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Education channelsin the course: Targeting your audience

Go beyond the classroom to learn and beinspired. Find out why YouTube'seducational channels get top marks.

30 Minutes

Best practicesYouTube for educators is home to high-quality educational videos from around the world. Whetheryou’re a teacher by profession, a gifted storyteller looking to inspire an audience with your passionfor a particular topic, or are simply curious about the world around you, YouTube is the place foryou. We encourage you to continually discover, create and share educational videos with the worldthrough YouTube.

Intermediate

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1. Align with real student needs

Audiences have an appetite for great educational videos year round. However, demand often peaksaround predictable topics and schedules.

Some ways to do it

See it in action

Use Google Trends to identifydemand for specific types ofeducational content

Monitor YouTube Trends to see which topicsget popular and when. This can help youdetermine your channel’s programmingschedule. In this example, searches for“Newton’s laws of motion” peak during examtimes (A) and then trail off during summerbreak (B) and winter break (C).

Organize subject-specific videosinto playlistsCrashCourse successfully meets

the needs of students by structuring theirprogramming around Advanced Placementexam topics and standards: like Chemistry,US History, and Biology.

Audiences have an appetite for great educational videos year round. However, demand often peaksaround predictable topics and schedules.

Use data to anticipate what’s next: Examining trending topics from previous years can helpuncover seasonal opportunities to create and promote videos on specific subjects (e.g., APexams, bar exams, etc).

Explain a trending topic: Monitoring popular current events and discussions can inspire topicaleducational videos that have built-in audience interest.

Fill knowledge gaps: Studying existing channels on YouTube can help you identify underservedaudiences and subject areas.

Align with viewer learning path: Understand how people move from one lesson to another tohelp develop a programming strategy that builds on itself (e.g., math curricula are likely to startwith simple arithmetic and progressively become more advanced).

2. Do your homework and be credible

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Misinformation can spread quickly and weaken your authority. Top creators build and retain theirhard-earned credibility by researching topics thoroughly and referencing their sources.

Some ways to do it

See it in action

Vsauce lists sources in thedescription field of their videosVsauce spends over 50% of its

time researching and collecting facts. Theirlinks to sources, highlighted by the bluearrow and box, not only add credibility, butprovide useful additional info.

Credible channels find their wayinto classroomsVsauce has a solid reputation

for accurate content and high audienceengagement. Because of this, teachers oftenfeel comfortable showing his educationalvideos inside the classroom, as seen in theabove picture.

Misinformation can spread quickly and weaken your authority. Top creators build and retain theirhard-earned credibility by researching topics thoroughly and referencing their sources.

Show your sources: Citing third-party sources in the video and/or the description field can helpsupport factual claims and add an additional layer of credibility.

Highlight your credentials: If you have advanced degrees, certifications or other credibility-enhancing distinctions, consider referencing them.

Call out revisions: Acknowledging your mistakes and incorporating corrections from youraudience can help build invaluable trust in your channel.

3. Create a clear lesson plan

Make it easy for students to find and watch multiple videos about their favorite subjects. Playlistsand end cards can be used to organize videos into cohesive and logical lesson sets.

Some ways to do it

Make it easy for students to find and watch multiple videos about their favorite subjects. Playlistsand end cards can be used to organize videos into cohesive and logical lesson sets.

Chronological ordering: Sort lessons into linear playlists. This helps viewers easily watch a

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See it in action

CrashCourse organizes playlistsby subject matterCrashCourse clearly sorts

videos into subject-specific playlists, therebycreating a comprehensive curriculum for itsviewers, such as in this example featuring,“US History”.

Viewers tend to watch morevideos when they’re in a playlistIn the bar graph above showing

average view duration by traffic source, (A)refers to playlists and (B) refers to other. Thehorizontal axis indicates average viewduration in seconds. Linear playlists (A), arenot only the number one driver of views forCrashCourse, but also contribute to 30%higher view duration.

collection of lessons that are meant to be experienced in a certain order.

Topic-specific ordering: Channels with videos that span multiple topics, such as History, Biologyand Literature, can use playlists to group videos by subject into separate groups.

Hosted playlist: Some channels include a host to curate, narrate and guide viewers through amulti-video playlist experience.

Curated playlists: Channels often feature other creators’ videos in their playlists to supplementtheir library and introduce audiences to new bodies of knowledge.

