The Easy Way to Spruce Up Your YouTube Feedback with Emojis

How to Add Emojis on YouTube Comments

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Emojis are a great way to make your videos and comments stand out from the rest. You may also be able to catch the attention of millennials and improve your YouTube and Google ranking. Beginners can use emojis as a great strategy to improve YouTube SEO performance and get ahead of others. Experts suggest using emojis wisely; that is not to overload or spam whole titles or comments with smileys!

Here are some great ways to add YouTube comments emojis:

Part 1: How to Type Emojis in a YouTube Comment on Windows

Here are several ways to type emojis in YouTube comments. Follow the instructions below to write YouTube comments with emojis:

1. Adding Emojis to YouTube Videos on Windows with Keyboard

If you are using Windows 10, then you can use the keyboard shortcut to open the emoji icons. Press Windows + ; (semi-colon) or Windows + . (period) to open the emoji keyboard. And you will see the emojis.

Currently, there are 6 types of emojis you can add on Windows, including smiley faces and animals, people, celebrities and objects, foods and plants, transportation and places, and symbols.

You can then click the emoji that you’d like to add to the YouTube video directly.

2. Copy and Paste Emojis from Websites

One of the easiest ways to add emojis to YouTube comments is to copy-paste them from an emoji database. You can right-click on the emoji and then select “copy.”

Now, go to your YouTube comment and right-click again. Scroll down and click on “paste” to use the emoji.

Here are some of the best websites to download emojis that you may need. In these websites, you can get a range of smileys and icons to use for your YouTube comments. You can start with smiley faces that help you express many emotions. Then you can get emojis of objects like cars, mountains, drinks, fruits, bells, guitars, and more.

The list is just endless, and you will never face any shortage of emojis.

Part 2: How to Add Emojis to YouTube Comments on Mac?

Mac users enjoy a wide selection of emojis without any hassles and can easily add emojis to comments they type on YouTube. Just follow the steps below to add emoji to YouTube comments.

You can select any emoji from the emoji resources website and ctrl-click your mouse to copy it. Now, navigate to your YouTube comment and ctrl-click your mouse. Click on “paste” to add the smiley to your comments.

If you want to use your keyboard, select the emoji and press “Command” and “C.” Now, press “Command” and “V” to paste the emoji in your YouTube comment.

Your emoji is now added to your YouTube comments.

You can also use your Mac’s inbuilt emojis in your YouTube comments. Start typing your YouTube comment and then use your keyboard shortcut Command + Control + Space to access the emoji list.

You can now double-click on any emoji to include it in your comment. The free emoji lists are full of smileys, animal faces, everyday objects and things, sports emojis, vehicles, and more. and more. You will find an emoji to suit every comment you type on YouTube.

If your Mac has a Touch Bar, then you can tap the smile face and then tap an emoji to add to YouTube video comments.

YouTuber Javier Mercedes has made a quick tutorial and introduced many more ways to typing emojis on Mac. Check it below and find the best way based on your preferences.

Part 3: How to Add Emoji to YouTube Comments with TubeBuddy?

TubeBuddy is a suite of tools for YouTubers to grow their success. You can access a range of tools, including YouTube comments emojis to improve your visual appeal. It is a free browser extension that you can add to Chrome, Opera, Firefox, and more.

TubeBuddy provides a large collection of emojis and smileys for you to use in your YouTube comments. Additionally, you don’t need to copy-paste anything. The plugin lets you insert emojis from a list with a click. Here are the steps to add emojis to YouTube comments using TubeBuddy:

Step 1: Install TubeBuddy

Visit the TubeBuddy website and install the plugin for your browser. TubeBuddy is available on both Chrome, FireFox, Opera, and Edge, as well as iOS and Android devices.

Step 2: Sign in to YouTube

Sign in to your YouTube account to allow TubeBuddy access to your comments. You will find the TubeBuddy icon beside the YouTube search bar on your browser.

Step 3: Add Emojis at Commenting

A window with a list of emojis will appear on YouTube as you type your comments. You can select any emoji and add it to your comments.

Types of Emojis in TubeBuddy

TubeBuddy is home to a large collection of emojis. You won’t find many emojis anywhere else on the internet. All emojis are grouped under categories like smileys, places, food and drinks, buildings, and more.

You can quickly select a category and then add emoji to YouTube comments. The tool also adds new emojis daily.

Bonus: How to Add Emojis to YouTube Video Title and Description?

You can add cool emojis to your video titles and descriptions for more innovation. People will also be more likely to choose your video as they pop-out on the search results or playlists.

Here is how you can add emojis to YouTube video titles and descriptions:

You can access any list of YouTube comments emojis and select the one you like. Then use your mouse to copy the emoji and paste it into your YouTube titles and description. Or press “Ctrl” + “C” for Windows and “Command” + “C” for Mac to copy your emoji.

Now go to your title or description and press “Ctrl” + “V” for Windows and “Command” + “V” for Mac to paste the emoji.

FAQs about YouTube Video Comments

1. Are Emojis Harmful to Use for YouTube?

We all have heard rumors of using emojis in YouTube video titles or comments may damage views or reputation. However, it’s not true, and emojis have no negative consequences on YouTube.

Rather, you can attract more viewers and even improve YouTube SEO by using emojis. Google also allows emojis in search results, and data shows they rank better. You can use emojis for YouTube with complete peace of mind.

In my opinion, there will be no harmful effects on your views, subscribers, or credibility. Instead, you may be able to appeal to a younger crowd and get more clicks.

1. Will adding Emojis Impact YouTube SEO?

Many people don’t use emojis in their YouTube videos, fearing a negative impact. But all the rumors out there are just rumors without any truth. YouTube doesn’t penalize you in any way if you use emojis in comments, titles, or descriptions. You will not experience any penal actions by including emojis on YouTube.

Google is also friendly with emojis, and many websites use them to stand apart from the crowd. Using emojis on YouTube can be an excellent way to improve your SEO performance. Your videos will also have a chance to show up on Google results and YouTube. Emojis also help your videos look innovative to draw in more views.

Final Thoughts

Using emojis in YouTube comments is a great way to boost the popularity of your videos. You can also use emojis in your video titles and descriptions to appear more innovative. Additionally, emojis can improve your YouTube SEO performance and even help you rank on Google search results.

Copy-pasting emojis is a simple way to use them, but you can also go for other methods. TubeBuddy is a great choice if you want to eliminate the whole copy-paste scenario and include more types of emojis in your comments directly.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Emojis are a great way to make your videos and comments stand out from the rest. You may also be able to catch the attention of millennials and improve your YouTube and Google ranking. Beginners can use emojis as a great strategy to improve YouTube SEO performance and get ahead of others. Experts suggest using emojis wisely; that is not to overload or spam whole titles or comments with smileys!

Here are some great ways to add YouTube comments emojis:

Part 1: How to Type Emojis in a YouTube Comment on Windows

Here are several ways to type emojis in YouTube comments. Follow the instructions below to write YouTube comments with emojis:

1. Adding Emojis to YouTube Videos on Windows with Keyboard

If you are using Windows 10, then you can use the keyboard shortcut to open the emoji icons. Press Windows + ; (semi-colon) or Windows + . (period) to open the emoji keyboard. And you will see the emojis.

