Tips for Creating Impactful Long-Tail Videos on YouTube

Sure, YouTube Shorts are making waves on social media. But did you know that a lot of people almost exclusively watch long-tail videos? These are long YouTube videos, typically longer than the 20 minutes mark.

In this blog post, we explore how you can create long YouTube videos, which help you get free YouTube views, free YouTube likes and also attract free YouTube subscribers. So, let’s get started.

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How long should your long YouTube videos be?

Well, your YouTube videos can be of a maximum duration of 12 hours in length. But, you don’t have to create 12-hour-long videos to attract free YouTube likes and subscribers. The ideal length of long YouTube videos is between 45 minutes and 90 minutes.

A video of this duration will allow you to –

• Create content that is chockful of information.
• Keep audiences engaged (or at least interested to stick around till the end).
• Reduce your effort during video uploading.
• Ensure your video remains compelling and not really draggy.

When is it acceptable to create videos longer than 90 minutes?

Although we’ve mentioned that a long YouTube video is best kept between 45 and 90 minutes, you may be tempted to go longer. When would that be acceptable? Or at least liked?

Now ideally, your YouTube videos can work really well if they cross the 90 minutes mark (and can even head into the 2+, 3+, 5+, 7+, etc. hours mark), only under the following circumstances –

• Your videos deal with current trends specific to your industry.
• Your videos deeply explore a particular topic.
• You have a large subscriber base.

Videos longer than 90 minutes get excellent engagement only when a YouTube account has large followership of dedicated viewers. If you don’t already have such a following, you may need to buy YouTube subscribers or buy YouTube watch hours to encourage more people to take a look at your videos. When they see that you have a large subscriber base or have high watch hours, they too are more likely to watch your longer videos.

Tips for creating long YouTube videos

Now that you know how long your YouTube videos should be, let’s look at how you can create long-tail videos for your channel –

1. Participate in tags and challenges specific to your industry

People love to watch videos that follow a trending theme. And these days, what is trending is tags and challenges.

Tags are basically a game where someone who is in the same industry/niche as you tags you to answer the same set of questions or complete the same set of activities that they have done. Challenges are similar to tags, but they can include slightly different activities that you are challenged to do. Also, challenges need not be tagged to you for you to participate. You can choose to participate in a challenge of your own accord if you would like to.

People love seeing how different individuals perform or what they answer to the same/similar set of questions or activities.

2. Create a video version of a pillar post

A pillar post is essentially a very comprehensive post that covers a specific topic in depth. You can make a pillar post in video format instead of a blog format.

Essentially, you take a topic and explore it in depth. For example, let’s say you’re a financial services provider and you choose the topic of “How to Get Loans.” Your pillar video should cover various facets of this topic, such as –

• Why you may need a loan.
• Types of loans available.
• Who can give you a loan.
• Loan application process.
• Duration to get the loan approved.
• Interest rates for different categories of loan applicants.
• Loan repayment schemes.
• Ways to repay loans quickly.

Since your video will contain so much in-depth content, it becomes a one-stop destination for anyone wanting to learn about the topic “How to Get Loans.”

3. Create a course-based playlist

A course on YouTube?! Of course. Offering a free course on YouTube is a great way to get people to watch your long YouTube videos and keep coming back for more. Choose a topic and then divide it into different sub-topics. Make a pillar video about each sub-topic, and then put all the pillar videos under one playlist.

For example, if your course is on “World Religions,” you can have a 1-2 hours long video on each religion. So, there will be multiple videos such as “Christianity,” “Islam,” “Judaism,” “Hinduism,” “Buddhism,” etc. Such courses can display the wealth of knowledge you have and attract free YouTube subscribers to you.

4. Answer frequently asked questions

Your prospects and customers may have certain questions that they want to be answered. But a written medium is not ideal for everyone. In such instances, you can use these FAQs to create one or multiple long videos where you answer these questions.

