The Orchard is glad to share our updated 2022 YouTube Best Practices, where you can learn about new features, branding tips, and how to complete the puzzle that is the YouTube algorithm.

1. 2022
YouTube Best Practices

2. CHANNEL FEATURES AND SEO 03 /
VIDEO FEATURES AND SEO 10 /
ENGAGING WITH VIEWERS 18 /
YOUTUBE SHORTS 29 /

3. Channel Features &
Optimizations
Nas

4. Official Artist Channel vs. Verification
OAC
● Recommended for artist channels to upgrade to
Official Artist Channels (OAC)
● An OAC aggregates content & subscriber count
from official YouTube channel, Topic channel,
and Vevo channel into one place
● Read these best practices on OACs, and contact
your Label Manager to upgrade the channel to an
OAC
● For more information, review this blog post on
OACs
Verification
● Recommended for label and non-artist
channels
● Once a non-artist channel reaches 100K
subscribers, you can request verification for
the channel

5. Channel Art
Create customized, visually compelling, and relevant channel art. Channel art should reflect recent release(s), and
make the audience feel like they’re connecting with a personality, and not just a brand.
CHANNEL AVATAR
Specs: 800px x 800px
This image should be recognizable at smaller
resolutions; it will be your channel’s icon throughout
the platform.
CHANNEL BANNER
Specs: 2560 x 1440px
Add artist website, socials, merch, smartlinks, and
DSP links to the About tab. Up to 5 links will be
overlaid on desktop channel art.

6. Curated Channel Layout
CHANNEL TRAILER
The channel trailer is an elevator
pitch to potential subscribers. It’s
featured first on the channel and
auto-plays, so it needs to hook the
viewer.
There are two customizable views:
Subscribed for returning and
already subscribed users.
Recommendation: Adding a new
release or a playlist.
Unsubscribed for new users.
Recommendation: Add channel
intro video or the most popular
video.
CHANNEL SECTIONS
Sections function as the main
organizational tool for channel
homepages. They make the
channel page easy to browse and
can be created dynamically from
playlists.
Consider:
● Curating from other
channels’ content
● Organizing content into
different groups
● Organizing videos (e.g.
popular uploads), playlists
(My Albums) or Channels
(more from my network).

7. Playlists should be an essential part of a channel
strategy; they increase watch-time and create another
asset that appears in search results and Suggested
Videos.
● Create playlists using the channel’s videos,
videos from other channels, or a combination of
both.
● Optimize the playlists’ metadata, and direct
viewers to these playlists via cards, end screens,
community and links, etc.
● Make the metadata work for the channel; a strong
title and description will help people find the
playlist.
Here’s a playlist example that shows great use of SEO.
Playlists

8. ABOUT TAB
YouTube uses the About tab to populate SEO; adding a
detailed bio and description with key terms assists YouTube
in surfacing the channel higher in search. Remember to
include the artist’s most popular songs, album names,
genres, labels, locations, milestones, and any other search
terms relevant to the artist or channel.
ARTIST PROFILE
In the Artist Center tab in Creator Studio, add pictures and a
biography to the About tab as well as the YouTube Music
app. It’s important to keep the branding across platforms
consistent for familiarity, and ensure the channel comes
across to fans as the official source of the artist's content on
YouTube.
Channel Descriptions

9. CHANNEL TAGS
Similar to video tags, channel tags help surface the
channel in YouTube search and in other algorithms, such
as Google. For example, add the year, common
misspellings of popular song titles or albums or names,
genres, song titles, albums, geography; the more, the
better, as long as they’re relevant.
FEATURED CHANNELS
Link featured channels in the "Channels" tab to promote
other content and drive traffic between two channels. This
will also appear as a shelf on your channel.
CUSTOM URL
Creating a custom URL allows fans to easily find and
remember your channel. It should be something clear and
memorable such as /ArtistName /ArtistOfficial
/LabelRecords /LabelMusic, etc. For more information on
custom URLs, follow this link.
Additional Features

10. Video Optimization &
Features
Eric Nam

11. TITLES
Video titles give viewers a sense of what to expect from a video, and
aid in SEO optimization.
● For music videos, “Artist – Song (Official
Audio/Video/Lyric Video/Behind The Scenes/ Live @ X
etc)" is recommended.
● Mention other artists or channels with @ symbol.
● For more information, read the SEO portion of this blog post.
TAGS
Adding more tags to videos, the better, as long as they remain
relevant to the video (500 character limit)
● Include a mix of general and specific tags to accurately
describe each video.
● Easily misspelled words that people may be searching for,
artist names, albums, songs, the year, genre, geography, new
music tags, the type of video, etc.
Titles & Tags

12. H: 4.45”
W: 4.0”
T Pain
Video Description
Video descriptions are another way YouTube is able to utilize
SEO to help viewers find your videos.
● The first two sentences of the description are shown in
search and on the video page.
● Repeat the title info and use important keywords that
people would be searching for, information about the
project or artist (if there is a tour or a new release
coming).
● Include links to subscribe, all social platforms, links to
other videos or playlists, mention other artists or
channels with @ symbol, and any purchase links
(merch/song/album).
● Add the video’s song lyrics.
● Include appropriate hashtags without spaces; the first
3 hashtags appear below the video and above the
video title. Use hashtags that are a part of larger
searches, such as “#NewMusic, #Artist, #Album,
#Genre, #Event”
For more information on hashtags, read this Daily Rind post.

13. H: 4.45”
W: 4.0”
Cards
The card button appears as the "i" in the top right hand
corner throughout the video, and up to 5 cards can be
added per video.
Link to sites (merch, streaming, donation sites, tour
tickets, playlists, etc.), or promote relevant videos or
other channels, so viewers can follow through on another
call-to-action without having to stop the video.

14. H: 4.45”
W: 4.0”
End-screens are an important feature that help curate
and lengthen a viewer’s watch session.
Add up to four different end screen elements; one
should be a playlist and another should be a subscribe
button to keep the viewer engaged with the channel with
the hope that they continue to watch more videos from
the channel. Make sure to keep these updated to push to
relevant and/or priority content.
End-Screens

15. H: 4.45”
W: 4.0”
Thumbnails
Thumbnails are the first thing seen in search and
suggested videos, so make them count.
● Thumbnails should be bright and easy to see
(not dark or blurry), with a clear picture of the
artist or a striking image that’s on-brand to grab
the attention of potential fans.
● Use distinct thumbnails for each video to aid
user experience.
● Always optimize for mobile — this can be
more of an advert than the title.

16. Additional Video Features
SUBTITLES
Enabling subtitles (CC)/translations opens the content to a
larger audience - including those who don't speak the language
or would prefer to have the lyrics on the screen. Translations
contribute to the overall metadata of the video. Translations
can also be automated for the title and description, found under
the Subtitles tab.
To enable this feature in the video manager, select the video,
select “edit.” Then click on the “Subtitles/CC” tab and “add
new.”
SUBSCRIBE WATERMARK
Another important watch session feature to add is the “branding
watermark” button. It sits on the lower right hand corner of each
video and when scrolled over, allows the user to subscribe to
the channel without leaving the video.
To enable this feature in the Creator Studio, select channel >
branding, and then ”add a watermark.”

17. Merch Shelf
Merch shelf allows eligible channels to showcase official merchandise on a shelf below the video page,
and on the Store tab on the main channel.
To see if the channel is eligible, click into Creator Studio > Monetization > and see if there is a
Merchandise tab available.

