19 ACTIONABLE ways to Generate YouTube Leads

Today I will tell you how you can generate youtube leads that actually convert.

In fact, these same strategies I used on my client to get them 127+ leads in a span of 3 months!

So if you are wanting more highly qualified leads, then this is the ONLY list you’re looking for. 

Let’s start the list. 

You can jump to any section if you like:

1. Make YouTube Community Posts a Lead Generation Machine

Look, the YouTube community tab is a highly untapped area. Most marketers don’t use this efficiently. 

If you’re wondering, YouTube gives out a community tab to channels that cross 500 subscribers. 

If you want a community tab with ZERO subscribers, then all you need to do is validate your account by channel history (consistent uploads), video verification (7-10 Seconds face recording), or a valid ID.

You can leverage the power of the YouTube community tab to generate organic leads from YouTube. 

You can create a post about:

1. Asking people to fill out a form
2. Telling about what you provide
3. Ask them to join your email list, or your WhatsApp or telegram group
4. Additional information about the video (like behind the scenes)
5. Run a poll
6. Sneak peeks of your videos 

For example, if you run a health and fitness channel for women, you can invite your viewers by asking them to join your WhatsApp group (Or Facebook community, Telegram, or anything. get the idea)

2. Hook them by One to One Consulting (1:1) 

You don’t know but your viewers love to connect with the influencers/creators they follow on social media. So if you offer some kind of courses, products, or services, you can ask them that you can 1:1 chat with them. 

For example, my client tells in their video that they will consult with anyone who has doubts about his videos or the products they provide. 

This way, tens of people call them every day to ask things about the videos and products. 

What’s his CTA? Their mobile and email addresses which I added in the description of the video.

Alternatively, you can also ask them to book a consultation with you on an app like Calendly. That way, you can give a fixed time to your viewers and convert them to become a lead. 

3. Niche down your Channel

This is kinda important. See, niching down is the absolute need of the hour. 

What do I mean by that?

See, there are tons of channels that can provide you with the general stuff. But when you are in a need of something really specific, you want that only an expert in that field answers you. 

For reference, my client makes videos on different chemicals, setting up plants, and more. They explain this beautifully in Hindi (Which is my native language), and because of that, their target audience is slim. 

Because people who are interested in chemicals and from Hindi-speaking countries (like India) will watch their content. 

And as nobody makes videos as they do, they quickly become the go-to expert on chemicals. 

4. Aim for Proving Value through your Videos

This sounds a little cliche but please hear me out. 

Literally, everyone says to provide value, but what’s the actual meaning of “providing value”?

See, value is subjective. It’s not something you can count or quantify. 

From what I know and experience, providing value means whenever a person/user comes to your website/page or anything, they feel satisfied. After reading/watching your stuff, they should feel that they have gained some additional knowledge and that you really know the subject which you’re talking about.  

So, if somebody searches “how to stitch collar neck for a dress ” and land on your video, you should tell this exact thing on how to do that step by step. 

Your viewer should be able to know how to do this exact thing. 

How does this help in lead generation? 

See, this is where psychology comes in. If you are providing them value, answering their questions, and resolving their query, they will happily become an advocate for your brand/channel.

They will happily become a lead when you will ask them.

5. Don’t let the Content run out!

We don’t want content shortage on our channel, so it’s important to plan ahead of your schedule. 

For example, I designed a content strategy with my client so that they can break a topic into several parts and explain things one by one. That way, we cover an entire topic in-depth and also establish authority. 

So, if you want your content pipeline to be full of ideas, find their most asked questions. Whether it’s by directly asking them via comments or by using tools. 

When your content pipeline is full of ideas, you can better position your video strategically to get leads. 

6. Target the Long-Tail and Medium-Tail Keywords 

The meat and bone are always in targeting long tail and medium tail keywords. Alternatively, you can also target zero volume keywords because these are the terms that nobody is making content on and they help you get rankings and trust super fast. 

So instead of targeting a general keyword like “sewing”, target a long tail keyword like “how to make a dress for beginners”. 

This approach will position you and your niche in a better place. And this will help you get more leads. 

For example, one of a video my clients was named “Boiler steam generation”. This is a series we’re making which is part of “Boiler water chemicals”. 

Notice that these all are medium to long-tail keywords. 

7. Post consistently 

Consistency plays a big role here. If you want your leads to be consistent, you will have to make your videos consistent. 

Meaning, publishing your videos at a set time and planning ahead for future videos. 

