Do you know what the top 10 videos on youtube have in common? Besides the fact that they all went viral, they share a few critical elements: the right hashtags, perfectly crafted descriptions, and optimized titles. By the end of this guide, you’ll know exactly how to replicate these strategies to grow your YouTube channel—regardless of your niche, subscriber count, or previous posting history.

Hashtag Strategies: A Blueprint for Success

1. Use Niche-Specific Hashtags

Niche-specific hashtags are directly related to your content. For instance:

• Weight loss content: #WeightLoss

• Sports content: #NBA or #Yankees

• Shorts content: #Shorts

Pro Tip: Avoid irrelevant hashtags, always use popular hashtags, and place them correctly. For YouTube Shorts, hashtags belong after the title. For long-form videos, they should be at the end of the description. Limit your hashtags to three to avoid clutter.

2. Expand with Four Niche-Specific Hashtags

While sticking to niche-specific tags, you can expand to four hashtags. However, keep them concise to avoid distracting viewers or disrupting their experience.

Warning: Overly long hashtags can hurt your video’s retention rate and impact YouTube’s willingness to push your content.

3. The Power Combo: Two Niche-Specific Hashtags and #Shorts

This is the ultimate hashtag strategy, especially for small creators aiming to go viral. It works across all niches and maximizes your video’s discoverability.

Optimizing Titles, Descriptions, and Tags

Titles That Drive Views

A strong title should include the keyword you’re targeting. For example:
"Use This Hack to Get More Subscribers on YouTube Shorts Fast"

Description Best Practices

Repeat your target keyword twice within the description. This ensures YouTube understands your video’s topic.

Tag Optimization

• Fill tags with over 400 characters.

• Use long-tail keywords for better contextual relevance.

• For example: Instead of #Subscribers, use #GetMoreSubscribersOnYouTube.

Tool Recommendation: Platforms like VidIQ can simplify keyword and tag research. They can suggest titles, descriptions, and tags tailored to your video goals.

Maximizing Video Performance

Content Relevance Matters

Ensure your content addresses topics that people care about or actively search for. No amount of optimization can save a video that lacks an audience.

Ideal Video Length

• Shorts: Aim for 100% average view duration for videos under 30 seconds.

• Long-form videos: Match the length of competitors, with at least 50% average view duration.

Retention Strategies

Keep the first 30 seconds engaging to retain at least 75% of viewers. Retention is crucial for YouTube’s algorithm to recommend your videos.

Testing Hashtag Strategies

For the next 10–12 days, test these hashtag strategies across 3–4 videos for each approach. Analyze which performs best and double down on that strategy moving forward.

Best Tags and Hashtags for Viral Videos

Entertainment Hashtags

• #Shorts

• #ShortsTrend

• #ShortsChallenge

• #ShortsVideo

• #TrendingShorts

• #ShortsViral

• #ShortsFYP

• #ShortsForYou

• #ShortsCommunity

• #ShortsLife

Education Hashtags

• #OnlineClasses

• #OnlineLearning

• #Study

• #StudyMusic

• #StudyWithMe

• #StudyVlog

• #CurrentAffairs

• #EducateYourself

• #LearningTips

• #LearningHacks

Comedy Hashtags

• #ShortsComedy

• #FunnyShorts

• #ComedyShorts

• #ShortsHumor

• #ShortsJokes

• #ShortsLaughs

• #ShortsParody

• #ShortsSatire

• #ShortsSpoof

• #ShortsStandup

Gaming Hashtags

• #Gaming

• #Games

• #PCGaming

• #GTA5

• #CallOfDuty

• #PUBG

• #LiveStreaming

• #Gamers

• #LiveGaming

• #GamingMemes

Vlogging Hashtags

• #Blogger

• #Vlogger

• #YouTuber

• #Vlogging

• #Vlog

• #DailyVlog

• #ShortsVlog

• #TravelVlog

• #VloggingTips

• #VloggerLife

Fashion Hashtags

• #FashionShorts

• #OOTD

• #StyleShorts

• #TrendyShorts

• #FashionTrend

• #FashionTips

• #ShortsRunway

• #StreetStyle

• #OutfitIdeas

• #ShortsLookbook

Music Hashtags

• #MusicShorts

• #ShortsCovers

• #SingingShorts

• #InstrumentalShorts

• #DanceToShorts

• #MusicTrend

• #ShortsPlaylist

• #ViralMusic

• #ShortsSongs

• #ShortsBeats

Fitness Hashtags

• #FitnessShorts

• #WorkoutShorts

• #GymShorts

• #HealthTips

• #FitnessJourney

• #YogaShorts

• #CardioShorts

• #WorkoutMotivation

• #FitLife

• #ActiveLifestyle

Travel Hashtags

• #TravelShorts

• #ExploreMore

• #AdventureShorts

• #TravelDiary

• #WanderlustShorts

• #TravelTips

• #VacationVibes

• #RoadTripShorts

• #HiddenGems

• #GlobeTrotter

Food Hashtags

• #FoodShorts

• #CookingShorts

• #RecipeShorts

• #Foodie

• #YummyShorts

• #TastyShorts

• #FoodVlog

• #StreetFoodShorts

• #HealthyEats

• #DessertLover

Tech Hashtags

• #TechShorts

• #GadgetShorts

• #TechTips

• #ShortsTechReview

• #TechNews

• #InnovationShorts

• #CodingShorts

• #AIShorts

• #TechTalk

• #FutureTech

Motivational Hashtags

• #InspirationShorts

• #MotivationalShorts

• #PositiveVibes

• #DreamBigShorts

• #SuccessTips

• #DailyMotivation

• #UpliftingShorts

• #LifeLessons

• #MindsetShorts

• #NeverGiveUp