This trick grows podcasts on YouTube FAST

Unlock recommendations using content categories.

Feb 03, 2025

Last week, we talked about how to help YouTube help you - using metadata and tags strategically so the algorithm understands what your content is about and recommends it to the right people.

But that was just level one.

This week, we’re moving into advanced mode.

The trick I’m about to tell you will help you get each video in front of more people who liked your previous, similar videos.

And it’s ridiculously simple.

I first came across this idea on a podcast featuring the chap who used to run the BBC’s YouTube channels (Doctor Who, kids’ shows, and more). I wish I could remember his name or even the podcast I heard it on, but I can’t. If anyone reading this knows, please tell me so I can give him the credit he deserves.

Because this trick works.

I started using it early in the New Statesman’s YouTube journey - especially once we began publishing podcasts as our primary output - and it made a big difference.

We’re now hitting over a million views a month consistently, with 150,000 subscribers and counting.

So, let’s get into it.

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How to get your YouTube podcast in front of more people

YouTube’s algorithm loves patterns. The more it understands the relationship between your videos, the more it recommends them to the same or similar viewers.

By making sure that similar videos have some matching metadata, you can help YouTube understand that they are related.

If YouTube knows they are related, it knows to show them to a similar audience.

This can happen organically (videos about Irish Wolfhounds are likely - though not guaranteed - to have “Irish Wolfhound” in the metadata, which YouTube can pick up) - but by having a system you can make sure it happens every time, and as you intend.

That’s where categories come in.

The aim is to make sure YouTube knows related videos are similar to each other. Categorisation is a systematic method to make sure that happens, and in a way that you control.

Here’s how to do it:

YouTube metadata: the rule of three

To build this system, we’re going to break our YouTube metadata into three layers:

Channel-level metadata (applies to your whole channel)
Category-level metadata (applies to a group of videos)
Video-level metadata (specific to each individual video)

Let’s break these down:

1. Channel-level metadata (the foundation)

This is your big-picture branding - the keywords that define your entire channel.

For example, if you’re running a news and politics channel, your top-level keywords might include terms like:

News
Politics
Current affairs
Political analysis
Top news

These should be broad but relevant. You’ll add them to:

Your channel description
Your upload defaults (so they automatically apply to every new video)

Once you set this up, you can pretty much leave it alone - just review it once a year or so to keep it fresh.

2. Category-level metadata (the YouTube cheat code)

First, identify the general topic areas you cover in your content most frequently.

If you’re running a health and wellness channel, you might regularly produce episodes covering mindfulness, meditation, nutrition, exercise, etc…

Now find audience- and algorithm-friendly keywords that describe those subjects. You can use the tools I mentioned last week to do this.

Bonus points if these are keywords with a high search ranking opportunity - i.e. high search volume, low competition.

These keywords are going to become the titles of your categories.

Notice I said to use audience-friendly keywords. Here’s what I mean by that:

It’s possible you might already have your own names for certain formats within your podcast or YouTube channel. These might be titles of strands, series or segments.

But unless these are particularly well-known in their own right, it’s unlikely that those titles will be the most useful terms to include as your category titles.

Instead, use terms people will actually recognise and search for.

For example, the New Statesman podcast includes strands with the titles “Insight” and “You Ask Us”.

These terms mean little if you’re not already a New Statesman listener.

For this particular exercise it’s far better to find terms that are searchable, identifiable, and add meaning that the YouTube algorithm - and audiences - will be able to understand.

That’s why we use category titles like “UK politics”, “world news”, or “US election”.

See the difference?

Now you have your category titles - in SEO terms, your focus keyword - you need to find additional related keywords.

Together, this information becomes your category-level metadata.

3. Video-level metadata (the fine-tuning)

Finally, each individual video needs its own metadata.

This can be more granular and specific to the topic of the video itself. It should include terms relating to the specific people, places, stories or events mentioned.

Again, think in terms of your focus keyword and related keywords.

