YouTube is one of the most popular online channels for DJs to promote themselves by uploading their DJ mixes. But if you actually want your mix to be heard on YouTube with more plays and views then you will need to do far more than simply upload it!
There are millions of DJ mixes already on there, so making sure it’s you that people listen to is going to be critical to your success in promoting your music.
But why should you listen to my advice?
As well as being a DJ, I also work in Internet marketing and help my clients to rank their YouTube videos so that they appear higher for searches – not just in YouTube, but also in Google.
Over the years I have developed methods that mean any video I upload to YouTube will be optimised to appear for searches, letting me promote my content far better than most people.
Most DJs uploading mixes, tracks, and sets to YouTube will have no idea about these secret tactics.
If you want your DJ mix to stand out from the crowd, and be found on YouTube for more plays and listens then there are some things that you can do in order to promote it better.
Before you go any further, it’s important to note that you cannot upload raw audio files such as DJ mixes to Youtube. Your DJ mix will need to be created as a video file before you even think about uploading.
One of our regular readers has put together a guide on how to upload a DJ mix to YouTube, which gives you steps on how to create a DJ mix video file with artwork on it that you can then upload it. I recommend reading that first if you don’t know how to create a video file with sound and an image.
Assuming you have your DJ mix or set as a video file, then you can proceed onto my steps on how to get it watched and listened to more on YouTube.
Step 1: Naming the Upload File Correctly
This one simple aspect is not that widely known, and yet it so simple.
Let me give you an example.
Let’s say you are an electro house DJ and want to upload a DJ mix of electro house classics that were released in 2010. You want people to find your mix when they search for electro house classics from the year 2010.
What you need to do is name the upload file electro-house-classics-mix-2010.mp4.
Why though?
It’s because YouTube reads the file name of the uploaded video, and uses that as part of the algorithm it employs for ranking how highly videos appear when people search in YouTube.
You can see in the image here how I would name my .mp4 file before I even think about uploading it.
This one simple trick will put your DJ mix at an advantage on YouTube before you’ve even uploaded it and will dramatically increase the chances of it being found, viewed, and played by people searching for the relevant keywords.
Step 2: Optimizing the Video Title
Once you have named your DJ mix set video file as per my advice above, it’s time to upload to YouTube. I am going to assume you know the basics of uploading video files to YouTube.
Once your DJ mix video is uploaded you will get the option to name the video title.
Again, we want this DJ mix video to be found and heard, so you should name the video title in a similar fashion to how we named the upload file, but this time also add a little bit extra; such as your DJ name or a call to action such as “Listen Now”.
I kept it simple in this example, and just used the DJ name after the name of the mix. You can see how I did that below:
It’s important that you name the video title with the type of keyword search term that you want it to be found for and listened to first, before your DJ name or any additional information.
YouTube gives more weight to the beginning of a video title when it comes to displaying search results, so in this example having “Electro House Classics Mix from 2010” being the first part and start is very important.
Step 3: Optimizing the Video Description
This is where can get really creative and add loads of information that will not only mean your DJ mix is listened to more due it being found in searches, but also lets you promote yourself and link out to more information.
What I always do is write my description into a notepad, text file, or Word document first. I just find it easier this way, and can then copy and paste it into YouTube once I am happy with it.
Here’s an example below of what I would tend to write in this example, and I will then explain why I’ve used all of the elements shown below (this is an image of a text file I have written, before I paste into Youtube).
The first thing that you will notice is that I have used the type of keyword search term I want the mix to be found for in the opening sentence. Again, this will help with the YouTube search algorithm, meaning the video mix should appear high-up in searches and receive more plays or listens.
Don’t Spam Keywords – Use Sparingly
The trick is to not overdo it with the target keywords, and only use it once or twice in the description. We’ve already used it, or similar versions of, in the file name and video title so that should be enough – don’t spam it in too many times, YouTube hates that.
Use Call to Actions to Encourage Listeners to Find Out More
I have also placed a call to action quite soon into the description, encouraging the listener to subscribe to the DJ’s YouTube channel. I like to use a little arrow icon before any link, as it really helps to make the link you want the listener to click stand out more.
You can copy and paste that arrow here: ➜
I have then written instructions on how it’s possible to make a booking with the DJ, or just to find out more information about him or her.
After that, I’ve placed additional links, using that arrow again, out to websites and social media profiles.
Include a Tracklisting of Tunes Featured in the Mix or Set
Then after that I will place the full tracklisting for the DJ mix. Clubbers, promotors and music fans get really frustrated if there isn’t a tracklisting for YouTube DJ mixes because they might want to know what a tune is if they have not heard it before.
It will also help the DJ video mix rank in YouTube better when people are searching for DJ mixes with those tracks, so makes sense from a being found and listened to perspective too.
Once you’ve done all that, you can paste it into the video description area, and it should end up looking something like this.
You will also notice something else.
I’ve put 2 tags into that bottom section. You can do the same, as it will help when ranking your DJ mix video in YouTube to get more views and listens. Again, don’t overdo it! Just 2 or 3 tags will do.
You’re now nearly ready to save it and click publish, but just a couple more things.
Under the “advanced settings” tab you will see an option to allow comments. I always advise allowing comments because firstly it will let you interact with your listeners and respond to any comments they leave, but not only that. YouTube also ranks videos which have comments more favorably than those that don’t so; always leave comments on and allow them.
Step 3: Additional Tips for Getting More Views on the DJ Set Video
Now that your DJ set is live as a video on YouTube, you need to get it listened to with those plays coming in.
YouTube is very clever when it comes to ranking videos and where they appear in the searches. I’ve already given you tips on how to optimize the video itself to help with that, but there other things you can do as well.
The first thing is listens and plays. I know this sound counter-intuitive as you won’t have any yet, but the more listens you get, the higher your video will rank.
Get it out there on your social media channels; post links to it from Twitter and Facebook and anywhere else you can.
More plays will result in even more listens, and make your DJ mix rise up through the YouTube search rankings.
Another thing to do is get the video embedded on other websites. YouTube loves videos that have been embedded elsewhere, and will reward those videos with better rankings.
For example, let’s say you already have your own website then create a new page or blog post about your YouTube DJ mix, and then embed it onto that page.
You can get the embed code to do this by clicking the “share” button underneath a video on YouTube. Once you click that, there’s an option to copy embed code to use on another website.
Below is an example of how I have used embed code to place a YouTube video onto this blog post. It’s really easy to do, and is actually helping the video below rank inside of YouTube currently and get more plays.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHBgrk-JDpQ&t=695s
Other things you can do is comment on other related videos. For example, you might want to go and comment and share the link to your DJ mix video on other videos which are similar. Again though, don’t overdo this, and don’t spam or be disrespectful.
Conclusion
The great thing about using the tactics for optimizing your YouTube DJ mix set video is that most DJs won’t be aware of these tips and won’t be using them.
It gives you a massive competitive advantage.
The tips above don’t just help your video appear higher in YouTube though. It can also mean that they appear high up in Google searches when people do a search and will therefore receive more plays.
Here’s a screenshot showing YouTube videos appearing in Google for a specific search term.
Having your own mixes featured and played on YouTube is going to be a great promotional tool for any DJ. Use the tips above, and you will see some excellent results – good luck with it!
Please note, we also had a guest contributor providing his simple tips for uploading DJ mixes to YouTube which complements this guide very well – go read it, it’s got some great advice in there.