Maximize Video Reach in YouTube’s SEO Arena

The 12-step YouTube SEO Guide for Beginners Who Want More Views

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The joy of creating on YouTube is often dampened by the disappointment of underperforming videos. You have published your content and it’s not getting the views you had hoped.

Well, let’s change that!

In this guide, I’m going to walk you through YouTube SEO from the very start to the very end.

Nothing complicated. No paid programs or expensive apps needed. We are going back to basics and get your videos discovered.

Ready?

Let’s Go!

Part 1: Research Your Topic and Competitors

Come up with a video idea . Can’t come up with one? Let me help. I heard you can make a mean scrambled egg, why don’t you show the world how you do it?

Excellent! Let’s go with that idea.

Wait, don’t go making the video yet. First, we have to do some research. We need to know what videos already exist out there.

Step 1: Find Related Videos

Do a quick search on YouTube to see what videos already exist on your topic.

Uh oh… your video will be competing against celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.

Okay, don’t panic! There is a fantastic quote, credited to bestselling author, Jon Acuff , that goes:

While researching your competition, you will feel overwhelmed, but remember, you are at the beginning, and Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are not even at their middle, they are way passed the finish line. You still have a long journey to go, so don’t get discouraged, get inspired!

Watch those videos and understand what they are all about.

Understand that people watch YouTube for 3 key reasons:

- To be entertained

- To learn something new

- To be inspired

A video that can hit all 3 marks is going to be positioned for success. Don’t fret too much about the competition, as long as your content is good, you will see improvement.

So if you think this scrambled egg idea can hit those 3 marks, then I encourage you to go to the next step. If you don’t, let’s regroup and brainstorm some more YouTube video ideas .

Step 2: Find Keywords

Now that we’ve decided that we are sticking with the video idea, we are ready to do some keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases people type in the YouTube search bar to discover videos.

Come up with as many relevant keywords as you can. Start by entering a keyword into the YouTube search bar. This will tell you what are the most popular searches associated with that keyword:

Once you have an idea of what people are searching for related to your topic, you’ll want to find more relevant keywords. I like to use the free app, Ubersuggest to do that.

This app gives you a whole list of long-tail keywords, which are 3-4-word phrases which is specific to what your video is about.

Some you will use to dig deeper in and other you will deem irrelevant to your videos. A good way of determining the value of a keyword is by the stats the application shows.

How to Read Keyword Suggestions

Once you have a list of keywords, you will see some numbers on the right-hand side. Here is what each one is about:

- Search volume is the number used to identify the popularity of the keyword. The higher the number the more people are searching for it.

- CPC is the value accredited by YouTube, determining how much advertisers are paying to target audiences who search for that keyword and click on the link.

- Competition is the number used to qualify how many other content are using that keyword.

The two categories that matter most to us right now is Search Volume and Competition. We want keywords with high search volume and low competition rate.

In the example above, you can see that the keyword “avocado scrambled eggs” has a Search Volume of 1,000 and a competition rate of 0.0. This is a good keyword to target, if you can incorporate an avocado to your dish… which of course you can!

Step 3: Write Title

I know you might want to deal with the Title, Description, and Tags after you’ve filmed and edited your video. But if you want to apply a YouTube SEO-focused strategy, then these should be addressed before you even pick up a camera as it can greatly dictate the content you end up creating.

A good YouTube title sparks curiosity, evokes emotional reaction, and promises value to your viewers.

Of course you can title your video simply: Making Scrambled Eggs

But does it spark curiosity? Not really… most people can make scrambled eggs.

Does it evoke any emotion? Maybe hunger… but even then, not really…

Finally, does it promise value? Well, assuming that most people can at least crack an egg into a pan, then hardly.

Your scrambled egg is special! Your video is special! We need to evoke that in the title — and as long as you are not writing any clickbait and deliver on what the title suggest, you can do this.

So, how about this: Are My Amazing Scrambled Eggs Better Than Gordon Ramsay’s?

Hmmm… Well, is it? We know that the Gordon Ramsay’s video has almost 30M views. Many people have already tried cooking it, I’m sure. There is only one way to find out, by encouraging others to try it over Gordon’s.

You don’t need to go for a somewhat contentious title like this, but that’s the idea, you want something that gets people curious, make them feel a certain way, and in the end, make them better for having watched your video.

See how a good title can guide the rest of your video?

Step 4: Write Description

You aren’t going to be writing the description for the viewers necessarily, you are going to be writing it for YouTube’s algorithms. The better YouTube understands what your video is about, the better they can show it to people searching for it.

This means you need to include the keywords you were researching at the beginning of your description, as YouTube will be using them to identify the content of your video. 1 or 2 keywords that best represent your video is enough. Don’t stuff the title with too many keywords or you’ll risk sounding like a robot.

But also use the description for practical uses too, if you have additional information such as supportive links, outline of the video’s content, a list of materials, step-by-step guide, or a recipe that you think your human viewers will find useful, you should input that in the description as well.

Step 5: Write Tags

Thank goodness we did the keyword research in Step 2, because coming up with tags is not as easy as it looks.

Pull 15 keywords from the list and keep it somewhere safe.

Note: The keywords you used in the title should be found in your tags, and since they are the most important ones, you should place them first.

Organize your keywords in the tag as such:

Have the specific keywords at the top, followed by more general keywords, and then branded ones:

Specific: How to make scrambled eggs

General: Scrambled eggs

Branded: Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs

Part 2: Make The Best Darn Video Possible

It doesn’t matter how relevant your keywords are or how epic your title is, if you video sucks (i.e. your viewers click in and leave right away), YouTube will not show it in search.

Even if you haven’t created any videos yet, you can follow these next steps to ensure you are following the best practices to structure your video.

Step 6: Plan and Film the Hook

The first few seconds is where the largest percentage of your earned viewership will drop off. Odds are 20% of your viewers won’t even get past the first 10 seconds .

What you need is a hook, an intro that ensures this video is what they want to watch and let’s them know what they can expect.

Step 7: Film B-Roll

One static camera shot of you talking or cooking or giving a tutorial can cause your viewers to lose attention.

In order to keep your viewers interest, you will need b-roll, or supplemental footage you can cut to give you video more life.

While jump cuts (cuts made on a sequential clip of the same subject or in the same camera position) are fine, having additional footage to cut to will make your video feel more fluid.

So when you are filming your scrambled egg video, make sure you get some footage of you cracking the egg, scrambling it, and serving it on the plate.

Step 8: Encourage Viewers to Engage in Video

Liking, disliking, subscribing, and commenting on your video will all help your performance indirectly.

While YouTube wouldn’t rank your video higher simply because you have more likes subscribers, or comments, engagement from viewers help your video get discovered. If you get a like or comment from a YouTuber with a lot of subscribers, your video may be visible to those who are following that YouTuber for a while.

The best way to get engagement from your audience is to encourage them to like and subscribe or ask them a question or start a dialogue.

For example, in this scrambled egg video you are making, at the end you can ask, “So what do you think, is this better than Gordon Ramsay?”

Who knows, who will respond.

Step 9: Design a Thumbnail

You could have made a brilliant video, but if you have a poor quality thumbnail that is unattractive, then the overall performance of your video will suffer — and good SEO can only do so much after that.

Your viewers will absolutely judge your video by its cover so it’s important to put some thought into it and not solely rely on the three random thumbnail choices that YouTube picks for you.

