8 Tips to Craft Effective YouTube Descriptions

Have you ever wondered how YouTube knows which videos to suggest when you search for a topic? 

One of the primary factors is YouTube descriptions, which tell the platform (and viewers) what your videos are about. Writing clear descriptions improves your chance of appearing in search results, leading to more views and engagement. 

In this article, we’ll cover the top tips for writing YouTube descriptions and share a few real-life examples to inspire you.

What’s a YouTube Description?

YouTube descriptions refer to two separate elements on the site — channel descriptions and video descriptions.

A channel description is a brief 1,000-character outline of your YouTube profile that tells visitors the kind of content you typically make. Many creators include additional information, like how often they post or their social media links.

A video description contains metadata that YouTube uses to understand and rank videos. This section can include various information, such as video summaries, external links, and transcripts. 

8 Tips for Creating YouTube Descriptions

Optimized descriptions can increase video views, which is essential if you want to get paid on YouTube. Here are some tips for creating compelling descriptions.

1. Use Target Keywords

Target keywords are specific phrases relevant to your videos, products, or services. YouTube uses keywords to find and rank videos in search results, making them an essential element of search engine optimization (SEO). 

When writing your YouTube description copy, use tools like Ahrefs or TubeRanker to find the best keywords for your post. However, avoid using too many, as YouTube’s algorithm may lower your ranking if it thinks you’re spamming keywords.

2. Use Original Content

While your descriptions can follow a similar formula, you should write original content for each video on your channel. Google, YouTube’s parent company, recommends this practice because it distinguishes your post from similar videos and makes it easier to find through searches. If you’ve been reusing descriptions up to this point, simply rewriting them can get a video more views. 

3. Avoid Clickbait

Using deceptive marketing and hyperbolic language to get clicks can make viewers leave your page. YouTube’s algorithm demotes videos with high click-through rates but low watch times, so avoid misleading language that fools viewers. Instead, keep your content honest to prevent YouTube from hiding your videos in search results. 

4. Include a Call to Action

A call to action (CTA) encourages viewers to take a desired step, such as clicking a hyperlink or providing their contact information. Use CTAs in your channel and video descriptions to ask viewers to subscribe, like, comment, or share. 

Compelling CTAs are specific, urgent, and value focused. Keep your CTAs simple and use them in moderation to avoid overwhelming viewers, as too many can cause audiences to ignore them.

5. Add a Few Hashtags

Hashtags are another method the platform uses to categorize content. Adding hashtags makes it easier for the YouTube algorithm to find your videos and suggest them to interested viewers.

Similar to keywords and CTAs, less is more when it comes to YouTube hashtags. Use just a few relevant, trending hashtags anywhere in your descriptions to maximize their efficacy. Add too many, and you risk sounding spammy. 

6. Act Natural

View your descriptions as an extension of your content. Let your unique personality and humor shine to encourage viewers to read your descriptions and watch your videos. Otherwise, your writing may sound fake or corporate, which runs the risk of turning readers away. 

7. Be Specific

While YouTube sets the maximum character limit for video descriptions at 5,000, it hides everything past the first 150 behind a More button. To attract readers' attention, put the most important information at the beginning of your description. 

You could use a template to organize your descriptions, ensuring you stick to the main points and avoid including too much unnecessary fluff. Consider highlighting key takeaways audiences will get from your video, and include any additional resources about the post’s topic.

8. Use Links

Hyperlinks are great tools for promoting your videos, merch, or social media accounts. To create a positive brand image, you can also include links to partner websites or causes you support. When adding them to descriptions, separate links with bullet points or spaces to keep them clear and easy to read.

4 YouTube Description Ideas

Below are four effective descriptions from popular YouTubers to get your creative juices flowing. 

Channel Descriptions

1. Joshua Weissman

Joshua Weissman creates entertaining and educational videos about food. His YouTube channel description explains that he makes cooking videos, and his humor shines with phrases like, “I like to eat things that have a large quantity of butter in them.”

The description adopts a fun and motivational tone, which matches Joshua’s brand as a “cook for the people.” It also includes links to his social media accounts and an email address for business, brand, and partnership inquiries. 

2. Yoga With Adriene

Content creator Adriene Mishler runs the largest yoga channel on YouTube: Yoga With Adriene. Her channel description matches her authentic, motivational, and friendly style, qualities that helped her achieve massive success on the platform. 

The description maintains a positive tone, encouraging viewers of all experience levels, genders, and ages to follow along with Adriene’s yoga sessions. It also contains a health and safety disclosure encouraging viewers to consult a physician before beginning an exercise program — an excellent idea for any creator running a health and wellness channel. 

Video Descriptions

3. Mark Rober — Testing if Sharks Can Smell a Drop of Blood

Mark Rober is a former NASA engineer who now runs one of the largest verified accounts on YouTube. The video description for one of Mark’s most popular videos hooks readers immediately with an engaging joke that reads, “Scientific proof Pixar sits on a throne of lies.”

Mark then quickly synthesizes the video’s main findings and offers links to supporting scientific literature. The description also contains links to partner video channels and Mark’s merchandise store. Plus, he credits several other people who worked on the video with him, including Sean Hodgins, Jared Owens, and Shark Man Connor. 

4. Graham Stephan — How To Buy Your First Rental Property

Graham Stephan is a former real estate professional-turned-YouTuber specializing in financial education content. Graham’s video about buying your first rental property has a well-organized video description following a basic but effective template.

The section contains a shortened version of each step Graham explains in the video. It also includes links to related videos on his channel and suggested reading to help you improve your real estate and financial knowledge. 

Enhance Your YouTube Videos With Captions

Effective descriptions help viewers find your videos, boosting engagement and growing your channel. While they’re important, a great description only works well if you pair it with engaging content — that’s where Captions comes in. 

Our editing suite contains numerous AI features to enhance and simplify your video creation process. With just a few clicks, you can remove background noise, generate captions, and even translate posts into different languages. 

Try Captions today and start creating engaging videos.

FAQs

How Do I Access YouTube Descriptions?

On mobile devices, open the YouTube app and click on a video. Click the “More” button right beneath the video title. Scroll down, and you’ll see the first 500 characters of the description. To read the whole thing, click “More” again.

If you’re using a computer, head to YouTube and open a video. Beneath the channel name, you’ll see a gray box showing the beginning of the description. Click “More” to see the entire description.

What Description Should I Write for My YouTube Channel?

Your YouTube channel description should feature a few essential elements. This section can explain your personality, content niche, and posting schedule. YouTube also allows you to post links in channel descriptions, so list your other social media profiles and links for business inquiry requests.