People & Lifestyle
5 Ideas For Making Interactive YouTube Videos
YouTube’s video ranking algorithm really likes viewer engagement. So, the more viewers interact with your content, the more potential viewers will have your video show up in their recommendations.
Easily boost your viewer engagement by making your videos interactive. By giving your viewers specific ways to interact with your video, you can increase the number of comments, likes, and click-throughs.
1. Invite your viewers to pause and comment to create a discussion.
You’re probably already making your videos interactive without realizing it. If you remind your viewers to leave a comment in the call-to-action, then you’re inviting them to interact with your content in a meaningful way.
To make a video more interactive, however, you should encourage your viewers to leave specific comments at certain times. Then, you should reply to their comments to get a discussion going, which can lead to even more comments.
Vlogger Niki Demar labelled one of her latest videos as “interactive” because she asked viewers to comment about her Coachella outfits. At certain points, she directed them to pause the video and share their thoughts below and asks them to download youtube videos for free.
2. Include poll cards to get instant viewer feedback.
In your Video Manager, you can add poll cards to any video you’ve uploaded. You can poll your viewers on everything from what they thought of your video to what their favorite flavor of ice cream is.
However, poll cards work best when you use them to collect valuable feedback about your content. Learn more about using poll cards in this post.
3. Utilize the YouTube Premieres feature so you can chat with your audience in real time.
If your channel is eligible for YouTube Premieres, then you can connect with your audience in real time before your next upload goes live. When you schedule a premiere, YouTube automatically generates a page where you can chat with your audience, and it notifies them about half an hour before your video goes live.
Vloggers aren’t the only ones engaging with their viewers with this feature. Taylor Swift used a YouTube Premiere to answer fan questions before her new music video dropped.View image on Twitter
WELL GUYS it’s almost midnight and my new song “ME!” featuring @brendonurie of @panicatthedisco will be out. In other news, the VIDEO will be out too and I can’t wait to watch live with you (and answer some questions) as it premieres on @YouTube https://taylorswift.lnk.to/meTw/youtubemusic …128K1:25 AM – Apr 26, 201947.1K people are talking about thisTwitter Ads info and privacy
4. Create a scavenger hunt of click-throughs.
If you want your video to be super interactive, then you can create a click-through experience that links one video to another. Like a “choose your own adventure” book, this video idea requires a strong storytelling concept and a lot of planning.
Evan Edinger made an interactive video for Valentine’s Day last year. You can watch it below and read more about how he did it here.
5. Instruct your audience to take the discussion to another platform with a unique hashtag.
Finally, you can take you video’s interactive feature to a new platform by giving your audience a unique hashtag to use. Have them recreate your DIY, showcase their fan art, or simply share their excitement for your next upload.
Be sure to incorporate the results of this hashtag in a future video. For example, AmazingPhil created a video series in which he reacted to his Tumblr tag.
Interactive videos increase your viewers’ enjoyment level as well as their engagement level. Get a discussion going, share poll cards, and get creative with ways to make your videos interactive.
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About The Author: Kristen Harris enjoys listening to a wide range of music, from Taylor Swift to, on occasion, Celtic instrumental. She also spends her time writing, reading, and baking.