Take a look at your competition. If they all look the same, do something different. Add text or a human face (preferably yours) to evoke emotion, as viewers are more likely to click into a video if they see an expressive image.

Don’t want to pay money for a photo editing software such as Photoshop?

You can use an online service called Canva or download GIMP , an open-source photo editor much like Photoshop, but far less powerful. These will help you get the job done as you are starting out.

Want to know more thumbnail maker? Check our picks of the best free YouTube thumbnail makers .

Part 3: Publishing With Attention to Optimization

Well done finishing the video! You are almost there… but not there yet.

Come on, keep going!

Step 10: Fill Out Your Videos Assets

The video is done, the thumbnail is designed, and you have all your title, description, and tags ready to go. This step is easy, upload the video, and fill out the assets, and give yourself a pat on the back.

Step 11: Add Transcripts

In addition to making your content accessible for people who don’t want to or can’t listen to the audio in your video, adding subtitles and closed captions will help YouTube understand the spoken content in your video.

While YouTube does have an automatic subtitle generator, it’s not reliable enough to be used for identifying the keywords you use in your video.

You can choose to write out the whole transcript of your video yourself, but if you are press on time, which of course you are, you can simply go and edit the automatic transcript already available in your video. By the way, you can also use some automatic transcription software.

Step 12: Add Video to Playlist

Finally the last thing you need to do for your video is to add it to a playlist. Even though it might be the first video in the playlist, it helps YouTube identify your video if you organize it in a playlist. As you accumulate more content, having videos in playlists makes content easier to find and keeps relevant videos together.

When viewers searches, having your videos in playlists increases the chance of it being discovered.

So if your first video is about scrambled eggs, maybe you next video can be about the awesome butter toasts.

I guess, you are on your way to making a pretty badass breakfast playlist. I personally can’t wait to see it!

If you treat SEO as an afterthought, only after your video is created, you are not using it to its full potential. If you follow these 12 steps during the course of your production, you will find that SEO doesn’t simply help your video perform at the end, but contributes in all the other phases of creating your video as well.

Besides considering YouTube SEO, you should make a good YouTube video as well. Filmora is a powerful video editing software that features lots of templates and effects. Get the free trial version below and have a try today.

Do you have any questions about SEO? Please leave us a comment below.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The joy of creating on YouTube is often dampened by the disappointment of underperforming videos. You have published your content and it’s not getting the views you had hoped.

Well, let’s change that!

In this guide, I’m going to walk you through YouTube SEO from the very start to the very end.

Nothing complicated. No paid programs or expensive apps needed. We are going back to basics and get your videos discovered.

Ready?

Let’s Go!

Part 1: Research Your Topic and Competitors

Come up with a video idea . Can’t come up with one? Let me help. I heard you can make a mean scrambled egg, why don’t you show the world how you do it?

Excellent! Let’s go with that idea.

Wait, don’t go making the video yet. First, we have to do some research. We need to know what videos already exist out there.

Step 1: Find Related Videos

Do a quick search on YouTube to see what videos already exist on your topic.

Uh oh… your video will be competing against celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.

Okay, don’t panic! There is a fantastic quote, credited to bestselling author, Jon Acuff , that goes:

While researching your competition, you will feel overwhelmed, but remember, you are at the beginning, and Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are not even at their middle, they are way passed the finish line. You still have a long journey to go, so don’t get discouraged, get inspired!

Watch those videos and understand what they are all about.

Understand that people watch YouTube for 3 key reasons:

- To be entertained

- To learn something new

- To be inspired

A video that can hit all 3 marks is going to be positioned for success. Don’t fret too much about the competition, as long as your content is good, you will see improvement.

So if you think this scrambled egg idea can hit those 3 marks, then I encourage you to go to the next step. If you don’t, let’s regroup and brainstorm some more YouTube video ideas .

Step 2: Find Keywords

Now that we’ve decided that we are sticking with the video idea, we are ready to do some keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases people type in the YouTube search bar to discover videos.

Come up with as many relevant keywords as you can. Start by entering a keyword into the YouTube search bar. This will tell you what are the most popular searches associated with that keyword:

Once you have an idea of what people are searching for related to your topic, you’ll want to find more relevant keywords. I like to use the free app, Ubersuggest to do that.

This app gives you a whole list of long-tail keywords, which are 3-4-word phrases which is specific to what your video is about.

Some you will use to dig deeper in and other you will deem irrelevant to your videos. A good way of determining the value of a keyword is by the stats the application shows.

How to Read Keyword Suggestions

Once you have a list of keywords, you will see some numbers on the right-hand side. Here is what each one is about:

- Search volume is the number used to identify the popularity of the keyword. The higher the number the more people are searching for it.

- CPC is the value accredited by YouTube, determining how much advertisers are paying to target audiences who search for that keyword and click on the link.

- Competition is the number used to qualify how many other content are using that keyword.

The two categories that matter most to us right now is Search Volume and Competition. We want keywords with high search volume and low competition rate.

In the example above, you can see that the keyword “avocado scrambled eggs” has a Search Volume of 1,000 and a competition rate of 0.0. This is a good keyword to target, if you can incorporate an avocado to your dish… which of course you can!

Step 3: Write Title

I know you might want to deal with the Title, Description, and Tags after you’ve filmed and edited your video. But if you want to apply a YouTube SEO-focused strategy, then these should be addressed before you even pick up a camera as it can greatly dictate the content you end up creating.

A good YouTube title sparks curiosity, evokes emotional reaction, and promises value to your viewers.

Of course you can title your video simply: Making Scrambled Eggs

But does it spark curiosity? Not really… most people can make scrambled eggs.

Does it evoke any emotion? Maybe hunger… but even then, not really…

Finally, does it promise value? Well, assuming that most people can at least crack an egg into a pan, then hardly.

Your scrambled egg is special! Your video is special! We need to evoke that in the title — and as long as you are not writing any clickbait and deliver on what the title suggest, you can do this.

So, how about this: Are My Amazing Scrambled Eggs Better Than Gordon Ramsay’s?

Hmmm… Well, is it? We know that the Gordon Ramsay’s video has almost 30M views. Many people have already tried cooking it, I’m sure. There is only one way to find out, by encouraging others to try it over Gordon’s.

You don’t need to go for a somewhat contentious title like this, but that’s the idea, you want something that gets people curious, make them feel a certain way, and in the end, make them better for having watched your video.

See how a good title can guide the rest of your video?

Step 4: Write Description

You aren’t going to be writing the description for the viewers necessarily, you are going to be writing it for YouTube’s algorithms. The better YouTube understands what your video is about, the better they can show it to people searching for it.

This means you need to include the keywords you were researching at the beginning of your description, as YouTube will be using them to identify the content of your video. 1 or 2 keywords that best represent your video is enough. Don’t stuff the title with too many keywords or you’ll risk sounding like a robot.

But also use the description for practical uses too, if you have additional information such as supportive links, outline of the video’s content, a list of materials, step-by-step guide, or a recipe that you think your human viewers will find useful, you should input that in the description as well.

Step 5: Write Tags

Thank goodness we did the keyword research in Step 2, because coming up with tags is not as easy as it looks.

Pull 15 keywords from the list and keep it somewhere safe.

Note: The keywords you used in the title should be found in your tags, and since they are the most important ones, you should place them first.

