When it comes to reaching a global audiences on YouTube, there are a few features and tools that can help in achieving that goal. These tools are particularly important as YouTube continues to grow as a platform and attract viewers from around the world.
One of the latest updates from YouTube is multi-language audio, which is a valuable feature for creators who want to connect with viewers who speak different languages. However, there are also other strategies and features that creators can use to engage with audiences across different cultures and languages.
In this blog post, we’ll break down the most effective ways to reach global audiences on YouTube. We’ll cover those new features like multi-language dubbing, and the various strategies to consider for your business. We’ll also discuss measuring engagement from international audiences through YouTube Analytics. So, if you’re a business or creator looking to expand your reach and connect with viewers from around the world, keep on reading!
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YouTube's Multi-Language Tools
multi-language Audio
Multi-language tools on YouTube refer to features that allow creators to translate their videos and make them available to viewers in different languages.
One of the most recent updates to this feature is multi-language audio or multi-language dubbing, which provides an option for channels to upload multiple audio tracks in different languages for their videos.
This allows viewers to watch videos dubbed in their primary language, introducing them to more content. And for creators, it helps expand their global reach and find a whole new audience. The feature currently supports several languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, and Russian, with more languages to be added in the future.
"Creators testing multi-language dubbed videos saw over 15 percent of their watch time coming from views in the video's non-primary language." - YouTube
For further learning about this feature, be sure to check out Mr. Beast’s interview with YouTube. He talks about his multi-language strategy and growth. Very interesting!
Translation Tools
In addition to multi-language audio, YouTube also offers other translation tools. Such as the ability to add subtitles and closed captions in different languages. Creators can either do these translations themselves or use YouTube’s automatic captioning feature, which uses speech recognition to generate subtitles.
Alternate video Info
Another important feature that YouTube now offers is the ability to set alternate titles and descriptions in the user’s primary language. By providing alternate video information in different languages, creators can make their content more accessible and user-friendly for a wider range of viewers. This, in turn, increases the chances of attracting an international audience.
To sum up, these multi-language features on YouTube offer a huge opportunity for creators to make their content more accessible, and tap into whole new markets.
Three different strategies to consider
There are different approaches to consider when creating content for global audiences on YouTube. Let’s explore the three most common strategies, and weigh the pros and cons to help determine what makes most sense for your channel and business.
1) One channel with content in multiple languages
One popular approach is to create a single YouTube channel with content available in multiple languages. This approach allows creators to consolidate their audience across different languages and leverage their existing branding and marketing efforts. Some of the pros and cons of this approach include:
Pros:
- Easier to manage a single channel than multiple channels
- Consistent branding and voice across all content
- Audience can easily discover all of the creator's content
Cons:
- Can be challenging to produce and manage content in multiple languages
- Can be difficult to maintain engagement with all language audiences
- May not be ideal for creators with niche audiences in each language
2) Seperate channels for different languages
Another approach is to create separate YouTube channels for different languages. This strategy allows creators to tailor their content specifically to each language audience and to build a dedicated following in each language. Some of the pros and cons of this approach include:
Pros:
- Allows creators to create content that's specifically tailored to each language audience
- Easier to maintain engagement with each language audience
- Can help build a stronger connection with each audience
Cons:
- Can be challenging to manage multiple channels
- Requires additional branding and marketing efforts for each channel
- May result in lower visibility for each channel, as compared to a single, consolidated channel
3) One Global channel with supporting local channels
A third approach is to create one global YouTube channel that features content in a common language, such as English. And then create supporting local channels in other languages. This approach allows creators to have a consistent global presence while also tailoring content to each language audience. Some of the pros and cons of this approach include:
Pros:
- Consistent branding and voice across all global content
- Tailored content for each language audience
- Easier to manage a single global channel
Cons:
- Additional branding and marketing efforts required for each local channel
- Can be challenging to produce and manage content in multiple languages
- May result in lower visibility for each local channel, as compared to a single global channel
Ultimately, the strategy that’s best for you depends on your specific goals and capacity to manage multiple channels. YouTube provides a great breakdown of the advantages of different strategies for reaching global audiences. Be sure to explore those resources as you consider your options.
Measuring and managing results
Measuring and managing the results of your global audience strategy is crucial to understanding what’s working and what’s not. YouTube Analytics offers valuable insights into how well you’re reaching your global audience through key metrics such as video language info, subtitle usage, search terms used to find the video, and audience demographics.
In this YouTube analytics snapshot from one of our clients, you can see the “Video info language” tab selected. It’s here that you can see what languages the content is being consumed in. You can also see the watch time and average view duration among other key statistics. We used this information to inform our client that they were getting Spanish viewers tuning in, and that the watch time was nearly the same as their English viewers. This kicked off chats around strategy and what should and could be done to increase viewership from other countries.
Monitoring comments
Monitoring comments for engagement in alternate languages can also help you understand how well your content is resonating with your global audience. For instance, if you notice that a significant number of comments are in a particular language, it may indicate that there is a strong interest in your content among viewers who speak that language. This can help you tailor your content to better meet the needs and preferences of that particular audience, such as by adding subtitles, dubbed audio or creating more videos in that language.
give your strategy time
The last thing we’ll touch on in this section is that you need to give your strategy time to work. If you’re looking for instant results where whole new groups of people are tuning into your videos, this isn’t likely to happen. You need to experiment and give YouTube signals that you’re putting in effort to make your content more inclusive. So no matter what strategy your take for your channel, give yourself the runway needed to collect enough data before making any big changes.
Our thoughts and perspective
Overall, our team members (shoutout Marlon and Kenzie) have had a thoughtful discussion on the benefits and use cases for having separate channels versus a centralized global content approach for reaching a global audience on YouTube.
On one hand, having separate channels for each language could be more beneficial for creators. It makes it clear which videos support a particular language and allows for more flexibility in creating language-specific thumbnails.
However, on the other hand having everything in one place is more efficient and effective. It keeps all engagement and signals in one place to support the main video and eliminates confusion for viewers. The “additional language” settings can also help videos rank for search terms in different languages and be recommended among content in that language. With new dubbing features, the experience can be even better than relying solely on subtitles. The only limitation currently is the inability to add a thumbnail in a different language. But even then, YouTube may roll out this feature soon too.
In conclusion, while there are pros and cons to both approaches, our team leans towards a centralized global content approach for reaching a global audience on YouTube. This approach allows for greater efficiency and effectiveness in managing content and engaging with viewers, and the “additional language” settings offer valuable opportunities for reaching and connecting with audiences in different regions and cultures.
However, it is important to note that every case is different and the approach may need to be adjusted based on specific circumstances such as a need for localization or dedicated team members for managing separate channels.
Conclusion
Reaching global audiences on YouTube requires careful consideration of various features and strategies. However the upside can be enormous if done properly! While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, we hope this guide breaking down the different ways to reach viewers across various languages and cultures can help you make an informed decision on how to grow globally.
If you have remaining questions, or want an outside opinion on your specific case, we are always eager to help! Hit the banner below to book a free strategy call with our team, or visit here.
