How to Name Your Wistia Channel

With Wistia Channels, the name-picking power is in your hands. And believe it or not, the name you pick may ultimately influence the number of clicks, views, and video engagement you get on that Channel. But how are you supposed to pick just one name that encompasses all of your videos, while still bringing all the views, clicks, and engagement you want? Don’t worry. We’ve got some tips that’ll simplify the process and make you believe in the power of name-picking in no time.

What’s in a Channel name?

For businesses using video for marketing, a Wistia Channel turns your collection of videos into a destination where people can explore certain topics in depth and get to know your brand. Because this is a singular destination, it’s important to come up with a cohesive name that accurately describes the Channel. To do that, you need to think beyond your individual videos.

When you think about your Channel on a more holistic level, you should consider the following factors:

• Branding — the “identity” factor: The name you pick will be very public, so it needs to accurately reflect your videos and your brand.
• Discoverability — the “index” factor: The Channel name comes up in search, so you want people searching for a relevant topic to find your video content fast — and first.
• Shareability — the “click” factor: Your audience watches a lot of stuff online. A catchy name for your Channel will make it easy for people to remember. That means when it comes time to share your videos, they’ll be able to pull up your Channel and link to it instantly.

Considering these factors as you set up your video Channel will help you grow your audience and your brand over time. To dig a little deeper, let’s break down the three factors we mentioned above: branding, discoverability, and sharing. Shall we? We shall!

“Considering these factors as you set up your video Channel will help you grow your audience and your brand over time.”

Creating a brand for your Channel

When you’re thinking about your Channel, remember that it should support your company’s brand but also have its own identity. Plus, the name you pick should align with your marketing strategy, whether that’s connecting with a particular audience, highlighting your product, or educating your viewers. To get just the right fit, here are some tips to keep in mind.

Be specific

Regardless of your industry, it’s important to narrow in on a niche. Let’s take a look at the topic of real estate as an example. Real estate is far too broad of a term to use on its own for your Channel name. Instead, you’ll want to pick a more narrowly defined niche, like “The Smart Real Estate Investor” or “Architects Eating Lunch.” This will help you build an audience faster because you know it relates to the overarching subject, but there’s something specific your viewers can latch onto.

Know your audience

In addition to knowing your topics, you should have a good idea of who will be watching your videos. If you want to appeal to a certain type of viewer, then be sure to include terms they resonate with in the name! To keep up with the real estate theme, you could add words like agent, investor, or homeowner right in the name of your Channel.

Don’t just use your company name

Some people rely on the strength of their company names alone to build up a brand. But unless your company’s brand as a whole is the purpose behind your Channel, this can be both too general and too limiting for your business over time. Not only that, but you also run the risk of your brand changing. Brands evolve, and if there’s any chance that your company will pivot, or the focus of the Channel will change, we recommend trying to avoid using just your company name.

Picking a search-friendly name

Something else to keep in mind is how your Channel shows up in search. Whether people are searching for your Channel by name, or for individual videos, you’ll want your Channel to appear in the results. If you align your name with commonly searched terms, then you’ll create more visibility for your content and have a better chance at boosting your rankings online.

For example, Brian Cox, aka The Travel Vlogger, has over 25K subscribers on YouTube, but the Channel itself ranks at the number two position on the Google results for “travel vlog.” His smart SEO strategy will help him continue to grow his channel organically, with little extra effort on his part.

This is a pretty straightforward strategy, but SEO (especially as it relates to video) can get complicated really quickly. With that in mind, here are a few SEO tips to remember when it comes to naming your business Channel.

Use keyword tools for research

Plug your potential Channel names into tools like Ahrefs or Keywords Everywhere to see what the keyword volumes are, as well as the competition score. That way, you can see exactly how many people are searching on Google for your terms and how hard it will be to land on page one of the results.

Check for other similar Channels

Do research to make sure that your name isn’t already in use on YouTube and beyond. Also, check for similar video Channels in your category. Less competition = more search traffic for your Channel.

Use related terms in video titles

When you create lots of high-quality content around a certain topic, Google’s algorithm will start to recognize your Channel as an authority on that topic. So, if you’re tying your Channel name to an SEO term (the wheel), make sure that the individual titles of videos are related terms (spokes). You can find related terms in your keywords tool. This will show Google that you’re continuing to contribute valuable and expert information through your videos.

Be patient

SEO takes a bit of time to work (you have to prove your trustworthiness to Google). So, be patient if you aren’t instantly ranking where you’d like. Even a little bit of effort and research can go a long way in helping your results.

Increasing shareability and getting clicks

With a catchy name, people will be more likely to remember and share your Channel content. People don’t watch videos just because they are educational; they also watch to be entertained and inspired. A catchy title will instantly endear your audience to you and make them more excited about viewing and sharing your content. This gives your originality a chance to shine, as well as gain name recognition and spread your message.

“People don’t watch videos just because they are educational; they also watch to be entertained and inspired.”

For example, YouTubers The Try Guys (7.59M subscribers) started off making videos as BuzzFeed employees, but the success of their series about — yes, trying new things — led them to branch out on their own and create a successful media brand. While the success can be attributed to the creative and sometimes daring content — like trying everything at Taco Bell or giving a plastic surgeon free rein with their faces — the intriguing name certainly doesn’t hurt, either. They even sell merch with their name on it.

Here are some other tips for picking a catchy name:

• Keep it short
• Use humor
• Be relatable
• Be surprising
• Avoid apathy — pick something likely to evoke emotion
• Use alliteration or rhyming (sparingly)
• Don’t use made-up or jumbled phrases or camelCase combinations

A great Channel name will help you decide what direction to take your efforts, which will position your brand for success later on. With a focused, SEO-driven, memorable channel name, you can connect with a wider audience, grow your channel, and make an emotional impact, right from the start!