Organize your keywords in the tag as such:

Have the specific keywords at the top, followed by more general keywords, and then branded ones:

Specific: How to make scrambled eggs

General: Scrambled eggs

Branded: Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs

Part 2: Make The Best Darn Video Possible

It doesn’t matter how relevant your keywords are or how epic your title is, if you video sucks (i.e. your viewers click in and leave right away), YouTube will not show it in search.

Even if you haven’t created any videos yet, you can follow these next steps to ensure you are following the best practices to structure your video.

Step 6: Plan and Film the Hook

The first few seconds is where the largest percentage of your earned viewership will drop off. Odds are 20% of your viewers won’t even get past the first 10 seconds .

What you need is a hook, an intro that ensures this video is what they want to watch and let’s them know what they can expect.

Step 7: Film B-Roll

One static camera shot of you talking or cooking or giving a tutorial can cause your viewers to lose attention.

In order to keep your viewers interest, you will need b-roll, or supplemental footage you can cut to give you video more life.

While jump cuts (cuts made on a sequential clip of the same subject or in the same camera position) are fine, having additional footage to cut to will make your video feel more fluid.

So when you are filming your scrambled egg video, make sure you get some footage of you cracking the egg, scrambling it, and serving it on the plate.

Step 8: Encourage Viewers to Engage in Video

Liking, disliking, subscribing, and commenting on your video will all help your performance indirectly.

While YouTube wouldn’t rank your video higher simply because you have more likes subscribers, or comments, engagement from viewers help your video get discovered. If you get a like or comment from a YouTuber with a lot of subscribers, your video may be visible to those who are following that YouTuber for a while.

The best way to get engagement from your audience is to encourage them to like and subscribe or ask them a question or start a dialogue.

For example, in this scrambled egg video you are making, at the end you can ask, “So what do you think, is this better than Gordon Ramsay?”

Who knows, who will respond.

Step 9: Design a Thumbnail

You could have made a brilliant video, but if you have a poor quality thumbnail that is unattractive, then the overall performance of your video will suffer — and good SEO can only do so much after that.

Your viewers will absolutely judge your video by its cover so it’s important to put some thought into it and not solely rely on the three random thumbnail choices that YouTube picks for you.

Take a look at your competition. If they all look the same, do something different. Add text or a human face (preferably yours) to evoke emotion, as viewers are more likely to click into a video if they see an expressive image.

Don’t want to pay money for a photo editing software such as Photoshop?

You can use an online service called Canva or download GIMP , an open-source photo editor much like Photoshop, but far less powerful. These will help you get the job done as you are starting out.

Want to know more thumbnail maker? Check our picks of the best free YouTube thumbnail makers .

Part 3: Publishing With Attention to Optimization

Well done finishing the video! You are almost there… but not there yet.

Come on, keep going!

Step 10: Fill Out Your Videos Assets

The video is done, the thumbnail is designed, and you have all your title, description, and tags ready to go. This step is easy, upload the video, and fill out the assets, and give yourself a pat on the back.

Step 11: Add Transcripts

In addition to making your content accessible for people who don’t want to or can’t listen to the audio in your video, adding subtitles and closed captions will help YouTube understand the spoken content in your video.

While YouTube does have an automatic subtitle generator, it’s not reliable enough to be used for identifying the keywords you use in your video.

You can choose to write out the whole transcript of your video yourself, but if you are press on time, which of course you are, you can simply go and edit the automatic transcript already available in your video. By the way, you can also use some automatic transcription software.

Step 12: Add Video to Playlist

Finally the last thing you need to do for your video is to add it to a playlist. Even though it might be the first video in the playlist, it helps YouTube identify your video if you organize it in a playlist. As you accumulate more content, having videos in playlists makes content easier to find and keeps relevant videos together.

When viewers searches, having your videos in playlists increases the chance of it being discovered.

So if your first video is about scrambled eggs, maybe you next video can be about the awesome butter toasts.

I guess, you are on your way to making a pretty badass breakfast playlist. I personally can’t wait to see it!

If you treat SEO as an afterthought, only after your video is created, you are not using it to its full potential. If you follow these 12 steps during the course of your production, you will find that SEO doesn’t simply help your video perform at the end, but contributes in all the other phases of creating your video as well.

Besides considering YouTube SEO, you should make a good YouTube video as well. Filmora is a powerful video editing software that features lots of templates and effects. Get the free trial version below and have a try today.

Do you have any questions about SEO? Please leave us a comment below.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The joy of creating on YouTube is often dampened by the disappointment of underperforming videos. You have published your content and it’s not getting the views you had hoped.

Well, let’s change that!

In this guide, I’m going to walk you through YouTube SEO from the very start to the very end.

Nothing complicated. No paid programs or expensive apps needed. We are going back to basics and get your videos discovered.

Ready?

Let’s Go!

Part 1: Research Your Topic and Competitors

Come up with a video idea . Can’t come up with one? Let me help. I heard you can make a mean scrambled egg, why don’t you show the world how you do it?

Excellent! Let’s go with that idea.

Wait, don’t go making the video yet. First, we have to do some research. We need to know what videos already exist out there.

Step 1: Find Related Videos

Do a quick search on YouTube to see what videos already exist on your topic.

Uh oh… your video will be competing against celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.

Okay, don’t panic! There is a fantastic quote, credited to bestselling author, Jon Acuff , that goes:

While researching your competition, you will feel overwhelmed, but remember, you are at the beginning, and Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are not even at their middle, they are way passed the finish line. You still have a long journey to go, so don’t get discouraged, get inspired!

Watch those videos and understand what they are all about.

Understand that people watch YouTube for 3 key reasons:

- To be entertained

- To learn something new

- To be inspired

A video that can hit all 3 marks is going to be positioned for success. Don’t fret too much about the competition, as long as your content is good, you will see improvement.

So if you think this scrambled egg idea can hit those 3 marks, then I encourage you to go to the next step. If you don’t, let’s regroup and brainstorm some more YouTube video ideas .

Step 2: Find Keywords

Now that we’ve decided that we are sticking with the video idea, we are ready to do some keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases people type in the YouTube search bar to discover videos.

Come up with as many relevant keywords as you can. Start by entering a keyword into the YouTube search bar. This will tell you what are the most popular searches associated with that keyword:

Once you have an idea of what people are searching for related to your topic, you’ll want to find more relevant keywords. I like to use the free app, Ubersuggest to do that.

This app gives you a whole list of long-tail keywords, which are 3-4-word phrases which is specific to what your video is about.

Some you will use to dig deeper in and other you will deem irrelevant to your videos. A good way of determining the value of a keyword is by the stats the application shows.

How to Read Keyword Suggestions

Once you have a list of keywords, you will see some numbers on the right-hand side. Here is what each one is about:

- Search volume is the number used to identify the popularity of the keyword. The higher the number the more people are searching for it.

- CPC is the value accredited by YouTube, determining how much advertisers are paying to target audiences who search for that keyword and click on the link.

- Competition is the number used to qualify how many other content are using that keyword.

The two categories that matter most to us right now is Search Volume and Competition. We want keywords with high search volume and low competition rate.

In the example above, you can see that the keyword “avocado scrambled eggs” has a Search Volume of 1,000 and a competition rate of 0.0. This is a good keyword to target, if you can incorporate an avocado to your dish… which of course you can!

Step 3: Write Title

I know you might want to deal with the Title, Description, and Tags after you’ve filmed and edited your video. But if you want to apply a YouTube SEO-focused strategy, then these should be addressed before you even pick up a camera as it can greatly dictate the content you end up creating.

A good YouTube title sparks curiosity, evokes emotional reaction, and promises value to your viewers.