Currently, there are 6 types of emojis you can add on Windows, including smiley faces and animals, people, celebrities and objects, foods and plants, transportation and places, and symbols.

You can then click the emoji that you’d like to add to the YouTube video directly.

2. Copy and Paste Emojis from Websites

One of the easiest ways to add emojis to YouTube comments is to copy-paste them from an emoji database. You can right-click on the emoji and then select “copy.”

Now, go to your YouTube comment and right-click again. Scroll down and click on “paste” to use the emoji.

Here are some of the best websites to download emojis that you may need. In these websites, you can get a range of smileys and icons to use for your YouTube comments. You can start with smiley faces that help you express many emotions. Then you can get emojis of objects like cars, mountains, drinks, fruits, bells, guitars, and more.

The list is just endless, and you will never face any shortage of emojis.

Part 2: How to Add Emojis to YouTube Comments on Mac?

Mac users enjoy a wide selection of emojis without any hassles and can easily add emojis to comments they type on YouTube. Just follow the steps below to add emoji to YouTube comments.

You can select any emoji from the emoji resources website and ctrl-click your mouse to copy it. Now, navigate to your YouTube comment and ctrl-click your mouse. Click on “paste” to add the smiley to your comments.

If you want to use your keyboard, select the emoji and press “Command” and “C.” Now, press “Command” and “V” to paste the emoji in your YouTube comment.

Your emoji is now added to your YouTube comments.

You can also use your Mac’s inbuilt emojis in your YouTube comments. Start typing your YouTube comment and then use your keyboard shortcut Command + Control + Space to access the emoji list.

You can now double-click on any emoji to include it in your comment. The free emoji lists are full of smileys, animal faces, everyday objects and things, sports emojis, vehicles, and more. and more. You will find an emoji to suit every comment you type on YouTube.

If your Mac has a Touch Bar, then you can tap the smile face and then tap an emoji to add to YouTube video comments.

YouTuber Javier Mercedes has made a quick tutorial and introduced many more ways to typing emojis on Mac. Check it below and find the best way based on your preferences.

Part 3: How to Add Emoji to YouTube Comments with TubeBuddy?

TubeBuddy is a suite of tools for YouTubers to grow their success. You can access a range of tools, including YouTube comments emojis to improve your visual appeal. It is a free browser extension that you can add to Chrome, Opera, Firefox, and more.

TubeBuddy provides a large collection of emojis and smileys for you to use in your YouTube comments. Additionally, you don’t need to copy-paste anything. The plugin lets you insert emojis from a list with a click. Here are the steps to add emojis to YouTube comments using TubeBuddy:

Step 1: Install TubeBuddy

Visit the TubeBuddy website and install the plugin for your browser. TubeBuddy is available on both Chrome, FireFox, Opera, and Edge, as well as iOS and Android devices.

Step 2: Sign in to YouTube

Sign in to your YouTube account to allow TubeBuddy access to your comments. You will find the TubeBuddy icon beside the YouTube search bar on your browser.

Step 3: Add Emojis at Commenting

A window with a list of emojis will appear on YouTube as you type your comments. You can select any emoji and add it to your comments.

Types of Emojis in TubeBuddy

TubeBuddy is home to a large collection of emojis. You won’t find many emojis anywhere else on the internet. All emojis are grouped under categories like smileys, places, food and drinks, buildings, and more.

You can quickly select a category and then add emoji to YouTube comments. The tool also adds new emojis daily.

Bonus: How to Add Emojis to YouTube Video Title and Description?

You can add cool emojis to your video titles and descriptions for more innovation. People will also be more likely to choose your video as they pop-out on the search results or playlists.

Here is how you can add emojis to YouTube video titles and descriptions:

You can access any list of YouTube comments emojis and select the one you like. Then use your mouse to copy the emoji and paste it into your YouTube titles and description. Or press “Ctrl” + “C” for Windows and “Command” + “C” for Mac to copy your emoji.

Now go to your title or description and press “Ctrl” + “V” for Windows and “Command” + “V” for Mac to paste the emoji.

FAQs about YouTube Video Comments

1. Are Emojis Harmful to Use for YouTube?

We all have heard rumors of using emojis in YouTube video titles or comments may damage views or reputation. However, it’s not true, and emojis have no negative consequences on YouTube.

Rather, you can attract more viewers and even improve YouTube SEO by using emojis. Google also allows emojis in search results, and data shows they rank better. You can use emojis for YouTube with complete peace of mind.

In my opinion, there will be no harmful effects on your views, subscribers, or credibility. Instead, you may be able to appeal to a younger crowd and get more clicks.

1. Will adding Emojis Impact YouTube SEO?

Many people don’t use emojis in their YouTube videos, fearing a negative impact. But all the rumors out there are just rumors without any truth. YouTube doesn’t penalize you in any way if you use emojis in comments, titles, or descriptions. You will not experience any penal actions by including emojis on YouTube.

Google is also friendly with emojis, and many websites use them to stand apart from the crowd. Using emojis on YouTube can be an excellent way to improve your SEO performance. Your videos will also have a chance to show up on Google results and YouTube. Emojis also help your videos look innovative to draw in more views.

Final Thoughts

Using emojis in YouTube comments is a great way to boost the popularity of your videos. You can also use emojis in your video titles and descriptions to appear more innovative. Additionally, emojis can improve your YouTube SEO performance and even help you rank on Google search results.

Copy-pasting emojis is a simple way to use them, but you can also go for other methods. TubeBuddy is a great choice if you want to eliminate the whole copy-paste scenario and include more types of emojis in your comments directly.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Emojis are a great way to make your videos and comments stand out from the rest. You may also be able to catch the attention of millennials and improve your YouTube and Google ranking. Beginners can use emojis as a great strategy to improve YouTube SEO performance and get ahead of others. Experts suggest using emojis wisely; that is not to overload or spam whole titles or comments with smileys!

Here are some great ways to add YouTube comments emojis:

Part 1: How to Type Emojis in a YouTube Comment on Windows

Here are several ways to type emojis in YouTube comments. Follow the instructions below to write YouTube comments with emojis:

1. Adding Emojis to YouTube Videos on Windows with Keyboard

If you are using Windows 10, then you can use the keyboard shortcut to open the emoji icons. Press Windows + ; (semi-colon) or Windows + . (period) to open the emoji keyboard. And you will see the emojis.

Currently, there are 6 types of emojis you can add on Windows, including smiley faces and animals, people, celebrities and objects, foods and plants, transportation and places, and symbols.

You can then click the emoji that you’d like to add to the YouTube video directly.

2. Copy and Paste Emojis from Websites

One of the easiest ways to add emojis to YouTube comments is to copy-paste them from an emoji database. You can right-click on the emoji and then select “copy.”

Now, go to your YouTube comment and right-click again. Scroll down and click on “paste” to use the emoji.

Here are some of the best websites to download emojis that you may need. In these websites, you can get a range of smileys and icons to use for your YouTube comments. You can start with smiley faces that help you express many emotions. Then you can get emojis of objects like cars, mountains, drinks, fruits, bells, guitars, and more.

