News channels

YouTube is home to high-quality, informative and entertaining news from around the world; news creators can reach a global audience at any time, from anywhere and on any device. Learn strategies employed by successful news channels that can be applied to your channel. The examples highlighted are intended to aid storytellers to drive repeat viewership, whether you are a professional or aspiring journalist, an eyewitness reporter, an established media organisation or a digital native.

• 1. Cultivate conversation: Keeping it real

  Real personalities usually top the charts across content verticals on YouTube. Authentic, relatable hosts with a consistent point of view can inspire loyalty and repeat viewership.

  Thought starters

  Tools and techniques compiled from our experiences with YouTube creators:

  • Consider sourcing native YouTube talent: Find authentic, credible personalities and subject matter experts who align with your vision.
  • Be consistent: Viewers often subscribe to channels because they develop strong bonds with creators on the other side of the screen.
  • Collaborate with other channels: Some successful creators have found that tapping into the expertise of the broader YouTube community can help distinguish your channel and strengthen your value proposition.
  • Interact with the audience: Directly addressing viewers and using calls-to-action may encourage subscriptions, likes, comments and shares.

  See it in action

  • 
    The Verge teams up with YouTube native Marques Brownlee
    The Verge and other news outlets source talent from YouTube channels who have established fanbases of their own. Marques Brownlee cultivated a loyal following from his popular gadget reviews. (Video in English)
  • 
    The Young Turks talk to viewers about the news
    Cenk Uygur is a prominent host of The Young Turks, a channel with a distinct value proposition and point of view. The Young Turks offers progressive, liberal-leaning news commentary to a passionate home-grown audience of >4m subscribers. (Video in English)

• 2. Target your audience: Niche, broad and existing

  Some top news channels create a consistent format that appeals to a particular segment, or reach a specific audience with targeted videos. Reach your existing fans where they engage with you the most, such as on your website and social media.

  Thought starters

  Tools and techniques compiled from our experiences with YouTube creators:

  • Promote content off YouTube: Embedding public videos on your homepage or blog and sharing on social media or wherever your superfans engage can increase audience exposure. It might be helpful to include a call-to-action to subscribe to your channel.
  • Develop new formats: Try testing new story formats and monitor YouTube Analytics to guide iteration and access audience insights, then repeat success.
  • Expand outreach: Consider sharing your videos with relevant blogs, websites or online communities to tap new audiences and boost external traffic.
  • Monitor traffic sources: View your channel demographics in YouTube Analytics, and find out how individual videos stack up with your desired audience.

  See it in action

  • 
    The New York Times amplifies coverage of video
    The New York Times pitched key influencers and YouTube channels prior to the release of its video, “21st-Century Concentration Camps”. The Times produced a custom version for YouTube Nation, which prompted coverage from other channels. 27% of total traffic came from external websites and embeds.

• 3. Create and re-activate shareable content

  Make news 'new' again by unearthing great stories hidden behind vague titles or missing metadata. Reframe the videos with compelling imagery and headlines that resonate with an audience.

  Thought starters

  Tools and techniques compiled from our experiences with YouTube creators:

  • Create eye-catching thumbnails and titles: You may be able to entice your audience to click on and share your videos by designing attractive thumbnails that look great on every device. Try to complement the image with a title that piques curiosity and delivers on the promise.
  • Put yourself in your audience’s shoes: Some creators have found success by thinking about how a viewer would appear to their friends if they shared your video. What would your video say about the person who shared it?
  • Curate and connect: One way you could compel your audience to care about your video is to highlight emotional aspects of the story.

  See it in action

  • 
    Curation can help uncover hidden stories on YouTube
    The American Film Institute published a clip from its archives in which actor Dustin Hoffman discusses the role he portrayed in the film Tootsie. (Video in English)
  • 
    Upworthy reframes older archive video, and it goes viral
    Upworthy embedded the AFI video on its website seven months later with a new, evocative headline, "Dustin Hoffman Breaks Down Crying Explaining Something That Every Woman Sadly Already Experienced", driving more than 5M views.

• 4. Collaborate and cross-promote with other channels

  Finding the perfect channel match for a collaboration, and coming up with a mutually beneficial concept, can potentially reach and convert new viewers.

