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6 YouTube Features Every Content Creator Needs to Know
If you want to grow a successful YouTube channel in 2023, you need to move beyond just creating great videos. To fully capitalize on YouTube‘s immense potential for building an audience and generating revenue, you must optimize your channel and content using the platform‘s built-in tools.
Trust me, I‘ve been running a profitable YouTube channel for over 5 years now, and these features have been absolute game-changers. In this post, I‘ll highlight the 6 most valuable YouTube functionalities that can take your channel to the next level this year.
#1: YouTube Studio
YouTube Studio is mission control for managing your channel – it‘s an absolute must for any serious creator. Accessible from the blue "YouTube Studio" button on your channel, it brings all your key analytics, community management, and content optimization features together in one place.
I check Studio at least once a day to stay on top of comments, view performance data, and see any notifications YouTube sends. Monitoring all this consistently allows me to keep improving my content based on what‘s resonating with my audience.
Some of my favorite tools within Studio include:
Analytics – The traffic source and audience retention reports help me tweak my SEO and refine video structures to maximize watch time. I also use the real-time subscriber counter and view milestones to celebrate wins!
Comments – Reviewing recent comments helps me pinpoint viewer interests to address in future videos. I also filter for spam and turn on comment moderation when needed.
Live Streaming – I use Studio to seamlessly schedule and customize my equipment for live streams, making them more professional.
Translation – Enabling auto-translation expands my reach by making content accessible to non-English speakers.
Notifications – Custom notifications keep me up-to-date on my latest comments, subscribers, video performance, and channel milestones.
Community – Posting in the Community tab allows me to give viewers a unique behind-the-scenes look in between video uploads.
Monetization – This tab helps me manage my AdSense account and track monthly earnings from monetized videos.
So if you aren‘t already using Studio, I highly recommend spending some time familiarizing yourself with all it offers – it‘ll fast become your YouTube command center!
#2: YouTube Analytics
Now let‘s do a deeper dive specifically into YouTube Analytics, the best place for quantifying how your audience interacts with your content.
The Reports page under Analytics provides a wealth of real-time metrics on channel performance. Consistently analyzing this data has helped me optimize my content for higher viewership and retention.
Some of the most valuable reports I monitor include:
Traffic Source – This breaks down the specific sites, features, and keywords driving views to my channel. Search traffic indicates my SEO is working, while External or YouTube Recommended traffic shows my promotion is paying off.
Top Videos – I use this report to double down on what converts viewers. For example, one of my explainer videos has brought in 200k+ views this month – a clear signal I should make more high-quality explainers on trending topics.
Audience Retention – By looking at average view duration and drop-off points, I can pinpoint where videos lose momentum so I can refine my pacing and hooks.
Demographics – Analyzing age, gender, and location stats helps me tailor content accordingly. I‘ve learned my channel skews towards 18-24 year-old males, so I try crafting more Videos for that demographic.
Devices – Seeing which devices my viewers prefer informs how I shoot and edit videos. Turns out over 60% use mobile, so I optimize my editing and titles for vertical viewership.
Here are some real results I‘ve seen by responding to Analytics:
- Optimizing titles for search increased traffic from YouTube Search and Google by 75%
- Making more intermediate tutorials boosted audience retention from 40% to 60%
- Posting consistently on Fridays at 5pm grew views per video by 125%
The bottom line – Analytics transforms data into insights that directly fuel growth and refinement. Spend time each week assessing your top reports to maximize the return from every view.
#3: Cards & End Screens
Cards and end screens are interactive elements you can add to videos to promote other content, prompting viewers to take action. These serve as free "billboards" to convert one-time visitors into engaged subscribers.
A card will pop up over your video at any point, while end screens display after the video concludes. You can customize each with playlists, channel art, subscriptions prompts, and more.
Here are some high-impact ways I utilize cards and end screens:
- Channel Subscription Prompt – This reminds first-time viewers to subscribe before my video ends. I consistently see subscription conversions increase 15-20% when using them.
- Playlists – Featuring playlists of similar videos keeps viewers binging on relevant content instead of leaving YouTube.
- Popular Uploads – End screens linking my most popular videos generate higher clickthrough rates. I promote evergreen videos this way.
- Merch Shelf – Showcasing my merch with branded end screens has directly boosted sales.
- Polls – Interactive poll cards let viewers shape future video topics by voting in real-time.
