How to Increase Watch Hours on YouTube: Unveiling Strategies to Engage and Retain Audiences

Over the past 15-20 years, various websites and platforms became popular and went out of fashion just as quickly, but one place is still going strong – YouTube. Watching videos on this platform is still a favorite activity for millions of people worldwide.

Many people also create and upload their YouTube videos, with some making a living out of it. Being a YouTuber is quite a popular career choice, but not everyone is successful at it. It takes work to get subscribers and many views on your videos.

Even when you get people to click on your video, it’s not guaranteed they will watch it all the way through. A higher watch time on YouTube is necessary to monetize your content. That’s why many people try to increase YouTube watch time by using various strategies.

This article will tell you what counts as watch hours on YouTube, also known as YouTube Watchtime.

Why Are Watch Hours on YouTube so Important

First, let’s see what exactly is “watchtime on YouTube” and how watch hours work on YouTube. In short, this watch time refers to the amount of time viewers spend watching your videos. Videos with higher watch time are seen by YouTube’s algorithm as more successful, and they get pushed more in the recommended and feed sections.

As a result, these videos are more visible to potential viewers, attracting even more viewers and watch time. In other words, this video-sharing platform rewards good videos by making them even more popular and visible. This is why so many aspiring YouTubers look for ways to get more watch hours on YouTube.

Free Strategies to Increase YouTube Watch Hours

If you need some “increase watch time on YouTube” free strategies, we’ve got you covered. Below is the list of things you can do to increase YouTube watchtime for your videos.

Create High-Quality Content

First of all, if you want to increase watch time on YouTube, your video content needs to be as good as possible. This means that each YouTube video needs to have something that will capture and keep your target audience’s attention.

No matter what type and genre of channel you have, you need engaging videos that will provide some value to the viewers. That value could be educational or purely entertaining; it doesn’t matter. What matters is that your videos should be interesting and compelling to watch.

Apart from the quality of content and topic, you should also pay attention to the footage and editing quality of your videos. Grainy or poorly edited videos are less likely to get more watch time on YouTube. So, don’t neglect that aspect of making videos.

Post Consistently

Consistency is a key to success in many things, including trying to increase YouTube watch hours. If you only remember to post videos every now and then, you probably won’t get noticed, no matter how great your videos are.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you should post new videos at every cost. However, you should post as often as possible while still maintaining the quality of your content. This way, you are more likely to attract new viewers while keeping your existing audience hooked.

Optimize Your Videos

Another way to increase public watch hours on YouTube is to optimize your videos. This optimization refers to several aspects of your videos. If you want to rank high in YouTube search results, you will need to learn and use some YouTube SEO basics.

In short, you will need to identify which keywords related to your content are most searched. Then, use them in your video title, video description, and tags. This way, you will boost your video’s visibility and make it more likely to be discovered through YouTube searches.

Become Recognizable

If possible, try to brand your content by using a consistent tone, voice, and format of the videos. Also, you should create original logos and images that will help you stand out while following your brand’s style.

Don’t forget about YouTube thumbnails. They can attract new viewers and prompt them to watch your videos, but they can also become your channel’s trademark. That’s why they need to look great and relevant to the type of content you are making.

Strategize Your Video Length

The math is simple: the longer your video is, the more watch hours it will bring you. So, try to make longer videos as long as it makes sense for your content. Don’t overdo it: too long videos will make the viewers bored and unmotivated to watch them.

You can also use YouTube Chapters, a feature that allows you to break your videos into smaller sections. These sections are basically subtopics of your video, and you can separate them by selecting corresponding timestamps.

This feature is proven to retain the viewer’s attention, especially for longer videos.

Be an Active Part of the Community

Another way to attract attention to your videos and get watch time on YouTube is to engage with other users and be an active member of the YouTube community. You can start by leaving comments and starting discussions on other YouTube videos.

As you get more viewers on your videos, you should reply to their comments and show that you care about their suggestions. Ask them questions, ask for their feedback, and do anything that will prompt them to comment on your videos.

Create Youtube Playlists

You probably have a playlist with your favorite music, but why don’t you make one (or several) with your own videos? Each playlist could be about one topic or something like that. This way, when viewers watch one of your videos, they will have an option to watch your other videos from the same playlist.

As a result, you will increase the average view duration for your videos. Ensure that your playlists make sense and that they tempt the viewer to watch all videos. 

