The number of views displayed on a Youtube playlist indicates how many times that playlist has been viewed or played. This view count provides valuable insight into the popularity and performance of a playlist.
What does the playlist view count actually measure?
Specifically, the playlist view count shows the number of times the playlist has been opened and viewed. This includes:
- Times the playlist was opened directly by users searching for or accessing that playlist
- Times the playlist was opened when one of the videos in the playlist was viewed
- Times the playlist was opened via an embedded playlist on a website or app
Importantly, the playlist view count does not measure:
- Unique viewers – it can include repeat views by the same users
- Full playlist completions – users may have only watched a portion of the playlist
- Total watch time for the playlist – only views are counted
Why do Youtube playlist views matter?
As a metric, playlist views matter for several reasons:
- Gauge popularity and demand: More playlist views signals greater interest in the content and subject matter. High numbers suggest strong demand.
- Measure viral potential: Playlists that accumulate views rapidly have “gone viral” and indicate highly shareable content.
- Assess performance: View counts help creators and brands track how well a playlist is resonating over time.
- Rank in search: More views tend to improve search rankings on Youtube, allowing playlists to be discovered more easily.
- Attract advertisers: For monetized videos, higher playlist views make the collection more attractive for advertisers.
How playlist views impact individual video performance
Beyond the playlist itself, the view count also indirectly benefits the videos added to the playlist. Specifically:
- Being in a popular playlist drives more views to the individual videos.
- Videos reach new audiences through playlist recommendations.
- Increased video views then boost watch time and improve video rankings.
So playlists act as a discovery tool, surface videos to new viewers, and funnel traffic back to improve video metrics overall.
Factors that influence playlist view counts
Not all playlists perform the same, even with identical videos. Many factors impact how many views a playlist can accumulate, including:
- Playlist title and description: Clear, clickable titles and rich descriptions improve click-throughs.
- Video topics and quality: Playlists with themes that engage viewers and quality videos tend to get more views.
- Number of videos: Longer playlists over 20 videos perform better as users scroll through auto-play.
- Placement in sidebars: Being promoted in suggested videos helps playlists get discovered.
- External promotion: Marketing playlists on social media and websites drives traffic.
- Viewer intent: Playlists matching high-demand topics and search results gain more clicks.
Additionally, Youtube’s algorithm selectively promotes more engaging playlists, further increasing high-performing view counts.
Typical playlist view counts based on audience size
Playlist view counts vary substantially based on the size of the target audience. Some typical view ranges include:
- Small audiences under 10k: 100-5k views
- Mid-size audiences up to 100k: 1k-50k views
- Large audiences up to 1 million: 10k-250k views
- Very large audiences over 1 million: 50k-5 million+ views
However, viral hits can far exceed these ranges. The most viewed playlists on Youtube have over 100 million views.
Tips for increasing Youtube playlist views
Here are some proven strategies creators can use to gain more views on new or existing playlists:
- Choose search-optimized clickable titles using keywords.
- Write thorough playlist descriptions embedding target keywords.
- Curate cohesive playlists with consistent themes users want.
- Include 20+ videos for longer scroll time and autoplay.
- Insert best videos at start and end to bookend playlists.
- Share playlists proactively on social media for promotion.
- Embed playlists on websites and link in video descriptions.
- Run playlist-targeted ads on Youtube and social platforms.
- Suggest and link playlists in end screens and cards of videos.
- Analyze metrics to refine topics and playlists over time.
Summary
In review, Youtube playlist view counts indicate how many times a playlist has been opened and viewed. High numbers demonstrate engagement, help with search rankings, and funnel traffic to individual videos. Factors like titles, descriptions, topics, length, promotion and more impact view potential. Following best practices can help creators optimize and boost playlist views.