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Public Relations · Published August 16, 2019

Ronn Torossian
Founder & Chairman, 5W

Understanding and Cracking YouTube's Algorithm

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Many video creators regard the YouTube algorithm as a complete mystery, like some kind of higher power that governs their view counts and sits outside of their own control. This simply isn't the case: the YouTube algorithm can be understood, and used to benefit your marketing goals. In a research paper published in 2016, a group of Google engineers shared their plans for how videos could be filtered through YouTube's recommendation engine for a better user experience. Today, more than 70% of YouTube views come through this very same engine. Much discussion about getting views on YouTube is focused on YouTube SEO, social media promotion, and garnering subscribers. While these strategies certainly contribute to the discovery of your videos, a huge source of untapped exposure lies in YouTube's recommendation engine. Google engineers Paul Covington, Jay Adams and Emre Sargin broke down the signals they use to rank videos for YouTube recommendations. 
  1. The click-through rate (the likelihood of someone clicking your video after they see it)
  2. Watch time (the combined time viewers spend watching your videos)
  3. How many videos the user watched from your channel
  4. How recently the user watched a video about this topic
  5. What the user has searched for in the past
  6. The user's previously watched videos
  7. The user's demographic information and location
While the bulk of these factors are out of your control, you still have some sway over your exposure to new audiences. If you want to get more views through YouTube's recommendation engine, then, you need to optimize your channel and your videos for both click-through rate and watch time. Many YouTube channels struggle to gain traction because they treat their YouTube channel as a place to upload all their video content, rather than as a homepage for a consistent video series. On the flipside, YouTube channels that deliberately build on consistency are able to sustainably grow their subscriber base and viewership, because it makes it easier for people to decide to watch more of their content and subscribe to their channel. Every time the YouTube algorithm has changed, creators and brands scramble to make sense of it, wondering why the methods they once depended on are no longer delivering. At the end of the day, the YouTube algorithm has changed a lot over the years, but the platform’s goal remains the same: get more people watching and engaging with more videos on YouTube. It’s that simple, and it’s more or less the same goal as yours.
Ronn Torossian

Written by

Ronn Torossian

Ronn Torossian is Founder and Chairman of 5W , the AI Communications Firm. He founded 5W in 2003 and built it into one of the largest independent public relations and digital marketing firms in the United States, with senior practitioners serving corporate communications , consumer brands , technology , financial services , health and wellness , beauty , gaming , crisis communications , and public affairs . Under his leadership, 5W defined AI Communications, building brand authority across ChatGPT , Claude , Perplexity , Gemini , and Google AI Overviews, alongside earned media, digital, GEO, and influencer channels. Industry Recognition 5W has been recognized as a top U.S. PR agency by O’Dwyer’s , Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards , Grand Stevie Most Honored PR Agency, a Ragan Top Place to Work in Communications 2026, Digiday WorkLife Employer of the Year, and a PRovoke Top 50 Global PR Agency. Torossian has been recognized with the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year twice, an EY Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist nomination, Business Insider Top Crisis Communications Professionals, and Crain’s New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Research Franchise 5W’s research franchise has become an industry reference for measuring brand visibility inside AI-generated answers, including the AI Visibility Index Series , The GEO Reckoning , The Missing Rung Report, and the 5W AI Power User Study , which identified a 99-point AI favorability gap. Crisis Communications Torossian is one of the world’s foremost crisis communications experts. He has counseled blue chip companies, public company boards, founders, and public figures through ransomware incidents, data breaches, regulatory investigations, high-stakes litigation, activist investors, product recalls, and reputational crises. He has taught crisis communications at Harvard University . Media & Commentary Torossian appears on CNN and CNBC . He is a contributing columnist for Forbes and the New York Observer , his writing on AI communications and brand reputation is published on his personal site, and his commentary has appeared in the Wall Street Journal , Entrepreneur , Adweek , PRWeek , and O’Dwyer’s . Published Work Torossian is the author of For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations , now in its second edition and used in university and graduate communications programs. He continues that commentary on his own publishing platform , where he writes about reputation, crisis, and AI-mediated discovery. Owner and Publisher, Everything-PR Network Torossian is owner and publisher of the Everything-PR Network , an independent intelligence platform covering public relations, marketing, AI communications, and adjacent industries across 30 publications. Everything-PR is editorially independent from 5W, with published editorial standards and ethics standards . The network is one of the most-cited sources inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini for PR and marketing queries. He is also an active investor and advisor, a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) , and serves on nonprofit boards.

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