What is YouTube Engagement and Why is it Important? [Guide]

The third season of Squid Game dropped on Netflix on June 27. In only 4 days, it got over 34k mentions, including 5k on YouTube. Those YouTube mentions reached 498 million people and generated 10 million interactions. That’s YouTube engagement in action. What exactly is it? Why is it important? How can you get more of it?

💡 Resumo rápido:

– YouTube engagement is the level of interaction that viewers have with your content.

– High engagement is very important. It shows that your content resonates with viewers and they respond to it, reflecting its value and relevance.

– If your engagement is low, there are ways to increase it.

What is YouTube engagement?

YouTube engagement reflects how people interact with your individual videos, YouTube channel, or any topic discussed on this platform.

It’s all about the connection between you (or a specific topic) and the viewers, and it’s expressed through different engagement metrics:

• Number of views 👁️

• Reach 🌍

• Likes 👍

• Dislikes 👎

• Subscriber count 🔔

• Comments 💬

• Shares 🔁

• Mentions 🗣️

To calculate engagement rate for a specific video or the entire YouTube channel, you can use this simple formula:

YouTube Engagement Rate [%] = (Number of Engagements / Number of Views, Reach or Subscriber Count) x 100

There are also many free YouTube engagement rate calculators online – all you need to do is enter the name of a YouTube channel, and they’ll instantly calculate the engagement rate for you.

Remember to check which Métricas do YouTube the calculator uses. Some tools might leave out the important ones, such as YouTube mentions.

É aí que Brand24 stands out!

It tracks all the essential engagement signals around any topic on YouTube – whether it’s your brand, product name, or any other topic you want to monitor.

Let’s calculate the engagement rate for Squid Game using real data from Brand24:

• Reach: 498 214 548

• Mentions: 5 144

• Comentários: 347 805

• Reactions: 10 382 748

Now, let’s apply the formula:

YouTube Engagement Rate = [(5 144 + 347 805 + 10 382 748) / 498 214 548] × 100 = (10 735 697 / 498 214 548) x 100 ≈ 2.15%

Squid Game’s YouTube engagement rate is approximately 2.15%.

Why is YouTube engagement important?

YouTube engagement matters because it shows how people respond to your content, whether they love it, hate it, or feel strongly enough to react.

Engagement is a sign that the audience is NOT bored with your video. And that’s the goal on YouTube: to create content that sparks interest, emotions, and conversations.

⚠️ Remember: YouTube engagement isn’t always positive. It can come in the form of criticism. But that’s totally okay!

Building engagement also means being ready to face feedback and turning it into a chance to connect and grow.

In short:

• High engagement builds a strong community 👥

• The higher the engagement, the more it fuels conversations – in the comments and through online mentions 💬

• It strengthens your presença da marca and reputation over time 🌟

• The more interaction your content gets, the more likely YouTube is to show it to a broader audience 📈

How to increase YouTube engagement? 10 powerful strategies

01 Pergunte ao seu assistente de marca

Assistente de marca, as the name itself suggests, is your personal sidekick!

It’s an AI tool that easily analyzes your brand’s online data from multiple channels, including YouTube.

What can it do? Most importantly, it provides clear insights!

For example, it can tell you exactly how to increase your brand’s engagement on YouTube!

Como fazer isso?

It’s super easy! Just create a new project in Brand24 using your brand name as a keyword:

Brand24 will take care of the rest – it’ll gather and analyze all your brand mentions. Just give it a moment ⌛

Then, on the left-hand side, find the AI Brand Assistant tab and click on it. You can also hit “Ask AI Brand Assistant” at the bottom – it’s impossible to miss:

E agora? Just ask the Assistant the right question:

02 Answer to mentions

Responding to YouTube mentions is fundamental for building greater engagement.

When someone mentions your brand (not only under your videos but also in comments on other videos or even in video descriptions), you CANNOT leave it!

Whether the mention is positive or negative, your reply initiates a further conversation that drives engagement.

Generating this “additional activity” increases reach and your visibilidade da marca nessa plataforma.

What’s more, by actively answering to mentions:

• You build genuine relationships with your audience 🫂
• You demonstrate responsiveness and openness, positively influencing your presença digital and your reputação da marca ⭐️

Como fazer isso?

