How to use YouTube polls to create more engagement on your channel

Looking to boost your YouTube channel views, exposure, and increase your audience’s engagement? From comments, shares, likes, and dislikes, there are many ways for creators to interact with subscribers. But have you tried YouTube polls? YouTube polls can turn your regular YouTube videos into helpful subscriber feedback tools. 

Read on to explore everything you need to know here like how to make a poll on YouTube and how to create insight-driven videos with Clipchamp’s online video editor.

What are YouTube polls?

YouTube polls are an online poll created by the YouTuber to share viewers’ opinions and responses. Results can be shown in real-time to the creator and the audience. Created through the YouTube Community, polls are an easy way to gain knowledge and use it to your advantage. A YouTube poll can help creators bridge the gap between brands and customers without using an external page or survey.  

Let’s say you have an at-home cooking YouTube channel. Your target audience will be fellow home chefs looking for easy recipes. You can make a poll to understand what ingredients your viewers have in their pantry right now, then create a YouTube video including those key ingredients. 

If you’re running an educational YouTube channel, your target audience is most likely students seeking additional information and help. Create a YouTube poll to understand what areas your viewers need the most help with and convert the highest upvoted answer into your next tutorial YouTube video.

Check your YouTube poll eligibility

There are a few requirements both creators and subscribers must fulfill before using YouTube polls. 

YouTube poll requirements for content creators

• YouTube channels must have over 500 subscribers to access Community posts. 

• If you have recently reached 500 subscribers, it can take up to 1 week to see the Community tab appear. 

• Make sure your YouTube channel isn’t set for kids.

YouTube poll requirements for subscribers

• Viewers must be logged into their YouTube accounts to be able to vote. 

• Mobile users must be using the YouTube app for iOS and Android.

How to make a poll on YouTube

Step 1. Create a new post in YouTube Studio

Head over to YouTube Studio and log in to your YouTube account. Click on the Create button in the top right corner, then click the Create post button. 

Make sure the Community tab is selected.

Step 2. Create your YouTube poll

Click on the Poll option. 

Then, type the question you would like to ask your YouTube community in the textbox. Once you have asked your question, add voting options.

Step 3. Post your YouTube poll

Once you have finished creating your YouTube poll, click on the blue Post button, or click on the arrow to schedule a post. Your published polls will appear under the Published tab, and schedule posts will appear under the Schedule tab. 

Why you should be using YouTube polls

Creating YouTube polls is an easy and effective way for any YouTube channel to boost engagement. Take a look at six reasons why creators should use poll cards to engage with subscribers. 

1. Your audience can guide your video content 

If you’re stuck for new video content ideas or not sure what your subscribers enjoy, polls can give you the inspiration you’re looking for. Involve your viewers and provide them with video choices through polls, making them feel needed and valued. Instead of scrolling through the comments section on each video to see what your subscribers thought about your content, get instant feedback in seconds with YouTube polls. Receiving feedback from your viewers will give you an insight into what content is working and what content you should avoid creating. 

2. Generate conversation 

YouTube polls are great for feedback, but they’re not just for instant answers. Creators can ask specific questions to their viewers via the poll in hopes of sparking conversation and discussion in the comments section. Generating more comments from viewers is one of the best ways to feature on the YouTube recommended page and a great reason to create a YouTube poll.

3. Insight into upload schedule

Creators can ask their viewers and YouTube community direct questions in real-time. Find out through a YouTube poll what time or days viewers prefer to watch videos, so you can batch create content in advance. Choosing upload days that work best for viewers can boost engagement. Simple but effective. 

4. Better support for virtual learning

Educational channels like virtual learning can use polls to gather insights into what viewers struggle to understand or need some extra help. A poll is entirely anonymous, so viewers can keep their opinions private.

5. Have fun with your subscribers and viewers

Polls don’t always have to be serious questions. You can create a YouTube poll to have fun interactions with their audience through engaging, different questions to gain attention. Try and get viewers to show emotion and engage in the conversation. By connecting with viewers on a personal and friendship level, the more subscribers you could gain. 

6. Re-engage subscribers on past content

Gain more views by redirecting viewers to older video content through YouTube polls. New subscribers might not be familiar with your past content, so YouTube polls can lead them to watch more on your channel. You can even repurpose suggested videos in the YouTube poll into YouTube Shorts. Polls are an essential tool to help creators gather information, interact with subscribers and guide the future of your channel. 

Easily make YouTube polls for your channel

Gather feedback and guidance from your audience and subscribers to take your YouTube channel to the next level. 

Want to make beautiful videos fast? Create and publish YouTube videos without leaving your browser with Clipchamp’s free online video editor.