eyes as possible.

Engagement:

Once someone clicks on your video, the next step is to keep them watching. Engagement is all about creating content that hooks viewers and makes them want to watch more.

Retention:

Keeping viewers around until the end of your video (or better yet, watching multiple videos) is crucial. This stage is all about maintaining interest and reducing drop-off rates.

Conversion:

Finally, you want those viewers to subscribe to your channel. This is where you turn casual viewers into dedicated subscribers.

Optimizing Each Funnel Stage

Now that you know what each step roughly means, let’s details how you can optimize your videos at each stage.

Discovery

Titles: Trigger emotions with your titles. Curiosity, Fear, Desires are the key pillars in the YouTube psychology. Get your titles to emotionally trigger viewers (no clickbait, emotion) and see the magic happen.

Thumbnails: Make them eye-catching and relevant. Think of them as the cover of a book – they should compel people to click. Don’t hesitate to AB tests them.

Ed, but what’s an AB test?

It’s basically a way to explain that you can now test various thumbnails on YouTube and see which ones are generating the most clicks (the click-through-rate is the metrics you’ll want to look at here to see which thumbnail performs better).

This step is only useful if you’re videos already get a few hundreds of views on average. Otherwise there won’t be enough data to really give you conclusive results. So it’s super powerful but use it when your channel and content is ready to leverage this tool.

Keywords: Use relevant keywords in your titles and descriptions to improve searchability. You can try trending topics & top searches on YT Tracker in the Topics section of the Grow tab.

Engagement

Content Quality: Make sure your videos are interesting and provide value. This could be through entertainment, education, or a mix of both. Encourage Interaction: Ask viewers to like, comment, and share. Engagement helps boost your video in the algorithm.

Retention:

Hooks: Start your video with a strong hook to keep viewers interested from the get-go.

Pacing: Keep a good pace in your videos. Avoid long-winded sections that might make viewers click away. Keep an eye on your ‘audience retention’ analytics to see when viewers stop watching. Here’s 10 strategies to keep them engaged.

Conversion:

Calls-to-Action (CTAs): Don’t be shy about asking viewers to subscribe. A simple “If you enjoyed this, please subscribe!” can go a long way.

End Screens: Use end screens to promote other videos and encourage viewers to subscribe.

Conclusion:

By understanding and optimizing each stage of the YouTube funnel, you can significantly boost your channel’s growth. It’s all about keeping viewers engaged and making it easy for them to become subscribers. So, start analyzing your viewer flow, make those tweaks, and watch your channel thrive!

Hey guys, I hope this was helpful. This article was suggested by Max, one of YT Tracker’s user. I love getting these questions because often they can help many of you and can be turned into these articles.

If that was helpful, please share it with a fellow content creator. It helps me help you.

Until next time.

Cheers, Ed