Episode 53 – Reaching People on YouTube, Getting Rid of Clickbait, Writing Microcopy, and Google’s ARCore

Author: Lori Highby

This week, our hosts Matt, Min, Kyle, and Rai explore the makeup of content in multiple forms online. From extending the reach of your YouTube videos to helping guide visitors through your website with microcopy we’re looking at it all! Additionally, we’re also looking at new advancements by Google in the Augmented Reality space.

Reaching People on YouTube [8:45]
Getting Rid of Click bait [16:00]
Writing Microcopy [20:20]
Google’s ARCore [25:20]

 

Reaching People on YouTube

As many people know, YouTube stands as the second largest search engine online. Because of the sheer volume of visitors, it’s a powerful platform to leverage but actually being found there can be quite difficult. Our host Rai explores being found on YouTube expanding your audience through some best practices.

“YouTube is estimated to account for 75% of mobile traffic in less than three years.” -Rai
“YouTube reaches more 18 – 49 year-olds than any broadcast or cable tv network on mobile alone.” -Rai
“People want to see real people use products and they enjoy having a personality go along with whatever is being sold and YouTube does that really well.” -Rai
“Optimize your YouTube description boxes, having great keywords in there will help it understand what your video is about for search.” -Rai
“With videos, the first 20 seconds is the most important to get people to watch your video. Check your analytics and see how long people watch it” -Rai
“Tell people in your video to take action and go somewhere!” -Rai

 

Getting Rid of Click bait

Clickbait has been a disease that has plagued social media and content platforms since the early days of the internet and, unfortunately, it’s what a lot of content producers create without even realizing it. Our host Kyle explores how to avoid creating clickbait and what you can do to help reduce it overall.

“Be original with your content, all click bait does is makes people upset because they’re not getting what they’re expecting from your blog.” -Kyle
“If you’re a content producer, stick to your guns. If you’re being asked to write click bait, stand up for your content and tell them where you draw the line.” -Matt
“Get journalistic with your content.” -Kyle
“Don’t have your CTA in your headline, ease your reader into the idea of what you’re trying to get to.” -Kyle
“Don’t newsjack tragic events, you do want to be relevant and newsworthy but don’t jump on board with tragic current events.” -Kyle

 

Writing Microcopy

For any website, providing a positive, intuitive experience is paramount to success. Our host Min discusses how microcopy can help guide users through your website, encourage them where they might get stuck, and help them reach your end goal!

“Microcopy is an important part of design that is often forgotten.” -Min
“Microcopy is a small chunk of text that guides users through an experience like error text or information that can alleviate concerns on the spot.” -Min
“Mailchimp has so many snippets of microcopy that makes the experience great.” -Min
“Good microcopy can make frustrating situations delightful for visitors to your website.” -Min
“Keep your microcopy simple, don’t use jargon or industry terms. Write from the experience of the users with words they’ll understand.” -Min
“Together, images and text have a more lasting impression than either of them have on their own.” -Min

 

Google’s ARCore

With improvements in mobile cameras and technology being made every day it was only a matter of time until Google jumped into the augmented reality (AR) game. That day is today and our host Matt explores how the release of Google’s new ARCore will help usher in a new medium of communication like we’ve never experienced.

“ARCore is a development kit for augmented reality for consumer smartphones.” -Matt
“Companies like Ikea are already in building entire catalogs on augmented reality, soon you’ll be able to test any Ikea piece in your house.” -Matt
“As soon as something is open sourced, it improves so much faster.” -Matt
“I’m not a big fan of augmented reality, right now. It’s just not there yet.” -Kyle
“They’re already creating mirrors at shopping stores that try on clothing for you.” -Kyle
“I think regardless, it will take time to build up trust in these pieces of technology.” -Rai

 

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