YouTube for Artists Masterclass: Visual Storytelling on YouTube with Lyor Cohen

[00:03] joining us today at the YouTube for Artists master class. My name is Leor Cohen and I'm the global head of music for Google and YouTube and I'm so excited to teach my first master class and answer some of the questions

[00:19] of one of the most important and my favorite topic visual storytelling. You often see amazing colleagues teach these sessions, but I wanted to spice it up.

[00:32] So, releasing music can feel like dropping a needle in a digital hay dropping a needle in a digital hay stack, especially on YouTube. We believe music videos are the core of fandom, fostering a dedicated community. And

[00:47] that's why I'm so focused on visual storytelling, empowering the artist to storytelling, empowering the artist to turn a moment into a movement and to build lasting careers, world building. I'm talking about content strategy

[01:03] anchored around standout, intentional, and authentic content. creative visuals that grab fans and get people talking and give them a reason to

[01:15] keep coming back. It's all about creating unique visual content around creating unique visual content around the song's release. Building a world around the music. It could be anything. A music video, a

[01:30] It could be anything. A music video, a live performance, a short film. The format or scale doesn't matter. It's the creative impact and the power of the idea that draws fans into an artist's vision.

[01:44] vision. My favorite piece of visual storytelling is the music video. They're not just a fun creative outlet. They're a powerful fun creative outlet. They're a powerful tool to deepen fan connections, turning

[01:58] casual listeners into dedicated fans and giving them a reason to engage. Music videos saw [snorts] more than 500 billion views last year. More views than

[02:10] ever before. That's an incredible statistic. Sabrina Carpenter, Victoria Monae, and Teddy Swims are just great examples of artists who have used really strong, cohesive visuals to establish their brand and create a world for fans

[02:27] on YouTube. Their showstoppping videos spark conversations, water cooler spark conversations, water cooler moments around their music, holistically reinforcing their brand. We're not only about the music video. We have a menu of

[02:41] video formats that could help you build a world around your music. For example, a world around your music. For example, we have eight options on the menu today. Eight different video formats. First up, trailers and teasers. Think short videos

[02:57] best uploaded one or two weeks before your release to give fans a sneak peek of your upcoming music video or new music. We have visualizers like

[03:09] compelling visuals like footage of animations on a loop that engage your audience but are different from your official music video. How about lyric official music video. How about lyric videos? Allow fans to follow along,

[03:24] learn the words, and connect with your music on a deeper level. What about music on a deeper level. What about dancing? Dancing in choreography videos are fantastic, especially if your music video has a dance element. You could

[03:39] feature official choreography, highlight a dance trend, or involve fans in the challenge. For example, like Cats Eye created two dance videos with two different perspectives and offering multiple viewing experiences for fans.

[03:56] Okay, we're halfway there. Are you still with me? Good. Let's keep it going. So, how about behind the scenes videos offering van fans a glimpse into your

[04:08] world and help them build a personal connection with your audience. These are connection with your audience. These are moments from a video set, a day in the life, or even clips from the studio.

[04:21] Get personal with your fans. Let them into your world. Next, we have fan videos, which can encourage fans to create their own content using music,

[04:34] like Troy Savon's got me started video, which features creations by fans across Southeast Asia. He's really big there. Now remember, always secure the proper

[04:46] permissions and respect copyrights before uploading any fan content. before uploading any fan content. Performance videos like a live show recording session showcase an artist's raw authentic talent

[05:01] raw authentic talent and the stage presence. Give the artist and the stage presence. Give the artist more intimate glimpse into your world. And finally, our last meal option, alternative versions like acoustic

[05:16] alternative versions like acoustic remixes or different languages. All of these could help capitalize on trends and extend your songs lifespan. They could help reach global audiences by targeting international fans. For

[05:30] example, Mitzky, she released a lyric videos in Portuguese and Vietnamese for all my love is mine, all mine. The variety of options is not meant to