Experiment with YouTube Shorts

YouTube Shorts are a relatively new feature that you can use to increase watch time on YouTube. As their name suggests, these are short clips similar to TikTok videos or Instagram Reels. In the age of reduced attention span, they are a perfect way to capture the attention of millions of viewers.

After seeing your Shorts, some of the viewers will certainly feel interested in your main content. Additionally, even though they are short, they will certainly contribute to your total hours of watch time.

Keep Track of the Analytics

Finally, to see what works for you and what doesn’t, you should keep track of YouTube analytics. Use YouTube Studio to see the viewer retention rate on your videos. Compare different videos and try different video formats, esthetics, and other factors that could impact the numbers.

Over time, you will see what works for you and what doesn’t. Don’t get discouraged. This is a slow and boring process, but it will yield the desired results if you persevere.

How and Where to Buy YouTube Watch Hours

Apart from improving your content, there is another strategy that can be seen as a quick YouTube watch time increaser. This strategy involves buying views and watch time for your channel. This can sound like a shady practice, but many successful channels did this at least once.

Buying YouTube watch hours is a great way to boost your channel’s watch time and other stats, especially if it is still new. This process can’t replace creating good content and other strategies that we mentioned above, but it can help your efforts.

And the whole process is simple. You simply need to find reputable platforms and sellers that sell watch hours. Usually, these platforms offer several packages with different prices, depending on the number of hours.

Once you have chosen a platform and package, you need to paste the link of the video you want to boost. Then, complete the payment and wait for a bit for the package to be applied to your chosen video.

Keep in mind that these steps might vary slightly depending on which seller platform you choose. That’s why you need to carefully follow the steps of the particular platform you have chosen. Here are the best platforms to buy YT watch time:

1. FollowersOn

FollowersOn is a platform where you can buy YouTube watch time by choosing one of four packages, ranging from 500 to 2000 watch time hours. The prices for these packages are affordable, ranging from $49.99 to $194.99. Apart from that, FollowersOn offers other benefits:

• Hours get added with 2-3 days
• They come from real worldwide accounts
• Best quality service
• Safe and secure payment options such as credit/debit cards, e-wallets, and crypto
• You don’t have to log in to use this service
• Guaranteed refill
• 24/7 customer service

Apart from selling watch hours for YT, FollowersOn sells views, likes, followers, and comments not only for this video-sharing platform but also for all major social media platforms.

2. Videosgrow

The Videosgrow platform specializes in selling hours, views, likes, and comments for YT videos. This platform also offers four different packages ranging from 500 to 2000 hours. All hours are of high quality and get delivered within 2-3 days after paying.

Videosgrow also boasts 24/7 customer service and several supported payment methods, including credit and debit cards, as well as e-wallets such as Google and Apple Pay.

3. SocialBoss

Similar to FollowersOn, SocialBoss offers views, likes, comments, and followers for various social media platforms and other websites. It also sells watch time for YouTube in the form of four packages ranging from 500 to 2000 hours.

SocialBoss is a versatile and reliable seller that sells high-quality hours from real accounts. The delivery is fast, 2-3 days, and in case of any issues, buyers can contact extremely helpful customer support. Available payment methods include credit cards, debit cards, Google Pay, and Apple Pay.

FAQ

Q: What are watch hours on YouTube?

A: Many people don’t know what watch hours means on YouTube. It is basically the number of hours that viewers spend watching specific YouTube videos.

Q: What’s the average watch time on YouTube?

A: It is the average number of hours viewers have spent watching videos on a specific YouTube channel.

Q: Do YouTube Shorts count towards watch time?

A: Yes, they do. However, keep in mind that they are rather short, so one view doesn’t contribute that much, but when accumulated over time, thousands of views on Shorts do contribute to overall statistics.

Q: How do you become a part of the YouTube partner program?

A: You need to have at least 4000 watch hours over the past 12 months.

Conclusion

Overall, there is no single YouTube watch time trick. It all comes down to creating successful content by following tips and tricks from this article. And, if you want to further boost watch time hours on YouTube, there are several sites that can help.

Hopefully, this article taught you what is watch hours on YouTube and showed you how to increase watch hours on YouTube. Don’t forget to visit sites such as FollowersOn, where you can buy YouTube Watchtime and boost your stats!