How to Get 4,000 Watch Hours on YouTube

In order to become a YouTube partner, fulfilling YouTube monetization policy and start making money from your videos, you need to accumulate 4,000 watch hours in the past 12 months. That can seem like a daunting task, but it’s really not that difficult if you know how to go about it.

In this blog post, we will walk you through the steps necessary to complete 4000 public watch hours on YouTube. We’ll cover everything from creating high-quality content to optimizing your videos for search engines. So whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been struggling to reach the 4000-hour mark, this blog post is for you!

How Does YouTube Calculate the Number of Hours Watched?

First of all, it’s important to understand how YouTube calculates the number of hours watched. Simply put, YouTube counts one hour as watchers spend watching a video divided by the total number of minutes in the video. This includes time spent watching on both desktop and mobile devices.

If you have a 15-minute video and people watch it for five minutes, then YouTube will only count the time they spent watching on desktop devices (two hours).

In order to reach 4000 hours of total viewing time in a year, your videos would need to be watched for an average of at least two minutes and forty seconds.

Now that we know how YouTube calculates the number of hours watched let’s look at some tips for reaching 4000 public watch hours in 12 months.

Create High-Quality Content

The first step is creating high-quality content. This means making sure your videos are well-produced, informative, and engaging. Viewers are more likely to watch a video if they know it will be worth their time.

In order to produce high-quality content, you need to do your research and make sure you’re covering topics that people are interested in. You should also focus on creating visually appealing videos and easy to follow.

If you’re not sure where to start, check out some of the top YouTube channels in your niche and see what they’re doing differently. Then try to incorporate those elements into your own content.

Optimize Your Videos for SEO

The second step is optimizing your videos for search engines. This means using keywords and tags in your video titles, descriptions, and annotations to help viewers find your content more easily.

You’ll also want to make sure that you’re uploading videos regularly, so there’s always fresh content for people to watch. Just remember not too often because then they will unsubscribe from your channel!

Host YouTube Live Streams

The third step is hosting YouTube live streams. This allows viewers to interact with you in real-time and ask questions during the broadcast. It also allows them to give feedback on your videos after they’ve watched them.

This could be done through a simple phone call or Google Hangout session with select fans who have been invited by email. If you want to go all out, then hire someone else to do it for us!

Go for Quantity over Quality

The fourth step is going for quantity over quality. You can’t expect to get 4000 watch hours in 12 months if you only upload one or two videos a day. It’s important that these are all high-quality pieces of content, but it doesn’t mean they have to be perfect – just make sure each video has something valuable for viewers and will keep them coming back for more!

Promote Your Content Through Social Media Platforms

The fifth step is promoting your content through social media. This means sharing links to your videos on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms where potential viewers see them. You can also use these networks to engage with fans who might have questions or comments about the video’s topic.

If you’re not sure how to use social media for your channel, check out our guide on How To Use Social Media For Your Channel! You’ll learn everything from scheduling posts and writing captions to engage with followers in real-time conversations.

Collaborate With Other Channels

The sixth step is collaborating with other channels. This means reaching out to like-minded creators who share similar interests and making videos together.

This is an excellent way of expanding your audience while also helping them grow their own channels, which will lead to more subscribers for everyone involved! You can find potential collaborators using our guide on How To Find Collaborators For Your Channel.

How to Track YouTube Watch Time

Once you have set a goal for your watch time, it’s important to track your progress to see how well you are doing. This will help keep you motivated and on track. There are a few ways to track your watch time:

– YouTube analytics: You can access your YouTube analytics by going to Creator Studio > Analytics > YouTube Watch Time. This report shows you how much watch time your videos have generated over a given period of time.

– YouTube Data API: The YouTube Data API provides a way to get detailed information about watch time on your channel. You can use this to find out how much watch time each video generates and the average watch time for each video. To learn more, visit the YouTube Developer Guide.

Once you have set a goal and started tracking your progress, it’s important to continue monitoring your watch time to make sure you are on track to reach your goal.

If you had a viral video two years ago, would it count towards your watch time?

Yes, it would. YouTube uses a rolling average of watch time over the last 28 days to calculate your total hours watched by viewers. So if you’re uploading new content regularly and people are watching those videos for at least three minutes each (the minimum amount of time required), then yes!

If not? Then no… But don’t give up! Keep uploading regularly, and you’ll get there. 🙂

Conclusion:

So there you have it! These are a few steps that you can take to increase your watch time on YouTube. Remember to stay consistent and upload regularly, use social media to promote your content, collaborate with other channels, and track your progress. With a little effort, you’ll be able to reach your goal in no time!