Putting it all together

OK, you’ve got your metadata for your three levels: channel, category and video.

Now here’s how to use them:

Every video you upload has three metadata opportunities: the title, description and tags.

You’re going to break each of these into three, and include information relevant to your video, category and channel.

For the title, that looks like this:

Video title | Category | Channel or podcast name

Your video title should include the focus keyword for your video. The category should include the focus keyword for your category. The channel or podcast name is there to tie everything you publish together.

For the description:

Part 1: Video description - written to include the focus keyword and related keywords for your video.

Part 2: Category description - written to include the focus keyword and related keywords for your video.

Part 3: Channel description - written to include the channel/podcast name and top-level keywords for your channel.

In the tags:

Include focus and related keywords for your video, your category and your channel or podcast. You have up to 500 characters so use all the available space.

How to automate this (and save yourself a ton of time)

“But Chris,” I hear you cry, “that sounds like an awful lot of work!”

Well, it takes some time to set up - but once you’ve done your keyword research it’s pretty quick to deploy.

Here’s how I like to do it:

For channel metadata:

YouTube allows you to set upload defaults, so that every new video automatically contains default metadata.

In YouTube studio go to Settings > Upload Defaults.

Add your channel name as the default video title. Add your channel description to the description box. Add your channel tags to the tags section.

Don’t forget to add the same metadata to your channel tags (by going to Settings > Channel) and your channel description (by going to “Customisation” in YouTube Studio).

For category metadata:

I like to keep a spreadsheet with my category titles, category descriptions and category tags.

Then when uploading a new video it’s a simple copy and paste job that takes about 30 seconds.

For video metadata:

Yes, ok, this bit you have to do manually every time. But once you’ve got the other two parts done you’re most of the way there!

The Bottom Line

The reason I love YouTube for podcasts is because its algorithmic discovery is so powerful. It’s truly excellent at helping users find content they will love.

It does this by identifying videos that are similar to content they’ve enjoyed in the past.

By using this system of categorisation you can make sure you give YouTube all the information it needs to know which videos are related to which - and therefore stand a better chance of being recommended to users who already enjoy your content in that category.

It’s just one possible system. You may find more effective ways of doing it - and if you do, I’d love to learn from you, too!

But certainly this is a system that has delivered growth for the channel I manage, and I hope it will help you too.

Know someone who would love this? Please share it with them - it’s free!

Keyword research: Start by doing keyword research for your channel. Identify the broad topics that best describe your content.
Create a category spreadsheet: Organise your content into categories, write descriptions with relevant keywords, and list the appropriate tags.
Optimise your upload defaults: Update your upload defaults with your channel-level metadata, so YouTube automatically applies these settings to every video you upload.
Write descriptions with keywords: For each new video, write a description that includes both your focus keyword and related keywords to help boost discoverability.
Test and iterate: As you publish more content, keep an eye on how YouTube responds to your keywords. Adjust your strategy as needed to improve recommendations and grow your audience.

Worth your time

Should podcasting be regulated?

As podcasts continue to grow in popularity we’re seeing the biggest podcasters come under increasing scrutiny for their presentation of alleged misinformation in their content. The latest from the UK was the BBC criticism of Stephen Bartlett for peddling questionable health advice.

This article from Natasha Randhawa for MediaCat goes deep into the difficult questions. Not least, whether Britain should learn from Canada’s Online Streaming Act which brings podcasting platforms under legal broadcasting regulations.

Natasha argues:

“As podcast advertising becomes increasingly lucrative, with major players like the BBC entering the market, maintaining a level playing field becomes more urgent. If Ofcom’s role is to protect both content diversity and fair competition, it must ensure that regulatory measures do not undermine the very essence of podcasting while safeguarding against its most dangerous consequences.”

Read the full article here

That’s it for this week.

Let me know if you give the rule of three a go - or indeed if you have any other (better?) systems for grouping and connecting your podcast content on YouTube. I’d love to learn from you, too!

Until next week, happy podcasting.

Chris