THIS IS A CHEAP VIDEO INTRO FOR YOUTUBE ETC In 2018, the HubSpot Academy team didn't take advantage of YouTube, either. But in the latter half of the year, the team feared the major losses in traffic they could face if they didn't hop on board -- so they implemented a strategy that enabled them to grow YouTube subscribers by 25% in just two months. Ultimately, if you're ready to begin using YouTube to attract and convert an audience, it's critical you optimize your video descriptions for SEO. If you're unsure how to start crafting compelling YouTube descriptions, keep reading -- here, we'll explore various tactics you can employ, and provide templates to ensure you have everything you need to excel on YouTube. Free Guide: How to Use YouTube for Business [Download Now] As Peters notes, explaining your YouTube video and incorporating keywords into your description doesn't just help with SEO rankings -- it also helps with accessibility for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. For that reason, adding closed captions to your videos is an absolute must, too. For instance, take a look at one of HubSpot Academy's YouTube video descriptions: Peters told me, "You get 5,000 characters total, so make use of it. A lot of creators use asterisks or all-caps to differentiate titles from body copy because it's all plain text. Consider writing up a text version of the key points from the video, or even copying the transcription of the video into the description." 2. Include a CTA. For instance, let's say you create a brief "How to add filters to Instagram" YouTube video, but you also have an in-depth, "How to Use Instagram for Marketing" blog post -- why not link to it in the description? More than likely, anyone who is watching your Instagram video on YouTube would be equally grateful for the opportun