How to edit YouTube videos to save time

Image by Tymon Oziemblewski from Pixabay

 How to edit YouTube videos to save time: A step-by-step guide

Learning to edit YouTube videos in advance means you can skip your content calendar and maybe take a vacation.

If you have been creating video content for your YouTube business marketing strategy, you may be wondering how to edit YouTube videos.

Video editing helps organize social media content calendar. It's a great way to make sure you don't forget to share the quality content you created — often. And editing ensures that you publish those videos in a timely manner to your audience.

Keep reading to get a simple step-by-step guide for editing YouTube videos.

How to unlock the YouTube Video Schedule feature

If you have not yet seen the "schedule" as an option when posting a video on YouTube traditionally, you will need to verify your account. The process is simple and fast.

Step 1: Check that you are already verified

If your business has already created a YouTube channel, click on your YouTube profile icon and select the third drop option: YouTube Studio.

That will bring you to your channel dashboard. In the left column, under your profile icon, you will see many options available. Scroll down and select Settings.

When you are in the settings, click Channel and then the eligibility feature. Under that section, click on Status and features. Here, you will see that your account has already been verified or you can begin the verification process.

Step 2: Prove that you are human

To be verified, YouTube will ask you to select your country of employment and how you would like to receive your verification code. After that, you will be asked to provide a phone number.

Step 3: Enter your verification code

Soon after choosing your verification method, you will receive a six-letter code. Depending on the option you are selecting, it will come with a text message or on your phone as the default voice message. Enter that in the box provided and click Submit.

Step 4: You are guaranteed!

That's all!

Verifying your channel will also give you access to a few other YouTube features, such as custom thumbnails and long videos:

As you get more followers, more features will be available to you. For example, if you have over 1,000 subscribers and over 4,000 public viewing hours last year to qualify for the YouTube Partner Program. This is something celebrities and brands with a lot of fans can benefit from. YouTube has a special request process for users to access this.

But regardless of your statistics, you can start editing your videos. Keep reading to learn how.

How to edit YouTube videos on YouTube

Step 1: Upload your video

Click the camera icon in the top right corner of YouTube. Or, click the red Create button when you are at YouTube Studio. Then, drag and drop your video to upload it.

Step 2: Add details to your video

Add title, description and thumbnail. This is also where you will choose which playlists you would like your video to appear in, the details of the video audience. Lastly, you can set any age restrictions here.

Note: There is another option to verify your account and unlock the YouTube video scheduling feature once you have reached this step. Hover over the thumbnails section, which explains that to add a custom image you will need to verify your account. Then, click Confirm and go through the same steps as shown in the previous section.

Step 3: Select Edit

After working on both the Details and Video elements tabs, you will end up in the Appearance tab. This is where you will see the options for saving, publishing or editing. First, choose whether you want the video to be public or private when it is live.

Then, click Edit. This is where you enter the date and time you would like your video to be live.

Step 4: Click Edit

That's all! You will see this notification if your video has been successfully edited.

How to edit YouTube video with Hootsuite

Using a social media management tool like Hootsuite to edit YouTube videos can save you time by publishing content on multiple social media platforms.

Step 1: Link your YouTube account with Hootsuite

Click on your Hootsuite profile account. Select Manage Social Networks from the drop-down list and click Add Network. That will bring you to this screen:

Click Add Network and Next. Then, select YouTube and complete the steps to connect the channels. You will need to grant Hootsuite access to YouTube before the connection can be activated.

Step 2: Create your own edited video

Instead of clicking the green "New Post" button, click the down arrow. Select Open Legacy Composer.

That will take you to this screen:

Step 3: Drag and drop your video file

First, make sure your file is saved in the correct format. Only MP4 and M4V files are accepted. Click Paste media - a piece of paper clip - and select YouTube Video.

Once you drag and drop a file, the following screen will appear automatically:

Your YouTube channel will appear next to the scanning bar. Once you have connected a few YouTube channels, use the drop down to select the channel you want your video to be published to.

Then enter a title, description, tags and category.

