Having a playlist for your YouTube channel can be highly beneficial. Playlists allow you to organize your content, making it easier for viewers to find videos on specific topics. They also help increase watch time and viewer retention.
Benefits of Playlists
Organize Your Content
Playlists allow you to group together videos that are related or on the same topic. For example, you could have a playlist for your cooking videos, one for DIY projects, another for product reviews, etc. This makes it much easier for viewers who are interested in a particular topic to find all the relevant videos in one place.
Without playlists, viewers would have to dig through all of your individual video uploads to find the content they want. Playlists save them time and effort.
Increase Watch Time
Playlists encourage binge watching. When viewers find a playlist that interests them, they can easily watch video after video from that list. This increases overall watch time on your channel versus viewers finding and watching one video at a time.
Increased watch time signals to YouTube that viewers are engaged with your content. In turn, YouTube may recommend your videos more prominently in search results and suggested videos.
Improve Viewer Retention
Playlists also help retain viewers on your channel. After a viewer finishes watching a video from one of your playlists, YouTube auto-plays the next video in that playlist. This keeps the viewer watching more of your content versus leaving YouTube or finding videos from another channel to watch.
Higher viewer retention is another signal to YouTube that viewers enjoy your content. This can lead to more recommendations and views over time.
Best Practices for Playlists
To maximize the benefits of playlists, keep these best practices in mind:
Create Playlists Around Specific Topics
Group videos into playlists based on distinct topics, themes or categories. For example, a cooking channel could have recipes organized into beginner recipes, healthy recipes, desserts, vegetarian recipes, holiday recipes, etc.
The more focused and specific your playlists are, the easier they are to find and the more appealing to target viewers interested in those topics.
Use Good Playlist Titles and Descriptions
Take time to create compelling playlist titles that quickly communicate what viewers can expect to find in that playlist. Include relevant keywords in the title where possible.
The playlist description also presents an opportunity to optimize your playlist for discovery. Briefly summarize the types of videos viewers can expect and include additional keywords.
Feature Playlists on Your Channel Homepage
Be sure to link to and feature your best playlists right on your YouTube channel homepage. This shows new visitors the different content themes and topics you cover to entice them to dive in.
Link to Playlists in Video Descriptions and End Screens
Within individual video descriptions and end screens, link to any playlists that the video is part of. This surfaces your playlists to viewers when they may be most interested in seeing more related content.
Keep Playlists Updated
When you publish a new video that fits within one of your existing playlists, be sure to add it in. Keeping playlists updated with your latest videos keeps the content fresh and appealing for returning viewers.
You can set playlists to update automatically so any eligible new uploads are added in. Or you’ll need to manually add videos as you publish them.
Deciding What Playlists to Create
Not all YouTube channels may need an extensive playlist setup. Consider these factors when deciding which playlists to create:
Types of Content You Publish
The nature of the content you publish to YouTube will dictate what playlist topics make sense. Video game channels may organize playlists by game franchise or genre. Beauty and fashion channels may separate tutorials from product reviews and hauls. Assess your channel topics and themes to inform playlist ideas.
Interests of Your Target Audience
Try to organize playlists around the interests and needs of your target audience. Analyze viewer comments to see what types of content generate the most interest and engagement. Surveys and polls are another way to get input directly from your audience.
Videos that Perform Well
Grouping together your most popular videos into playlists can expose those videos to new viewers. Check your YouTube Analytics to see which existing videos get the most views, shares and engagement to inform high-performing playlists.
Search Volume for Topics
Research what topics and keywords get steady search volume in YouTube and Google to identify playlist opportunities. Tools like Google Trends and YouTube suggest can help determine interest levels.
Volume of Content
Ideally playlists should contain at least 5-10 videos each. If you only have 1 or 2 videos on a given topic, a playlist may not be worthwhile yet. Focus playlist creation on your more robust content areas.
Playlists for Different Channel Types
The best playlist strategy also depends on the type of YouTube channel you have. Here are potential playlist ideas for different channel types:
Gaming Channels
- Playlists for each game title or franchise
- Playlists based on genres like FPS, RPG, strategy games, etc.
- Highlights and best moments playlists
- Let’s play series playlists for each game
Beauty & Fashion Channels
- Makeup tutorial playlists – eyes, lips, full face, etc.
- Hair tutorial playlists – curls, updos, braids, etc.
- Product review and haul playlists by category
- Lookbook and outfit idea playlists
Cooking & Food Channels
- Playlist based on dietary preferences like vegetarian, vegan, keto, etc.
- World cuisine playlists like Italian, Mexican, Indian recipes
- Holiday recipe playlists
- Cooking basics and techniques playlists
DIY and Crafts Channels
- Playlists based on craft type – paper crafts, sewing projects, woodworking, etc.
- Home decor playlist like DIY furniture, wall art, etc.
- Playlists based on occasion or recipient – gifts, holiday crafts, classroom crafts, etc.
- Step-by-step technique playlists – painting techniques, sewing skills, etc.
Playlist Length Considerations
In addition to organizing your playlists around topics, give thought to the length of each playlist.
Short Playlists
Short playlists with around 5-15 videos work well for very specific niches and topics. Viewers can easily scan the entire playlist and pick out videos they want to watch.
Short playlists also lower the barrier to getting viewers to click in versus longer playlists further down in search listings. Short playlists with strong titles, thumbnails and descriptions tend to get more clicks.
Long Playlists
Long playlists with 25+ videos have the benefit of keeping viewers watching your content for an extended session. This boosts your overall watch time.
However, long playlists run the risk of feeling overwhelming for viewers. They likely won’t watch the entire playlist in one sitting. Too many playlist options could also lead to choice paralysis.
Ongoing Series Playlists
For ongoing series like gameplay walkthroughs or serial fiction stories, you may want an open-ended playlist that you continually add new episodes to over time. This allows you to group all videos in the series without limiting yourself on length as you publish more.
Promoting Your Playlists
Getting viewers to actually click on and watch your playlists involves promoting them effectively:
- Link to playlists from video end screens and descriptions
- Pin feature playlists to your YouTube channel homepage
- Share playlists on your other social media accounts
- Mention playlists in YouTube community posts and stories
- Collaborate with others and cross-promote each other’s playlists
Analyzing Playlist Performance
YouTube provides data on your playlist performance in YouTube Analytics. Analyze metrics like:
- Impressions – How often your playlists appeared in search and suggested videos
- Clicks – How many clicks your playlist titles and thumbnails received
- Watch time – Total watch time of videos within playlists
- Traffic sources – Where viewers are finding and clicking on your playlists
Use these insights to identify your best-performing playlists to promote more heavily. You can also determine which playlists need improvement.
In Conclusion
Well-organized, topic-focused playlists can be hugely beneficial for YouTube channels. Playlists make it easier for viewers interested in your content to find more of what they want to watch.
Maximize the impact of playlists by following best practices around organization, promotion and analysis. Study your viewership and content types to determine what playlists to create.
With a quality playlist strategy, you can increase watch time, boost viewer retention and grow your YouTube channel’s subscribers over the long term.