You can even make multiple long FAQ videos covering each different service/product you offer. For example, if you are a beauty salon, you can have multiple FAQ videos covering each service, such as “FAQ – Haircuts for women,” “FAQ – Hair coloring for men,” “FAQ – Tanning services,” etc.

5. Show the product/service in action

Another thing you could do is show the audience how the product or service actually works when they purchase it. These are videos that people love to watch since they understand what their monetary investment will get them.

So, you can record yourself unboxing the product, assembling it, and using it. Or you could record how the service is performed. If a past client gives consent, you can make a long-tail video following their experience with your brand. People love to see what they may experience if they choose you for a specific product/service.

You can even make a compilation of customer reviews as proof of quality. This could be added to the product/service video. Or it could be a standalone video. It’s your choice.

Smart business dictates that you buy YouTube likes or buy YouTube comments for such videos. This allows your audience to trust your brand more and realize that you are worth investing in.

6. Bring experts in for an interview or paper reading

Expert interview videos are some of the best performing long videos on YouTube. This is because they allow audiences to learn something new and hear from an expert who they may be in awe of.

Such interviews with experts do naturally tend to run long, given how deeply you discuss a particular topic. But because it’s not a run-of-the-mill video, people don’t mind hanging around to watch your video in its entirety.

Three types of long video content that are always evergreen

While the above video tips can be applied specifically to your industry, the points we offer below are generic. But these types of videos are excellent in keeping the attention and engagement of audiences over a long duration of time.

Create an ASMR video

Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) videos have a magical hold over our collective attention. ASMR videos such as painting nails, combing nails, cutting vegetables, page turning, whispering, ticking clock hands, dripping water, etc., just glue people to their screens. This is because they put you into a calm and meditative state, which can feel very cathartic. Consider including an ASMR video in your repertoire. Such videos can be anywhere between 2 and 5 hours long.

Collate focus music or sleep music

Focus music is getting really famous these days. This is a specific type of music that increases your concentration and focus. It helps you work without any distractions. Such focus music videos can be 8-12 hours long, and people will listen to the entire playlist without taking a break because focus music is really that productive.

Even sleep music is wildly popular. Such music enables people to fall asleep more easily and helps people who may have insomnia symptoms manage their condition better. Sleep music can be very relaxing – as can sleep stories. These are videos where you narrate a gentle bedtime story in a soothing voice to relaxing background music.

Live stream yourself playing a popular game

Games like PubG have made live streaming of games very popular. You can go live on YouTube and record yourself playing a game. Audiences want to see how your game ends, so they won’t mind watching till the end of your long video. Everything from Super Mario Brothers to FIFA can hold your audience’s attention.

Two foolproof ways to get people to watch long-tail videos

Add timestamps to your videos

Timestamps are basically the timing of specific sections of your videos. Having time stamps increases the likelihood of people watching your long-tail videos since they have the option to jump around to different sections of the videos as they prefer.

Offer an amazing prize for those who answer a question pertaining to the content in your video

If you want people to watch through the entirety of your video, then consider holding a contest in the end. Ask a question pertaining to something you covered in the video and offer a special discount or a giveaway to a person who answers the question correctly.

How to Upload Long Videos on YouTube?

The upload process is the same as other short videos –

• Log into your YouTube account.
• Click on the + symbol and select “Upload Video” or “Go Live” as necessary.
• Drag and drop your video file.
• Fill in the title, description, tags, and other details of your video.
• Select the privacy settings.
• Click on Publish.

Long videos take more time to upload than short videos. But to get them to upload faster, consider staying on YouTube while your video uploads. When you stay on the platform, you don’t disrupt its working. So, sit back, relax and watch another video.

Or even upload the video from your desktop and not your mobile phone. This makes your video upload significantly faster because YouTube is, even today, predominantly built for desktops and laptops.

If you want to buy YouTube subscribers for your channel to get the ball rolling, contact us at SubPals. You can also buy YouTube views and buy YouTube shares from us.