The list is just endless, and you will never face any shortage of emojis.

Part 2: How to Add Emojis to YouTube Comments on Mac?

Mac users enjoy a wide selection of emojis without any hassles and can easily add emojis to comments they type on YouTube. Just follow the steps below to add emoji to YouTube comments.

You can select any emoji from the emoji resources website and ctrl-click your mouse to copy it. Now, navigate to your YouTube comment and ctrl-click your mouse. Click on “paste” to add the smiley to your comments.

If you want to use your keyboard, select the emoji and press “Command” and “C.” Now, press “Command” and “V” to paste the emoji in your YouTube comment.

Your emoji is now added to your YouTube comments.

You can also use your Mac’s inbuilt emojis in your YouTube comments. Start typing your YouTube comment and then use your keyboard shortcut Command + Control + Space to access the emoji list.

You can now double-click on any emoji to include it in your comment. The free emoji lists are full of smileys, animal faces, everyday objects and things, sports emojis, vehicles, and more. and more. You will find an emoji to suit every comment you type on YouTube.

If your Mac has a Touch Bar, then you can tap the smile face and then tap an emoji to add to YouTube video comments.

YouTuber Javier Mercedes has made a quick tutorial and introduced many more ways to typing emojis on Mac. Check it below and find the best way based on your preferences.

Part 3: How to Add Emoji to YouTube Comments with TubeBuddy?

TubeBuddy is a suite of tools for YouTubers to grow their success. You can access a range of tools, including YouTube comments emojis to improve your visual appeal. It is a free browser extension that you can add to Chrome, Opera, Firefox, and more.

TubeBuddy provides a large collection of emojis and smileys for you to use in your YouTube comments. Additionally, you don’t need to copy-paste anything. The plugin lets you insert emojis from a list with a click. Here are the steps to add emojis to YouTube comments using TubeBuddy:

Step 1: Install TubeBuddy

Visit the TubeBuddy website and install the plugin for your browser. TubeBuddy is available on both Chrome, FireFox, Opera, and Edge, as well as iOS and Android devices.

Step 2: Sign in to YouTube

Sign in to your YouTube account to allow TubeBuddy access to your comments. You will find the TubeBuddy icon beside the YouTube search bar on your browser.

Step 3: Add Emojis at Commenting

A window with a list of emojis will appear on YouTube as you type your comments. You can select any emoji and add it to your comments.

Types of Emojis in TubeBuddy

TubeBuddy is home to a large collection of emojis. You won’t find many emojis anywhere else on the internet. All emojis are grouped under categories like smileys, places, food and drinks, buildings, and more.

You can quickly select a category and then add emoji to YouTube comments. The tool also adds new emojis daily.

Bonus: How to Add Emojis to YouTube Video Title and Description?

You can add cool emojis to your video titles and descriptions for more innovation. People will also be more likely to choose your video as they pop-out on the search results or playlists.

Here is how you can add emojis to YouTube video titles and descriptions:

You can access any list of YouTube comments emojis and select the one you like. Then use your mouse to copy the emoji and paste it into your YouTube titles and description. Or press “Ctrl” + “C” for Windows and “Command” + “C” for Mac to copy your emoji.

Now go to your title or description and press “Ctrl” + “V” for Windows and “Command” + “V” for Mac to paste the emoji.

FAQs about YouTube Video Comments

1. Are Emojis Harmful to Use for YouTube?

We all have heard rumors of using emojis in YouTube video titles or comments may damage views or reputation. However, it’s not true, and emojis have no negative consequences on YouTube.

Rather, you can attract more viewers and even improve YouTube SEO by using emojis. Google also allows emojis in search results, and data shows they rank better. You can use emojis for YouTube with complete peace of mind.

In my opinion, there will be no harmful effects on your views, subscribers, or credibility. Instead, you may be able to appeal to a younger crowd and get more clicks.

1. Will adding Emojis Impact YouTube SEO?

Many people don’t use emojis in their YouTube videos, fearing a negative impact. But all the rumors out there are just rumors without any truth. YouTube doesn’t penalize you in any way if you use emojis in comments, titles, or descriptions. You will not experience any penal actions by including emojis on YouTube.

Google is also friendly with emojis, and many websites use them to stand apart from the crowd. Using emojis on YouTube can be an excellent way to improve your SEO performance. Your videos will also have a chance to show up on Google results and YouTube. Emojis also help your videos look innovative to draw in more views.

Final Thoughts

Using emojis in YouTube comments is a great way to boost the popularity of your videos. You can also use emojis in your video titles and descriptions to appear more innovative. Additionally, emojis can improve your YouTube SEO performance and even help you rank on Google search results.

Copy-pasting emojis is a simple way to use them, but you can also go for other methods. TubeBuddy is a great choice if you want to eliminate the whole copy-paste scenario and include more types of emojis in your comments directly.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Emojis are a great way to make your videos and comments stand out from the rest. You may also be able to catch the attention of millennials and improve your YouTube and Google ranking. Beginners can use emojis as a great strategy to improve YouTube SEO performance and get ahead of others. Experts suggest using emojis wisely; that is not to overload or spam whole titles or comments with smileys!

Here are some great ways to add YouTube comments emojis:

Part 1: How to Type Emojis in a YouTube Comment on Windows

Here are several ways to type emojis in YouTube comments. Follow the instructions below to write YouTube comments with emojis:

1. Adding Emojis to YouTube Videos on Windows with Keyboard

If you are using Windows 10, then you can use the keyboard shortcut to open the emoji icons. Press Windows + ; (semi-colon) or Windows + . (period) to open the emoji keyboard. And you will see the emojis.

Currently, there are 6 types of emojis you can add on Windows, including smiley faces and animals, people, celebrities and objects, foods and plants, transportation and places, and symbols.

You can then click the emoji that you’d like to add to the YouTube video directly.

2. Copy and Paste Emojis from Websites

One of the easiest ways to add emojis to YouTube comments is to copy-paste them from an emoji database. You can right-click on the emoji and then select “copy.”

Now, go to your YouTube comment and right-click again. Scroll down and click on “paste” to use the emoji.

Here are some of the best websites to download emojis that you may need. In these websites, you can get a range of smileys and icons to use for your YouTube comments. You can start with smiley faces that help you express many emotions. Then you can get emojis of objects like cars, mountains, drinks, fruits, bells, guitars, and more.

The list is just endless, and you will never face any shortage of emojis.

Part 2: How to Add Emojis to YouTube Comments on Mac?

Mac users enjoy a wide selection of emojis without any hassles and can easily add emojis to comments they type on YouTube. Just follow the steps below to add emoji to YouTube comments.

You can select any emoji from the emoji resources website and ctrl-click your mouse to copy it. Now, navigate to your YouTube comment and ctrl-click your mouse. Click on “paste” to add the smiley to your comments.

If you want to use your keyboard, select the emoji and press “Command” and “C.” Now, press “Command” and “V” to paste the emoji in your YouTube comment.

Your emoji is now added to your YouTube comments.

You can also use your Mac’s inbuilt emojis in your YouTube comments. Start typing your YouTube comment and then use your keyboard shortcut Command + Control + Space to access the emoji list.