Of course you can title your video simply: Making Scrambled Eggs

But does it spark curiosity? Not really… most people can make scrambled eggs.

Does it evoke any emotion? Maybe hunger… but even then, not really…

Finally, does it promise value? Well, assuming that most people can at least crack an egg into a pan, then hardly.

Your scrambled egg is special! Your video is special! We need to evoke that in the title — and as long as you are not writing any clickbait and deliver on what the title suggest, you can do this.

So, how about this: Are My Amazing Scrambled Eggs Better Than Gordon Ramsay’s?

Hmmm… Well, is it? We know that the Gordon Ramsay’s video has almost 30M views. Many people have already tried cooking it, I’m sure. There is only one way to find out, by encouraging others to try it over Gordon’s.

You don’t need to go for a somewhat contentious title like this, but that’s the idea, you want something that gets people curious, make them feel a certain way, and in the end, make them better for having watched your video.

See how a good title can guide the rest of your video?

Step 4: Write Description

You aren’t going to be writing the description for the viewers necessarily, you are going to be writing it for YouTube’s algorithms. The better YouTube understands what your video is about, the better they can show it to people searching for it.

This means you need to include the keywords you were researching at the beginning of your description, as YouTube will be using them to identify the content of your video. 1 or 2 keywords that best represent your video is enough. Don’t stuff the title with too many keywords or you’ll risk sounding like a robot.

But also use the description for practical uses too, if you have additional information such as supportive links, outline of the video’s content, a list of materials, step-by-step guide, or a recipe that you think your human viewers will find useful, you should input that in the description as well.

Step 5: Write Tags

Thank goodness we did the keyword research in Step 2, because coming up with tags is not as easy as it looks.

Pull 15 keywords from the list and keep it somewhere safe.

Note: The keywords you used in the title should be found in your tags, and since they are the most important ones, you should place them first.

Organize your keywords in the tag as such:

Have the specific keywords at the top, followed by more general keywords, and then branded ones:

Specific: How to make scrambled eggs

General: Scrambled eggs

Branded: Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs

Part 2: Make The Best Darn Video Possible

It doesn’t matter how relevant your keywords are or how epic your title is, if you video sucks (i.e. your viewers click in and leave right away), YouTube will not show it in search.

Even if you haven’t created any videos yet, you can follow these next steps to ensure you are following the best practices to structure your video.

Step 6: Plan and Film the Hook

The first few seconds is where the largest percentage of your earned viewership will drop off. Odds are 20% of your viewers won’t even get past the first 10 seconds .

What you need is a hook, an intro that ensures this video is what they want to watch and let’s them know what they can expect.

Step 7: Film B-Roll

One static camera shot of you talking or cooking or giving a tutorial can cause your viewers to lose attention.

In order to keep your viewers interest, you will need b-roll, or supplemental footage you can cut to give you video more life.

While jump cuts (cuts made on a sequential clip of the same subject or in the same camera position) are fine, having additional footage to cut to will make your video feel more fluid.

So when you are filming your scrambled egg video, make sure you get some footage of you cracking the egg, scrambling it, and serving it on the plate.

Step 8: Encourage Viewers to Engage in Video

Liking, disliking, subscribing, and commenting on your video will all help your performance indirectly.

While YouTube wouldn’t rank your video higher simply because you have more likes subscribers, or comments, engagement from viewers help your video get discovered. If you get a like or comment from a YouTuber with a lot of subscribers, your video may be visible to those who are following that YouTuber for a while.

The best way to get engagement from your audience is to encourage them to like and subscribe or ask them a question or start a dialogue.

For example, in this scrambled egg video you are making, at the end you can ask, “So what do you think, is this better than Gordon Ramsay?”

Who knows, who will respond.

Step 9: Design a Thumbnail

You could have made a brilliant video, but if you have a poor quality thumbnail that is unattractive, then the overall performance of your video will suffer — and good SEO can only do so much after that.

Your viewers will absolutely judge your video by its cover so it’s important to put some thought into it and not solely rely on the three random thumbnail choices that YouTube picks for you.

Take a look at your competition. If they all look the same, do something different. Add text or a human face (preferably yours) to evoke emotion, as viewers are more likely to click into a video if they see an expressive image.

Don’t want to pay money for a photo editing software such as Photoshop?

You can use an online service called Canva or download GIMP , an open-source photo editor much like Photoshop, but far less powerful. These will help you get the job done as you are starting out.

Want to know more thumbnail maker? Check our picks of the best free YouTube thumbnail makers .

Part 3: Publishing With Attention to Optimization

Well done finishing the video! You are almost there… but not there yet.

Come on, keep going!

Step 10: Fill Out Your Videos Assets

The video is done, the thumbnail is designed, and you have all your title, description, and tags ready to go. This step is easy, upload the video, and fill out the assets, and give yourself a pat on the back.

Step 11: Add Transcripts

In addition to making your content accessible for people who don’t want to or can’t listen to the audio in your video, adding subtitles and closed captions will help YouTube understand the spoken content in your video.

While YouTube does have an automatic subtitle generator, it’s not reliable enough to be used for identifying the keywords you use in your video.

You can choose to write out the whole transcript of your video yourself, but if you are press on time, which of course you are, you can simply go and edit the automatic transcript already available in your video. By the way, you can also use some automatic transcription software.

Step 12: Add Video to Playlist

Finally the last thing you need to do for your video is to add it to a playlist. Even though it might be the first video in the playlist, it helps YouTube identify your video if you organize it in a playlist. As you accumulate more content, having videos in playlists makes content easier to find and keeps relevant videos together.

When viewers searches, having your videos in playlists increases the chance of it being discovered.

So if your first video is about scrambled eggs, maybe you next video can be about the awesome butter toasts.

I guess, you are on your way to making a pretty badass breakfast playlist. I personally can’t wait to see it!

If you treat SEO as an afterthought, only after your video is created, you are not using it to its full potential. If you follow these 12 steps during the course of your production, you will find that SEO doesn’t simply help your video perform at the end, but contributes in all the other phases of creating your video as well.

Besides considering YouTube SEO, you should make a good YouTube video as well. Filmora is a powerful video editing software that features lots of templates and effects. Get the free trial version below and have a try today.

Do you have any questions about SEO? Please leave us a comment below.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The joy of creating on YouTube is often dampened by the disappointment of underperforming videos. You have published your content and it’s not getting the views you had hoped.

Well, let’s change that!

In this guide, I’m going to walk you through YouTube SEO from the very start to the very end.

Nothing complicated. No paid programs or expensive apps needed. We are going back to basics and get your videos discovered.

Ready?

Let’s Go!

Part 1: Research Your Topic and Competitors

Come up with a video idea . Can’t come up with one? Let me help. I heard you can make a mean scrambled egg, why don’t you show the world how you do it?

Excellent! Let’s go with that idea.

Wait, don’t go making the video yet. First, we have to do some research. We need to know what videos already exist out there.

Step 1: Find Related Videos

Do a quick search on YouTube to see what videos already exist on your topic.

Uh oh… your video will be competing against celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.

Okay, don’t panic! There is a fantastic quote, credited to bestselling author, Jon Acuff , that goes:

While researching your competition, you will feel overwhelmed, but remember, you are at the beginning, and Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are not even at their middle, they are way passed the finish line. You still have a long journey to go, so don’t get discouraged, get inspired!

Watch those videos and understand what they are all about.

