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To upload a video to YouTube, open YouTube Studio → "Create" → "Upload videos", pick the file and go through four steps: Details, Video elements, Checks and Visibility. The settings that affect promotion most are the title, thumbnail, first lines of the description, chapters, end screens and the correct audience setting.
How to upload a video to YouTube from a computer or phone
- Computer: studio.youtube.com → "Create" button in the top-right → "Upload videos" → drag in the file.
- Phone: YouTube app → "+" → "Video" → choose the clip. Vertical videos under 3 minutes are published as Shorts.
- Fill in the details while the file uploads. Videos over 15 minutes and custom thumbnails are only available after phone verification.
The first hours after publishing matter: the algorithm watches how viewers react. If your channel has no audience yet, you can add starter views on the YouTube views page — $0.95–1.30 per 1,000 with 10–30 seconds of retention, or $1.10 with likes, no password. They don't count toward Partner Program thresholds, and on monetized channels they should be used carefully.
How to write the title, description and tags
- Title — up to 100 characters, but search and feeds show roughly the first 60. Put the main keyword near the start.
- Description — up to 5,000 characters. The first 1–2 lines show without expanding, so state the point there with your keywords.
- Tags — up to 500 characters in total. YouTube says they play a minimal role and help mainly with commonly misspelled words.
- Hashtags — the first three from the description appear above the title; how to choose them is covered in YouTube hashtags.
For a systematic approach to keywords, see YouTube SEO.
Thumbnail, chapters and captions: why they matter
- Thumbnail — 1280×720 px, up to 2 MB. It drives CTR more than anything else.
- Chapters — timestamps in the description. Per YouTube Help: the first must be 00:00, at least three in ascending order, each chapter at least 10 seconds. Chapters help viewers and can appear in Google Search.
- Captions — review the automatic ones or upload your own file. Many people watch without sound, and translated titles and captions open up audiences in other countries.
End screens and cards: how to keep viewers on your channel
- An end screen goes into the last 5–20 seconds of a video that's at least 25 seconds long, with up to 4 elements: video, playlist, subscribe, channel.
- Instead of "most recent upload", link a specific follow-up on the same topic so the viewer stays on your channel.
- Add cards at the moment you mention another video, not at the start.
Made for kids and other required settings
- Made for kids is mandatory to answer. Such videos lose comments, personalized ads, end screens and cards. Choose "yes" only if the video really is for children: a wrong answer either way is a violation.
- Altered or synthetic content — disclose it if realistic scenes were generated with AI.
- Paid promotion — the checkbox is mandatory for any sponsored integration.
- Video language and category help the system understand who to show the video to.
When to publish: scheduling, Premieres and the first hours
- On the Visibility step choose "Schedule" and a time when your audience is online (see Analytics → Audience).
- A Premiere creates a watch page and live chat in advance — handy for important releases.
- Reply to comments in the first hour and pin the best one — more in how to get into YouTube recommendations.
If a fresh video lacks reactions, you can add likes on the YouTube likes page — from $1 per 1,000, 30-day guarantee, no password needed.