You can now double-click on any emoji to include it in your comment. The free emoji lists are full of smileys, animal faces, everyday objects and things, sports emojis, vehicles, and more. and more. You will find an emoji to suit every comment you type on YouTube.

If your Mac has a Touch Bar, then you can tap the smile face and then tap an emoji to add to YouTube video comments.

YouTuber Javier Mercedes has made a quick tutorial and introduced many more ways to typing emojis on Mac. Check it below and find the best way based on your preferences.

Part 3: How to Add Emoji to YouTube Comments with TubeBuddy?

TubeBuddy is a suite of tools for YouTubers to grow their success. You can access a range of tools, including YouTube comments emojis to improve your visual appeal. It is a free browser extension that you can add to Chrome, Opera, Firefox, and more.

TubeBuddy provides a large collection of emojis and smileys for you to use in your YouTube comments. Additionally, you don’t need to copy-paste anything. The plugin lets you insert emojis from a list with a click. Here are the steps to add emojis to YouTube comments using TubeBuddy:

Step 1: Install TubeBuddy

Visit the TubeBuddy website and install the plugin for your browser. TubeBuddy is available on both Chrome, FireFox, Opera, and Edge, as well as iOS and Android devices.

Step 2: Sign in to YouTube

Sign in to your YouTube account to allow TubeBuddy access to your comments. You will find the TubeBuddy icon beside the YouTube search bar on your browser.

Step 3: Add Emojis at Commenting

A window with a list of emojis will appear on YouTube as you type your comments. You can select any emoji and add it to your comments.

Types of Emojis in TubeBuddy

TubeBuddy is home to a large collection of emojis. You won’t find many emojis anywhere else on the internet. All emojis are grouped under categories like smileys, places, food and drinks, buildings, and more.

You can quickly select a category and then add emoji to YouTube comments. The tool also adds new emojis daily.

Bonus: How to Add Emojis to YouTube Video Title and Description?

You can add cool emojis to your video titles and descriptions for more innovation. People will also be more likely to choose your video as they pop-out on the search results or playlists.

Here is how you can add emojis to YouTube video titles and descriptions:

You can access any list of YouTube comments emojis and select the one you like. Then use your mouse to copy the emoji and paste it into your YouTube titles and description. Or press “Ctrl” + “C” for Windows and “Command” + “C” for Mac to copy your emoji.

Now go to your title or description and press “Ctrl” + “V” for Windows and “Command” + “V” for Mac to paste the emoji.

FAQs about YouTube Video Comments

1. Are Emojis Harmful to Use for YouTube?

We all have heard rumors of using emojis in YouTube video titles or comments may damage views or reputation. However, it’s not true, and emojis have no negative consequences on YouTube.

Rather, you can attract more viewers and even improve YouTube SEO by using emojis. Google also allows emojis in search results, and data shows they rank better. You can use emojis for YouTube with complete peace of mind.

In my opinion, there will be no harmful effects on your views, subscribers, or credibility. Instead, you may be able to appeal to a younger crowd and get more clicks.

1. Will adding Emojis Impact YouTube SEO?

Many people don’t use emojis in their YouTube videos, fearing a negative impact. But all the rumors out there are just rumors without any truth. YouTube doesn’t penalize you in any way if you use emojis in comments, titles, or descriptions. You will not experience any penal actions by including emojis on YouTube.

Google is also friendly with emojis, and many websites use them to stand apart from the crowd. Using emojis on YouTube can be an excellent way to improve your SEO performance. Your videos will also have a chance to show up on Google results and YouTube. Emojis also help your videos look innovative to draw in more views.

Final Thoughts

Using emojis in YouTube comments is a great way to boost the popularity of your videos. You can also use emojis in your video titles and descriptions to appear more innovative. Additionally, emojis can improve your YouTube SEO performance and even help you rank on Google search results.

Copy-pasting emojis is a simple way to use them, but you can also go for other methods. TubeBuddy is a great choice if you want to eliminate the whole copy-paste scenario and include more types of emojis in your comments directly.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

The Power of Stories in YouTube Expansion

The Best Storytelling Techniques to Grow Your YouTube Channel

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

In the distracting world, we live in, you need to be a good storyteller to grow your YouTube channel. Your audience is not going to stick around to watch your whole video if your content isn’t enticing or relatable. If you want to get people to watch all your videos, you need to get them emotionally invested with your stories.

Here are 3 methods for creating an awesome story:

• Method 1: CREATE SUSPENSE
• Method 2: USE EMPATHY
• Method 3: TAKE THE AUDIENCE ON A MEANINGFUL JOURNEY

1. Create Suspense

The hero has an objective, but the plan might fail.

The likelihood of something going wrong is what makes a story suspenseful. When you tell a suspenseful story, your audience will have a heightened focus and a strong motivation to continue listening. They want to know if the hero succeeds. Keep the audience waiting and expecting. Don’t give away the ending right away.

What Does a Suspenseful Story Sound Like?

When we talk about a story that is dragging on, it is because there is no suspense. There is nothing at stake, there are no obstacles, there is no problem and, with no problem, there is no promise of resolution.

Here are a few examples you can use to pump more suspense into your story:

- Address a fear (example: being alone for the prom)

- An objective (example: asking the crush out to the dance)

- Consequences of failing (example: being embarrassed in front of the whole school)

- Limited time (example: prom is next week)

- Obstacles (example: the crush has an aggressive ex.)

You can feel your heart rate speeding up simply thinking about the character’s story in the example. Does it have a happy ending or not? We want to know!

Raise Questions After Questions

A good storyteller knows that as soon as they answer a question for their audience, they need to present another one. The audience will always need to have a puzzle in their mind, one that needs to be solved. That is what will keep their interest.

For example: If the hero ends up going to the prom with his crush, the next big question can be: Will they kiss at the last dance?

This continues building on the tension and increasing the stakes evermore.

Check out the suspenseful story from YouTuber, MissRemiAshten . The way she tells the story, we discover more and about her psycho neighbor and the incident gradually. A little bit of information about the neighbor is revealed at a time… not all at once.

Include a Cliffhanger

We’ve all had those moments at the end of an intense television show where we are shouting at the screen because it suddenly cut to black as the main characters were left in a precarious position. That emotional outburst is brought to us by a good cliffhanger, and a good cliffhanger can assure us that the audience will return for more.

But there needs to be more! A cliffhanger is a promise to the viewer that eventually they will be rewarded for their patience and it will be satisfying.

In this cliffhanger from Casey Neistat, he simply asks us a question, “Was that good?” This calls upon us to recall all the awesome YouTube videos we have seen created by filmmakers that aren’t considered “prestigious.” A cliffhanger does not have to end with an epic reveal; it can wrap up with loose ends and allow the audience to tie it up themselves.

How to Deliver a Good Cliffhanger

Applying good cliffhangers to your YouTube videos is a balancing act. You want to draw your audience in, but you also need to have a payoff that is worth the wait.

Done well, a cliffhanger will leave your audience wanting more. Done poorly, a cliffhanger will leave your audience feeling to mislead and a little ripped off, hesitant to listen to more stories from you.