Understand that people watch YouTube for 3 key reasons:

- To be entertained

- To learn something new

- To be inspired

A video that can hit all 3 marks is going to be positioned for success. Don’t fret too much about the competition, as long as your content is good, you will see improvement.

So if you think this scrambled egg idea can hit those 3 marks, then I encourage you to go to the next step. If you don’t, let’s regroup and brainstorm some more YouTube video ideas .

Step 2: Find Keywords

Now that we’ve decided that we are sticking with the video idea, we are ready to do some keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases people type in the YouTube search bar to discover videos.

Come up with as many relevant keywords as you can. Start by entering a keyword into the YouTube search bar. This will tell you what are the most popular searches associated with that keyword:

Once you have an idea of what people are searching for related to your topic, you’ll want to find more relevant keywords. I like to use the free app, Ubersuggest to do that.

This app gives you a whole list of long-tail keywords, which are 3-4-word phrases which is specific to what your video is about.

Some you will use to dig deeper in and other you will deem irrelevant to your videos. A good way of determining the value of a keyword is by the stats the application shows.

How to Read Keyword Suggestions

Once you have a list of keywords, you will see some numbers on the right-hand side. Here is what each one is about:

- Search volume is the number used to identify the popularity of the keyword. The higher the number the more people are searching for it.

- CPC is the value accredited by YouTube, determining how much advertisers are paying to target audiences who search for that keyword and click on the link.

- Competition is the number used to qualify how many other content are using that keyword.

The two categories that matter most to us right now is Search Volume and Competition. We want keywords with high search volume and low competition rate.

In the example above, you can see that the keyword “avocado scrambled eggs” has a Search Volume of 1,000 and a competition rate of 0.0. This is a good keyword to target, if you can incorporate an avocado to your dish… which of course you can!

Step 3: Write Title

I know you might want to deal with the Title, Description, and Tags after you’ve filmed and edited your video. But if you want to apply a YouTube SEO-focused strategy, then these should be addressed before you even pick up a camera as it can greatly dictate the content you end up creating.

A good YouTube title sparks curiosity, evokes emotional reaction, and promises value to your viewers.

Of course you can title your video simply: Making Scrambled Eggs

But does it spark curiosity? Not really… most people can make scrambled eggs.

Does it evoke any emotion? Maybe hunger… but even then, not really…

Finally, does it promise value? Well, assuming that most people can at least crack an egg into a pan, then hardly.

Your scrambled egg is special! Your video is special! We need to evoke that in the title — and as long as you are not writing any clickbait and deliver on what the title suggest, you can do this.

So, how about this: Are My Amazing Scrambled Eggs Better Than Gordon Ramsay’s?

Hmmm… Well, is it? We know that the Gordon Ramsay’s video has almost 30M views. Many people have already tried cooking it, I’m sure. There is only one way to find out, by encouraging others to try it over Gordon’s.

You don’t need to go for a somewhat contentious title like this, but that’s the idea, you want something that gets people curious, make them feel a certain way, and in the end, make them better for having watched your video.

See how a good title can guide the rest of your video?

Step 4: Write Description

You aren’t going to be writing the description for the viewers necessarily, you are going to be writing it for YouTube’s algorithms. The better YouTube understands what your video is about, the better they can show it to people searching for it.

This means you need to include the keywords you were researching at the beginning of your description, as YouTube will be using them to identify the content of your video. 1 or 2 keywords that best represent your video is enough. Don’t stuff the title with too many keywords or you’ll risk sounding like a robot.

But also use the description for practical uses too, if you have additional information such as supportive links, outline of the video’s content, a list of materials, step-by-step guide, or a recipe that you think your human viewers will find useful, you should input that in the description as well.

Step 5: Write Tags

Thank goodness we did the keyword research in Step 2, because coming up with tags is not as easy as it looks.

Pull 15 keywords from the list and keep it somewhere safe.

Note: The keywords you used in the title should be found in your tags, and since they are the most important ones, you should place them first.

Organize your keywords in the tag as such:

Have the specific keywords at the top, followed by more general keywords, and then branded ones:

Specific: How to make scrambled eggs

General: Scrambled eggs

Branded: Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs

Part 2: Make The Best Darn Video Possible

It doesn’t matter how relevant your keywords are or how epic your title is, if you video sucks (i.e. your viewers click in and leave right away), YouTube will not show it in search.

Even if you haven’t created any videos yet, you can follow these next steps to ensure you are following the best practices to structure your video.

Step 6: Plan and Film the Hook

The first few seconds is where the largest percentage of your earned viewership will drop off. Odds are 20% of your viewers won’t even get past the first 10 seconds .

What you need is a hook, an intro that ensures this video is what they want to watch and let’s them know what they can expect.

Step 7: Film B-Roll

One static camera shot of you talking or cooking or giving a tutorial can cause your viewers to lose attention.

In order to keep your viewers interest, you will need b-roll, or supplemental footage you can cut to give you video more life.

While jump cuts (cuts made on a sequential clip of the same subject or in the same camera position) are fine, having additional footage to cut to will make your video feel more fluid.

So when you are filming your scrambled egg video, make sure you get some footage of you cracking the egg, scrambling it, and serving it on the plate.

Step 8: Encourage Viewers to Engage in Video

Liking, disliking, subscribing, and commenting on your video will all help your performance indirectly.

While YouTube wouldn’t rank your video higher simply because you have more likes subscribers, or comments, engagement from viewers help your video get discovered. If you get a like or comment from a YouTuber with a lot of subscribers, your video may be visible to those who are following that YouTuber for a while.

The best way to get engagement from your audience is to encourage them to like and subscribe or ask them a question or start a dialogue.

For example, in this scrambled egg video you are making, at the end you can ask, “So what do you think, is this better than Gordon Ramsay?”

Who knows, who will respond.

Step 9: Design a Thumbnail

You could have made a brilliant video, but if you have a poor quality thumbnail that is unattractive, then the overall performance of your video will suffer — and good SEO can only do so much after that.

Your viewers will absolutely judge your video by its cover so it’s important to put some thought into it and not solely rely on the three random thumbnail choices that YouTube picks for you.

Take a look at your competition. If they all look the same, do something different. Add text or a human face (preferably yours) to evoke emotion, as viewers are more likely to click into a video if they see an expressive image.

Don’t want to pay money for a photo editing software such as Photoshop?

You can use an online service called Canva or download GIMP , an open-source photo editor much like Photoshop, but far less powerful. These will help you get the job done as you are starting out.

Want to know more thumbnail maker? Check our picks of the best free YouTube thumbnail makers .

Part 3: Publishing With Attention to Optimization

Well done finishing the video! You are almost there… but not there yet.

Come on, keep going!

Step 10: Fill Out Your Videos Assets

The video is done, the thumbnail is designed, and you have all your title, description, and tags ready to go. This step is easy, upload the video, and fill out the assets, and give yourself a pat on the back.

Step 11: Add Transcripts

In addition to making your content accessible for people who don’t want to or can’t listen to the audio in your video, adding subtitles and closed captions will help YouTube understand the spoken content in your video.

While YouTube does have an automatic subtitle generator, it’s not reliable enough to be used for identifying the keywords you use in your video.

You can choose to write out the whole transcript of your video yourself, but if you are press on time, which of course you are, you can simply go and edit the automatic transcript already available in your video. By the way, you can also use some automatic transcription software.