Brand24 simplifies the process of responding to YouTube mentions. This ferramenta de monitoramento de mídia detects every mention (tagged and untagged), ensuring no opportunity for engagement is missed.

You can filter them by different criteria such as Importance, Influence score, Sentiment, Intent, etc.

Once you identify a mention of interest, click the mention title or the “View” button, and you’ll be instantly redirected to the exact place it appeared:

Here, you can learn how to respond to YouTube comments!

03 Post at the right time

You need to add your YouTube video at the right time. But when exactly is the best time to post on YouTube? 🤔

É when your audience is most active – posting then is a key to getting high engagement.

The YouTube algorithm favors videos that quickly get views and interactions.

The more people who see and engage with your video early on, the more likely it will be promoted to a broader audience.

Therefore, post YouTube videos when your subscribers are ready to interact!

Como fazer isso?

Use o Horas quentes feature from Brand24 to understand when your audience is most active!

Hot Hours provides exact hours for the highest engagement, specifically tailored to your brand, based on your audience’s behavior:

04 Promote your content across multiple channels

Don’t be afraid to promote your videos on other platforms! This will help you reach more people and boost engagement.

Choose channels where your audience is already active – ideally even more so than on YouTube.

This helps you reach the right people and makes them more likely to visit your YouTube channel.

Como fazer isso?

Why would you waste your time promoting everywhere when you can focus on the channels where your audience is already most engaged?

I don’t know either – that’s why it’s worth checking the list of your most active sites in the Brand24 dashboard:

05 Create YouTube Shorts

To build strong engagement, traditional YouTube videos aren’t enough!

You also need to start making YouTube Shorts. Why?

Because short-form videos get more views and more interaction!

Shorts are a great way to:

• Catch people’s attention 👀
• Reach new viewers and bring them to your channel 👥

Como fazer isso?

You can record a YouTube Short by clicking the middle button in the YouTube app:

Você também pode turn parts of your full video into a Short. It’s a great way to promote your regular videos!

Here’s how:

1. Go to your YouTube channel and click the video you want to turn into a Short

2. Tap “Remix” below the video

3. Escolha “Edit into a Short”

4. Editar your Short the way you like, add other detailse upload it

What’s more, it’s possible to upload a ready-made Short directly in the app!

06 Participar de tópicos de tendências 

Talking about hot topics can greatly boost engagement on your videos.

It will help people find your channel faster. Why?

Because many people search for the latest news and popular discussions on YouTube.

So you can quickly attract more views and spark conversations if you broach hot topics.

Plus, when you cover trending topics, the YouTube algorithm is also more likely to promote your videos to new audiences.

Como fazer isso?

To find the latest trends and popular topics in your niche, use Ferramentas de escuta social com IA.

Por exemplo, Brand24 and its Análise de tópicos feature can help you discover what people discuss online e give you ideas for your next YouTube video.

But you can also ask the Brand Assistant 🤖

Here’s the part of the answer:

07 Use SEO friendly titles

As you know, YouTube is basically a search engine – its search bar works just like Google. That’s why SEO matters here, too!

The better you optimize your video titles, the more likely the right audience will find you.

Plus, it’s also essential to optimize your video descriptions!

Como fazer isso?

Use clear, concise titles with relevant keywords that accurately describe your content.

What would you type into the search bar to find your video? Think about it and include those words naturally in your title!

⚠️ Remember: Avoid clickbait. A good title should grab attention but still be honest about what’s in the video.

08 Use trending hashtags

Hashtags on YouTube help categorize videos and are a great way to boost your visibility!

If you include a specific hashtag in the description, your video will appear in a special section with all other videos using this hashtag (of course, if you search for this # on YouTube).

Let’s check #SquidGame as an example:

You see? That’s why it’s worth keeping an eye on popular hashtags in your niche and including them in your descriptions.

Como fazer isso?

Uso ferramentas de rastreamento de hashtag to monitor and measure the performance of Hashtags do YouTube that are important for you.

You can see how the popularity of specific hashtags changes over time.

But you can also track a specific niche-related topic, and Brand24 will prepare a list of hashtags you can use!

Here’s what it looks like for the topic Squid Game:

09 Grab attention with eye-catching thumbnails

The thumbnail is the first thing you see while searching for something on YouTube or browsing any channel.