Get featured on youtube.com/edu: Complete this Whitelist Form to be considered for inclusionon YouTube.com/EDU. Your videos could reach 10M+ education subscribers.

4. Hold office hours

YouTube is a two-way street that allows you to listen and talk back to audiences. Encouragingdiscussion and participation can build a reciprocal conversation that grows engagement andviewership.

Some ways to do it

YouTube is a two-way street that allows you to listen and talk back to audiences. Encouragingdiscussion and participation can build a reciprocal conversation that grows engagement and

Be inspired by your audience: Many of YouTube’s successful education channels use their

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See it in action

Have a two-way conversationwith audiencesCode.org used Google+

Hangouts to connect students with world-renowned video game software producerGabe Newell.

Interactive videos can bemassively popularVeritasium poses brain-busting

science questions in its videos, andencourages viewers to submit their answersin the comments field. Actual answers arelater revealed in a separate video.

audience’s most pressing questions and comments to decide on future programming.

Answer questions: Consider uploading special videos that answer audience questions frompreviously uploaded videos; this can greatly improve audience interaction and engagement.

Infuse discussion into each episode: Some creators dedicate a section at the end of everyvideo to answer questions from the previous episode; end cards can be one way to do this.

Live sessions: Increasingly, YouTube educators are inviting their students to join Google+hangouts to facilitate live lectures, discussions and Q&A sessions.

5. Support universal accessibility

Millions of people around the globe face significant obstacles to accessing quality education. 80%of YouTube views come from outside the US, so be sure to optimize your channel so that it canreach large global audiences.

Some ways to do it

Millions of people around the globe face significant obstacles to accessing quality education. 80%of YouTube views come from outside the US, so be sure to optimize your channel so that it can

Check audience demographics: Your channel’s demographics report in YouTube Analytics canhelp identify which countries are most actively watching your videos. This can help youprioritize which languages to focus your internationalization efforts on first.

Offer localized channels: Channels with large international audiences could consider separatingmulti-language videos into different channels. Providing viewers with a more tailoredexperience can result in higher engagement and viewership.

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See it in action

Captions make videosaccessible to more peopleGrand Illusions uploaded

English transcripts of their videos and theirengaged subscriber base translated theminto several popular languages.

Captions can have real impacton channel performanceAfter adding captions to their

videos, Grand Illusions increased gross dailyrevenue (A) by 209%, watch time (B) by 88%and daily views (C) by 83%.

Utilize visual closed captions: Adding subtitles and closed captions can help your videos reachforeign language viewers and those who are hard of hearing. Subtitles and closed captions canalso increase the discoverability of your channel by acting as additional metadata.

Produce easily localized formats: Utilizing tactics like video animation, voice-overs and text canmake your videos easier to internationalize.

6. Work with guest speakers

Collaborative learning is a great way to expose audiences to a wide array of information. Topchannels frequently work together to build viewership by exposing new viewers to their uniqueteaching styles.

Some ways to do it

Collaborative learning is a great way to expose audiences to a wide array of information. Topchannels frequently work together to build viewership by exposing new viewers to their unique

Combine expertise in a single video: Two or more channels can merge their respective areas ofexpertise into a single video.

Feature guests intermittently: Consider bringing in guest educators, authors or industryprofessionals to support your claims and/or present a unique point of view.

Inter-channel collaboration: Cross-promoting related videos on each collaborating channel canbe a great way to drive viewers between channels. Annotations and calls-to-action are effectivein accomplishing this.

Revolving collaborations: Some channels create a series of related videos that live on separatechannels and link between them in an ongoing, single-story loop.

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See it in action

Invite other educators to yourchannelVsauce and Head Squeeze

explain a series of topics (in their respectiveareas of expertise) and link to one anothervia annotations and calls-to-action.

Collaborations can be a greatway to grow subscribersThis chart shows the average

daily number of subscribers to HeadSqueeze’s channel, (A) 30 days before thecollaboration, (B) during the collaboration and(C) 30 days after the collaboration. Duringthe collaboration, Vsauce fans flocked toHead Squeeze to learn about music topicsand subscribed to the channel in recordnumbers.

7. Think niche

YouTube audiences are curious; they search for videos across countless subject areas. Creatingniche videos can be a powerful way to tap into communities searching for very specific information.