Step 12: Add Video to Playlist

Finally the last thing you need to do for your video is to add it to a playlist. Even though it might be the first video in the playlist, it helps YouTube identify your video if you organize it in a playlist. As you accumulate more content, having videos in playlists makes content easier to find and keeps relevant videos together.

When viewers searches, having your videos in playlists increases the chance of it being discovered.

So if your first video is about scrambled eggs, maybe you next video can be about the awesome butter toasts.

I guess, you are on your way to making a pretty badass breakfast playlist. I personally can’t wait to see it!

If you treat SEO as an afterthought, only after your video is created, you are not using it to its full potential. If you follow these 12 steps during the course of your production, you will find that SEO doesn’t simply help your video perform at the end, but contributes in all the other phases of creating your video as well.

Besides considering YouTube SEO, you should make a good YouTube video as well. Filmora is a powerful video editing software that features lots of templates and effects. Get the free trial version below and have a try today.

Do you have any questions about SEO? Please leave us a comment below.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Two Sides to Every Story – How to Create Balanced Reaction Videos on YouTube (2 POV Approach)

How to Make a YouTube Reaction Video?

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Sharing ideas and opinions on virtually any topic you can think of with millions of people around the world is arguably one of the greatest benefits YouTube gives to content creators. Even so, building your channel exclusively around reaction videos may prove to be difficult, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t use this type of video to comment on what other YouTubers are saying.

The process of making a YouTube reaction video is not overly technical, although you will have to decide which video editing technique you are going to use to make a reaction video. That is why in this article we are going to take a look at different ways to make a YouTube reaction video.

• Method 1: Making Reaction Videos with PIP feature in Filmora
• Method 2: Create YouTube Reaction Video with Split Screen Templates
• Method 3: Make A Reaction Video for YouTube with AI Portrait

How to Make a Reaction Video for Your YouTube Channel? [3 Ways]

Using the footage without the consent of the copyright owner is punishable by the law, which means that you can only include the footage in a reaction video if you have the owner’s consent. Consequently, the selection of videos you can comment on is going to be limited, since it is entirely up to the creator of the video if they are going to give you permission to use their footage in your reaction video.

You can use the following video editing techniques, once you have access to the video you would like to comment on.

Method 1: Making a reaction video with the Picture-in-Picture feature in Filmora

Video editing software, like Filmora , can also be used to create YouTube reaction videos, but you must have all the footage you would like to include in that video before you can start putting it together.

The first step is to create a new project in Filmora and then import the media assets into the editor. Besides video clips, you can also add music, pictures, or create opening titles and end credits for your reaction video.

Place the video you’re reacting to on a video track on the timeline and then add the video of your reaction to the timeline that is directly above the one to which you added the first video clip. Click on the top video in the preview window and use the handles that are positioned around the edges of the video to adjust its size.

If you would like to change the on-screen position of the overlay clip, you should simply click on it and drag it to the new location within the preview window.

Filmora offers more than sixty motion effects, hundreds of transitions, and visual effects that can make your reaction video more visually appealing to the audience.

Moreover, Filmora video editing software offers a variety of blending modes, and it lets you control the opacity of the overlay video so that you can make it more transparent. Whether or not you are going to use these options depends on the footage you’re working with and the demands of a particular project.

Pros of using the Picture in Picture feature to make reaction videos in Filmora: You can place and adjust the videos with more customizable options. Get more tips about Making a PIP video in Filmora .

Method 2: Create several reaction windows with the Split Screen feature

Besides the Picture-in-Picture option, Filmora also enables you to play two or more videos simultaneously with Split Screen templates. Drag and drop the template you want to use in your reaction video to the timeline and click on the Enable Split Screen Animation tick box if you want to use the template without animations.

Afterward, you should drag the video clips from the Media tab and drop them onto the section of the preview window where you want them to be located. Keep in mind that you cannot add more than six videos to a split-screen template.

All videos you add to a split-screen template can be edited, and you just have to click on them if you want to adjust their sizes, enhance colors, mute their audio tracks or add a new audio file to the template.

Check the details about How to make a split-screen video step by step.

Pros of using Split-screen template to make reaction video in Filmora: various templates for creating stylish video side by side easily.

Method 3: Create A YouTube Reaction Video with AI Portrait

With the human segmentation effect in AI Portrait, you can now blend the reaction video in a more natural way. The human segmentation effect will isolate people from the background, you can use any background in the video.

Note: You can use this feature after version after V 10.5 for Windows, and V 10.4 for Mac. Click the button below to get the latest version of Filmora on your desktop.

Step 1: Import the videos to the media library, and then drag the background video to the first video track, and the reaction video to the track above.

Step 2: Go to the Effects tab at the top, and click the AI Portrait category, and then you will see many effects such as Human Segmentation, Human Pixelate, Human Noise, and lighting flash. Here, drag and drop the Human segmentation effect to the reaction video.

Step 3: Select the reaction video in the timeline, and then adjust its size and position by dragging it on the preview window. See, the reaction video is fine blended with the background video.

Step 4: That’s the basic editing of making a reaction video. You can also add the neon or flashing effect to the video. If everything goes well, click Export and save the video.

You can find out more details about using the AI Portrait effect to make a reaction video .

How to Avoid Copyright Infringements While Making a YouTube Reaction Video

All videos you can find on YouTube are protected by intellectual property regulations, and you can’t use them without the copyright owner’s permission. The only way to avoid being absolutely sure that your reaction video isn’t violating the law is to contact the video creator and ask for permission to use their intellectual property. However, most YouTubers are reluctant to let others download and edit their videos unless they already have a large fan base.

In case you’re granted permission to comment on a video, you have nothing to worry about. However, if you don’t get the permission you’re all the money the reaction video generates will go to the copyright owner or you will be forced to delete the video from your channel. There are still a few things you can do, even if you don’t get permission to use the video you would like to comment on.

Muting the video’s audio or altering its pitch will make it more difficult for YouTube’s bots to detect copyright infringement, although this method may not always work. In addition, you can play a video for up to thirty seconds, then comment on that segment, and then play another segment of that video.

There is no way of saying whether any of these editing tricks are going to help you avoid a copyright claim, and you should only use them if you have no other option.

Conclusion

Anyone can master the technical aspects of making a reaction video, but the topics you react to need to be related to the general topic your channel covers. What’s more, the idea of your reaction video has to be relevant for your audience if you want to attract their attention. Which video editing techniques are you using to make a YouTube reaction video?

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Sharing ideas and opinions on virtually any topic you can think of with millions of people around the world is arguably one of the greatest benefits YouTube gives to content creators. Even so, building your channel exclusively around reaction videos may prove to be difficult, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t use this type of video to comment on what other YouTubers are saying.

The process of making a YouTube reaction video is not overly technical, although you will have to decide which video editing technique you are going to use to make a reaction video. That is why in this article we are going to take a look at different ways to make a YouTube reaction video.

• Method 1: Making Reaction Videos with PIP feature in Filmora
• Method 2: Create YouTube Reaction Video with Split Screen Templates
• Method 3: Make A Reaction Video for YouTube with AI Portrait

How to Make a Reaction Video for Your YouTube Channel? [3 Ways]

Using the footage without the consent of the copyright owner is punishable by the law, which means that you can only include the footage in a reaction video if you have the owner’s consent. Consequently, the selection of videos you can comment on is going to be limited, since it is entirely up to the creator of the video if they are going to give you permission to use their footage in your reaction video.

You can use the following video editing techniques, once you have access to the video you would like to comment on.

