2/14/19, 11(42 AMHook them with your channel trailer - YouTube

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First impressions matter. You can win the hearts of unsubscribed viewers with acaptivating trailer.

Produce a captivating trailer

Lesson: Hook them with your channel trailer

2/14/19, 11(42 AMHook them with your channel trailer - YouTube

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Your channel trailer is like a film trailer – use it as a way to offer a preview of yourchannel's offerings so that viewers will want to subscribe. What should go into it?Think about the unique qualities of your channel, your personality, and why viewersshould feel compelled to return. There are many ways to make a channel trailer, butconsider starting with something that hooks your viewers in the first few seconds,highlight the best parts of your channel and delivering your key messages. Youwant to give your viewers a lasting impression, so end with an explicit request forviewers to subscribe.

Guidelines

See it in action

Assume the viewer has never heard of you. Introduce them to what you haveand tell them why they should subscribe.

Keep it short. You should be able to pitch the great things about your channel toa new viewer quickly. It should tell your visitors who you are, what your contentis like, and when they can expect new uploads.

Ask viewers to subscribe in your video and with annotations.Your trailer willalso automatically have an end card when the video finishes, giving theaudience an easy way to subscribe.

2/14/19, 11(42 AMHook them with your channel trailer - YouTube

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What's Up Mom'sINTRODUCTION

The What's Up Mom'strailer opens with anintroduction from thehost and then showshighlights from thecollection. At the end,she asks viewers tosubscribe and includesa burned-in graphicwith a subscribebutton. Check out thechannel to see asuccinct descriptiontoo. (Video in English)

Welcome to SoulPancake

Soul Pancake's traileropens with acaptivating, emotionalmonologue from theirhost, Kid President.Colourful imagery andlight music help tocapture the essence ofthe channel in theirintroductory video.(Video in English)

Welcome to FoodTube - messagefrom Jamie Oliver

In this trailer, the host,Jamie Oliver, gets rightto the point and urgesviewers to subscribeby saying, “You'reseeing this videobecause you're notsubscribed to FoodTube”. The trailerillustrates the types offoods andpersonalities thatviewers can expect tofind on this channel.(Video in English)

Write an informative channel description

2/14/19, 11(42 AMHook them with your channel trailer - YouTube

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The channel description is text that conveys key information about your channel -search engines use these words so people can find you. When an unsubscribedviewer comes to your channel, they will see both your channel trailer and channeldescription to the right of it. When viewers read it, they should have a pretty goodidea of what your channel is about and know where to go for more information.

Tips

Lights - camera - action!

Have the most important information at the beginning of your description, like atagline.

Use unique catch phrases to make your description pop!

Use key action words to compel viewers to subscribe or watch a playlist.

Include links to your social channels or website.

Use link shorteners to keep URLs short and sweet like goo.gl or bit.ly. They canalso help you track how many times people clicked on that link.

Check how your description is displayed on mobile and other areas of YouTube.

2/14/19, 11(42 AMHook them with your channel trailer - YouTube

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Before you get started, it is important to plan your video. Think about who youraudience is, write your script, and plan your creative. Here are some tips for each.

Set up your audienceAssume the viewer doesn’t know anything about you and ask yourself:

Create a scriptWriting a script before starting is critical for success. A structure with a clear andcaptivating message from start to finish can help your trailer get subscribers. Yourscript refers to the words and images that actually appear on screen, and the soundand music viewers hear. They should all clearly communicate the message of yourchannel and match its “look and feel” (i.e. your branding). Your script also tellsviewers what to do next – so end with the name of your channel and tell them towatch more videos on your channel!

Draw in your viewer with graphics and musicGraphics are the visual representation of the script Create a simple, yet consistentbackground for all of your graphics and grab your channel’s font and style to createindividual graphics based on your script. Legibility is key.

When you have the right music, you can emotionally move your viewers. Musickeeps viewers engaged and sets the tone and energy. So pick music that isconsistent with your script, graphics and your channel. Why do you think AmazingPhil’s channel trailer sounds like a video game? Check out ready-to-use music inthe YouTube audio library.

A successful channel trailer doesn’t need to have a montage of clips – you can usejust one or two great clips or even an original shoot. If you use a montage of clips,show the variety of material featured on your channel.

Try it

What do viewers need to know about my channel, especially in the first fewseconds?

How do I want them to feel after they watched my channel trailer?

What should the tone be? What do I want them to listen to? Will it be playful,serious, comedic, dark or informative? What are the colour schemes and fonts?

2/14/19, 11(42 AMHook them with your channel trailer - YouTube

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Try creating a new video or selecting an existing video to use as your channeltrailer. Add a description and title, then select it as your channel trailer.

Try writing a three-line description for your most recent or popular video. Canyou tell the most compelling information about the video in just a few lines?

Sign in to save your answers.

Test your knowledge

1 2 3

Sign in first if you want to save your results.

What key element should you always include in your channeltrailer?

A list of your favourite channels.

Your Twitter handle.

A subscribe button.

Your favourite guest star.

2/14/19, 11(42 AMHook them with your channel trailer - YouTube

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