How can you make YouTube videos that sell?

1 Know your goals and audience

Before you start filming, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your YouTube videos and who you want to reach. Your goals and audience will influence your content, style, tone, and call to action. For example, if your goal is to generate leads, you might want to offer a free resource or a consultation in exchange for an email address. If your audience is young and tech-savvy, you might want to use humor, animation, or trendy topics to capture their attention.

2 Plan your content and structure

Once you have your goals and audience in mind, you need to plan your content and structure. Your content should be relevant, valuable, and engaging for your viewers. You can use different types of videos to showcase your products or services, such as demos, testimonials, tutorials, or stories. Your structure should be clear, concise, and compelling. You can use a simple formula to organize your video: hook, intro, body, and outro. The hook is the first few seconds that grab your viewer's interest. The intro is where you introduce yourself, your brand, and your topic. The body is where you deliver your main message and offer. The outro is where you summarize your key points and include a call to action.

3 Film and edit your video

The next step is to film and edit your video. You don't need expensive equipment or software to make a good YouTube video, but you do need some basic skills and tools. You can use your smartphone, a webcam, or a camera to record your video. You can use natural light, a tripod, and a microphone to improve your quality. You can use free or low-cost editing software to trim, crop, add music, captions, transitions, and effects. You can also use branding elements, such as logos, colors, fonts, and thumbnails, to make your video consistent and recognizable.

4 Optimize your video for YouTube

Once you have your video ready, you need to optimize it for YouTube. YouTube is a search engine as well as a social network, so you need to use keywords, tags, titles, and descriptions to help your video rank higher and reach more viewers. You also need to use analytics, feedback, and comments to measure your video's performance and improve your strategy. You can use YouTube's tools and features, such as cards, end screens, playlists, and live streams, to enhance your video and encourage more engagement and action.

5 Promote your video on other channels

The final step is to promote your video on other channels. You can use your website, blog, email list, social media accounts, or online communities to share your video and drive more traffic to your YouTube channel. You can also collaborate with other influencers , experts, or partners in your niche to cross-promote your video and reach new audiences. You can also use paid ads, such as YouTube ads or Google ads, to boost your video's visibility and conversions.

YouTube is a great platform to showcase your products or services, build trust and credibility , and grow your social selling business. By following these tips and best practices, you can make YouTube videos that sell and stand out from the crowd.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?