How to Get Better at Using YouTube? 7 Useful Suggestions

Whether you are a casual user who relies on YouTube to watch videos for fun or someone who treats the platform as a means to make money by uploading videos, there are plenty of things to learn for a better overall experience.

Let’s take a look at some of the things less experienced YouTube users might not even be aware of.

Storing Content on Your Device

YouTube has a massive dedicated server, or rather multiple servers, to store uploaded videos on the platform and make them accessible to users.

However, there are times when a video disappears from the platform. It could be the uploader themselves deleting the video or YouTube removing the content for different reasons.

If you want to ensure that you are not losing your favorite video, you need to be proactive and download it yourself and store the video on your device or cloud storage.

In some cases, getting the audio is enough. For example, podcasts or music. If you want to download only audio from YouTube, that is also an available option. At the end of the day, it is better to be safe than sorry, so keep that in mind.

Learn Shortcuts

Using keyboard shortcuts on a video platform might not seem like that important of a thing to consider. However, you can still try to memorize certain combinations to make things easier for yourself.

Spacebar pauses and resumes the video, M mutes and unmutes the video, the left arrow tells the video to go backward 5 seconds, and the right arrow tells it to go 5 seconds forward.

In some cases, using a keyboard is more convenient, or rather faster, than using a computer mouse. You will need some time to memorize and get used to the shortcuts, but it is another interesting aspect of using YouTube to consider.

Share a Video at a Specific Time

If there is a video you want to share with somebody without forcing them to watch an entire thing, you can select a specific timestamp and link that instead.

Pause the video at the right moment and right-click on it. You will see the option to Copy the Video URL at the Current Time. Click on it and then paste the URL. Whoever clicks the link will open a video that will start at a designated time. This neat feature is great for saving time.

Add Captions

After uploading a video, you might want to add captions, which is a different name for subtitles. YouTube has a feature to generate captions automatically, but as you have probably guessed, the results of that are usually poor, to say the least. In other words, you need to take care of captions manually.

You can also treat the feature as a way to translate your video to foreigners. For example, if you upload a video that goes viral and reaches international attention, adding subtitles for more people to understand would make a lot of sense.

Work on Thumbnails

YouTube, as a video platform, has an algorithm and certain trends that make content creators follow the rules for their videos.

One such example is a thumbnail. If you spend some time going through various channels on YouTube, it is easy to notice how most videos have a catchy thumbnail. Shocking reactions on people’s faces, notable words and phrases in bold colors, questions, and other types of methods to attract the attention of potential viewers.

Figuring out a way to make your video thumbnails interesting might take a while, but the effort is well worth it if you want to become a successful YouTuber.

Pin a Comment

A pinned comment is a relatively new feature on YouTube. Content creators can pin a comment from another account or leave a comment themselves and pin it for everyone else to see.

This pinned comment could be used to announce something or add additional details to a video that you forgot to include. Providing more context, so to speak. 

Optimize the Video Description

The video description should not be neglected. For one, it functions as a content piece that is used for search engine optimization. YouTube detects the description and, together with a video title, registers it in the search. 

The next time someone uses the search feature on the platform entering specific keywords, they will be given video options. The better your title and description are optimized, the higher the chances of ending up in the higher search results.

Finally, a video description can also be used as a means to include other relevant information. For example, your social media links or affiliate links that you use to monetize the content.