30% of voters say they use YouTube every day, according to the Center for Campaign Innovation, making the platform one of the most important digital battlegrounds for earning support for your candidate. Writing an effective title for each video you upload to YouTube is critical for getting views, appearing in searches, and being recommended by the platform’s algorithm.
Think of your YouTube video title as the subject line of an email – more people will see it than watch the video. It’s an opportunity to convey key campaign messages on one of the most popular websites in the world.
In this article, you’ll learn how to write a title that accurately describes a video to viewers, compels them to click through, and aids in discovery on YouTube.
Grab Attention
Why should someone watch your video instead of all the other videos on YouTube? The first few words of your title need to hook a user’s attention by using engaging, active words or superlatives like:
- Amazing
- Stunning
- Unbelievable
- Hilarious
- Funniest
- Biggest
- Best
- Most
Keep It Short
YouTube cuts off titles longer than 60 characters on results pages and data show that titles with between six and ten words performed best in search results.
Employ Keywords
Remember that YouTube (owned by Google) is also a search engine and earning more views also means appearing in more search results. Your title should include keywords that a user might be searching for, such as
- [candidate name] + [policy topic]
- [candidate name] + speeches
- [election name] + debate
- [state/region/city] + elections
Writing for search can be a little like working backwards. Anticipate the question a voter might have and then write your title as the answer.
Use a Formula
Formulas are another effective way to write YouTube titles. Instead of describing what the video is, name the candidate, the message, and the format. Here’s an easy framework you can use: Candidate Name: + Message + [Format]
- Candidate Name: We need lower prices at the pump [Interview]
- Candidate Name: Parents decide children’s education [Town Hall]
- Candidate Name: My Opponent Won’t Tell The Truth About Taxes [Debate]
Include Numbers
Using numbers in your campaign’s YouTube video titles makes the video appear more authoritative and has been shown to increase click through rates. Top 10 lists, “X Reasons to do..”, and “Do These Y Things” are reliable formulas.
Parentheses And Brackets Add Context
Using parentheses or brackets in your video titles give you an opportunity to include more information while taking up minimal space.
Always Be Testing
Every audience is different and YouTube is always changing its algorithms so testing is the only constant. Keep an eye on other popular YouTube creators to see what they’re doing and try incorporating those techniques into your own content.
Conclusion
It’s critical that you put thought into your campaign YouTube video titles. You’ve worked hard to create the video and it deserves more attention than just dumping it on YouTube. With the right title you’ll help viewers find the video, compel them to click, and keep them watching.
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