For example, at first, my client was not as consistent with their schedule, so they didn’t get many leads and engagement. But as they got consistent in posting videos (See, 3 videos in august and only 1 in May), they are getting more calls and messages.

8. YouTube SEO is the Key

Just as you do SEO for your website, you have to do SEO for your videos. 

See, YouTube is NOT social media. Even though sometimes it behaves like one. Most of the time, people come here to look for answers, like Google. 

There is seasonal content on YouTube I know, but we’re talking about long-term content. 

Once you make a great video and optimize it properly, it will live on YouTube forever, and it will be your lead creation machine which also generates views, engagement, and also, revenue (YouTube ads, duh!).

The most important parts of youtube SEO are:

• Keyword Research: Just as you do keyword research before writing a blog/article, you should do keyword research before making videos. The best and only tool you can use for this is youtube autosuggest. 

Notice when you write “how to” in the search bar, you get different suggestions. For that, you enter your seed keyword and hit space, and see all the recommendations.

I personally don’t use other tools than this, and I think just this alone has done so much work for me. 

• Title: When writing the title, you should enter your main keyword first, then the related keyword, then the channel’s name.

This is the technique I have used through my client’s channel. 

Additionally, you can even add your keywords to the video file on your computer. 

Here, you are telling youtube that this is the name of the video which I am uploading. This helps YouTube a lot in understanding your video. 

• Description: Just like the meta description of a webpage, the meta description of a video is important. Because here, you add the CTA, about the video, and other important links/information.

For example, this is a video description I wrote for one of my client’s videos. 

It’s simple enough. It tells about today’s video, about the speaker, and contact details. Nothing much. And that’s one thing that generated hundreds of leads. 

Pretty sweet huh?

• Tags: According to YouTube, tags can help when something is misspelled. But is that really true? Some people use this place to add their keywords. 

And I do it too.

Note: by adding keywords I only mean that you should only add keywords/phrases related to your video. Don’t add something that is not related to the video, as it will violate their policy. 

• Categories: YouTube provides a ton of options for defining your video’s category. 

Like, this video was educational, as it was an introduction to a topic, so I added these.

In the categories themselves, you have different options, like comedy, entertainment, style, and more. Here, you can tell additional information on youtube. 

• Thumbnail: A thumbnail is the only thing that will get more people to your channel. The title is also there, but the thumbnail is the center stage. 

I think the thumbnail should not be “clickbaity” and also don’t sell less. It’s about finding a balance between the two. 

Firstly, add your keyword/title and a picture of the person (preferably), because it helps you gain trust and makes people recognize you quickly. 

For example, I made the thumbnails simple and clear for my client. It has the title, channel image, and the client’s image. That’s it.

• Captions: Captions are really helpful for any video, but I think they are kinda hard to do. If you have the resources, you can have someone write them for you. 

Or if you have time, you can write them yourself. This gets search engines like Google to know more about your video, and you maximize your chances of ranking in Google also.

• Cards: Cards are the recommendations you see in the video. That’s the “i” button.

You can use cards to recommend different videos of yours at different timestamps.  

Cards are of different types, like videos, playlists, channels, and links. You can use any, but I tend to use video more.

Like here, I have added these 3 cards (video)

• End Screen: The end screen is something that shows up at the end, as the name says. 

Here, similar to cards, you can add things like:

For example, here’s an end screen for the client. 

If you want to keep elements floating over the video, you can make it as it is, or you can make a different image as Robert did. 

Let me tell you something. 

If you don’t believe it, these are the exact strategies I followed, and that got me 8.5K views and 300+ hours of watch time in the last 365 days.

(This obviously depends on your niche, your video format, and more.) 

9. Optimize your Channel for Potential Leads

Things like the Picture, Banner Image, and more are very important in order to get Leads or Subscribers for that matter. 

People need to know that you are authoritative. Make sure to optimize things like:

• Channel Picture: Upload your image (if personal channel), the logo of your brand, or anything related to your brand/niche. 
• Channel banner: Your banner defines your channel. You can mention your upload days, your niche, or anything that tells about your channel. 
• Watermark: It’s not absolutely necessary, but you should add it. It gives professional look and increases your branding. 
• Basic Info: That’s the About banner on your channel. Thoroughly describe what your channel is about, talk about the creator here, or tell the audience why you are authoritative to speak on this topic. 

Also aim to optimize things like Channel trailers, featured videos, and, featured sections. 

This makes a person feel like they have come to the right place. Which makes them more susceptible to becoming a lead. 