Some ways to do it

See it in action

Even the most granular subjectshave an audienceHandwritten Tutorials creates

videos that explain niche topics, like the

Audiences actively search forinformation about niche topicsThese charts show the primary

traffic sources among videos with a broad

YouTube audiences are curious; they search for videos across countless subject areas. Creatingniche videos can be a powerful way to tap into communities searching for very specific information.

At the video level: Covering a particular topic in your regular programming can help to attractnew viewers to your channel; be sure to include rich metadata to help audiences andYouTube’s discovery systems easily find it.

At the channel level: Consider creating an entire channel that is centered around a niche topicand developing videos that will best meet the needs of that audience.

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“nephron function,” which appeal toaudiences with specific knowledge needs.

topic (A) or a niche topic (B). 41% of traffic onniche videos comes from Search (blue),compared to Related videos (red),Mobile/Direct (orange) and Other (green),because people are often seeking concreteanswers to specific questions. (Note: Bothcontent types can reach massive viewership.)

8. Optimize your metadata

Consider spot-checking the effectiveness of your metadata by monitoring which keywords aredriving views to your channel. If any significant terms are missing, you might want to go back andadd them to your metadata.

Some ways to do it

See it in action

"YouTube Search" in YouTubeAnalytics shows keywordspeople use to find your videos

Check “Google Trends” tounderstand which keywords and

Consider spot-checking the effectiveness of your metadata by monitoring which keywords aredriving views to your channel. If any significant terms are missing, you might want to go back and

Enable proper discovery: Some creators develop metadata that includes relevant keywords tohelp YouTube’s search and discovery systems surface their videos to the right viewers.

Monitor search trends: Entering search terms and keywords into Google Trends can helpuncover which topics are most likely to drive interest and viewership for your channel.

Contextualize your channel: Including a full spectrum of metadata types can help people findand decide which video is right for their specific needs:

Broad Topic: math, algebra, calculus, etc.

Specific Topic: polynomials, radicals, etc.

Content Style: tutorial, demo, lecture, etc.

Instructor: name, title, credentials, etc.

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Monitor “YouTube Search” under YouTubeAnalytics “Traffic Sources” to understandwhich search terms are driving viewership.The top three keywords in this search are:simplifying radicals, radicals, and radicalnotation.

phrases audiences are searching for most.Here, in this graph that shows search interestin a word over time, history (yellow) is themost searched for topic, second to science(blue) and then math (red).

9. Get creative with your formats

Think outside the box when developing your video teaching style. Consider creating a uniquelearning environment to help hook the attention of your target audience and reach new viewers.

Some ways to do it

See it in action

There are many ways to teach --get creative!Tom McFadden creates

educational rap videos that entertainaudiences while teaching scientific concepts.

Audiences often consumeentertaining lessons on the goThis chart indicates the % of

watch time based on devices: Computer(blue), Mobile (red) and Tablet (orange) andcontent type: “Edutainment” (A), EntertainingLessons (B) and Lessons (C). The moreentertaining a video is, the more diverse itstraffic sources and watching devices arelikely to be. Consider adopting new formats

Think outside the box when developing your video teaching style. Consider creating a uniquelearning environment to help hook the attention of your target audience and reach new viewers.

Animated lessons: Animation can be a powerful way to present complex concepts in a fun andengaging manner.

Teach with humor: Injecting a healthy dose of comedy has been shown to make learning funand accessible for broad audiences.

Test various video lengths: Long-form videos, playlists and channel sections can be used toeffectively guide viewers through complete lessons and tutorials.

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to reach new viewers.

10. Hook and retain student interest

Videos that keep viewers’ attention can benefit from higher placement in YouTube search resultsand suggested content modules. Drive audience engagement by hooking viewers and keeping theirattention from start to finish.

Some ways to do it

See it in action

Lengthy speaker introductionscan turn audiences awayMany academic videos feature

lengthy speaker introductions and brandingthat can cause audience drop-off. In theAudience retention graph above, there was a75% audience drop-off (indicated by the redline and arrow) due to a 2-minute speakerintroduction. Monitor YouTube Analytics tosee if and when your viewers are droppingout. If you find a pattern, you can fix it.

