So you’ve set up your YouTube channel and are now looking to maintain and grow your subscribers. The challenging part is staying on top of all the YouTube features and online trends to keep your channel successful. But luckily, we’ve got a few tricks to help you out.
Read on to learn the best practices to understand the algorithm, reach your audience, and build a solid community.
The 3 Keys to Growing a YouTube Channel
You’ve got your channel set up and raring to go. Now, it’s time to start attracting subscribers who will enjoy your content. Growing your channel can be demanding, but YouTube expert Dan Currier from Creator Essentials says the secret is to focus more on the journey than the end destination. Here are three things to keep in mind if you want to help your channel grow:
Consistency
If you want to keep your channel growing, ensure you’re in it for the long haul. Consistent branding and an overarching message for your channel are crucial to getting noticed. Strike a balance between being consistent and making time for yourself so that you don’t lose the passion for creating awesome content.
Find out what works for you, and stick to that schedule, so your viewers can always expect fresh content from you. Planning for the long term while maintaining your energy to produce quality videos is the way to go!
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Persistence
If you want to be successful on YouTube, you must be persistent! It might initially seem like slow progress, and you might get overwhelmed seeing other creators doing well. But as long as you keep doing great content and focus on your goals, you’ll eventually get there.
Patience
It takes a lot of patience and effort to reach the peak of success as a YouTuber, but it’s worth it when you finally connect with your viewers. Keep putting out new content, and keep going even if you don’t get big numbers right away. Eventually, one of your videos will take off, and you’ll have a loyal following in no time.
10 Proven Ways to Growing a YouTube Channel
When you’re first starting out on YouTube, it’s normal to feel like you need to see results. But don’t give up! There is no one size fits all approach to growing your channel, but following these best practices will help you get views and subscribers.
Write Attention-Grabbing Titles
The title of your video is vital. It’s what will make people want to watch it. So before you make a clickbait title, focus on creating a title that will give your viewers value. Put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself questions like “What’s in it for me?” or “What should be my takeaway from this video?”
Whether your content is pure entertainment, informative, or relevant, you want your viewers to know what they’re getting into from the beginning. That way, you can be sure they find your videos interesting and enjoy watching them.
Include the Right Keywords
Finding the right keywords for your content is a great way to start. Keep in mind that you’re competing with thousands of other creators from all over the world. Creating keyword-driven content can help you stand out from the rest.
Try out different keywords on your profile, titles, and descriptions, and see which ones can help you reach your target audience while minimizing competition. You can use a keyword research tool to determine which keywords will help you rank in searches.
Research and Post at the Best Time
The best way to find the ideal time to post your videos should be to look at the patterns of when your users are most engaged with your videos and see if they match up with any post timings.
If you want to get the most views on your YouTube videos, posting them on Sundays between 8 AM and 11 AM or after 5 PM is ideal. Friday through Saturday and Wednesday are also good days to post, as that’s when users are most engaged. Don’t worry about posting based on real-time visits, as YouTube is SEO-driven.
Optimize Your Channel Profile
Once you’ve identified which keywords to target, your next step is optimizing your profile by strategically inserting those keywords. A great place to start is by adding a keyword to your channel name or “About Us” section. This will help boost your search results.
If you want to make a good impression on potential new YouTube followers, you need to pay attention to the first 48 characters of your profile. Why? Because that’s all they’ll see before deciding whether to click that “Subscribe” button. So make sure you use those characters wisely!
Optimize Your Video Descriptions
If you want to step up your SEO game, start crafting keyword-driven titles. Maximize your video description to place keywords to boost your search results strategically. Try to make it sound as natural as possible — you don’t want to overstuff keywords for the sake of it.
See if you can relate your video to some of the top keywords and include a CTA (call to action), like directing viewers to your social media channels, websites, or related videos.
Create Eye-Grabbing Thumbnails
Your Youtube thumbnail is one of the most critical aspects of your video, next to the title. A great thumbnail can make your video look more put together and engaging, while a lousy thumbnail can make people less likely to click on your video.
You can create custom thumbnails that match your branding, using a consistent font and style for all your videos. Many online tools are available to help you create custom thumbnails that align with your brand.
Collaborate with Others
Collaborating with creators with the same niche as yours is a great way to grow your following and expose your brand to another set of audiences. It’s a win-win for creators and viewers because collaboration shows the community side of YouTube. Plus, it increases your chances of earning more subscribers from viewers who already trust your partner.
Include Calls to Action
What do you want your viewers to do after watching your video? Tell them with a call to action! A call to action (CTA) is a statement that gives your viewers suggestions on what to do next. Some examples of what you can include are:
- Follow us on our social media accounts
- Like, comment, and subscribe
- Take a look at another video
- Watch this playlist
- Visit our website
- Share this video with your friends
- Ask a question
Adding CTAs to your videos can help engage users and improve your ranking on YouTube searches. YouTube uses all kinds of engagement to signal that your video is worth adding to the recommended videos. When they see people liking, commenting, or subscribing to your content, YouTube matches your videos with new viewers who have the same interest as your audience.
Optimize for Search and Visibility
YouTube is all about SEO and visibility on and off the platform. When people search for something on other search engines like Google, relevant videos from YouTube often appear in the search results, increasing your content’s visibility and views. A great way to do this is to create content and target keywords already appearing in video results on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
Try and optimize your YouTube videos for search just like you would web articles! You’ve put in the time to create great content, so make sure you do everything you can to get people to see it. It’s not a surefire way to get more views, but it definitely can’t hurt.
Track Metrics
YouTube Analytics is a great way to improve your channel! Keep an eye on things to improve your content and grow your channel, such as:
- Total video views to tell you which content users like the most
- Total subscribers to see which videos lead viewers to subscribe to your channel
- Average view duration to know how long viewers watch your videos and recognize patterns of user engagement based on your introductions, thumbnails, and video titles
- New Viewers vs. Returning Viewers to see if you’re attracting a new audience or rekindling engagement with long-time subscribers
- Traffic source types where your audience sees your videos the most
Key Takeaways
There’s no one formula for success on YouTube, but if you’re consistent, patient, and persistent, you’re bound to see your channel grow. Seeing other creators doing so well can be daunting, but don’t give up! Keep going and learn from the best to build a strong community for your channel.
If you’re looking to take your channel to the next level and engage your target audience, put these tips into practice. With a little extra effort and passion, you’ll see excellent results, like:
- Increasing subscriber count
- Getting more views even on your previous videos
- Receiving more engagement and user interaction
- Getting your brand recognized on YouTube
- Boosting your search results and rank
Did you find this article helpful? Get started on your journey to becoming a great YouTuber by checking out our blog: How to Become a YouTuber in 10 Easy Steps
Ervin Kalemi
