by Moriah Morter, WP writing assistant
One of my favorite quotes from the insightful Maya Angelou is, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I love this quote for life in general … aaaaand for creating content on YouTube. Let me explain.
YouTube Creator Liaison Rene Ritchie and Leader of Product Growth & Discovery Todd Beaupré recently revealed insight into YouTube’s latest algorithm. Beyond the inclusion of keywords and opportunistic hashtags, they explained the importance of resonating with viewers, with the goal of imparting one critical emotion: satisfaction.
Want to be sure your content is positively unforgettable? Keep reading for our 5 tips to creating enduring content (and stay tuned for 5 more!).
Tip 1: Let YouTube introduce you
In their recent video, Ritchie and Beaupré shared this all-important term: “automated word of mouth.”
YouTube’s algorithm has an uncanny ability to recommend videos. How? It recognizes watch patterns among viewers. Although members of your audience probably don’t know each other, they do have one thing in common—your channel. Since viewers with similar taste are more likely to be interested in similar content, YouTube makes a special point of recommending videos with related themes, moods, and subjects.
The best way to reach a wider audience is to let YouTube do the work for you. Want to boost your likelihood of being recommended? Pay special attention to Tips 2–5.
Tip 2: Competitive benchmarking
You’re not the only one vying for your audience’s attention, which makes it necessary to research your competition. When analyzing your rival’s channel, consider these points and questions:
- What does their comment section reveal? Is their audience asking questions that your competitor hasn’t answered?
- What content can you offer that your competition lacks? And vice versa, what content do your competitors offer that you don’t?
- Which videos on their channel garner the most likes? How can you make your content more impactful and meaningful?
- Check out their aesthetics. Maybe your audience loves the experience they are getting from your rival’s videos. More on this below in tip number 5.
Think back to Tip 1 and automated word of mouth. Understanding your competition is an opportunity to clarify your viewers’ interests (and increase the likelihood of your channel being recommended). This isn’t so you can copy and paste content; your goal is to discover how you can discuss the same topic with a new and refreshing take. YouTube wants to provide viewers with the most relevant and personalized recommendations—your latest video might just fit that bill!
Tip 3: Get to know your viewers with YouTube Analytics
YouTube’s goal is to provide audiences with more of what they want, the key term being satisfaction. To help you understand this, YouTube offers a free-to-access Analytics tool within your YouTube Studio account.
YouTube Analytics reveal which videos are receiving the highest engagement, the number of views per video, the overall watch time, and other important metrics.
To create content that satisfies, leverage YouTube Analytics to learn more about your audience and optimize your content strategy based on their behavior.
Tip 4: Let your niche shine
Your unique experience and original voice are what make you different from other videos on YouTube. Let that special corner you hold in the market shine by narrowing your focus.
For example, there are many published authors on YouTube, but not every author specializes in historical fiction. Even more clear cut, not every historical fiction author is an expert in Iowa’s history and can share their experience as a New York Times bestselling author. How specific can you get?
Precision within your niche will lead to the unique and personalized content that YouTube values. By narrowing your focus and specializing in distinctive topics, you can increase your odds of benefiting from automated word of mouth.
Tip 5: Set the mood
YouTube’s current algorithm takes notes on the mood, atmosphere, and settings in a video. Looking for another way to benefit from YouTube’s automated word of mouth? Perfect your aesthetic!
Analyze the setting of your videos, the appearance of your thumbnails, your background music, color tones, and overall visual presentation. Is it on brand? What can be enhanced to curate a more effective, personal, or interesting atmosphere?
For example, the Relax Jazz Café on YouTube specializes in ambience. By perfecting cozy backgrounds and an overall soothing visual presentation, they succeed at being a frequently visited and highly recommended channel for relaxing background music.
Check back next month, when we’ll cover 5 more tips for getting more traction on YouTube … and we may even have a bonus tip!
Supporting sources and related reading:
- A 2025 Guide to the YouTube Algorithm (Buffer)
- How the YouTube Algorithm Works in 2025 (vistasocial)
- Changes to YouTube Algorithms in 2025 (Prodvigate)
- The YouTube Algorithm in 2025 — Explained! (Creator Insider)
