Find out how to organize a video playlist on some of the most popular and reputable video hosting platforms.
Whether you’re a content creator or a video fan, the ability to link together multiple videos is an important and useful feature. It’s the best way to offer audiences a well-defined set of videos that follows a specific theme.
Most free video hosting platforms work by serving ads to users. In order to maximize ad return, they try to push users towards popular content. This is fine if you only want to show your viewers a single video, but it can break the user experience if you have multiple videos to show.
For example, imagine you’re creating content for an e-learning course. You probably have a course curriculum that your students need to follow. Playlists give you the ability to set a specific order for your videos, keeping viewers on-task without distractions. Otherwise, ads and other content might easily lead to them clicking away from your content and never coming back.
We’re covering how to create video playlists on some of the best video platforms for e-learning content creators and digital enterprises. We’ll also explain how playlists work on each platform, and how well they keep viewers focused on the videos you want them to see.
How to Create Video Playlists on YouTube
YouTube makes it very easy to create playlists. Any user can create their own playlist simply by selecting a video and adding it to one. The platform offers users pre-generated playlist names like “Watch Later”, but you can also create your own.
To create a YouTube playlist, you must first open up the video you’d like to start with. Click on Add at the bottom of the video and then select the playlist you’d like to add it to. You have the option to create a new playlist as well.
Since YouTube is a free video host that allows all users to create playlists, you won’t be able to prevent ads and other content from sneaking into your list. There will always be a risk YouTube’s algorithm finds something more interesting for your users to watch, and they might click away from your content.
How to Create Video Playlists on Cincopa
Cincopa is a secure video hosting service designed for e-learning content creators and digital enterprises that need granular real-time viewer analytics. Unlike the free video hosting services on this list, it isn’t ad-supported. This means that your viewers will only see the content you’ve created for them and won’t be nudged away towards other channels.
As an advanced digital asset management (DAM) platform, Cincopa makes it easy to group videos together thematically and organize multiple versions of the same video. The best way to group videos together and show them to users is through Galleries. Making a gallery is easy – simply click on the + Create button at the top of the screen and select Gallery.
Cincopa’s galleries offer all the features that playlists provide plus more. You can customize the way your videos play, the appearance of the player, and much more through. This allows content creators to offer users a Netflix-like experience directly through a web browser.
How to Create Video Playlists on Vimeo
Vimeo doesn’t use the word “playlist”. Instead, you’ll find Showcases on the video hosting platform. Vimeo Showcases work very similarly to YouTube playlists, and have the same privacy options. You can set a playlist to be public, private, or unlisted. You can also use password protection to control who gets to see your playlist content with greater security.
To create a showcase on Vimeo, simply open the video you want to add and hover your cursor over the video for a few seconds. Several options will pop up. Choose the next-to-last one Add to Collections. Click on the + (plus) sign next to Showcases, enter a name for your showcase and tap Add. Your video will now be part of that showcase.
Vimeo Basic members can create up to three showcases. In order to make more, you’ll have to upgrade to Vimeo’s Plus plan. Vimeo Pro, Business, Premium, and Enterprise members can also customize showcases in various ways, like adding custom logos and integrating their content with an OTT App like Roku or Amazon Fire.
How to Create Video Playlists on Facebook
Facebook is a valuable social media platform for marketers, but not the most video-friendly hosting solution out there. Keeping video content organized on Facebook can be challenging, but the exposure potential might be worth it for some content creators.
To create a playlist on Facebook, start from your Facebook Page and click on the Videos tab. You’ll see three horizontal dots on your video page. Clicking on this icon allows you to enter the Creator Studio. This is where you can select Create Playlist.
Once you have a blank playlist open, you can select any of your Page’s videos and add them to the playlist. Facebook will play these videos for users in sequential order. You can always edit or change that order based on the feedback you get from viewers.
Unlike YouTube and other free video hosting sites, Facebook won’t interrupt your videos with advertisements. However, Facebook is still a free platform that makes its money off of ads, so it will still present users with distracting advertisements – or incentivize you to pay into its system to get your playlist in front of users.
How to Create Video Playlists on Dailymotion
Dailymotion is a popular video hosting platform for creatives. Any user can sign up and create their own playlist on the platform. Dailymotion will serve ads on certain videos, so users may not always stick through your entire playlist.
To create a playlist, start with the first video you want to add. While the video is playing, click on the fourth icon on the right side of the player side pane. The logo shows a small rectangle with a play button on it – this is your Add to Playlist button.
A small pop-up will ask you whether you want to add the video to an existing playlist or create a new one. Once you make your choice, the video will appear in the playlist you select. You may then configure viewer options and privacy settings for your playlist.
