Make sure these seven top video sharing sites at the top of your list

Video sharing websites play a crucial role of the contemporary marketer's technological stack. They make it easy to share videos and build a loyal viewership, communicate with your team and connect with your audience in real-time with live video.

Selecting the ideal video sharing app is one of the biggest challenges. Which bells and whistles matter and which are essential features for you?

The best way to reach and convert viewers if the platform offers you exactly what you need -- whether that's an ad-free player that can accommodate your custom branding, robust backend analysis for measuring performance and tracking, or seamless integrations with your top-performing channels , from Social to CRM.

In order to help you to make the right choice, we'll explain all you need to learn about selecting a suitable video sharing platform, like every one's top features, its ideal customer, as well as the possible weaknesses of every tool. In the end you'll be left with more knowledge about which platform is apt for your business or brand.

Sound good? Let's go!

Before you get started

First, grab a pen and paper, or use your Notes app. Write down all the functions you're seeking on a platform for sharing videos. There's no need to be a minute thing to consider, since this is the platform which you'll utilize to showcase your brand, product or product to people. Here's some food for thought to start:

• Do you have the ability to embed videos?
• Will it be able to manage a huge library of content?
• Which social networks are they integrating with?
• Are you able to communicate with your colleagues on the platform?
• Aid you in driving (and monitor) conversions from videos?

Once you have a list of the things you require to get, then you are able to select the video sharing website that meets your requirements effectively.

Make sure to keep these seven top video sharing websites in mind

1.

It's remiss of us if weren't drinking our own champagne at this point. It is ideal for creatives or event marketers, as well as video as well as film makers. This is due to its full set of tools that it offers for video marketing, creation and editing, employee communications, and more.

It can be used for video marketing or sales, internal team communication, or to build a subscriber-only (OTT) channel.

Important specs

• Maximum video upload file size for 250GB.
• Horizontal orientation of video with video dimensions of 1920 x 1080p.
• supports almost all video file types including MP4 as well as MOV, WMV AVI, and FLV.
• Live sessions hosted using may last for up to 12 hours. It also allows you to broadcast live across multiple channels simultaneously.
• It plays high-quality Standard Definition (SD) video as well as High Definition (HD) video, as well as 4K videos.

It's fantastic for what it's good for.

is perfect for providing your viewers with a high-quality, totally ad-free video experience. Essentially, it's great to use for:

• The site is growing in visitors and brand recognition. Make a brand-name, embeddable video player with which you can display high-quality videos on your website. It is also possible to automatically add captions to the videos you create with -making your content more accessible.
• The process of building your database of interested leads. offers lead generation tools that permit you to collect not only the email addresses of interested customers as well as other information such as their areas of interest. Also, the leads are automatically synced with top email marketing platforms such as Mailchimp along with Hubspot.

• Involves converting interested customers to videos. Make shoppable videos that link to products within the video.

The video sharing platform's shortcomings

Despite offering exceptional audio and video quality, and a full suite of video creation and distribution software, some users have said they've had trouble understanding pricing plans.

The problem is: pricing plans are difficult to understand due to their diverse and customizable. This way, everyone is able to use the plan, from tiny creators to enterprises and large teams -- can use pricing plans that fit the budget of their respective.

2. YouTube

YouTube is a great video-sharing site that is ideal for makers and marketers. You can use it to reach out to the adults (between 18-34) that make up about 68% of the users on YouTube.

The percentage of older people who use YouTube is also steadily rising. A study even confirms that the percentage of Americans aged 50-64 who use YouTube has increased from 70% to 83% between 2019 to 2021. This means you can reach those people via YouTube also.

Important specs

• The most common aspect ratio of YouTube videos played on computers is 16:9.
• YouTube supports the following video file formats including MOV, MP4, MPG, AVI MPEG-1 MPEG-2 MPEG4, and WMV.
• Video orientation: horizonal video for videos with full length as well as vertical videos for YouTube Shorts.
• YouTube videos can be between 15 and 30 minutes. However, verified accounts are able to, upload videos longer than 15 minutes.
• YouTube provides high quality video. The most common YouTube video resolutions include 1920 x 1080p as well as 1280 to 720p. YouTube also supports resolutions as low as 426 x 242p, and up to 3840x2160 (4K resolution)

It's fantastic for what it's good for.

YouTube can be used as a platform for video sharing for free. Upload videos to all funnel stages and embed those videos on your site too.

Let's break down YouTube's use of cases:

• Enhancing brand awareness and community building. Create videos to grow an active following. It is also a great way to keep customers loyal through uploading videos about your product which instruct your customers on how to use your tool (useful for SaaS marketing).
• creating video content throughout the funnel stages. Make use of YouTube to build playlists with videos from different funnel stages. For example, you can create educational videos for the top level, case studies and comparison videos for the middle funnel stage and videos that answer questions for interested buyers toward the lowest point of the funnel.
• Availing lots of monetization options. This one's a use case that applies to creators who have at minimum 50k subscribers. It is possible to sell your products or develop exclusive content to earn the cost of a subscription.