10. Mention your services in the video (preferably at the end)

This is the most important one. 

You should mention your product or service to your audience. Otherwise, why would they become a lead if you don’t provide them with anything more than video?

It’s also important to mention these at the end. If you start promoting yourself at the start of the video, people will leave. 

That’s why you want to casually tell about services/products in the end. 

For example, sometimes, my client mentions in the end that he also provides the services and products, and if you want, you can contact me. 

11. Master CTA Game

I think this is another cliche point. 

Everyone tells us to include the Call to action (CTA), and here I am, telling you to do the same. 

But I got a twist. (P.S. I have experimented with it)

The best kind of CTA is for one-to-one consulting or directly calling or WhatsApp you. Nothing more, nothing less. 

See, not everyone is interested in email newsletters, webinars, or pdfs. Every audience is different. 

They want things, and that too in a snap. 

I have told my client to only keep ONE CTA, and that is: to contact me via call or WhatsApp. And this is the only thing that got him hundreds of leads.

Note: CTA’s can change according to your niche and video.

12. Engagement can go a long way

Ask people to comment, like the video, or subscribe to the channel. 

Post on the community tab, reply to people’s comments, or get live. Talk with people.

These are some of the things that you can do to get more leads. 

In fact, people are more likely to become a lead on live than anywhere else. (I don’t have a study to back that, but I know it’s true)

I  always ask my client to ask people to comment, and they reply to each and every comment. That’s the key here, letting people know that you will answer their questions.  

13. Focus on How-to’s and Review-type videos

The best videos that will get you leads are how-to videos. Other than that are review videos. Like where you review people’s services or brands. 

You can even try and test to see what works best for you. We have always been doing how-to’s, tutorials, and in-depth videos, and that’s what worked for us. 

So, find your muse. See what your audience likes the most and iterate on that. 

14. Design a Remarketing Campaign

You can design a marketing (or remarketing) ads campaign on YouTube where you attract people who have already watched your videos. 

If you are making a whole new marketing campaign, try to reach your target audience. 

Make new videos specifically for ads. Don’t use existing videos, and get straight to the point because most people don’t go past 5 seconds of your ads. 

15. Establish Authority via your videos

Authority is something that will help you in the long run. As Google Talks about EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness), it becomes important to establish your authority in your specific niche on YouTube also. 

Because when you write about a specific audience and topic, you become an expert related to the topic. And people would love to buy/inquire from you, rather than a person who talks about everything.

16. Answer the FAQs

Think about your niche’s most frequently asked questions. Do they all have something in common? If yes, then you should answer them.

Or, better, if you get comments on your posts, you can use them for making new videos. Basically, people should feel that you are answering their burning questions. 

17. Use the Power of Tools

Tools are something that will help you uncover everything from insights, keywords, tags, and a whole lot more!

Tools like Tubebuddy and VidIQ are popular. I also use the social blade to look up different channels. 

These tools give you awesome insights into your existing YouTube analytics, tell you other video tags, and so much more. 

These tools will help you uncover a lot of things that will help you optimize your videos. 

18. Create a lead magnet 

A lead magnet is the best way to get leads. Because as it says, a lead magnet is designed to attract leads. 

The most common types of lead magnets are:

• PDFs
• Ebook
• Templates
• Trial or samples
• Whitepapers
• Webinar
• newsletter
• Case studies

More unique ones are:

• Article as a pdf
• Quiz answers

Think of websites you visit and how they make you give your email or phone number. That’s something you will aim for. 

For example, if you are related to the health niche, you can make a quiz, and ask your audience to take that quiz, then at the end, in order to see the results, they would need to type their email. And in the mail, you will give their results in detail. How cool is that? 

Both of you will be happy. Your lead and you. 

19. Use Whatsapp for attracting leads

This is the ultimate diamond. Directing people to chat with you on WhatsApp is the best way to connect with them and they become your lead. Simple.

How? 

I tell my client to ask their viewers to chat with them on WhatsApp to resolve any issue or to ask anything. This makes them feel connected with the creator. 

And they chat with the creator, and they will happily become the lead. 

Out of everything, this works best and you will see immediate results!

Final words

I hope this post gives you some ideas on how to generate leads via YouTube. 

I would love to know which is the one that intrigued you the most. 

Which technique will you try from the list?

Will you use WhatsApp or optimize your thumbnails?

Tell me on our Discord server! 

P.S. I write every day on Linkedin. Don’t forget to check my profile.