Step 4: Edit your video

Under the Privacy section, choose to keep your video private. Below that, change the option to edit your YouTube video publicly. Choose the date and time you want your video live in public.

Step 5: Make sure you get a confirmation notification

After clicking the Blue Schedule button, you will receive a confirmation notification. This tells you that the planning has been successful.

You will see the edited video in the Hootsuite Edit view and under the edited messages in the Content View.

And voila. Now you can also edit your video on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter without having to sign in to another tool.

How to edit a YouTube video on the phone

To edit YouTube video on your phone, you will need to download two apps on your phone: the YouTube app and the YouTube Studio app.

Step 1: Upload your video to the YouTube app

After you log in to the YouTube app on your phone, click the camera icon. Select the video you would like to upload. Then, click Next.

Add video title, description and location. Then, make sure the video is marked private. Click Upload.

Step 2: Open the YouTube Studio app

Change which app you are working on. In the YouTube Studio app, you'll see a private video you just uploaded.

Step 3: Edit the private video

Click on that private video in your list of videos. That will take you to a screen like this:

Then, click the Edit button. This is the pencil icon in the top right corner.

Step 4: Organize your video to the public

Change video from private to Scheduled.

Then, select the date and time you want your video to be public.

Step 5: Click Save to edit

That's all! When you revisit your video list, you will see that it has been successfully edited.

How to edit a YouTube video after editing it

You can edit your video on YouTube, even after it has been edited.

Step 1: Navigate to your videos uploaded to YouTube

Move over the video that you have uploaded and edited. Then click the Edit tool.

Step 2: Make changes to the video details and editing options

Edit your video title, description or other details. You do the editing by clicking on both the Basic and More options tab.

Here, you can also change the date and time your video will be published.

Step 3: Edit the video

To make changes to the video itself, click on Editor. This is the third option at the bottom left of the column.

That opens the video you uploaded and lets you edit your video content.

How to edit a YouTube video after editing it on Hootsuite

You can also edit edited YouTube videos on Hootsuite.

Step 1: Get your edited video

Add streaming to your YouTube videos. Then, when you are in the Hootsuite Stream section, navigate to the video you want to edit. Click on ellipsis for the More Actions option, and then click the Edit icon.

Step 2: Make changes to the details of your video

This will bring you back to the screen you saw when you started editing your YouTube video using Hootsuite. You will see that you can make changes to the title of your video, its description and icon, and the tag you selected and the category you selected. You can also edit schedule details.

How to remove a video from YouTube

To automatically delete YouTube video, navigate to your uploaded videos on your YouTube channel. Select a video by clicking the left-hand box, then select Delete Permanently from the Multi-Activity drop-down menu.

To delete a video with Hootsuite, go to your YouTube video stream. Find the video you want to delete. Move your mouse over the More Actions option and select Delete. Hootsuite will then email you, informing you that the edited video failed to be published.

5 Best Practices for YouTube Video Editing

Describe the content of your video

Write a descriptive, but short, title for your video. Make sure it lets viewers know what they can expect to see.

Write a description of the video that gives viewers a few more details and make sure the description includes keywords. And be sure to add the appropriate tags, too.

Doing all this improves the SEO of your video. In fact, it ensures that your video content is searchable - and viewed and shared - once live.

Know your audience

Analyze your content statistics, using YouTube Analytics or Hootsuite Analytics. If you have a good idea of ​​who is viewing your content on YouTube, you can edit your content on the days and times that are most likely to be viewed.

Research your competition

When do your competitors publish video content and how often do they publish it?

If you are new to posting on YouTube - and probably do not have important demographic data yet but hope to reach the same audience - beware of your competitors. This can help you as you learn which schedule details work best for your audience.

Track your content calendar

Editing a content calendar means you know exactly when your YouTube content is scheduled to be published. See the gaps in your publishing calendar and fill them out. Make sure you do not post content twice. Also, see how your organized YouTube content can be streamlined and advertised on your social media channels.

Edit content regularly

Lastly, try publishing content from time to time so that your subscribers know when to rely on new content from you. That will help your YouTube channel gain loyal followers!