Do you want to know how to timestamp YouTube comments?
These free, easy strategies will boost your Tube views. If you are trying to monetize YouTube, boosting your watch time to 4,000 hours is needed to make money.
YouTube is a powerful marketing channel. It combines the best of all three worlds.
YouTube is a content-creating network allowing businesses to host content for free, it is a social media network that integrates community-driven features like comments, reactions, and recommendations, and it is also the second-largest search engine in the world (after Google which owns it).
YouTube videos can also be embedded into your own web pages, so they can be an effective part of your on-site content strategy as well.
There’s really no excuse for not including YouTube in your marketing strategy. With various web-based and mobile apps that let you create great videos, YouTube content is also quite doable.
Yet, creating video content is not all it takes for your YouTube strategy to work. You need to promote your videos, engage with your audience, use social media tools (like YouTube posting), optimize your videos for Google search and use all kinds of other tricks to get your videos found and seen.
One of those tricks is creating YouTube timestamps.
By reading this guide, you discover how to timestamp YouTube comments and five creative places to put the link to the timestamp to boost interest in your video.
Let’s read on to discover how to timestamp YouTube comments and more benefits of YouTube timestamps.
What Are YouTube Timestamps?
A timestamp is a clickable link to a certain moment in your video.
UPDATE: August 2023
Discover how to add timestamps to YouTube by watching this video.
YouTube Timestamp Links
UPDATE: May 2023
What is a YouTube Timestamp link?
A YouTube timestamp link is a URL that takes you to a specific moment in a video. It allows you to share a specific time frame within a video with others.
A YouTube timestamp link is also known as a “YouTube time link.”
This feature is useful when you want to share a particular part of a video with someone or when you want to revisit a specific moment in a video without having to watch the entire thing.
Timestamp links are widely used for referencing or highlighting a particular section of a video, making it easier for viewers to navigate through the content.
Whether you want to share a funny moment, an informative segment, or an important scene, timestamp links provide a convenient way to direct viewers to the exact point of interest in a video.
When you create a timestamp link, it includes the video’s unique ID and the time marker for the specific moment you want to link to. This feature is easy to use and can save you time when sharing videos with others.
How to TimeStamp YouTube Comments
YouTube automatically creates timestamps when you post a comment in the time format like this hh:mm:ss. For instance, if you want to link to the beginning of your video in the YouTube comments, you would type 00:00:00.
As you can see, YouTube timestamps are deep links into the video.
How to Copy a Link From YouTube
How to Copy a Link from YouTube:
Copying a link from YouTube might seem like a simple task, but if you’re new to using the platform or technology in general, it can be a bit confusing. Don’t worry, though – we’ve got you covered with this easy guide on how to copy a link from YouTube!
Step 1: Find the Video
First things first, open your web browser and go to the YouTube website (www.youtube.com). Once you’re on the homepage, use the search bar at the top to find the video you want to share. Type in keywords related to the video, the channel name, or the video title.
Step 2: Open the Video
Once you’ve found the video you’re looking for, click on it to open and watch it. The video will start playing on the YouTube platform.
Step 3: Locate the Video Link
Direct your attention to the address bar at the top of your web browser. This is where the link to the video is displayed. The link in the address bar is the unique web address of the video. It typically starts with “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=” followed by a combination of letters and numbers.
Step 4: Copy the Link
Now comes the part where you actually copy the link. To do this, simply click on the entire link in the address bar to select it. You can do this by placing your cursor at the beginning of the link, holding down the left mouse button, and dragging the cursor to the end of the link. Alternatively, you can also double-click on the link to automatically select it.
Step 5: Copy the Link to Your Clipboard
Once the link is selected, right-click on the link and choose the “Copy” option from the context menu that appears. You can also use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl + C” (or “Command + C” on Mac) to copy the link to your clipboard.
Step 6: Paste and Share
With the link successfully copied to your clipboard, you’re ready to share it! Open any platform where you want to share the link – this could be an email, a messaging app, a social media post, or even a document. Right-click in the text field where you want to paste the link and select the “Paste” option from the context menu. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl + V” (or “Command + V” on Mac) to paste the link.
And there you have it! You’ve successfully learned how to copy a link from YouTube. Now you can easily share your favorite videos with friends, family, or anyone else you’d like. Happy sharing!
Why Timestamp YouTube Comments?
There may be different ways to use YouTube timestamps in the comments.
In the marketing context, I suggest using it for two main purposes:
Generate “Deep” Views
A deep view is when your video is watched beyond the first 10 seconds. Deep views make a very important part of YouTube’s algorithm. They signal your audience engagement. If your video generates enough deep views, it is considered engaging by YouTube algorithm and it will be suggested more so it is watched.
Use a timestamp to point to a particular moment inside a video and encourage deep views. These comments always work on me: I am always tempted to click a timestamp when the comment is worded right.
One important note: Don’t give out too much.
Create a Clickable Table of Contents
You can use timestamps to break your video into chapters. This works especially well when used for longer videos.
