Jeff Bullas

That is an excellent question.

Quick Answer: The purpose of a Lookalike Audience is to find new people on Facebook and Instagram who are very similar to your existing best customers. It is the platform’s most powerful tool for finding new customers at scale.

Instead of you having to manually guess which interests or demographics to target, you provide Facebook with a high-quality ‘source’ audience, and its algorithm goes out to find more people just like them. Here is a breakdown of how the process works.

First, you must have a ‘source audience’. This is a Custom Audience of at least 100 people from a single country that you have already created. The best source audiences are your most valuable lists, such as your existing customer email list, people who have made a purchase on your website, or a list of your most engaged social media followers.

Second, you then tell Facebook’s algorithm to analyse this source audience. The system looks at thousands of data points to identify the common characteristics, interests, and behaviours of the people on your high-quality list.

Third, Facebook then finds millions of other users on its platforms who ‘look like’ your source audience based on those shared attributes. You can choose how broad or narrow you want this new audience to be. For example, a ‘1% Lookalike’ is the group of people in a country who most closely match your source audience, while a ‘10% Lookalike’ is a much broader group.

This is so effective because it uses real data from your best customers to find new ones, which is far more accurate than manual interest targeting. By using a quality source audience, you leverage Facebook’s data to find new people who are highly likely to be interested in your business.

Cheers,

Jeff

That’s a great question.

Quick Answer: An email click map is a visual overlay on your sent email that shows you exactly where people are clicking. It is a powerful tool for understanding which links, images, and calls to action are getting the most attention from your subscribers.

While your overall click-through rate tells you how many people clicked, the click map tells you what they clicked on, which provides much deeper insight for optimising your design. Here is what a click map can tell you about your subscriber engagement.

First, it identifies your most effective calls to action. The report will visually show you, often with percentages or a ‘heatmap’ of colours, which specific button or link received the most clicks. This is invaluable data for understanding what CTA copy and design works best for your audience.

Second, it reveals what content your audience is most interested in. If you have links to several different blog posts, products, or articles in your newsletter, the click map will show you precisely which topics generated the most curiosity and clicks.

Third, it can uncover unexpected click behaviour. You might discover that people are frequently clicking on images that you have not linked, or on headlines, because they expect them to go somewhere. This is excellent feedback that suggests you should add a link to those elements in your future emails.

And fourth, it helps you optimise your email layout. By seeing where people are, and are not, clicking, you can make data-driven decisions about where to place your most important links and buttons in your future email designs for maximum visibility and engagement.

In summary, a click map is a visual report that moves you beyond simply knowing that people clicked to understanding what and why they clicked. You should use it after every campaign to analyse which elements are most engaging and to continuously improve your email layout.

Cheers,

Jeff

That is a great question that gets into the finer points of YouTube SEO.

Quick Answer: The standard best practice is to place a small, curated list of your most relevant hashtags in the video description. Only place a hashtag in the title for very specific, high-priority trends.

YouTube uses hashtags to help categorise your video, but there is a clear strategy for placement to get the best results without harming your click-through rate. Here is a breakdown of how to approach it.

First, the video description is the primary and safest place for your main list of hashtags. YouTube officially recommends placing them here. You should add a small block of three to five highly relevant hashtags, usually towards the end of your video description text.

Second, regarding the video title, you can place one or two highly important hashtags directly in it. When you do this, those hashtags become prominent, clickable links above your video title on the watch page. This can be an effective tactic for tying your video to a very specific and timely trend or a branded series.

Third, you must understand the trade-off of using hashtags in your title. While it can boost visibility for that specific hashtag, it takes up valuable space in your title, which is your single most important piece of SEO real estate. A compelling, keyword-rich title is often more powerful for attracting clicks from search and browse than a title cluttered with hashtags.

And fourth, you must not overdo it. YouTube’s official policy states that if you use more than 15 hashtags in total across your title, description, and the dedicated tags section, their system will ignore all of them for that video. It is always better to use a small, highly relevant set than to stuff the field with irrelevant tags.

In summary, the professional best practice is to place your main three to five hashtags in the description. Only consider using a hashtag in the title if it is for a very important, specific trend, and you are willing to sacrifice that valuable title space.

Cheers,

Jeff

That’s a smart question to be asking. As your channel grows, proactively managing your comments section is essential for fostering a positive community, and YouTube provides some powerful tools to help you do that.

Quick Answer: You manage this in your YouTube Studio’s ‘Community’ settings. The best approach is to enable YouTube’s automated filter to hold inappropriate comments and then to create your own custom list of ‘blocked words’ to catch specific spam or abuse.

Letting the automated systems do the heavy lifting while you fine-tune the rules is the most efficient way to maintain a clean comments section. Here is a breakdown of how to use these tools effectively.

First, you will find everything you need in your YouTube Studio. You need to go to ‘Settings’ in the bottom-left menu, and then open the ‘Community’ tab. This is your moderation headquarters.

Second, under the ‘Automated Filters’ section, the most important setting to enable is ‘Hold potentially inappropriate comments for review’. This lets YouTube’s AI do most of the work for you. It is also highly recommended to check the box here to ‘Block links’, as this will prevent the vast majority of spam comments.

Third, let us talk about the ‘Blocked Words’ list. This is your custom filter. Any comment containing a word or phrase from this list will be automatically held for your review and will not appear publicly. You should add any specific spam terms you see frequently, common insults, or any profanity that you want to keep off your channel.

And fourth, you must remember to regularly check your ‘Held for Review’ queue. This is located in the main ‘Comments’ section of your Studio. All the comments that are caught by your filters will be waiting there for you to approve, delete, or report.

By combining YouTube’s automated intelligence with your own custom list of blocked words, you create a strong, two-layered defense that keeps your comments section clean and allows you to focus on engaging with your real community.

