How I used YouTube to grow my custom ring business

This is a guest post by Vanessa Nicole, who sells custom diamond rings. After graduating summa cum laude with a BFA in Jewelry Design from the University of Michigan, she completed a diamond setting apprenticeship with a Russian master jeweler. Soon she began creating custom engagement rings for clients worldwide. Vanessa has received nearly 2 million organic views on YouTube for her educational ring videos.

For well over a decade, YouTube has been more than just a platform for videos—it’s been a crucial tool in growing my custom diamond ring business. With close to two million views on my videos, it’s evident that there’s genuine interest in the craft and detail that goes into each ring. But beyond the views, the meaningful interactions and quality leads have truly made a difference. In this post, I’ll share how consistent engagement on YouTube has translated into tangible business benefits for me.

Types of Videos

I categorize my videos into five main categories. I tag each video and place them in playlists so viewers can binge-watch topics they’re interested in. 

Educational videos

I find that when it comes to engagement rings and diamonds, often people don’t know what they don’t know.  I try to educate my audience on how to spot quality (or poor quality) in craftsmanship and diamonds, prioritize quality elements for their budget, and avoid getting ripped off. 

One of my most popular videos explains how a diamond that is set too low in a halo setting affects the overall look of the ring. 

Another example of that is a video on How much to spend on An Engagement Ring. And Why buy a Custom Engagement Ring?

Comparison videos

A question I get all the time is the difference in quality between similar diamonds. Is it worth spending more on a diamond with better color or clarity or investing it in karat weight?  I have several playlists that compare diamonds with similar shapes and sizes in side-by-side comparisons. Here’s an example with my oval-cut diamond comparison videos.

Diamond Shapes and Ring Styles

To take advantage of people searching for specific styles, I create videos that show different setting styles with diamond shapes so viewers can get ideas for what is possible.  As an example, here’s a playlist with emerald-cut diamond rings. 

Here, I incorporate “behind the scenes” style videos on how I create a diamond ring for a client, which are really popular. 

Client Video Testimonials

My clients are so kind to provide me with video testimonials. I ask them to share their experience with the process of working with me, not just the final product. I find that it’s good to give them a framework with two or three topics to cover. 

FAQs

As I talk to clients, I find that many of them have similar questions and concerns. I use this as inspiration to make video content and help educate viewers. 

Behind The Scenes

I want to let viewers get to know me and what working with me is like. I created a few videos to help them see inside the business to give them some familiarity and increase their comfort level. 

How to get views on your videos

If you’re just starting a YouTube channel, getting views can be a test of patience. It takes time to get your channel to grow. For me, consistency is key. I incorporate video filming into my workflow while I’m designing. The more videos I create, the more visibility I get because the YouTube algorithm is more likely to recommend videos from serious content creators. 

I use YouTube SEO tactics like researching and using effective titles, descriptions, tags, and thumbnails to increase the visibility of videos and do my best to respond to comments to help foster engagement. 

To drive traffic, I also share videos on Facebook and Instagram and incorporate them into articles on my website and ring guides. In fact, I have an entire video education and ring video gallery on my site. 

I like to repurpose portions of the video into YouTube Shorts, Reels, Stories, and posts. I can get a lot of repurposed content from one video, making it worth my time.

Converting YouTube Viewers To Leads

The key to turning viewers into leads to my business is making it easy for them to get in touch with me. Here are some ways I display my contact information:

• Display my website url within the video, usually the first few seconds
• Add “Contact Vanessa” and a link to my website in the description of the video.
• In my YouTube channel’s “About” section, I include what I do, the ideal clients I like to work with, and how to get in touch with me. 

Through my Google Analytics, I find that I get a lot of leads from direct traffic (people typing my url into their browser) or from people googling my name. This tells me that while many viewers may not click on those links directly, they remember my name and look for me when they’re ready to work with me. 

Over the years, I’ve used many channels to generate leads for my business. What I like most about YouTube is that when clients book a call with me, they have already developed a lot of trust in me and know what they want. My videos do a lot of the education and selling for me. 

Whats your experience been like on YouTube?