  Thought starters

  Tools and techniques compiled from our experiences with YouTube creators:

  • Look for sources on YouTube: When appropriate, try featuring subject-matter experts and other credible sources from YouTube in your stories.
  • Cross-promote to both channels: Try out creating a video end card graphic and including cards to subscribe or watch videos on the other channel. You could also add links in the video description.
  • Reactivate your library: Some creators have found that offering broadcast or archived clips to other creators could generate new value from the content.
  • Co-brand content: Try launching a joint channel with a complementary brand or collaborating with a channel that your audience would appreciate.
  • Refresh your brand: Align with another channel with a distinct audience to reach a new demographic.
  • Make a video promotion: One way to get the word out in advance on YouTube and foster excitement and anticipation in fans of both channels is with a video promotion.

• 5. Curate and become a subject-matter expert

  Creators often strive to become the trusted go-to source for a specific topic or area of expertise. They can build credibility and add value to the larger community by identifying and curating videos from other channels.

  Thought starters

  Tools and techniques compiled from our experiences with YouTube creators:

  • Select videos for maximum value: One way to do this is by verifying videos and sources, and offering additional context or perspective.
  • Organise and highlight: Test out arranging videos in topical playlists, and featuring them on your channel page. You may even want to consider broadcasting curation activity in the channel feed and on social media.
  • Give credit where credit is due: It’s usually a good idea to attribute original sources via links in the video descriptions or cards.

  See it in action

  • 
    Storyful curates user-generated content (UGC) for the broader news community
    Storyful verifies newsworthy amateur video, manages rights and monetises user-generated content.
  • 
    The I Files offers both curation and original content
    The I Files collects and features investigative news videos from major news contributors worldwide, while also featuring its own original reporting.

• 6. Provide context for accessibility

  News creators have found success in telling stories that are accessible from the start, and providing context for viewers who discover videos from a social feed, search or recommendation engine.

  Thought starters

  Tools and techniques compiled from our experiences with YouTube creators:

  • Captivate your audience: Consider using a scripted voice-over or on-camera talent and compelling footage to hook your audience from the start of the video.
  • Optimise for mobile: Check how thumbnails and titles of your videos appear on other platforms and devices. Offer enough context to compel viewers to watch on the go.
  • Promote story updates: Try out adding cards that link to follow-up stories or related topical videos to drive longer viewing sessions.

• 7. Interact with the audience

  Building a personal relationship with your viewers and speaking to them directly about the stories they most care about can have a positive impact on your channel.

  Thought starters

  Tools and techniques compiled from our experiences with YouTube creators:

  • Welcome channel visitors: Create a trailer to introduce yourself and highlight your best material. Be sure to explain what visitors can expect if they subscribe.
  • Integrate audience participation: Including audience feedback in your videos, and using on-camera calls-to-action can encourage comments, likes, shares and subscriptions.
  • Make videos for fans: You may want to try dedicating a separate video to viewer responses and questions. Be sure to annotate when appropriate.

  See it in action

  • 
    The New York Times spurs interaction with viewer response video
    The New York Times encouraged viewers to comment in the video, '21st-Century Concentration Camps'. Journalist Nicholas Kristof responded to comments in a follow-up video that drove seven times more fan interaction on the channel over the previous month.
  • 
    VICE creates a viewer response video for most-commented story
    One of VICE's most popular videos, 'First Animal to Survive in Space', generated more than 34,000 comments. The channel created its first comment response video, and annotated to it from the original. (Video in English)

• 8. Socialise television: Breaking the broadcast wall

  Transcending the “fourth wall” and leveraging both broadcast and social platforms could help synchronize your fan community. Empower viewers to directly connect with you and other fans who share the same passion across different mediums.

  Thought starters

  Tools and techniques compiled from our experiences with YouTube creators:

  • Develop a multi-platform viewing experience: Test out simultaneously broadcasting or streaming across television, web or radio.
  • Incentivise fans to tune in: You could offer fans the opportunity to have real-time conversation via hashtags on social media.
  • Activate fan creation or user-generated content: Some news channels have found success with on-air calls-to-action, and featuring the best examples of user-generated content in their programming.