Do your best to hook viewersright from the startTed-Ed maintains strong

audience retention by starting videos withminimal branding (12 seconds maximum) andthen diving right into engaging, thought-provoking content.

Videos that keep viewers’ attention can benefit from higher placement in YouTube search resultsand suggested content modules. Drive audience engagement by hooking viewers and keeping their

Start with a cold open: Some creators have found success creating a unique opening that grabsstudent attention right away. This has been shown to reduce audience abandonment rates.

Begin with a question: Posing a striking question up front could help pique audience interestand get them to watch the full video to discover the answer.

Outline and summarize: For longer videos, some creators choose to set up what their video isabout so their audience can decide quickly whether or not they should watch. This also helpsthem navigate to the sections that are most useful to them.

11. Eligible creators can create paid channels

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ActivitiesPut your new knowledge to work in the activity below!

11. Eligible creators can create paid channels

Once setup, successful creators often promote these paid channels with free trials, playlists andYouTube ads to open new viewership and revenue streams.

Some ways to do it

See it in action

Put premium lessons behind apaywallBig Think Mentor has a paid

channel that charges $9.99/month for accessto premium educational videos.

Give viewers a sneak peekBig Think Mentor drives paidsubscribers by providing users

with free trials and playlists that allow them topreview their videos before making apurchase decision.

Once setup, successful creators often promote these paid channels with free trials, playlists andYouTube ads to open new viewership and revenue streams.

Create a channel trailer: Featuring a channel trailer that explains what your channel is aboutand why audiences are being asked to pay for the videos has helped some creators attractviewers.

Give a sneak peek: Often successful paid channels place free videos at the beginning of aplaylist to give prospective subscribers a preview of the types of content they would pay towatch.

Merchandize: Some creators have found success outfitting their channel page with featurevideos that accurately represent the rest of the channel.

Create a one-of-a-kind experience: The most effective paid channels make it clear that theirchannel features premium full-length episodes or lessons that aren’t available elsewhere forfree.

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to save your answers.

View questions

Name 2 changes that you will make to your channel so that viewers can more easily find thecontent they’re looking for. What do you hope to achieve by making these modifications?

What changes will you make to your channel design to optimize for your audience? Are therespecific improvements that will attract the education community?

Name three ways you will interact with your audience to keep them up to date on your channelofferings, and that will keep them coming back to your channel for more.

Check your knowledge

1) You’d like to start a new channel discussing the recent history, politics, and culture of countries inthe Caribbean. What’s a data-driven way to prioritize the topics you could create videos about?

Take an educated guess based on what you know about the region.

Ask your friend who has a channel on African history, politics, and culture to poll his audience foryou.

Use Google trends to determine the hot topics in that region.

Create a channel trailer that asks the audience which of three topics they would watch.

2) What’s one good way to build credibility and trust among your audience?

Reading from a book.

Citing your sources in the video description.

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Assuring the audience they can trust you.

Collaborating with celebrities.

3) How can you efficiently organize sets of lessons so your audience watches them in the correctorder?

Instruct your audience at the end of each video to watch the next one.

Create an end-card that takes you to the next lesson.

Organize playlists based on the lessons you want to group together.

Name videos to reflect consecutive order or how they should be viewed.

4) You’re creating a video about the history of reggae music and interviewing a professor of musicalstudies. What’s an effective way to hook your audience right from the start and keep themwatching?

Jump right in and tell your audience the most exciting part of what they’re about to learn. Youcould then introduce the speaker with a sentence or two that shares their most exciting andrelevant research findings.

Introduce the speaker for two minutes sharing their background and credentials so the audienceknows they’re credible.

Ask the audience a series of compelling questions and let them know you may or may not answerall of them so they should watch the entire video.

Create a thumbnail that depicts reggae artists that are recognizable but that you don’t discuss inthe video.

5) You have a channel on zoology where you discuss endangered species, their habitats, andpredators. What’s one way to interact with your student audience to keep them coming back?

Promise an in-depth look at a new endangered species every week.

Go “in the field” and shoot a series of videos at the local zoo where you can get up close andpersonal with animals.

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Schedule a hangout and ask your audience to submit their questions to you either in a poll onGoogle+ or in the comments of your video.

Do some research on Google trends to find out the most commonly discussed topics aboutendangered species then shoot videos addressing these topics.