Here is an example of YouTube chapters:
This gives a brief outline of your video letting your viewers know what to expect.
This is another powerful idea that you can implement in both:
- Your own comment on your video: Don’t forget to pin that comment for others to see
- Your video description.
Apart from generating deep views, this trick has two almost unexpected benefits:
1. It adds visual “Video chapters” to your video description making it much more engaging. It is hard to resist the click to one of these chapters even when the topic is not really fascinating!
2. It helps Google generate “key moments” below your video whenever it ranks in Google’s video carousels. When clicked (or tapped when accessed from a mobile device), a “key moment” takes you to that exact part of the video.
In other words, “Key moments” generate more clicks from organic search as well as more deep views inside your video. Double win!
In all fairness, Google is often able to generate key moments without the help of timestamps, as Google is very good at understanding transcripts these days, but timestamps surely help, especially if you make them meaningful and SEO-driven.
Are you ready to learn how to timestamp YouTube comments?
How to Timestamp YouTube Comments
- Watch the video till the moment you want to link to
- Take note of the time in the YouTube player
- Put it exactly as you see it there in the comment (for example, 0:50 as you see in the screenshot below)
When you publish the comment, the timestamp will become a link.
If you want to add a timestamp inside the video description, you follow exactly the same steps as above.
If you’d like to share a link on social media, in your newsletter, or on a specific website, you can also link to a specific timestamp.
Getting Creative with YouTube Timestamps
Create engaging timestamps
Your goal with those timestamps is to drive people into your video, so you need to make them really engaging. Phrasing them as questions is a good idea, as people tend to respond well to questions: We have that inherent instinct to look for an answer whenever we see a question.
So those timestamps may invite more clicks. To find engaging questions, use Text Optimizer which has a handy “Content Ideas” section featuring popular questions on any topic.
Using Google’s People Also Ask boxes for your target query is another good source of question inspiration. Surveying your customers is yet another great way to come up with engaging questions:
Use quizzes or polls to let your readers and clients share the questions they’d like you to cover in your videos.
Use branded timestamps
Another creative use of timestamps for marketing is to optimize your brand-driven videos.
These may include:
- Client reviews and testimonials. Curating positive reviews using video format is a great way to dominate your brand-driven video carousels
- Product walkthroughs or demos. You will then be able to use that video on your product page as well.
- Interviews with your company’s public reps.
- Your live streams from events. Live streaming on YouTube can be saved for later viewing which is when you can make them much more user-friendly by adding timestamps.
Mind that when those videos start ranking for your brand-driven search, you will want Google to generate those key moments as well to better control the sentiment. Make sure to include your brand name when creating a video outline using timestamps.
Here’s an example of how branded timestamps can really enhance your video’s key moments in organic search results:
YouTube TimeStamp Link Generator for Mobile Devices
UPDATED INFORMATION: August 2023
Farotech’s YouTube timestamp link generator for mobile devices can be found here.
How to Add TimeStamps to YouTube: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you add timestamps on YouTube?
Watch your video. When you come to a part where you want to add a timestamp, note the time. In the video description, type the six-digit time and the name of the section. When you click “Save,” the time will turn blue and become a live link.
How do I manually add a timestamp to a YouTube link?
You can turn on automatic chapters and YouTube will create chapters for you. However, if you want to manually add a timestamp to a YouTube video, follow these instructions: Watch your video. When you come to a part where you want to add a timestamp, note the time. In the video description, type the six-digit time and the name of the section. When you click “Save,” the time will turn blue and become a live link. Note: You can only make timestamps in your own YouTube video description, not anyone else’s.
Conclusion: How to TimeStamp YouTube Comments
Updated Information: August 2023
In closing, you have options when you create a YouTube timestamp link:
- Turn on automatic chapters on YouTube
- Manually add timestamps to YouTube as explained in this article.
- Use the YouTube timestamp mobile generator shared in this article.
By reading this guide, you learned how to timestamp YouTube comments.
You also discovered where to put the YouTube timestamps:
- In the comments section
- In the video description
- Social media
- Your newsletter
- Your blog post
You also received creative ideas for using timestamps once you know how to timestamp YouTube comments. These ideas will boost interest and increase your CTR (Clickthrough Rate).
These signals will boost YouTube’s algorithms resulting in more views for your video.
As you can see, YouTube timestamp is a great way to boost the visibility and engagement of your videos, especially if you use them strategically. As compared to video creation and optimization, it is a relatively low-effort task that can make a lot of difference, so don’t overlook this step when adding content to your newly uploaded or existing videos.
Readers, please share so YouTubers discover this easy, free trick for boosting YouTube video engagement.
I look forward to your views in the comments section. Do you know how to timestamp YouTube comments? What are the results?
Author Bio: Ann Smarty
Ann Smarty is the founder of SEOSmarty.com. Smarty has been in internet marketing for seven years, she is the former editor-in-chief of Search Engine Journal and contributor to prominent search and social blogs including Small Biz Trends and Mashable. Smarty is also a frequent speaker at Pubcon and the host of regular Twitter chats.