Method 1: Making a reaction video with the Picture-in-Picture feature in Filmora

Video editing software, like Filmora , can also be used to create YouTube reaction videos, but you must have all the footage you would like to include in that video before you can start putting it together.

The first step is to create a new project in Filmora and then import the media assets into the editor. Besides video clips, you can also add music, pictures, or create opening titles and end credits for your reaction video.

Place the video you’re reacting to on a video track on the timeline and then add the video of your reaction to the timeline that is directly above the one to which you added the first video clip. Click on the top video in the preview window and use the handles that are positioned around the edges of the video to adjust its size.

If you would like to change the on-screen position of the overlay clip, you should simply click on it and drag it to the new location within the preview window.

Filmora offers more than sixty motion effects, hundreds of transitions, and visual effects that can make your reaction video more visually appealing to the audience.

Moreover, Filmora video editing software offers a variety of blending modes, and it lets you control the opacity of the overlay video so that you can make it more transparent. Whether or not you are going to use these options depends on the footage you’re working with and the demands of a particular project.

Pros of using the Picture in Picture feature to make reaction videos in Filmora: You can place and adjust the videos with more customizable options. Get more tips about Making a PIP video in Filmora .

Method 2: Create several reaction windows with the Split Screen feature

Besides the Picture-in-Picture option, Filmora also enables you to play two or more videos simultaneously with Split Screen templates. Drag and drop the template you want to use in your reaction video to the timeline and click on the Enable Split Screen Animation tick box if you want to use the template without animations.

Afterward, you should drag the video clips from the Media tab and drop them onto the section of the preview window where you want them to be located. Keep in mind that you cannot add more than six videos to a split-screen template.

All videos you add to a split-screen template can be edited, and you just have to click on them if you want to adjust their sizes, enhance colors, mute their audio tracks or add a new audio file to the template.

Check the details about How to make a split-screen video step by step.

Pros of using Split-screen template to make reaction video in Filmora: various templates for creating stylish video side by side easily.

Method 3: Create A YouTube Reaction Video with AI Portrait

With the human segmentation effect in AI Portrait, you can now blend the reaction video in a more natural way. The human segmentation effect will isolate people from the background, you can use any background in the video.

Note: You can use this feature after version after V 10.5 for Windows, and V 10.4 for Mac. Click the button below to get the latest version of Filmora on your desktop.

Step 1: Import the videos to the media library, and then drag the background video to the first video track, and the reaction video to the track above.

Step 2: Go to the Effects tab at the top, and click the AI Portrait category, and then you will see many effects such as Human Segmentation, Human Pixelate, Human Noise, and lighting flash. Here, drag and drop the Human segmentation effect to the reaction video.

Step 3: Select the reaction video in the timeline, and then adjust its size and position by dragging it on the preview window. See, the reaction video is fine blended with the background video.

Step 4: That’s the basic editing of making a reaction video. You can also add the neon or flashing effect to the video. If everything goes well, click Export and save the video.

You can find out more details about using the AI Portrait effect to make a reaction video .

How to Avoid Copyright Infringements While Making a YouTube Reaction Video

All videos you can find on YouTube are protected by intellectual property regulations, and you can’t use them without the copyright owner’s permission. The only way to avoid being absolutely sure that your reaction video isn’t violating the law is to contact the video creator and ask for permission to use their intellectual property. However, most YouTubers are reluctant to let others download and edit their videos unless they already have a large fan base.

In case you’re granted permission to comment on a video, you have nothing to worry about. However, if you don’t get the permission you’re all the money the reaction video generates will go to the copyright owner or you will be forced to delete the video from your channel. There are still a few things you can do, even if you don’t get permission to use the video you would like to comment on.

Muting the video’s audio or altering its pitch will make it more difficult for YouTube’s bots to detect copyright infringement, although this method may not always work. In addition, you can play a video for up to thirty seconds, then comment on that segment, and then play another segment of that video.

There is no way of saying whether any of these editing tricks are going to help you avoid a copyright claim, and you should only use them if you have no other option.

Conclusion

Anyone can master the technical aspects of making a reaction video, but the topics you react to need to be related to the general topic your channel covers. What’s more, the idea of your reaction video has to be relevant for your audience if you want to attract their attention. Which video editing techniques are you using to make a YouTube reaction video?

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Sharing ideas and opinions on virtually any topic you can think of with millions of people around the world is arguably one of the greatest benefits YouTube gives to content creators. Even so, building your channel exclusively around reaction videos may prove to be difficult, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t use this type of video to comment on what other YouTubers are saying.

The process of making a YouTube reaction video is not overly technical, although you will have to decide which video editing technique you are going to use to make a reaction video. That is why in this article we are going to take a look at different ways to make a YouTube reaction video.

• Method 1: Making Reaction Videos with PIP feature in Filmora
• Method 2: Create YouTube Reaction Video with Split Screen Templates
• Method 3: Make A Reaction Video for YouTube with AI Portrait

How to Make a Reaction Video for Your YouTube Channel? [3 Ways]

Using the footage without the consent of the copyright owner is punishable by the law, which means that you can only include the footage in a reaction video if you have the owner’s consent. Consequently, the selection of videos you can comment on is going to be limited, since it is entirely up to the creator of the video if they are going to give you permission to use their footage in your reaction video.

You can use the following video editing techniques, once you have access to the video you would like to comment on.

Method 1: Making a reaction video with the Picture-in-Picture feature in Filmora

Video editing software, like Filmora , can also be used to create YouTube reaction videos, but you must have all the footage you would like to include in that video before you can start putting it together.

The first step is to create a new project in Filmora and then import the media assets into the editor. Besides video clips, you can also add music, pictures, or create opening titles and end credits for your reaction video.

Place the video you’re reacting to on a video track on the timeline and then add the video of your reaction to the timeline that is directly above the one to which you added the first video clip. Click on the top video in the preview window and use the handles that are positioned around the edges of the video to adjust its size.

If you would like to change the on-screen position of the overlay clip, you should simply click on it and drag it to the new location within the preview window.

Filmora offers more than sixty motion effects, hundreds of transitions, and visual effects that can make your reaction video more visually appealing to the audience.

Moreover, Filmora video editing software offers a variety of blending modes, and it lets you control the opacity of the overlay video so that you can make it more transparent. Whether or not you are going to use these options depends on the footage you’re working with and the demands of a particular project.

Pros of using the Picture in Picture feature to make reaction videos in Filmora: You can place and adjust the videos with more customizable options. Get more tips about Making a PIP video in Filmora .

Method 2: Create several reaction windows with the Split Screen feature

Besides the Picture-in-Picture option, Filmora also enables you to play two or more videos simultaneously with Split Screen templates. Drag and drop the template you want to use in your reaction video to the timeline and click on the Enable Split Screen Animation tick box if you want to use the template without animations.

Afterward, you should drag the video clips from the Media tab and drop them onto the section of the preview window where you want them to be located. Keep in mind that you cannot add more than six videos to a split-screen template.

All videos you add to a split-screen template can be edited, and you just have to click on them if you want to adjust their sizes, enhance colors, mute their audio tracks or add a new audio file to the template.

Check the details about How to make a split-screen video step by step.

Pros of using Split-screen template to make reaction video in Filmora: various templates for creating stylish video side by side easily.

Method 3: Create A YouTube Reaction Video with AI Portrait

With the human segmentation effect in AI Portrait, you can now blend the reaction video in a more natural way. The human segmentation effect will isolate people from the background, you can use any background in the video.