Cheers,

Jeff

• This reply was modified 2 months, 2 weeks ago by Neil Anthony.

That’s a very smart question.

Quick Answer: Yes, your thumbnails should absolutely be consistent to build brand recognition. You achieve this by creating and sticking to a reusable template that uses the same fonts, colour palette, and layout structure for your videos.

A consistent thumbnail style is what turns a channel from a random collection of videos into a recognisable and professional-looking brand.

The main benefit of this approach is that it makes your videos instantly identifiable to your subscribers when they are scrolling through their busy feeds or search results. This can significantly improve your click-through rate over time.

Here is how you create that consistency. First, you need to establish your core brand elements. This means choosing one or two specific, easy-to-read fonts and a consistent colour palette that you will use across all of your thumbnails. This is the foundation of your visual brand on YouTube.

Second, you should create a reusable template. Using a design tool like Canva or Photoshop, you can create a template with designated areas for your main image, your text headline, and perhaps a small logo. For each new video, you simply update the photo and the text within this established framework, which is much more efficient than starting from scratch every time.

Third, if you appear in your thumbnails, you should aim for a consistent photo style. This could mean using photos with similar lighting and composition, or always using a headshot with a similar expression. This creates a very cohesive and professional feel when viewers look at all your videos on your channel page.

And fourth, you should use a consistent layout. For example, you might decide to always place your face on the left side of the thumbnail and your text headline on the right. This creates a predictable and easily recognisable pattern for your returning viewers.

In summary, thumbnail consistency is crucial for building a strong brand on YouTube. The most efficient way to achieve it is by creating a simple template with a defined set of fonts, colours, and a recurring layout that you can apply to every new video you publish.

Cheers,

Jeff

That’s an excellent question.

Quick Answer: The best way is to create compelling, standalone clips from your long-form content and use YouTube’s “Related Video” feature to directly link the Short to the full video, supported by a clear call to action.

Using Shorts as a top-of-funnel discovery tool for your long-form content is one of the most powerful growth strategies on YouTube today. The goal is not just to post a random clip, but to create a high-impact teaser that makes a viewer curious enough to seek out the full-length version.

Here is how to do it effectively. First, you need to identify the “golden nuggets” in your long-form videos. Review your content and find the most interesting, funny, surprising, or valuable moments that are between 15 and 60 seconds long. These will become your Shorts.

Second, you must edit each clip to be a standalone hook. A clip taken from the middle of a long video often lacks context. You should add an on-screen text hook at the beginning, such as “Here’s the biggest mistake people make when…”, to grab attention and quickly set the scene. Always add burned-in captions, as many people watch Shorts without sound.

Third, and this is the most important technical step, you must use the “Related Video” feature. When you upload your Short, or later in YouTube Studio, you can link it directly to one of your long-form videos. This creates a clickable link right on the Short’s watch page that says “Created from [Your Full Video Title]”, making it very easy for interested viewers to find the source.

And fourth, you should also include a verbal and written call to action. At the end of your Short, you can say, “For the full story on this, check out the full video linked in this Short.” You can also pin a comment on your Short that directs people to the full video on your channel.

In summary, the strategy involves creating self-contained, high-impact teaser clips and using the built-in “Related Video” feature combined with clear calls to action. This guides viewers from the short-form discovery experience directly to your more in-depth, long-form content.

Cheers,

Jeff

That is a great question to ask.

Quick Answer: The best perks are a mix of standard loyalty recognition, like custom badges and emojis, combined with exclusive content, such as members-only videos or early access, that is not available to your regular viewers.

Creating a compelling YouTube Channel Membership program is all about providing tangible and exclusive value that makes your most loyal fans feel like true insiders.

The key is to create a tiered system where each level offers progressively more value, but you should always start with perks that you know you can deliver consistently without burning yourself out.

Here are some of the most effective perks to consider. First, you should always include the standard loyalty rewards. At the lowest tier, this typically includes custom loyalty badges that appear next to a member’s name in comments and live chat, as well as access to a library of custom emojis that they can use.

Second, and this is the core of a good program, you need to offer exclusive content. This could be members-only videos, such as behind-the-scenes content, extended cuts of your regular videos, or personal vlogs. Another highly effective perk is offering members early access to your new public videos, allowing them to see your content before anyone else.

Third, you can provide deeper access and recognition. A very popular perk is giving members a shout-out or listing their names in the credits at the end of your regular videos. You can also offer access to a members-only Discord server or a specific channel within your existing server, where you and your top fans can communicate more directly.

And fourth, for your higher-priced tiers, you can offer more direct interaction or influence. This could include things like a members-only live stream for a more personal Q&A session, or running members-only polls that allow your most dedicated supporters to vote on future video topics.

In summary, a successful membership program combines simple recognition perks with valuable exclusive content and a deeper sense of community access. Start with a few manageable perks and build from there based on what your specific audience values most.

Cheers,

Jeff

That is a topic many creators research when looking for ways to increase the perceived engagement on their YouTube videos.

When you look into the market for these services, a number of providers are frequently reviewed. Based on the information available, here are three of the providers for YouTube comments:

UseViral – https://useviral.com/buy-youtube-comments
This service is often noted for providing custom or random comments from what are described as real user accounts.

SidesMedia – https://sidesmedia.com/buy-youtube-comments
The focus for this provider is on delivering comments that are intended to appear relevant to the video’s content.

Growthoid – https://growthoid.com/youtube/
Positioning itself as a growth service, this platform’s approach involves strategies to increase overall channel engagement, which includes comments.

As with any digital service, it is important for creators to conduct their own due diligence to determine if a provider’s methods align with their specific channel goals.

Cheers,

Jeff.