A good cliffhanger does not have to be life or death, but it does have to be the moment the story has been leading up to.

Before you start telling your story, consider the key details that are most impactful.

Once you have the points you want to hit, plan out the reveal. Weave the story together, but withhold the pivotal details until the cliffhanger. Thendeliver it on camera confidently .

Here are two ways you can present your cliffhanger for amplified effect:

1. Slow Down and Have Pauses

As your story intensifies, bring the pace down — or stop completely. The silence becomes the cliffhanger. It can last a second or more, depending on how confident you are in the tension you have built.

Your next words or shots can be the reveal. If you are skilled enough, you can lead into another story one that connects to the previous. If you are trying this, make sure that in the end, the payoff has double the impact. The reveal needs to be twice as powerful if you are going to take the audience on another journey before wrapping up and answering the long-awaited questions.

2. Use Repetition

Whether you want to misdirect your audience or hammer home a point, using repetition throughout your story will help you build the tension you need to establish the cliffhanger.

In this example, we see YouTuber, A little bit of Monika uses both pace and repetition in her storytelling method.

The video starts off at a speedy pace, all the way until the last scene where the confrontation occurs. That’s her slowing down the story so that we are all anticipating the reveal. Is she or is she not actor, Saoirse Ronan?

Through this short video, the repetition of the name is used to show her confidence that her roommate is not who she said it is. The more affirming she becomes, the more likely we as the viewers are going to side with her. This is a simple example of misdirection.

The more you say something or show something, the more important it becomes for the audience — at least, you want it to appear important.

2. Use Empathy

A storyteller must be empathetic.

If your audience cannot empathize with what you are communicating, it would not have the intended effect. Storytelling is all about taking people out of their bodies and putting them in someone else’s.

If you are telling a story about the time your car broke down, you want people to empathize and feel the helplessness of being stuck on a highway, waving cars down to help.

Empathy makes people feel more human. Telling a story people can relate to, even if it didn’t happen to them, is a sign of a quality storyteller.

Don’t Use Too Many Facts and Figures

If you began your story by saying that 1/1,000 cars on the highway break down, that doesn’t evoke any major emotion. There is nothing human about it.

It’s an interesting stat, sure, but the audience is unsure how they should respond. Is that a lot? Is that because of the highway? Is it because of the drivers? Nobody knows… it’s numbered with no context.

However, if you told the story about that time you had to abandon your vehicle and walk down the highway in order to make your important appointment. Suddenly, the audience can empathize with the tribulations you have gone through.

Facts and figures are useful in reports, but not as much in compelling stories.

Evoke the Senses

If I talk about hot melting chocolate, standing in the rain, or the smell of your grandmother’s bedroom, your senses are activated. From all your life experiences, your brain is able to form familiar sensations without any physical changes to your surrounding. That’s the power of storytelling.

Good storytellers use these sensory details and descriptive imagery to spice up a story. This draws the audience in and gives them a more immersive experience when listening to your stories.

Ask yourself these questions:

- What does it smell like?

- What can you hear?

- What do you see?

- What can you physically feel?

This example from YouTuber, Kiril Dobrev perfectly exemplifies what sensory igniting storytelling can do. He illustrates the sensation of being in Hong Kong, not simply through visuals but physical motions and audio effects.

Use Metaphors

As a YouTube storyteller, sometimes you will have to communicate complex ideas. When that happens, use a metaphor to increase the impact.

If you are telling a story about how much you dislike your teacher, you can list off all the ways she is unlikable or you can sum it up with a line like this: “My teacher makes the school a prison.”

That is a metaphor comparing school to prison. Most people haven’t been to prison, but understand what the metaphor is insinuating. School is not a fun place to be because of that teacher.

By connecting two different things, you allow the audience to paint the image in their mind quickly. It doesn’t take a lot of words to create a memorable metaphor. I encourage you to use metaphors anytime you need to address something complicated.

3. Take the Audience on a Meaningful Journey

Perhaps the most important element of a good story is that the journey is meaningful.

- Is it educational?

- Is it entertaining?

- Is it motivational or inspiring?

Knowing how you want to leave your audience feeling is foresight that will improve your YouTube storytelling abilities. Before you start telling your tale, ask: How do I want to change my audience?

YouTuber, Jamie Windsor tells a few stories connected to creativity and plagiarism. Anyone who has ever created anything can relate to his story and thus his audience can empathize.

It is also clear as a viewer that at the end of this 15-minute long video, his audience will have gone on a meaningful journey with him.

His story is a cautionary tale. He wants to educate us so that we can avoid making the same mistakes he did. He used his real-life experience to teach us and that makes it a meaningful video to watch. That was a good story.

Are there any YouTubers that you consider to be fantastic storytellers? Please share it in the comments box below.

Select a Versatile Video Editing Software to Stand Up from Numerous YouTubers

Users worldwide highly recommend Filmora because it comes loaded with various features, which helps to discover the editing skills, add an image to the imagination, and empower creativity.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

In the distracting world, we live in, you need to be a good storyteller to grow your YouTube channel. Your audience is not going to stick around to watch your whole video if your content isn’t enticing or relatable. If you want to get people to watch all your videos, you need to get them emotionally invested with your stories.

Here are 3 methods for creating an awesome story:

• Method 1: CREATE SUSPENSE
• Method 2: USE EMPATHY
• Method 3: TAKE THE AUDIENCE ON A MEANINGFUL JOURNEY

1. Create Suspense

The hero has an objective, but the plan might fail.

The likelihood of something going wrong is what makes a story suspenseful. When you tell a suspenseful story, your audience will have a heightened focus and a strong motivation to continue listening. They want to know if the hero succeeds. Keep the audience waiting and expecting. Don’t give away the ending right away.

What Does a Suspenseful Story Sound Like?

When we talk about a story that is dragging on, it is because there is no suspense. There is nothing at stake, there are no obstacles, there is no problem and, with no problem, there is no promise of resolution.

Here are a few examples you can use to pump more suspense into your story:

- Address a fear (example: being alone for the prom)

- An objective (example: asking the crush out to the dance)

- Consequences of failing (example: being embarrassed in front of the whole school)

- Limited time (example: prom is next week)

- Obstacles (example: the crush has an aggressive ex.)

You can feel your heart rate speeding up simply thinking about the character’s story in the example. Does it have a happy ending or not? We want to know!

Raise Questions After Questions

A good storyteller knows that as soon as they answer a question for their audience, they need to present another one. The audience will always need to have a puzzle in their mind, one that needs to be solved. That is what will keep their interest.

For example: If the hero ends up going to the prom with his crush, the next big question can be: Will they kiss at the last dance?

This continues building on the tension and increasing the stakes evermore.

Check out the suspenseful story from YouTuber, MissRemiAshten . The way she tells the story, we discover more and about her psycho neighbor and the incident gradually. A little bit of information about the neighbor is revealed at a time… not all at once.

Include a Cliffhanger

We’ve all had those moments at the end of an intense television show where we are shouting at the screen because it suddenly cut to black as the main characters were left in a precarious position. That emotional outburst is brought to us by a good cliffhanger, and a good cliffhanger can assure us that the audience will return for more.

