6 Tips for Growing Your YouTube Channel

There are currently over 2 billion users on YouTube across the globe. Additionally, the YouTube channel with the largest number of subscribers is T-Series with 148 million. 

When you’re just starting out in the YouTube community, seeing numbers like that can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re struggling to get subscribers and even views on your own channel. 

Thankfully, if you want to know how to get 1000 YouTube subscribers relatively quickly, it isn’t as hard as you might think! Whether you’re building your own personal brand and you’re trying to become an influencer, or you want to grow your marketing strategy for your business by introducing the video, YouTube is an excellent platform for people (and companies) to get noticed. 

So, what can you do to grow your YouTube channel naturally and effectively, without having to blow your budget or give into any gimmicks? Let’s look at six tried and true ways you can attract more views and subscribers. 

Understand that SEO Applies to Video

If you’ve dabbled into any area of marketing, you probably already know how important SEO is when it comes to your website. But, it’s equally important to find YouTube followers and to get your videos noticed. 

With that in mind, it’s a good idea to center your videos around one specific keyword or idea. Think about using keywords in videos the same way you would when writing web content or blogs. 

Try to select your keyword before you even make the video. This will allow you to slip it into the video itself naturally. Like written content, search engines (including YouTube) don’t like it when keywords are overused or forced, or they don’t make sense with the rest of the content. So, having a relevant keyword is great, but make sure your video is still conversational in nature, and people can relate to it without you sounding like a robot. 

Create Relevant Content

Creating relevant, consistent, and continual content is one of the most important things you can do to build a YouTube following. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean you always have to be in front of a camera. 

Many people come to YouTube looking for “how-to” videos or tutorials. They want answers to questions in clear, concise ways. One way to do that is to create simple animated videos. You can even use slides with transitional effects to make it work if you don’t have a lot of editing experience. In these videos, you can answer questions, show how to do something, or give a quick lesson on what people can expect from your product or service. As long as the content is relevant to who you are and what you do and is interesting for viewers, it will likely get views. 

Use YouTube as a Social Media Channel

When most businesses and brands think about social media, platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram often come to mind. But, it’s important to remember that YouTube is a social media outlet, too. Don’t ignore the people on your YouTube channel or those who leave comments on your videos.

In fact, YouTube is one of the greatest social media platforms to connect with people because you can show off the more humanistic side of your brand. Encourage people to leave comments and ask questions. The more engaged your viewers are, the more YouTube will take notice. The company likes engagement in the form of comments, likes and dislikes, and subscriptions. Leaving a call to action to your viewers to do all of those things can get you noticed quickly, and lead to some great discussions on your videos. 

Additionally, you should promote your YouTube videos on your other social media platforms. For example, if you’re just starting out on YouTube and struggling to get subscribers, but you have a huge following on Facebook, share the link to your latest YouTube video on your Facebook page. Every time someone clicks on it, another view is added to the tally. Plus, if someone is already a fan of yours on Facebook, they are likely to become a subscriber on YouTube. 

Give a Face to Your Brand

Again, YouTube is great because it can show the more human side of your company. Whether you’re building a personal brand or working for a company, don’t be afraid to show yourself on camera. 

That isn’t always easy for everyone, but it’s extremely important to give your brand or business a face. If you really don’t feel comfortable being in front of the camera, then it might be worth it to designate a spokesperson. 

Now, more than ever, people want to feel connected to the brands they associate with. Consider the fact that people see an average of 4,000-10,000 advertisements each day. The last thing they want when actively searching out a YouTube video is for it to feel like yet another ad. 

So, show off anything from behind-the-scenes action to interviews with staff members. Or, don’t be afraid to try a Livestream on YouTube where you take questions and comments from viewers in real-time. The more you can make your brand feel like a personal experience, the better. Viewers will respond accordingly and are more likely to tell their friends and family about your channel. 

Don’t Ignore Thumbnails

Thumbnails are small, simple images that are essentially an advertisement for what your video is about. When you’re on YouTube’s home page, or you’re watching a video, you’ll see thumbnails of other videos on the side of your screen. The best content creators on the platform spend a lot of time creating the “perfect” thumbnail image for each of their videos. Why? 

It’s your only chance to make a first impression on someone who hasn’t seen any of your videos before. So, while thumbnail images are small, you need to pack a lot into each one. It should suggest what your video is about, stay on brand, and be enticing enough for a viewer to click on it. YouTube will automatically choose a still from your video as your thumbnail if you don’t upload your own. That can end up looking unprofessional and sloppy. So, take the time to create appealing thumbnails, and make sure they are at the forefront of what is being seen on your channel. 

Be Consistent When You Post

Uploading regular content is great, and necessary in order to gain followers. But, it’s an even better idea to make sure your followers know when you’ll post. You should be uploading a video at least once a week, and on the same day(s) and time(s), if possible. This gives your subscribers something to look forward to. 

One of the best things you can do after uploading a new video is to stick around for a while and see what people are saying about it in real-time. You can even answer questions or provide responses, and it will help your viewers to know you’re a real person uploading the video, not just a machine. 

Even though the YouTube community is huge and ever-growing, there is always room for more. No matter what your endeavor may be, don’t get discouraged by how saturated the YouTube market is. All you need is interesting content, a unique perspective, and a few ‘cleaning’ skills to make sure your videos look sharp. If you have a product, service, or brand that people are interested in, it won’t take long at all for you to reach 1000 subscribers. Simply put? Be yourself and let the persona of your brand shine through.