  See it in action

  • 
    From TV to YouTube and back
    HBO uploads exclusive clips of 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver' to YouTube, and he promotes the channel on his live show. Oliver encouraged viewers to comment on net neutrality, which drove an increase in comments. (Video in English)
  • 
    Watch live anywhere and interact
    Local news station WRAL in Raleigh, North Carolina aggressively promoted #MissionorMoney to drive appointment viewing across radio, TV and the web. The real-time conversation attracted a global audience and trended nationally. The documentary outperformed major network averages (Source: Nielsen’s SocialGuide). (Video in English)

• 9. Balance topical with evergreen

  Stories that are immediately relevant to present day events often have a short shelf life; audience interest has the potential to shift after a few days. Consider balancing timely, trending offerings in your video library with selections that stand the test of time.

  Thought starters

  Tools and techniques compiled from our experiences with YouTube creators:

  • Tap into popular topics: You could monitor Google Trends to get insight into search trends across the world.
  • Come up with a new angle: It can be helpful to take a step back and examine the bigger picture. Will people still search for the story and find it valuable a year from now?

  See it in action

  • 
    VICE makes a video that is both topical and evergreen
    VICE published the video "3D Printed Guns" in April 2013 on the heels of intense debate about gun control in the USA. The chart shows search activity for the term "Gun Control". (Video in English)

• 10. Quickly optimise breaking news

  Journalists are known for their swift efficiency when it comes to publishing breaking news and exclusive stories; successful creators additionally take a moment to optimise their videos for discovery and search interest.

  Thought starters

  Tools and techniques compiled from our experiences with YouTube creators:

  • Incorporate YouTube in your publishing workflow: You could aim to be the first video source for exclusive, trending or high-profile topics. Also, you may consider enabling embeds.
  • Stand out from the rest: Offering the most visually compelling, high-resolution thumbnails that look great across all devices can make a difference when viewers choose what to watch.
  • It’s all in the details: Including specific locations, dates, trending terms and other relevant keywords in your metadata (titles, descriptions and tags) can help viewers easily find your videos.

  See it in action

  • 
    Publish quickly, and enable videos for embedding
    The FBI published a surveillance video to their channel showing the suspects in the Boston marathon bombings. The video, an original source enabled for embedding, drove 22m views and thousands of stories and embeds.
  • 
    Optimise for search and discovery
    Look at search queries for keywords relevant to your video, and see which terms appear at the top. Include popular (and accurate) keywords in your metadata.

• 11. Go live to close a coverage gap

  News is one of the most-watched categories for live events on YouTube. Try out hosting or simulcasting a live stream on your YouTube channel, especially if you’re the only source for a particular live news event. Live events can drive significant watch time and subscribers to your channel.

  Thought starters

  Tools and techniques compiled from our experiences with YouTube creators:

  • Before the event: If it’s a planned live stream, you could create a teaser video to promote the event and schedule.
  • During the event: You can remind viewers to subscribe to your channel during the live event with graphics or on-air call outs.
  • Share everywhere: You may want to embed a public video on your website or blog, and regularly post the link on social media with status updates about the live event as it unfolds.
  • Host a concurrent conversation: Pay attention to live comments – successful creators often have staff moderate and respond on social media – and funnel online reaction to a reporter or host.
  • After the event: Consider clipping memorable moments from the live event. If the event is especially timely, you may want to clip and upload during the live stream.

  See it in action

  • 
    Share unique live coverage to inform a global audience
    Espreso.TV became a de facto source for live coverage of the Ukrainian conflict. The live feed ran for 54 days and drove a record-breaking 17.6m watch hours – the most watch time for a single live event on YouTube to date.
  • 
    Social media drives global viewership for local politics
    The Texas Tribune’s live stream of Senator Wendy Davis’ filibuster drove 200,000 concurrent views, 1.5m video views, 400,000 watch hours and 2400 new subscribers. The majority of traffic came from social media and blog embeds. (Video in English)

• 12. Make more of what works

  Successful news creators sometimes drive longer viewing sessions by releasing long-form videos that are compatible with an existing popular brand.

  Thought starters

  Tools and techniques compiled from our experiences with YouTube creators:

  • Uploading documentaries or long-form videos in multiple segments has the potential to:
    • multiply a video’s footprint;
    • create a hard-to-miss stack of videos in the subscriber feed;
    • add more opportunity for the show to be stumbled upon in YouTube search and related views; and
    • monetise several videos instead of one.