But there needs to be more! A cliffhanger is a promise to the viewer that eventually they will be rewarded for their patience and it will be satisfying.

In this cliffhanger from Casey Neistat, he simply asks us a question, “Was that good?” This calls upon us to recall all the awesome YouTube videos we have seen created by filmmakers that aren’t considered “prestigious.” A cliffhanger does not have to end with an epic reveal; it can wrap up with loose ends and allow the audience to tie it up themselves.

How to Deliver a Good Cliffhanger

Applying good cliffhangers to your YouTube videos is a balancing act. You want to draw your audience in, but you also need to have a payoff that is worth the wait.

Done well, a cliffhanger will leave your audience wanting more. Done poorly, a cliffhanger will leave your audience feeling to mislead and a little ripped off, hesitant to listen to more stories from you.

A good cliffhanger does not have to be life or death, but it does have to be the moment the story has been leading up to.

Before you start telling your story, consider the key details that are most impactful.

Once you have the points you want to hit, plan out the reveal. Weave the story together, but withhold the pivotal details until the cliffhanger. Thendeliver it on camera confidently .

Here are two ways you can present your cliffhanger for amplified effect:

1. Slow Down and Have Pauses

As your story intensifies, bring the pace down — or stop completely. The silence becomes the cliffhanger. It can last a second or more, depending on how confident you are in the tension you have built.

Your next words or shots can be the reveal. If you are skilled enough, you can lead into another story one that connects to the previous. If you are trying this, make sure that in the end, the payoff has double the impact. The reveal needs to be twice as powerful if you are going to take the audience on another journey before wrapping up and answering the long-awaited questions.

2. Use Repetition

Whether you want to misdirect your audience or hammer home a point, using repetition throughout your story will help you build the tension you need to establish the cliffhanger.

In this example, we see YouTuber, A little bit of Monika uses both pace and repetition in her storytelling method.

The video starts off at a speedy pace, all the way until the last scene where the confrontation occurs. That’s her slowing down the story so that we are all anticipating the reveal. Is she or is she not actor, Saoirse Ronan?

Through this short video, the repetition of the name is used to show her confidence that her roommate is not who she said it is. The more affirming she becomes, the more likely we as the viewers are going to side with her. This is a simple example of misdirection.

The more you say something or show something, the more important it becomes for the audience — at least, you want it to appear important.

2. Use Empathy

A storyteller must be empathetic.

If your audience cannot empathize with what you are communicating, it would not have the intended effect. Storytelling is all about taking people out of their bodies and putting them in someone else’s.

If you are telling a story about the time your car broke down, you want people to empathize and feel the helplessness of being stuck on a highway, waving cars down to help.

Empathy makes people feel more human. Telling a story people can relate to, even if it didn’t happen to them, is a sign of a quality storyteller.

Don’t Use Too Many Facts and Figures

If you began your story by saying that 1/1,000 cars on the highway break down, that doesn’t evoke any major emotion. There is nothing human about it.

It’s an interesting stat, sure, but the audience is unsure how they should respond. Is that a lot? Is that because of the highway? Is it because of the drivers? Nobody knows… it’s numbered with no context.

However, if you told the story about that time you had to abandon your vehicle and walk down the highway in order to make your important appointment. Suddenly, the audience can empathize with the tribulations you have gone through.

Facts and figures are useful in reports, but not as much in compelling stories.

Evoke the Senses

If I talk about hot melting chocolate, standing in the rain, or the smell of your grandmother’s bedroom, your senses are activated. From all your life experiences, your brain is able to form familiar sensations without any physical changes to your surrounding. That’s the power of storytelling.

Good storytellers use these sensory details and descriptive imagery to spice up a story. This draws the audience in and gives them a more immersive experience when listening to your stories.

Ask yourself these questions:

- What does it smell like?

- What can you hear?

- What do you see?

- What can you physically feel?

This example from YouTuber, Kiril Dobrev perfectly exemplifies what sensory igniting storytelling can do. He illustrates the sensation of being in Hong Kong, not simply through visuals but physical motions and audio effects.

Use Metaphors

As a YouTube storyteller, sometimes you will have to communicate complex ideas. When that happens, use a metaphor to increase the impact.

If you are telling a story about how much you dislike your teacher, you can list off all the ways she is unlikable or you can sum it up with a line like this: “My teacher makes the school a prison.”

That is a metaphor comparing school to prison. Most people haven’t been to prison, but understand what the metaphor is insinuating. School is not a fun place to be because of that teacher.

By connecting two different things, you allow the audience to paint the image in their mind quickly. It doesn’t take a lot of words to create a memorable metaphor. I encourage you to use metaphors anytime you need to address something complicated.

3. Take the Audience on a Meaningful Journey

Perhaps the most important element of a good story is that the journey is meaningful.

- Is it educational?

- Is it entertaining?

- Is it motivational or inspiring?

Knowing how you want to leave your audience feeling is foresight that will improve your YouTube storytelling abilities. Before you start telling your tale, ask: How do I want to change my audience?

YouTuber, Jamie Windsor tells a few stories connected to creativity and plagiarism. Anyone who has ever created anything can relate to his story and thus his audience can empathize.

It is also clear as a viewer that at the end of this 15-minute long video, his audience will have gone on a meaningful journey with him.

His story is a cautionary tale. He wants to educate us so that we can avoid making the same mistakes he did. He used his real-life experience to teach us and that makes it a meaningful video to watch. That was a good story.

Are there any YouTubers that you consider to be fantastic storytellers? Please share it in the comments box below.

Select a Versatile Video Editing Software to Stand Up from Numerous YouTubers

Users worldwide highly recommend Filmora because it comes loaded with various features, which helps to discover the editing skills, add an image to the imagination, and empower creativity.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

In the distracting world, we live in, you need to be a good storyteller to grow your YouTube channel. Your audience is not going to stick around to watch your whole video if your content isn’t enticing or relatable. If you want to get people to watch all your videos, you need to get them emotionally invested with your stories.

Here are 3 methods for creating an awesome story:

• Method 1: CREATE SUSPENSE
• Method 2: USE EMPATHY
• Method 3: TAKE THE AUDIENCE ON A MEANINGFUL JOURNEY

1. Create Suspense

The hero has an objective, but the plan might fail.

The likelihood of something going wrong is what makes a story suspenseful. When you tell a suspenseful story, your audience will have a heightened focus and a strong motivation to continue listening. They want to know if the hero succeeds. Keep the audience waiting and expecting. Don’t give away the ending right away.

What Does a Suspenseful Story Sound Like?

When we talk about a story that is dragging on, it is because there is no suspense. There is nothing at stake, there are no obstacles, there is no problem and, with no problem, there is no promise of resolution.

Here are a few examples you can use to pump more suspense into your story:

- Address a fear (example: being alone for the prom)

- An objective (example: asking the crush out to the dance)

- Consequences of failing (example: being embarrassed in front of the whole school)

- Limited time (example: prom is next week)

- Obstacles (example: the crush has an aggressive ex.)

You can feel your heart rate speeding up simply thinking about the character’s story in the example. Does it have a happy ending or not? We want to know!

