Strategic insights from view maximizer Patty Galloway
"YouTube is not a video platform. It's a click and watch platform."
Responsible for over 10 billion views annually across major channels including Red Bull and Philadelphia Eagles
The biggest streaming platform in the world with production quality approaching Hollywood level
The platform with the highest podcast viewership in the US, surpassing traditional podcast platforms
A massive platform for music consumption alongside its other entertainment offerings
Your thumbnail should be familiar to the audience but also unexpected. Stand out in a sea of similarity.
"The title thumbnail feels almost like a little bit exaggerated or not even like could this be real? That's what I'm always trying to create."
Once viewers click, you must respect their time. Deliver on the promise of your thumbnail immediately.
"Make your viewer feel like they made the right decision. Don't make them feel like an idiot."
Make your next video similar enough that viewers who liked your previous content will want to watch it too.
"It's actually empathetic towards the audience's experience, rather than being repetitive."
Videos should hit three types of audiences simultaneously:
Your loyal subscriber base
Occasional viewers
First-time viewers
"What's really interesting to a new audience might alienate a core audience. And what's really interesting to a core audience might narrow the total potential market."
Fastest
Biggest
Smallest
F1 Car
Camera Drone
"World's fastest camera drone versus F1 car" - Red Bull (28M views)
$1
$10
$100
Aim to interest 80% of your audience with every upload
Do this 80% of the time
One in five videos can experiment with new formats
"If you just focus down on milking a format so much, when that format dries up, you don't have a bridge to cross to go to another place."
Identify what makes you unique that others can't replicate
Personal knowledge no one else has
Recognized expertise in your field
Access to places/people others don't have
Small improvements in packaging can yield exponential results
"How we packaged it could be the difference between it getting a couple million views and 28 million."
Make viewers feel they made the right decision by clicking
Provide necessary context (not over-context)
Introduce something unexpected that keeps viewers watching
"If you start your video on the wrong foot, you've almost anchored the video in bad. The viewer gives you less leeway as you go longer in the video."
Brands need to stop treating YouTube as corporate video dumping grounds and start thinking like creators.
"Target Accelerators Presents: Retail Fundamentals - Introduction to Mass Retail"
634 views in 9 days
"Anything You Can Fit In This Cart, Target Pays For"
Potential: Millions of views
Successful brands understand their YouTube channel as a TV show, not a place to upload corporate videos.
Leading the brand-as-creator revolution
"People don't just see that as Max Verstappen, drone, Formula 1 car. They see it as Red Bull did this for us. That's so much more valuable than 28 million ad impressions."
Write 30+ titles
Write variations, try different words, and see what looks interesting. This takes less time than you think.
Look at successful formats in other niches that haven't yet been applied to your niche.
"Be a magician: You don't have to come up with new tricks. Just show your tricks to audiences who haven't seen them before."
Pull your title to the most exaggerated version, then pull it back to what you're comfortable with.
How LA protects its water supply
Why are there 96M black balls on this reservoir?
"Run it till they stop you. If it's working, just keep doing it."
Patty Galloway, YouTube View Maximizer