The video sharing platform's shortcomings

With nearly 150,000 new videos being uploaded each minute it's quite crowded. Besides a creative approach, you'll need to have confidence in YouTube SEO to get your content to be ranked in the search results and increase your following.

However, it's crucial to realize that making and growing on YouTube is playing in rented space over which you're in any control.

YouTube also does not permit branding, which can lead to a negative viewer experience.

As viewers stream YouTube videos on your website and visit your site, they must be able to endure frequent advertisements, some of which tend to not be able to be skipped. The risk is of losing engaged viewers. When they've finished it is YouTube's algorithm that recommends similar videos that are on other channels of their platform. So, it's a way of removing users from your site.

Lastly, YouTube's in-built analytics do not provide a comprehensive analysis of who's viewing your videos. You also can't understand much about how viewers are engaging with the video, leaving you with scarce data to optimize your video creation strategy.

3. TikTok

TikTok is best for new creators wanting to overcome the getting-started-with-video curve.

It's also an excellent tool for brands and marketers dedicated to creating an active community and driving traffic to their videos in long-form.

Utilize it to connect with an active user base that is between the ages of 18-24 the largest portion of users.

Important specs:

• The length limit for videos you can upload on TikTok is 10 minutes.
• TikTok is compatible with the following video formats including MOV and MP4 files.
• Videos you upload should have a maximum size of 72MB in Android and 287.6 MB for iOS.
• TikTok video dimensions are 1080 x 2024 with an aspect ratio that is similar to a standard smartphone screen: 9:16.
• Preferred video orientation is vertical. The horizontal video format is also acceptable however.

Alongside these specs In addition, keep in mind that this video sharing platform has a wide range of in-app video editing features. They include a variety of filters and royalty-free music which make it simple to produce videos -- even for starters.

What's it great for

TikTok is a great platform for both brands and creators in all industries. Comparatively to YouTube It's still relatively young and therefore not quite as crowded. This leaves plenty of space for growth.

The platform is, particularly, great for:

• The testing of content ideas. Engaged users and short-form videos that require less expense for production makes TikTok an ideal platform to test concepts.
• Learn what is popular with the people you want to reach. Create short videos to understand the best ways to hook viewers with your video, edit effects, patterns, and many more, get the most engagement.
• Sharing top-of-the-funnel content. In this way, you'll be able to bring interested leads further into the funnel, by inviting viewers to view your lengthy video content or visit your website.

• Collaborating with creators and brands. Marketers are able to collaborate with specific TikTok makers and influencers in order for a greater reach or even boost revenues. On the other hand creators have the opportunity to monetize their TikTok presence with opportunities like branding endorsements or sponsorships.
• Engaging with your audience. Features like Duets and challenges are effective to engage your audience as well as increasing awareness of your brand.

Video sharing's flaws

Although TikTok can help you increase the visibility of your brand and connect with your customers, it's not perfect by the type of types of content you can post.

4. Twitch

Twitch is among the best applications for video streaming to marketers interested in streaming live like broadcasting live classes as well as live talk shows.

Over two thirds of Twitch users are less than 35. Therefore, if your intended group falls within this age group, Twitch is the place to be.

Important specs

• The longest broadcast duration on Twitch is 48 hours.
• The resolution of Twitch's video is 1920 x 1080 pixels.
• It can support the following video file types It supports the following video file types: MOV, MP4, FLV, AVI, and.

What it's great for

Twitch is helpful for:

• Engaging and building your followers in real-time. It gives you the chance to know more about your audience and develop content you think they'll want.
• A platform that isn't as competitive TikTok and YouTube. Outside of the gaming industry, Twitch isn't a fiercely competitive space. This increases the chances of success on the platform provided your audience is here.

Video sharing's flaws

As with YouTube, live streaming on Twitch is growing on a third-party site. It's possible to embed live streams on your website, but there's little control over where your content lives.

Twitch isn't the ideal platform if you're looking to edit your live streams or publish them on demand.

For creators too, Twitch offers few monetization opportunities at the time when I wrote this.

5. Instagram

Instagram, another one of the top video sharing platforms can be a great tool for marketing (especially in the retail or DTC space) as well as creators who want to get their message across to millennials and Gen Z which comprise most users Instagram Instagram users.

Important specs

• Instagram Reel length is between 15 and 90 seconds. Live videos can last up to 4 hours.
• The video aspect ratio is 9:16 and 1.91:1 with a minimum video resolution of 720 pixels.
• The maximum file size for 10 minutes or longer Instagram videos is 700MB. If videos last for more than sixty minutes long, the max dimensions are 3.6 GB.