[05:43] overwhelm you. It's about experimenting to see what works best for you, your to see what works best for you, your band, your brand, your fans, your budget, and your well-being. More than anything, have some fun and be

[05:59] authentic. Enjoy the process of being an artist and connecting with all your fans around the world. We're developing tools that could help We're developing tools that could help you build a world on YouTube and take

[06:14] visual storytelling to new heights. Live streaming is a great way to build excitement for a release and create special moments for fans. Lawrence, one of my favorites, hosted a live stream Q&A before their 23 acousticish

[06:31] premiere. Before going live, they promoted the live stream across social promoted the live stream across social media and after they used live direct to easily transition the audience directly into the premiere. This maximizes

[06:46] viewership. Now, let's talk about the big screen. As of March 2025, big screen. As of March 2025, YouTube has become the number one streaming company in the United States. Period. End of subject. It's been like

[07:02] that for over two years. On average, viewers globally watch more than a billion hours of YouTube content on their TVs every day. This is a huge opportunity to connect with a growing audience. But it poses the question, how

[07:19] do we make our videos fit for TV? It starts with creating content for the larger screen. Take tour diaries, behindthe-scene documentaries, fulllength performances. Upload your videos in 4K. Use catchy

[07:35] high-res thumbnails, and create playlists to organize your content. Collaborating with other artists is amazing opportunity too to expand your reach on YouTube. One of the simplest ways to leverage different audiences and

[07:51] build connections between fan bases is by using our new feature collaborations. by using our new feature collaborations. This feature helps artists, songwriters, and creators share their collaborations and grow their channels together.

[08:07] Uploaders can add up to five collaborators to a single video directly on YouTube Studio, which will prominently display each collaborator's

[08:19] name and their subscribe button as well. It's a no-brainer. It's unbelievable. This is an unbelievable product. They will surface the video to all the audiences of the participating channels. collaborations will roll out globally on

[08:36] collaborations will roll out globally on YouTube Studio very soon. Big Thief, who recently released their new music video, collaborated with their label 4 and each

[08:48] band member's channels. It's incredible and it's fun and cool. We launched Genai creativity tools like Flow to help artists use AI to bring their creative

[09:02] artists use AI to bring their creative concepts to life. Flow, Google's AI film making tool. It's called VO3. I suggest you immediately go to it and start using it. Flow puts the artist in the director's seat, giving them the ability

[09:17] to create cinematic quality video clips beyond any of their imagination. The only limitation is creativity. limitation is creativity. Flow is available globally on a paid and

[09:31] subscription basis. The resources tab on the homepage has more information. And don't forget, lean on YouTube analytics for artists in YouTube Studio or on the

[09:43] for artists in YouTube Studio or on the YouTube Studio mobile app. There you can view all the insights on your music and video performances to help fine-tune video performances to help fine-tune your YouTube strategy.

[10:00] That was a lot, but I suggest that you have fun with it and um dig into YouTube and really have an amazing experience. We're here to serve. We so appreciate musical artists. This world needs more musicians, more songwriters. So, we

[10:16] salute you. We're here to work for you. Thank you. And here's the Q&A. Thank you for all the questions. All right. First question. Does releasing a song and music video on the same day make a difference? Absolutely.

[10:32] Emphatically, yes. Without question. We've seen the official music video uploaded on the same day as the audio release result in a much higher subscriber growth and higher views in the first two weeks. But

[10:48] if you're not an not able to premiere for whatever reason on the same day, don't stress about it. You could always upload an alternative video in its place like one of the eight that we talked about earlier. Instead, think about

[11:03] maybe premiering your music video around the major moment. What is the most the major moment. What is the most important point in building visual storytelling in this digital world? They're famished for authentic,

[11:17] standout, and intentional creatives that pulls your fans into your world. At the end of the day, music videos aren't just about views. They're about creating very about views. They're about creating very deep and lasting connections. We want to

[11:32] help empower and harness those connections. Are music videos still worth the cost or would it be wiser to invest the same amount of money towards short form videos? That's a great question. I