Note: You can use this feature after version after V 10.5 for Windows, and V 10.4 for Mac. Click the button below to get the latest version of Filmora on your desktop.

Step 1: Import the videos to the media library, and then drag the background video to the first video track, and the reaction video to the track above.

Step 2: Go to the Effects tab at the top, and click the AI Portrait category, and then you will see many effects such as Human Segmentation, Human Pixelate, Human Noise, and lighting flash. Here, drag and drop the Human segmentation effect to the reaction video.

Step 3: Select the reaction video in the timeline, and then adjust its size and position by dragging it on the preview window. See, the reaction video is fine blended with the background video.

Step 4: That’s the basic editing of making a reaction video. You can also add the neon or flashing effect to the video. If everything goes well, click Export and save the video.

You can find out more details about using the AI Portrait effect to make a reaction video .

How to Avoid Copyright Infringements While Making a YouTube Reaction Video

All videos you can find on YouTube are protected by intellectual property regulations, and you can’t use them without the copyright owner’s permission. The only way to avoid being absolutely sure that your reaction video isn’t violating the law is to contact the video creator and ask for permission to use their intellectual property. However, most YouTubers are reluctant to let others download and edit their videos unless they already have a large fan base.

In case you’re granted permission to comment on a video, you have nothing to worry about. However, if you don’t get the permission you’re all the money the reaction video generates will go to the copyright owner or you will be forced to delete the video from your channel. There are still a few things you can do, even if you don’t get permission to use the video you would like to comment on.

Muting the video’s audio or altering its pitch will make it more difficult for YouTube’s bots to detect copyright infringement, although this method may not always work. In addition, you can play a video for up to thirty seconds, then comment on that segment, and then play another segment of that video.

There is no way of saying whether any of these editing tricks are going to help you avoid a copyright claim, and you should only use them if you have no other option.

Conclusion

Anyone can master the technical aspects of making a reaction video, but the topics you react to need to be related to the general topic your channel covers. What’s more, the idea of your reaction video has to be relevant for your audience if you want to attract their attention. Which video editing techniques are you using to make a YouTube reaction video?

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Sharing ideas and opinions on virtually any topic you can think of with millions of people around the world is arguably one of the greatest benefits YouTube gives to content creators. Even so, building your channel exclusively around reaction videos may prove to be difficult, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t use this type of video to comment on what other YouTubers are saying.

The process of making a YouTube reaction video is not overly technical, although you will have to decide which video editing technique you are going to use to make a reaction video. That is why in this article we are going to take a look at different ways to make a YouTube reaction video.

• Method 1: Making Reaction Videos with PIP feature in Filmora
• Method 2: Create YouTube Reaction Video with Split Screen Templates
• Method 3: Make A Reaction Video for YouTube with AI Portrait

How to Make a Reaction Video for Your YouTube Channel? [3 Ways]

Using the footage without the consent of the copyright owner is punishable by the law, which means that you can only include the footage in a reaction video if you have the owner’s consent. Consequently, the selection of videos you can comment on is going to be limited, since it is entirely up to the creator of the video if they are going to give you permission to use their footage in your reaction video.

You can use the following video editing techniques, once you have access to the video you would like to comment on.

Method 1: Making a reaction video with the Picture-in-Picture feature in Filmora

Video editing software, like Filmora , can also be used to create YouTube reaction videos, but you must have all the footage you would like to include in that video before you can start putting it together.

The first step is to create a new project in Filmora and then import the media assets into the editor. Besides video clips, you can also add music, pictures, or create opening titles and end credits for your reaction video.

Place the video you’re reacting to on a video track on the timeline and then add the video of your reaction to the timeline that is directly above the one to which you added the first video clip. Click on the top video in the preview window and use the handles that are positioned around the edges of the video to adjust its size.

If you would like to change the on-screen position of the overlay clip, you should simply click on it and drag it to the new location within the preview window.

Filmora offers more than sixty motion effects, hundreds of transitions, and visual effects that can make your reaction video more visually appealing to the audience.

Moreover, Filmora video editing software offers a variety of blending modes, and it lets you control the opacity of the overlay video so that you can make it more transparent. Whether or not you are going to use these options depends on the footage you’re working with and the demands of a particular project.

Pros of using the Picture in Picture feature to make reaction videos in Filmora: You can place and adjust the videos with more customizable options. Get more tips about Making a PIP video in Filmora .

Method 2: Create several reaction windows with the Split Screen feature

Besides the Picture-in-Picture option, Filmora also enables you to play two or more videos simultaneously with Split Screen templates. Drag and drop the template you want to use in your reaction video to the timeline and click on the Enable Split Screen Animation tick box if you want to use the template without animations.

Afterward, you should drag the video clips from the Media tab and drop them onto the section of the preview window where you want them to be located. Keep in mind that you cannot add more than six videos to a split-screen template.

All videos you add to a split-screen template can be edited, and you just have to click on them if you want to adjust their sizes, enhance colors, mute their audio tracks or add a new audio file to the template.

Check the details about How to make a split-screen video step by step.

Pros of using Split-screen template to make reaction video in Filmora: various templates for creating stylish video side by side easily.

Method 3: Create A YouTube Reaction Video with AI Portrait

With the human segmentation effect in AI Portrait, you can now blend the reaction video in a more natural way. The human segmentation effect will isolate people from the background, you can use any background in the video.

Note: You can use this feature after version after V 10.5 for Windows, and V 10.4 for Mac. Click the button below to get the latest version of Filmora on your desktop.

Step 1: Import the videos to the media library, and then drag the background video to the first video track, and the reaction video to the track above.

Step 2: Go to the Effects tab at the top, and click the AI Portrait category, and then you will see many effects such as Human Segmentation, Human Pixelate, Human Noise, and lighting flash. Here, drag and drop the Human segmentation effect to the reaction video.

Step 3: Select the reaction video in the timeline, and then adjust its size and position by dragging it on the preview window. See, the reaction video is fine blended with the background video.

Step 4: That’s the basic editing of making a reaction video. You can also add the neon or flashing effect to the video. If everything goes well, click Export and save the video.

You can find out more details about using the AI Portrait effect to make a reaction video .

How to Avoid Copyright Infringements While Making a YouTube Reaction Video

All videos you can find on YouTube are protected by intellectual property regulations, and you can’t use them without the copyright owner’s permission. The only way to avoid being absolutely sure that your reaction video isn’t violating the law is to contact the video creator and ask for permission to use their intellectual property. However, most YouTubers are reluctant to let others download and edit their videos unless they already have a large fan base.

In case you’re granted permission to comment on a video, you have nothing to worry about. However, if you don’t get the permission you’re all the money the reaction video generates will go to the copyright owner or you will be forced to delete the video from your channel. There are still a few things you can do, even if you don’t get permission to use the video you would like to comment on.

Muting the video’s audio or altering its pitch will make it more difficult for YouTube’s bots to detect copyright infringement, although this method may not always work. In addition, you can play a video for up to thirty seconds, then comment on that segment, and then play another segment of that video.

There is no way of saying whether any of these editing tricks are going to help you avoid a copyright claim, and you should only use them if you have no other option.

Conclusion

Anyone can master the technical aspects of making a reaction video, but the topics you react to need to be related to the general topic your channel covers. What’s more, the idea of your reaction video has to be relevant for your audience if you want to attract their attention. Which video editing techniques are you using to make a YouTube reaction video?

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett