How to read YouTube channel analytics and grow your audience

YouTube channel analytics

Are you looking for tips on how to plan, edit, and produce your content? While looking to other Creators for inspiration can be helpful, diving into your own YouTube channel analytics is one of the most powerful ways to learn what your audience wants. Here, you’ll learn how to read YouTube analytics and make decisions to take your channel from meh to yeah!

View your stats for the past 90 days

YouTube channel analytics

 

When you first enter YouTube analytics for a channel review, adjust the settings in the top right corner of your browser so you see your stats from the past 90 days. While you can use other time ranges, 90 days is your best bet when investigating your audience’s current preferences. 

Identify high-performing videos

 

When deciding your next video’s topic, style, or release time, looking to your past can be super helpful. Did your best video in the last 90 days have any of the following?

  • An attractive thumbnail
  • A killer title 
  • A tie to a current event 
  • Unique marketing

If your top-performing videos all have similar thumbnails, you may want to use related images for your next video. Or, maybe your videos get the most views when you post them at midnight, with follow-up posts on your social media channels. If so, consider following that distribution strategy every time. 

It isn’t always easy to look into your crystal ball to determine what will work in the future. Stop trying to guess what your audience wants. Instead, give them content similar to what they’ve enjoyed in the past. 

Evaluate your click-through rate

 

If you click on the “reach” tab, you’ll be able to look at your click-through rate — this measures what percentage of people who see your title and thumbnail actually click on your video. If your click-through rate isn’t as high as you’d like (between 3-7% depending on your industry), you may want to spend more time on your titles and thumbnails. Try to grab your viewers’ attention by making a bold claim, appealing to their curiosity, or referencing a current event. 

Where does your audience come from?

In the “reach” section, you can find out how your audience found you. YouTube’s analytics reports your highest traffic sources, such as YouTube search, suggested videos, links from social media, or search engines. Click play on the video below to find out more.

 

Keep your audience engaged

While the click-through rate measures how many people start watching your videos, the “engagement” tab tells you whether people find your content entertaining, engaging, and relevant. If your videos are all a similar length, take a look at the “average watch time” statistic to see how long people watch your videos. An average watch time of six to eight minutes is stellar. 

Of course, this statistic will depend on your specific channel. If all your videos are three minutes, try to keep them engaged for the full video. If you see average watch time increase, you’ll know your audience is loving your content. On the other hand, if engagement drops, you might want to switch things up. Look to past high-performing videos for ideas! 

 

To increase your average watch time: 

  • Include a strong, catchy hook at the beginning of your videos. 
  • Consider shortening your introduction if it’s too long. 
  • If viewers consistently leave a video at a particular time, see what’s causing them to stop watching. Are they bored? Offended? Lost? 

Another way to keep your audience interested is to spice up your videos with high-quality music. Top YouTubers know how well-known songs can keep viewers engaged. Search through Lickd’s massive library of big-time tracks from top artists to find the right sounds for your next video. Lickd has the best music for your YouTube videos

Chart music for YouTube

Understand your audience

When you click on the “audience” tab, you’ll see how many videos each person watches. If you want to boost these numbers and keep your audience watching your content, consider inserting in-video cards to direct viewers to your other videos. Adding cards when your viewers tend to stop watching your videos is especially effective. If they’re going to watch another video anyway, they might as well watch more of you! 

Another way to get viewers to watch more of your videos is to create an attractive and intuitive channel page. If you have well-curated playlists, your audience will be more likely to keep clicking on your content. 

Analyzing your subscriber numbers is also helpful. If you see a big spike in subscribers after uploading a video, you may want to make similar content in the future. If someone influential posted your content on their social media pages, ask if they’ll repeat the favor. On the other hand, if you lose subscribers, try to see what caused the drop. Did you upload content that didn’t fit with your brand? Did you say something controversial? 

 

Find the perfect music to increase views, watch time, and subscribers 

If you want to see growth and upwards trends on your YouTube channel analytics, consider adding some energy to your videos with mainstream music. Lickd has over a million big-name songs from the likes of Sia, Charlie Puth, Megan Thee Stallion, and more that you can now use for the first time! Lickd gives you legal permission to use copyrighted music, so you’ll never have to worry about royalty payments, copyright claims, demonetization or blocked videos ever again. 

If you sign up today, you get 25% off your first mainstream track! Plus, get fresh stock tunes with our royalty-free music library, free for the first 14 days. Start attracting more viewers and boosting your engagement in no time with better music!  

Content and SEO Marketing Manager

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