It plays a huge role in catching people’s attention!

‼️Think about it: Would you rather click on a video with a random frame as the thumbnail, or one with a well-designed thumbnail that includes text?

Como fazer isso?

The best way is to use one of the ferramentas de criação de conteúdo – I highly recommend Canva.

It’s easy and quick to use, and even if you’re not a designer, you can create almost anything you want.

It also offers ready-to-use templates. However, I suggest using them as a base and creating something unique for your channel.

So, how to create an eye-catching thumbnail? Here are my five golden rules:

1. Make it relevant to the video’s content.

2. Add short, clear text. Include words that quickly explain the main topic. Keep it large enough that it is easy to read.

3. Match your channel’s style and aesthetic. Make your thumbnails recognizable by using consistent colors, fonts, and design elements.

4. Use frames from your video instead of random images.

5. Highlight facial expressions or close-ups if possible – faces naturally draw attention.

10 Add timestamps

Why use timestamps? It’s all about improving the user experience.

Imagine you add a podcast episode on YouTube that’s two hours long, but someone is interested in just one specific topic:

• Without timestamps ❌, they might have to listen to the entire episode to find it, which can be frustrating
• With timestamps ✅, viewers can jump directly to the part they want

This makes it more likely they’ll stay engaged, leave a like, or comment, instead of giving up halfway through.

Como fazer isso?

It’s very simple! You just need to add a list of timestamps and titles in your video description:

A few things to remember:

• The first timestamp has to start at 00:00

• You should include at least three timestamps

• Each chapter should be at least 10 seconds long

What is a good engagement rate on YouTube in 2025?

A “good” engagement rate depends on the size of your YouTube channel.

The more subscribers you have, the harder it is to maintain high engagement, and that’s totally normal.

💡 Engagement tends to be higher for smaller channels, as audiences are more niche and connected.

For channels with 1K–10K subscribers (source: insightIQ)

• High engagement rate – 4.14%

• Above average engagement rate – 2.72%

• Average engagement rate – 1.12%

• Below average engagement rate – 0.61%

• Low engagement rate – 0.26%

For channels with 10K–50K subscribers (source: insightIQ)

• High engagement rate – 1.66%

• Above average engagement rate – 1.09%

• Average engagement rate – 0.44%

• Below average engagement rate – 0.26%

• Low engagement rate – 0.09%

For channels with 50K–100K subscribers (source: insightIQ)

• High engagement rate – 1.08%

• Above average engagement rate – 0.71%

• Average engagement rate – 0.28%

• Below average engagement rate – 0.14%

• Low engagement rate – 0.05%

For channels with 100K–1M subscribers (source: insightIQ)

• High engagement rate – 0.77%

• Above average engagement rate – 0.51%

• Average engagement rate – 0.21%

• Below average engagement rate – 0.1%

• Low engagement rate – 0.03%

For channels with 1M+ subscribers (source: insightIQ)

• High engagement rate – 0.59%

• Above average engagement rate – 0.39%

• Average engagement rate – 0.16%

• Below average engagement rate – 0.08%

• Low engagement rate – 0.02%

Examples of engagement rates from popular YouTube channels (based on data from the last 30 days):

👉 MrBeast (410M subscribers) – 0.62%
👉 Netflix (31M subscribers) – 0.04%
👉 Vogue (15.7M subscribers) – 0.08%
👉 GoPro (11.2M subscribers) – 0.01%

These engagement rates were calculated using Socialinsider’s YouTube Engagement Rate Calculator.

Conclusão

YouTube engagement shows how people interact with your videos through likes, comments, and shares.

But it’s not just about YouTube analytics and engagement metrics; it’s about building real connections with your audience.

Considerações finais:

• High engagement helps your video reach more people and builds a strong community.

• To quickly receive more user interactions on your YouTube channel, you can:

  • Talk about trending topics to join current conversations and attract viewers searching for hot topics 🗣️
  • Use hashtags relevantes to boost discoverability and appear in hashtag-based searches ️️🔍
  • Use visually appealing thumbnails and SEO-friendly titles to make your videos easier to find 🎨
  • Add timestamps to improve the viewer experience so they can quickly find the parts they care about the most 🕐

Brand24 will help you understand what engages your target audience – start your 14-day free trial!