- Giveaway Announcements – Timely cards promote my latest contests, sweepstakes, and giveaways to spike engagement.
With a well-designed 20-second end screen alone, I‘ve increased average view duration by 55 seconds and brought in 7% more subscribers.
Remember, every view represents a new chance to convert viewers into loyal fans – so make the most of it with strategic calls-to-action.
#4: Community Posts
The Community tab on your channel homepage is an underrated tool for engaging viewers outside of just video comments.
Posting regularly in the Community tab makes you more approachable by giving fans a peek behind the scenes. Humanizing yourself this way helps build a personal bond with your audience.
Here are some inventive ways I use Community to boost loyalty:
- Behind-the-Scenes Photos – Showing funny outtakes and work in progress makes viewers feel special, like they‘re part of the production process.
- Polls – Asking fans to vote on future content direction, thumbnails, titles, and more makes them feel valued and gives me useful data.
- Giveaways – Promoting free merch, gift cards, or shoutouts drives high engagement, especially when requiring comments or shares to enter.
- AMAs – Hosting "ask me anything" threads allows me to answer viewers‘ burning questions in a casual way, strengthening our relationship.
- Vlogs – Uploading quick behind-the-scenes vlogs provides entertainment between main videos while making me more relatable.
- Templates – Sharing useful templates, guides, or resources related to my niche helps fans improve their own content.
- Live Updates – Providing real-time updates on projects I‘m working on keeps fans invested and informed.
Posting consistently 1-2 times per week has grown my channel membership conversions by over 10x. Remember, YouTube is fundamentally social – so use Community to your advantage.
#5: Channel Memberships
Channel memberships allow loyal viewers to pay a monthly fee for exclusive access and perks. I highly recommend setting these up as an additional monetization stream.
After launching my own memberships starting at just $3/month, I now earn an extra $2000+ in recurring revenue per month outside of ads.
But more importantly, memberships allow me to offer VIP bonuses that make fans feel valued, deepening their connection to the channel.
Some of my top-performing membership perks include:
- Members-Only Live Streams – I host exclusive monthly live Q&As just for members, where I‘ll review their projects and offer feedback. These generate tons of sign-ups.
- Behind-the-Scenes Videos – Releasing bloopers reels, vlogs, tutorials, and other bonus videos makes members feel like VIPs with access to exclusive content.
- Shoutouts – Every month I shout out select member channels in my videos and community posts, which drives memberships for the publicity.
- Custom Emojis & Badges – Letting members unlock special badges and emotes they can use in comments/chat makes them stand out and gives them status.
- Curated Playlists – I make members-only playlists to compile my best tutorials, case studies, and pro tips to help them upskill.
- Discounts – Offering lower prices on merch, products, and services is a easy perk members love.
If you aren‘t already leveraging memberships, I highly recommend activating this feature under your Channel settings. Even starting with a basic $3-5/month option can quickly snowball into a lucrative side income stream while supercharging fan loyalty.
#6: Creator Academy
Lastly, I wanted to highlight YouTube‘s Creator Academy – the ultimate onboarding resource for taking your channel to the next level.
Creator Academy offers over 40 free courses on mastering YouTube, with actionable lessons and step-by-step blueprints for growth.
Some key topics covered include:
- Starting a successful channel
- Production techniques
- Channel growth strategies
- Optimizing viewership and traffic
- Improving editing skills
- Getting discovered on YouTube
- Interacting with and growing your community
- Unlocking monetization
I frequently refer back to Creator Academy lessons when I need a refresher on a certain skill or strategy. The structured courses really help you learn best practices and avoid mistakes.
So if you‘re just getting started or looking to improve specific areas, be sure to check out the Creator Academy training library.
The Keys to YouTube Success
If you take away just one insight from this article, remember this: YouTube offers an incredible suite of built-in features to grow your channel – you just have to use them!
Start monitoring your performance more closely with YouTube Studio and Analytics. Keep viewers watching longer using optimized end screens and cards. Strengthen your relationship with fans through Community posts and memberships. And level up your skills using Creator Academy.
Implementing even just a few of these tips has the potential to transform your channel‘s growth and viewership. So what are you waiting for? The tools to succeed on YouTube are right at your fingertips. Now get out there and start creating!
I hope you found this overview helpful. Let me know in the comments if you have any other YouTube questions!
