YouTube’s creators are always looking for more ways to reel in new audiences and convince them to watch more of their videos. One element that should factor into your YouTube strategy is YouTube Playlists, which can sometimes be a little overlooked. Join us to take a look at what YouTube Playlists are, how to create them and how they can help your channel’s success!
What Are YouTube Playlists?
YouTube Playlists work similarly to those on music streaming sites like Spotify and Apple Music. You can curate a playlist of your own videos, other’s videos or even a combination. Playlists on YouTube are super popular because they allow you to create a collection of related videos to hook the viewer and encourage them to watch more.
All creators can make playlists, share them and allow friends to add videos to the playlist. To view your playlists, simply head to the Library tab, or manage them in YouTube Studio.
Public, Private & Unlisted Playlists
There are three different types of playlist you can create based on who can view it.
Public means that everybody on YouTube can find it, and Private means only you can see it. Finally, there is Unlisted, which means that only those with the link can see it.
Why Should You Make YouTube Playlists?
Here’s a list of reasons to get making playlists on YouTube:
- They help to organize videos by theme, audience type or content
- Playlists are easily shareable
- It engages viewers for a longer period of time which is great for your YouTube SEO
- Playlists are easier for audiences who don’t have to click and can just let autoplay do its thing
- They’re indexed separately in YouTube search results, so audiences will see your playlist if they search the subject. This helps you be discovered more easily!
- Playlists are great for creating web series, and helps to keep all of the episodes organised and in order
How To Create YouTube Playlists
Now that we’ve covered what playlists on YouTube are and why they’re so important, let’s look at how to create them.
- Go to the YouTube Studio Dashboard by logging into your account, clicking on your channel and selecting ‘Manage Videos’
- Once you’re in the Studio dashboard, click on Playlists on the left-hand navigation bar
- Click ‘New Playlist’ at the top right. You can also see any previous playlists you’ve created here
- Add a title for the playlist (don’t forget to include popular keywords and phrases)
- Choose below if you want to make the playlist public or private (see above for meanings). Finish by clicking Create. You will now see the new playlist on your playlist page in the Studio dashboard.
Editing Playlists: Adding Videos, Descriptions, Editing The Video Order & More
Let’s take a look at some further details around YouTube playlists, such as editing, changing settings, collaborating and more.
Editing / Adding Videos
To edit and add videos to your playlist, click the pencil icon that appears when you hover over the playlist. This will take you to another page where you can edit your title, add more videos in and add a description.
To add videos, click the … icon and a drop-down menu will appear. Select Add Videos, and this will bring up a new window. Here, you can search for YouTube videos to add, pastie in a URL or browse through your own YouTube videos. Don’t forget you can select multiple videos. Then click Add Videos to update your playlist.
Adding A Description
To add a description, click the pencil icon as above. You are allowed 5,000 characters so try to be concise. Get your keywords in, keep it clear and enticing and tell your audience what the playlist is about in a couple of sentences. Simply click save and you’re done!
Changing The Order Of Videos
If you want to change the order of videos, simply click the — icon to the left of your video’s thumbnail. Drag it above or below the other videos in the playlist until you’ve got the order you want.
Collaboration
In the … menu is also the option to Collaborate. This allows you to turn on/off the ability for others to add to your playlist.
Other Options
If you click on Playlist Settings, there are several on/off options. You can allow your playlist to be embedded on sites, automatically add new videos to the top or set your playlist as a Series Playlist. This means that your playlist is marked as a set of videos to be watched together in a certain order as a series.
Deleting Playlists
Finally, on the drop-down menu is the ability to Delete Playlist. It can’t be retrieved so do so carefully!
Final Thoughts & How Audiosocket Can Help
Playlists are a great tool that can increase your views, bring in new audiences and present your content in a more organized way. Don’t worry too much about the length of your playlists – some say the longer, the better!
This article is all about creating great YouTube videos, and that’s where we can help! With your videos, you will most likely need music.
If you are looking for authentic, top-quality music for your project, why not check out Audiosocket? Your content deserves the best, so sign up today and access tens of thousands of songs to bring your vision to life! You can access Audiosocket’s music catalog for just $15 a month as a Personal creator. Not only that, but this allows you to license an unlimited number of tracks at no additional cost. Talk about win-win!
Also, feel free to check out our helpful articles on smartphone accessories for video creators, using background songs for videos and best free video editing software in 2021!