Raise Questions After Questions

A good storyteller knows that as soon as they answer a question for their audience, they need to present another one. The audience will always need to have a puzzle in their mind, one that needs to be solved. That is what will keep their interest.

For example: If the hero ends up going to the prom with his crush, the next big question can be: Will they kiss at the last dance?

This continues building on the tension and increasing the stakes evermore.

Check out the suspenseful story from YouTuber, MissRemiAshten . The way she tells the story, we discover more and about her psycho neighbor and the incident gradually. A little bit of information about the neighbor is revealed at a time… not all at once.

Include a Cliffhanger

We’ve all had those moments at the end of an intense television show where we are shouting at the screen because it suddenly cut to black as the main characters were left in a precarious position. That emotional outburst is brought to us by a good cliffhanger, and a good cliffhanger can assure us that the audience will return for more.

But there needs to be more! A cliffhanger is a promise to the viewer that eventually they will be rewarded for their patience and it will be satisfying.

In this cliffhanger from Casey Neistat, he simply asks us a question, “Was that good?” This calls upon us to recall all the awesome YouTube videos we have seen created by filmmakers that aren’t considered “prestigious.” A cliffhanger does not have to end with an epic reveal; it can wrap up with loose ends and allow the audience to tie it up themselves.

How to Deliver a Good Cliffhanger

Applying good cliffhangers to your YouTube videos is a balancing act. You want to draw your audience in, but you also need to have a payoff that is worth the wait.

Done well, a cliffhanger will leave your audience wanting more. Done poorly, a cliffhanger will leave your audience feeling to mislead and a little ripped off, hesitant to listen to more stories from you.

A good cliffhanger does not have to be life or death, but it does have to be the moment the story has been leading up to.

Before you start telling your story, consider the key details that are most impactful.

Once you have the points you want to hit, plan out the reveal. Weave the story together, but withhold the pivotal details until the cliffhanger. Thendeliver it on camera confidently .

Here are two ways you can present your cliffhanger for amplified effect:

1. Slow Down and Have Pauses

As your story intensifies, bring the pace down — or stop completely. The silence becomes the cliffhanger. It can last a second or more, depending on how confident you are in the tension you have built.

Your next words or shots can be the reveal. If you are skilled enough, you can lead into another story one that connects to the previous. If you are trying this, make sure that in the end, the payoff has double the impact. The reveal needs to be twice as powerful if you are going to take the audience on another journey before wrapping up and answering the long-awaited questions.

2. Use Repetition

Whether you want to misdirect your audience or hammer home a point, using repetition throughout your story will help you build the tension you need to establish the cliffhanger.

In this example, we see YouTuber, A little bit of Monika uses both pace and repetition in her storytelling method.

The video starts off at a speedy pace, all the way until the last scene where the confrontation occurs. That’s her slowing down the story so that we are all anticipating the reveal. Is she or is she not actor, Saoirse Ronan?

Through this short video, the repetition of the name is used to show her confidence that her roommate is not who she said it is. The more affirming she becomes, the more likely we as the viewers are going to side with her. This is a simple example of misdirection.

The more you say something or show something, the more important it becomes for the audience — at least, you want it to appear important.

2. Use Empathy

A storyteller must be empathetic.

If your audience cannot empathize with what you are communicating, it would not have the intended effect. Storytelling is all about taking people out of their bodies and putting them in someone else’s.

If you are telling a story about the time your car broke down, you want people to empathize and feel the helplessness of being stuck on a highway, waving cars down to help.

Empathy makes people feel more human. Telling a story people can relate to, even if it didn’t happen to them, is a sign of a quality storyteller.

Don’t Use Too Many Facts and Figures

If you began your story by saying that 1/1,000 cars on the highway break down, that doesn’t evoke any major emotion. There is nothing human about it.

It’s an interesting stat, sure, but the audience is unsure how they should respond. Is that a lot? Is that because of the highway? Is it because of the drivers? Nobody knows… it’s numbered with no context.

However, if you told the story about that time you had to abandon your vehicle and walk down the highway in order to make your important appointment. Suddenly, the audience can empathize with the tribulations you have gone through.

Facts and figures are useful in reports, but not as much in compelling stories.

Evoke the Senses

If I talk about hot melting chocolate, standing in the rain, or the smell of your grandmother’s bedroom, your senses are activated. From all your life experiences, your brain is able to form familiar sensations without any physical changes to your surrounding. That’s the power of storytelling.

Good storytellers use these sensory details and descriptive imagery to spice up a story. This draws the audience in and gives them a more immersive experience when listening to your stories.

Ask yourself these questions:

- What does it smell like?

- What can you hear?

- What do you see?

- What can you physically feel?

This example from YouTuber, Kiril Dobrev perfectly exemplifies what sensory igniting storytelling can do. He illustrates the sensation of being in Hong Kong, not simply through visuals but physical motions and audio effects.

Use Metaphors

As a YouTube storyteller, sometimes you will have to communicate complex ideas. When that happens, use a metaphor to increase the impact.

If you are telling a story about how much you dislike your teacher, you can list off all the ways she is unlikable or you can sum it up with a line like this: “My teacher makes the school a prison.”

That is a metaphor comparing school to prison. Most people haven’t been to prison, but understand what the metaphor is insinuating. School is not a fun place to be because of that teacher.

By connecting two different things, you allow the audience to paint the image in their mind quickly. It doesn’t take a lot of words to create a memorable metaphor. I encourage you to use metaphors anytime you need to address something complicated.

3. Take the Audience on a Meaningful Journey

Perhaps the most important element of a good story is that the journey is meaningful.

- Is it educational?

- Is it entertaining?

- Is it motivational or inspiring?

Knowing how you want to leave your audience feeling is foresight that will improve your YouTube storytelling abilities. Before you start telling your tale, ask: How do I want to change my audience?

YouTuber, Jamie Windsor tells a few stories connected to creativity and plagiarism. Anyone who has ever created anything can relate to his story and thus his audience can empathize.

It is also clear as a viewer that at the end of this 15-minute long video, his audience will have gone on a meaningful journey with him.

His story is a cautionary tale. He wants to educate us so that we can avoid making the same mistakes he did. He used his real-life experience to teach us and that makes it a meaningful video to watch. That was a good story.

Are there any YouTubers that you consider to be fantastic storytellers? Please share it in the comments box below.

Select a Versatile Video Editing Software to Stand Up from Numerous YouTubers

Users worldwide highly recommend Filmora because it comes loaded with various features, which helps to discover the editing skills, add an image to the imagination, and empower creativity.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

In the distracting world, we live in, you need to be a good storyteller to grow your YouTube channel. Your audience is not going to stick around to watch your whole video if your content isn’t enticing or relatable. If you want to get people to watch all your videos, you need to get them emotionally invested with your stories.

Here are 3 methods for creating an awesome story:

• Method 1: CREATE SUSPENSE
• Method 2: USE EMPATHY
• Method 3: TAKE THE AUDIENCE ON A MEANINGFUL JOURNEY

1. Create Suspense

The hero has an objective, but the plan might fail.

