5 Things I Learned About YouTube From 10 Years Creating Cruise Content Online

I’ve been making cruise content for over a decade.

In that time, I’ve made hundreds of videos, I’ve seen what works, what flops, and what viewers actually respond to.

In this article, I discuss what I have learned – it’s based on real results, audience behaviour, and mistakes I’ve made myself.

This article may be of use to those starting out on a YouTube journey, or those who already make content online and want to reach a wider audience.

These rules don’t just apply to cruise content. They apply to any content that creators want people to watch and engage with.

#1. Get To The Point Immediately

Viewers click on my videos because of the title and thumbnail. They then expect that exact thing to start straight away in the video.

I think it is a common mistake creators make – they add long intros, irrelevant clips, or try “setting the scene” before delivering what the watcher actually wanted to see.

For example, if the video is about a cabin, show the cabin first.

The audience is unlikely to be interested in watching you packing your case, getting in a taxi, stopping for a Gregg’s sausage roll on the way to the port, or actually boarding the ship.

You said the video is about a cabin, that is what viewers want to see. If you can’t get the watcher’s attention in the first few seconds, they will simply click away and look elsewhere.

When I made a video about Alaska excursions, I jumped straight into where I had visited and how far I had travelled before going into more detail about the individual excursions.

See what I mean here:

#2. Always Know Who You’re Talking To

I want to aim my videos at an audience that hasn’t necessarily been on a cruise.

I don’t use words like ‘aft’ to describe the back of the ship, or port and starboard to describe the different sides.

I explain things people understand. I say, “This is as tall as a bus” or “the ship is as long as three football fields.” I want to make it simple for everyone to understand.

My audience is largely American, even though I am British. I do have people watching from New Zealand, Australia – everywhere really.

Because I am aware of this, I try to keep things simple and easy to understand for everyone.

My “Britishisms” largely came about by accident. I use words and phrases that are not widely known outside the UK, and watchers from other countries often commented on that.

People pointed that out to me, and asked for explanations. Now I make a conscious effort to find a Britishism for my videos and explain what the word or the phrase means.

It keeps the whole thing light-hearted and fun, and people tell me they enjoy trying out (what are to them) weird and wonderful expressions they hadn’t previously heard of.

I always try to speak to my audience as an average person, who just happens to love cruising – not like some cruise brochure advertisement, or someone who thinks they are some sort of “expert” who knows it all.

Cruising is so subjective; what one person loves, another might hate. Not everyone agrees with my opinions – and that is absolutely fine with me.

What you see is what you get. If you met me in real life, I am no different.

People sometimes complain that I speak too quickly in my videos – but again, this is a conscious decision. If I slow down even for a minute, I find people get bored and click away.

People can always slow down the video in YouTube’s settings if they find it difficult to understand me when I speak quickly.

3. Thumbnails Need To Work When They Are Tiny

Most viewers see thumbnails on small phone screens, so they need to be clear and straight to the point.

I have a bit of a rule: I don’t include more than four words on my thumbnails.

If there is too much text, it is unreadable on a phone screen.

By making it simple and clear, it gets the watcher’s interest, and they are more likely to click on the video.

Strong visuals are best. You see many thumbnails of creators holding their hands to their faces in shock, horror and surprise.

I prefer not to do things like that anymore, but I can see why others do.

Shock and disappointment gets YouTube views. Happy smiling bloggers having a wonderful cruise doesn’t do so well. It is crazy….

The video above did very well, compared to my usual viewing figures. To date, it has got over 880K views, even though it was about a cabin on a fairly unexciting, budget cruise line. Clearly, the thumbnail drew people in….

#4. Save The Details For The Website – If In Doubt, CUT IT OUT!

YouTube viewers often seem to be short on time and want quick, engaging content.

I resist the urge to include every detail in a video.

If somebody wants cruise line comparisons, cabin guides, drinks package guides, etc., they can find them on the emmacruises.com website.

The website can always be updated, but YouTube can’t. This means videos can quickly become outdated if you include too much specific information.

I focus my videos on the most useful or interesting parts.

For full menus or photos of what you are likely to get on that cruiseline, go to my website.

Find an example of that below:

Everything I Ate on my Celebrity Cruise (Photos and Menus) – Food Review

Different platforms serve different purposes, and that’s okay. The fastest, most up-to-date daily content can be found on Instagram.

5. YouTube Rewards Binge Watching

YouTube success isn’t just about one good video; it’s about keeping people watching the content you make.

It is useful to link to another video at the end of the current one, so people will just keep watching (if you are lucky!).

I often design videos that go together, so for example, I will make a video about the ship and the cruise, and then link to a separate video of the cabin I stayed in at the end.

If videos are too long, people seem to be put off watching them. I find it better to make a series of videos about a cruise rather than one, all-encompassing video.

When viewers watch multiple videos in a row, YouTube pushes your content more to them, and you get more views.

Before You Go

Have a look at the resources and products I use to create my content here:

Blogging Resources, Tools and Products I use as a Full Time Content Creator

Why not download the Cruise Globe app, it enables you to track and log your cruises, and see where cruise ships are in real time. The best thing about it? It is completely free. Find out more here:

The Cruise Globe Has Attracted Over 131,000 Users! (Free App)