What it's great for

Much like TikTok, Instagram is a platform for growing brand awareness as well as sharing content that is top of the line. The opportunities to earn money for creators is similar too including sponsorships for brands and partnerships with influencers.

Let's take a look at the things Instagram is good at:

• Create interactive stories. Include stickers, questions and polls to your video Stories to get the attention of more users to your story -- and even spur sales.
• Encouragement to people to purchase with you via Instagram Shops. By setting up Instagram Shopping, the creators and marketers can add their items in their posts to encourage customers to purchase within the application.
• Enhancing the human aspect of your brand. Use Stories and join live on Instagram to show behind-the-scenes videos and more.

The shortcomings of the video sharing platform

This isn't an issue because of the nature of Stories yet they're not permanent. This means that your videos Stories will disappear within 24 hours, unless you save the story to highlight it on your profile.

Reels, the type of video format which Instagram currently favors, Instagram algorithm favors currently doesn't do much in terms of bringing people to your site. This makes Reel content good for brand awareness, but it's not much help in encouraging the conversion of macro and micro-sized items directly.

Similar to YouTube and TikTok all videos you create on Instagram is rented and is subject to the whims of the Instagram algorithm in terms of the way it operates.

6. Dailymotion

A majority of Dailymotion users belong to the 25-34 age bracket, making it an ideal video sharing platform to reach this group. Unlike and other video sharing platforms, Dailymotion does not offer a lot of opportunities for independent creators to grow and earning money from their audiences.

Important specs

• The size of the maximum video upload file is 2GB and 60 minutes. The upload limit is 2 hours worth of videos per every day.
• Accepted video formats included on Dailymotion are AVI MP4, FLV and DV. 3GP, WMV, and MPEG.
• Dailymotion live streams run for 10-hours maximum, using the video sharing website that supports an adaptive HLS stream.

It's fantastic for what it's good for.

Dailymotion makes it easy to share your videos on social media platforms and then incorporate them into your website. You can also use it for the following:

• The service offers a customized viewing experience. Dailymotion lets you build a virtual jukebox in which you can upload your preferred videos available to the viewers.
• reaching a specific segment of viewers. Dailymotion offers categories. Make use of them when you upload your videos in a hurry to reach particular viewers

The video sharing platform's shortcomings

Dailymotion restricts the video content that you upload to a maximum of 2 hours each day. Each video is max. 60 minutes in length.

It can limit marketers and filmmakers in video production. Actually, contrary to the program allows unlimited uploads of videos, with 25GB of size.

Users of Dailymotion also complain of the slow buffering of the videos uploaded to the platform as well as the slow loading of the platform itself. Additionally, the number of advertisements shown between videos negatively impacts users' experience.

7. Wistia

Wistia is the best choice for B2B marketers who use video to support sales, marketing, and customer support.

Important specs

• The maximum video file Wistia allows is 8GB with video resolution that is 3840px high and 640px tall.
• Wistia Live lets you host a maximum of 2 hours of live sessions as well as webinars.
• The preferred video file format is MP4. However, it supports MOV, MKV, the M4V format, as well as AVI, MPG VOB, F4V MOD, 3GP, and WEBM.

The benefits of it are numerous.

Wistia provides you with full control over your player and the content your target public watches, and also whom in your company is viewing your statistics. What Wistia is excellent to use in more detail:

• The creation of a brand-named YouTube player. It is also possible to make use of Wistia Channels to manage the video content your audience consumes.
• The growth of website traffic is accompanied by conversions. Embed your Wistia videos on your website for an ad-free viewing experience that boosts conversion and helps retain the site's traffic (unlike YouTube).
• Optimization of your video strategy. Wistia provides comprehensive analytics for video that show how your videos are doing, including the way viewers interact with them. It also lets you A/B test videos.

The video sharing platform's shortcomings

While Wistia gives marketers greater control over the quality of video the company offers, their customers are unhappy with its cost. Others also complain that the file structure makes it a tad bit challenging to find the videos.

Wrapping up: What is the most effective video sharing website for you?

To recap, let your goals determine the video sharing website that is best for you.

TikTok and Instagram as an example is a great option if you utilize these as channels for driving users to your website. In the same way, YouTube and Dailymotion are ideal for tapping into the existing users to boost brand awareness.

If you're trying to add videos on your website with a branded player that provides ads-free experiences, this is the best option.

Also, it is great for creating your own video content library as well as retaining traffic to your website, taking advantage of in-depth analytics in addition to driving conversions through your video content.

Want to grow a community of loyal and high-converting viewers without having to rely on algorithms from third parties?