The likelihood of something going wrong is what makes a story suspenseful. When you tell a suspenseful story, your audience will have a heightened focus and a strong motivation to continue listening. They want to know if the hero succeeds. Keep the audience waiting and expecting. Don’t give away the ending right away.

What Does a Suspenseful Story Sound Like?

When we talk about a story that is dragging on, it is because there is no suspense. There is nothing at stake, there are no obstacles, there is no problem and, with no problem, there is no promise of resolution.

Here are a few examples you can use to pump more suspense into your story:

- Address a fear (example: being alone for the prom)

- An objective (example: asking the crush out to the dance)

- Consequences of failing (example: being embarrassed in front of the whole school)

- Limited time (example: prom is next week)

- Obstacles (example: the crush has an aggressive ex.)

You can feel your heart rate speeding up simply thinking about the character’s story in the example. Does it have a happy ending or not? We want to know!

Raise Questions After Questions

A good storyteller knows that as soon as they answer a question for their audience, they need to present another one. The audience will always need to have a puzzle in their mind, one that needs to be solved. That is what will keep their interest.

For example: If the hero ends up going to the prom with his crush, the next big question can be: Will they kiss at the last dance?

This continues building on the tension and increasing the stakes evermore.

Check out the suspenseful story from YouTuber, MissRemiAshten . The way she tells the story, we discover more and about her psycho neighbor and the incident gradually. A little bit of information about the neighbor is revealed at a time… not all at once.

Include a Cliffhanger

We’ve all had those moments at the end of an intense television show where we are shouting at the screen because it suddenly cut to black as the main characters were left in a precarious position. That emotional outburst is brought to us by a good cliffhanger, and a good cliffhanger can assure us that the audience will return for more.

But there needs to be more! A cliffhanger is a promise to the viewer that eventually they will be rewarded for their patience and it will be satisfying.

In this cliffhanger from Casey Neistat, he simply asks us a question, “Was that good?” This calls upon us to recall all the awesome YouTube videos we have seen created by filmmakers that aren’t considered “prestigious.” A cliffhanger does not have to end with an epic reveal; it can wrap up with loose ends and allow the audience to tie it up themselves.

How to Deliver a Good Cliffhanger

Applying good cliffhangers to your YouTube videos is a balancing act. You want to draw your audience in, but you also need to have a payoff that is worth the wait.

Done well, a cliffhanger will leave your audience wanting more. Done poorly, a cliffhanger will leave your audience feeling to mislead and a little ripped off, hesitant to listen to more stories from you.

A good cliffhanger does not have to be life or death, but it does have to be the moment the story has been leading up to.

Before you start telling your story, consider the key details that are most impactful.

Once you have the points you want to hit, plan out the reveal. Weave the story together, but withhold the pivotal details until the cliffhanger. Thendeliver it on camera confidently .

Here are two ways you can present your cliffhanger for amplified effect:

1. Slow Down and Have Pauses

As your story intensifies, bring the pace down — or stop completely. The silence becomes the cliffhanger. It can last a second or more, depending on how confident you are in the tension you have built.

Your next words or shots can be the reveal. If you are skilled enough, you can lead into another story one that connects to the previous. If you are trying this, make sure that in the end, the payoff has double the impact. The reveal needs to be twice as powerful if you are going to take the audience on another journey before wrapping up and answering the long-awaited questions.

2. Use Repetition

Whether you want to misdirect your audience or hammer home a point, using repetition throughout your story will help you build the tension you need to establish the cliffhanger.

In this example, we see YouTuber, A little bit of Monika uses both pace and repetition in her storytelling method.

The video starts off at a speedy pace, all the way until the last scene where the confrontation occurs. That’s her slowing down the story so that we are all anticipating the reveal. Is she or is she not actor, Saoirse Ronan?

Through this short video, the repetition of the name is used to show her confidence that her roommate is not who she said it is. The more affirming she becomes, the more likely we as the viewers are going to side with her. This is a simple example of misdirection.

The more you say something or show something, the more important it becomes for the audience — at least, you want it to appear important.

2. Use Empathy

A storyteller must be empathetic.

If your audience cannot empathize with what you are communicating, it would not have the intended effect. Storytelling is all about taking people out of their bodies and putting them in someone else’s.

If you are telling a story about the time your car broke down, you want people to empathize and feel the helplessness of being stuck on a highway, waving cars down to help.

Empathy makes people feel more human. Telling a story people can relate to, even if it didn’t happen to them, is a sign of a quality storyteller.

Don’t Use Too Many Facts and Figures

If you began your story by saying that 1/1,000 cars on the highway break down, that doesn’t evoke any major emotion. There is nothing human about it.

It’s an interesting stat, sure, but the audience is unsure how they should respond. Is that a lot? Is that because of the highway? Is it because of the drivers? Nobody knows… it’s numbered with no context.

However, if you told the story about that time you had to abandon your vehicle and walk down the highway in order to make your important appointment. Suddenly, the audience can empathize with the tribulations you have gone through.

Facts and figures are useful in reports, but not as much in compelling stories.

Evoke the Senses

If I talk about hot melting chocolate, standing in the rain, or the smell of your grandmother’s bedroom, your senses are activated. From all your life experiences, your brain is able to form familiar sensations without any physical changes to your surrounding. That’s the power of storytelling.

Good storytellers use these sensory details and descriptive imagery to spice up a story. This draws the audience in and gives them a more immersive experience when listening to your stories.

Ask yourself these questions:

- What does it smell like?

- What can you hear?

- What do you see?

- What can you physically feel?

This example from YouTuber, Kiril Dobrev perfectly exemplifies what sensory igniting storytelling can do. He illustrates the sensation of being in Hong Kong, not simply through visuals but physical motions and audio effects.

Use Metaphors

As a YouTube storyteller, sometimes you will have to communicate complex ideas. When that happens, use a metaphor to increase the impact.

If you are telling a story about how much you dislike your teacher, you can list off all the ways she is unlikable or you can sum it up with a line like this: “My teacher makes the school a prison.”

That is a metaphor comparing school to prison. Most people haven’t been to prison, but understand what the metaphor is insinuating. School is not a fun place to be because of that teacher.

By connecting two different things, you allow the audience to paint the image in their mind quickly. It doesn’t take a lot of words to create a memorable metaphor. I encourage you to use metaphors anytime you need to address something complicated.

3. Take the Audience on a Meaningful Journey

Perhaps the most important element of a good story is that the journey is meaningful.

- Is it educational?

- Is it entertaining?

- Is it motivational or inspiring?

Knowing how you want to leave your audience feeling is foresight that will improve your YouTube storytelling abilities. Before you start telling your tale, ask: How do I want to change my audience?

YouTuber, Jamie Windsor tells a few stories connected to creativity and plagiarism. Anyone who has ever created anything can relate to his story and thus his audience can empathize.

It is also clear as a viewer that at the end of this 15-minute long video, his audience will have gone on a meaningful journey with him.

His story is a cautionary tale. He wants to educate us so that we can avoid making the same mistakes he did. He used his real-life experience to teach us and that makes it a meaningful video to watch. That was a good story.

Are there any YouTubers that you consider to be fantastic storytellers? Please share it in the comments box below.

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Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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