18. Sinead Harnett
Engaging With Viewers

19. Community is YouTube’s version of a social feed, and a great way to
directly engage with your audience, to offer your fans access to
unique content and general updates.
Posting in the Community tab keeps the channel active in
YouTube’s algorithm, especially when the artist goes a length of time
without posting, or before uploading new content.
Replying/liking comments within the Community page fosters a
more connected fanbase.
Create engaging posts such as: polls, open questions, Q&A, and
scheduled content, such as pictures, carousels, GIFs. For video
posts, instead of clicking the video option, post the video link in the
copy.
To ensure the Community page is enabled and for best practices,
read more on our blog.
Community

20. YouTube Premiere enables fans to virtually
gather, engage, and enjoy a shared experience
together. Using the Premiere feature allows you to
schedule a video upload, and create a shareable
watch page, stirring up buzz around the release.
YouTube Premiere
KEY FEATURES
● Live Redirect allows a livestream pre-
show in advance of a Premiere that leads
to the Premiere of a video automatically.
● Trailers place a pre-recorded 15 seconds
to 3 minute hype video that will be played
on the watch page in advance to the
Premiere.
● Countdown Themes gives you the option
to choose from a range of themes, vibes
and moods to personalize the viewer’s
Premiere countdown experience.

21. Long-form video content is now easier to navigate
than ever, thanks to YouTube’s Video Chapters
feature. Video chapters break the video into
selectable sections, each with a corresponding
thumbnail. These chapters can be entered manually
or automatically assigned by YouTube.
To add video chapters, enter the chapter title in the
description and place the timecode of the chapter
start time in a HH:MM:SS format.
Chapters will appear on the video timeline. Hovering
over the timeline will display the chapter so users can
easily navigate through video segments.
Clicking the arrow next to the chapter title on the
video will expand a chapter list menu that displays a
thumbnail for each listed chapter.
Video Chapters

22. H: 4.45”
W: 4.0”
Super Chat is a feature that allows viewers to
voluntarily pay for their messages to be highlighted and
pinned to the top of the live chat box on a livestream or
Premiere video.
The color of the chat and amount of time pinned to the
top depends on how much the viewer spends.
Viewers can also purchase Super Stickers, which are
digital or animated images that pop up in the live chat
feed and can also be pinned to the top of the chat box.
The features will automatically be on all future
livestreams and Premiere once enabled on the
channel. For more details, check out YouTube’s Help
Center.
Super Chat & Super
Stickers

23. YouTube Giving
YouTube Giving allows creators to support the charitable causes they care about. Eligible channels can fundraise for
nonprofits by adding a donate button to their videos and live streams. Viewers can donate directly on the video watch
page or in live chat.
Note that Super Chat and Super Stickers aren’t available on live streams with Live Chat Donations.
For more details, check out YouTube’s Help Center.

24. YouTube Live Stay
Connected
Reach New
Audiences
Create Buzz
YouTube Live gives you a way to
connect with new and old fans and
creates a real time experience to
engage with viewers directly.
● For Live Production, make sure
encoding software is set up and the
preview works
● For Mobile, film in landscape mode
● Lives are scanned by Content ID, so
it's important to only stream content
you own, as claims from 3rd party
rightsholders can result in the stream
being interrupted.

25. BEFORE DURING AFTER
YouTube Live: Best Practices
● Promote the link across socials,
Community, other videos
● Ask fans to hit “Set Reminder”
● Chat on the livestream to ensure
fans are tuned in prior
● Utilize YouTube features: trailer
video, playlists, end-screens,
cards, polls
● Repost on socials / cross-promote
with other artists
● Engage directly with fans,
answering questions, chatting in
the live-chat
● Monitor live-chat for anything
inappropriate
● Include in playlists, add end-
screens/cards, promote from other
videos, tags, descriptions
● Create more content derived from
the stream or fan-spotlights
● Review analytics to see how to
improve the next stream

26. On-the-go engagement from artists, as well as a cool
way to answer fans questions in real time. These are
a bonus feature on the YouTube mobile app.
● Think Instagram Stories - but the video
segments can be 15 seconds long and expire
after 7 days
● You can download Stories to publish as videos
on your channel
To create a story, tap the camera icon button and
record. There’s also the option to save, edit, add text,
links, filters, music, other artists handles, stickers and
comments.
YouTube Stories