[11:48] wouldn't ditch the music video, that's for sure. It's still the powerhouse. It's storytelling and it's thriving and it's growing and it's big and it's it's growing and it's big and it's important and it's part of this thirst

[12:02] important and it's part of this thirst of the fans to connect with a wonderful artist. We're seeing music video consumption hit record highs. In fact, we're over 25% yearonear. Think of it as the way like shorts are

[12:19] the perfect appetizer, but the music video is still what gets fans going deeper and being more engaged with your song

[12:31] and your artistry. What's the best way to scale content from a music video? Your music video can be a gold mine for additional content. We have awesome tools to help it make make it easier for you. You could actually hop into the

[12:46] comment section and use video reply for comments or create a fan engaging short. And don't forget about posts where you could share onset photos or video stills

[12:59] all pointing back to your official music video. So, what's are some effective strategies on YouTube for promoting a song overseas? This is a layup. Tap into

[13:13] YouTube's analytics for artists to find your top international markets. That's just absolutely a no-brainer. To connect with your global fans, you could make your videos accessible by translating titles, descriptions, and ensuring

[13:30] accurate closed captions. For your key regions, consider creating highly localized content like local remixes or clean versions. maybe even collaborate with a local artist. What are the most effective ways

[13:46] independent artists can use visual storytelling to be build a deeper connection with their audience even with limited resources. This is absolutely one of the most important questions. It's not just an independent artist.

[14:02] It's any artist that is starting out that doesn't have a huge bud a huge budget. Great visual storytelling doesn't necessarily need to be doesn't necessarily need to be extravagant. It's about having authentic

[14:16] intention with a clear visual concept behind it. Lean into your strength. Think about video concepts that are resonating with your audience. You are the travel agent to your fans. Take them

[14:32] somewhere. Consider even asking your fans what they want to see. Can we anticipate YouTube improving ways to build even more special moments around music video releases? Absolutely. This is our superpower.

[14:49] Visual storytelling video is our superpower and we're laser focused. We are not lazy. We have a responsibility. responsibility. We honor our two plus billion uh um fans

[15:05] We honor our two plus billion uh um fans all around the world and all the artists and songwriters that make a living off of uh these platforms of uh these platforms by building great products and being

[15:18] focused on making YouTube the best place for every artist, songwriter, and fan. We're supercharging music discovery for fans. so they could easily find their next favorite song or artist. Next, we're

[15:34] working to maximize the impact of the music videos, giving them more visibility and giving artists better creative tools. Lastly, it's all about See, we won't stop until

[15:51] we won't stop until those fans are waiting in the rain in line building communities together with their favorite artists. That's our their favorite artists. That's our mission. Our mission is to build fandom,

[16:04] longlasting relationships between the artist and their fans and making sure that those fans know that they have a community around them. Last question,

[16:18] what is the impact of the official music video that you've seen that doesn't feature the artist? Hm. Well, I guess one of my most favorite um was the Wuang one of my most favorite um was the Wuang Clan's video for Mandingo. They utilized

[16:33] flow to tell a story that they felt strongly aligned to their brand even though they physically weren't in the video. In a world where new music drops

[16:45] every second and the fan attention is scattered, cutting through the clutter is critical. I call it the tidal wave of choice. choice. The question isn't about how to release

[16:59] The question isn't about how to release music, but how to make it stick, how to cut through the clutter. Our mission on YouTube is to be the best place for every music artist and songwriter and music fan.

[17:14] And I hope that you feel inspired to harness the power of visual storytelling harness the power of visual storytelling by building a world and a community with your fans on YouTube. There is so much fun to be had.

[17:29] Let's keep it going. But I want to just mention one thing. But I want to just mention one thing. Don't lose sight of doing your job, the Don't lose sight of doing your job, the critical job of creating

[17:44] critical job of creating really important and remarkable music. Great songwriting. Okay, great songs, great music, great visual storytelling is the ultimate winning recipe. I hope to see you all

[18:01] winning recipe. I hope to see you all soon. Take care. Bye-bye.