27. Video Edits
● Edit video info such as title and description on
the go.
● Set video visibility settings while away from
your computer.
Video analytics
● Keep up with your channel’s video analytics at
any time.
● View many of the metrics available on the
desktop platform, including real time stats.
Audience Engagement
● Monitor user likes and comments and respond
right from the app.
YT Studio Mobile App

28. Engagement
SOCIAL PUSH
By creating social assets and having a call-to-action,
driving to a new video or to subscribe to the
channel, it gathers a whole new audience to visit the
platform and engage with the channel. Along with
other socials, adding the YouTube channel or a new
video to bios can help users find a channel and new
content.
CONSISTENT CONTENT
Continued consistent, engaging, and creative content
creation, such as vlogs, Q&A, behind the music,
personal videos, serialized content, and setting a
schedule so viewers know when to expect new content
are key in creating a strong, loyal fanbase.
INTERACT
Communicate with viewers through liking or replying
to comments on your channel videos and off
channel videos, or pinning a top comment - a
question, a thank you, tour dates, lyrics, etc.
Engaging with viewers will incentivize them to interact
with the channel, as well as increase subscribers.
Viewers can also be reached on the community page,
and engage with other channels, videos, posts to
broaden an audience.

29. Kelsea Ballerini
YouTube Shorts

30. YouTube Shorts are YouTube’s version of the popular
TikTok format. By focusing on vertical content and
introducing new short-form video tools, users can shoot
snappy videos with nothing but their mobile phones and
the YT mobile app.
YouTube Shorts offers a new way for:
● Users to discover music
● Artist to connect to fans
● Artist to promote music
YT Shorts have been proven to increase views, watch
time, and impression click-through rate, not only on
individual videos, but the overall channel.
Shorts will remain public on the channel unless deleted,
just like full length YouTube videos.
YouTube Shorts

31. YouTube Shorts Format Requirements:
● 60 seconds or less
● Shot in vertical orientation
● Use up to 15 seconds of audio from
YouTube’s music catalog
To create a short, tap the plus icon and select
Create a Short. Record or upload your short, add
transitions, music, sound effects, speed effects,
and then post to your channel.
● Shorts can also be posted via desktop as
long as you use the hashtag #Shorts in the
title/description/tags.
● Shorts can also be created directly from
your official music video. Fans can click the
“Create” button under the video, adjust the
music, edit, and upload.
YouTube Shorts: How To

32. Audio is a powerful driver for short-form video, which
makes it easy for users to explore new artists and
music. Shorts can help artists share music and inspire
discovery.
Your Shorts can be discovered on:
○ Your Channel Page
○ YouTube Home Page
○ Subscriptions
○ Search
YouTube Shorts: Discovery

33. Shorts can be built into new release strategies as well
as off-cycle strategies to help keep fans engaged.
Use Shorts to promote:
○ New song/video releases
○ Tour announcements
○ Album release
○ Live performances
○ Milestones
Experiment, monitor, report and strategize on your
published Shorts to see what works best for your
audience.
YouTube Shorts: Promote

34. By leveraging Shorts, you can connect with current
fans, potential new fans and add to your premium
YouTube content.
● Involve and feature fan content by engaging
with User Generated Content Shorts
○ Comment on your favorite fan creations,
share on your community page and
encourage more fans to #join
● Experiment with new content
○ Lip-syncing, dancing, or vibing to the
music; offer tips for playing difficult songs,
or show how you put a track together;
Behind The Scenes content
YouTube Shorts: Connect

35. ● Utilize text within the video to keep
viewers engaged / or a call to action
● Do not add text in the bottom quarter
of your video – it will likely be hidden by
the video title, subscribe button, etc.
● Choose an optimized thumbnail (with
text)
● Optimize the description, tags, title as
you would for a regular video
○ Use the hashtag #Shorts in the
title/description/tag
YouTube Shorts: Best Practices

36. For further information regarding YouTube,
please check out The Daily Rind or contact
your label manager.