Are you in the process of launching or growing a YouTube channel? Would you like to start a video blog (“vlog”) to help people learn about something unique or useful? That’s awesome! YouTube is a fantastic way to promote yourself and your business while engaging with a diverse audience on a personal level. In order to make your YouTube channel a success, you’re going to need subscribers.
Subscribers are people who sign up to your YouTube channel so they can follow your videos. More subscribers mean more views, and more views mean more traffic for your brand and your website.
Whether you’re demonstrating how to cook restaurant-quality meals, teaching outdoor survival tactics, or showing people your personal experiences with a program or a product – subscribers are your life source! Read on for tips on the best ways to get more YouTube subscribers.
Best 5 Ways to Get More Subscribers for Your YouTube Channel
1. Focus Your Content and Make it Valuable
Videos are powerful vessels of emotion. They can deliver feelings and information on a more dynamic level compared with text and images. That’s not to say there’s no such thing as a bad video! No matter what your business or brand is, your video should present quality over quantity. Every second you hold the viewer’s attention is essential.
When it comes to displaying valuable content on a visual platform, less is more. Think about the thousands of videos on YouTube that are similar to yours. Your viewer chose to watch your video, so don’t waste their time with drivel or useless content.
Your channel should have a clear, unique focus that sets you apart from others. Take popular topics and trending themes and give them a new spin with your own perspective. While your channel can be dynamic and versatile, your viewers should be able to understand exactly what kind of products or services you provide.
Keep the titles of your videos as concise and descriptive as possible. Take advantage of the description area – use it to provide original content (don’t copy and paste) and include a link to your website.
2. Respond to Comments and Get on Social Media
Personally engaging with your audience is a great way to make them feel cared about. While it may not be feasible to respond to every comment on your video, respond to as many comments and questions as you can to show your dedication.
While it’s inevitable that you’ll receive some negative comments (everyone does), use them as a learning opportunity. Respond to constructive criticism with courtesy and respect. If you get trolls (people who are extremely vulgar or rude), it’s usually best to ignore them. Never start an argument as it shows a lack of professionalism.
Facebook and Twitter are examples of two social media websites that your YouTube channel can benefit from. A social media page can help you build trust with your viewers and give them a familiar place to connect with you. Social media can also help you attract new subscribers when your page and videos are liked and shared.
3. Host Events and Call-to-Action
So, someone has watched your video. Now what? If they didn’t get a call-to-action, they might not take the time to go to your channel. Remind your viewers to “press like and subscribe” on the video. Be friendly, not demanding, or annoying. Let them know what else you have to offer. Ask them to check out some of your other videos and tell them why they should. Is the video they watched part of a series? Do you have another video you’d recommend?
Many people like events and competitions. Rewarding your subscribers is a great way to motivate people and get them involved with your content. For example, you might have a give-away event: “Share this video and leave a comment below for a chance to win x product”.
You can also do something like, “If we can reach x amount of likes on this video, I’ll do a shout-out or host a contest”. People love getting free stuff and feeling accomplished, so take advantage and follow through with your offers!
4. Attract and Engage
Take some time to make your channel inviting and aesthetically pleasing. Just like in the design of a website, your header image will be a main focal point. Make it visually clean, bright, and appropriate for the services or products you provide. This goes for the quality of your videos as well. They should be well-lit, clear, and easy to understand.
You can make your videos interactive and more user-friendly by adding clickable thumbnails and cards. Adding cards to your videos can help direct your audience to other videos, or resources with an easy click. You can also add polls, donation links and promote playlists.
Interactive features will encourage the viewers to keep clicking or enter into a playlist that automatically shows them other relevant videos. When they see that you’re not just a one-trick pony, they’ll likely be more motivated to subscribe.
5. Be Genuine and Consistent
There’s nothing worse than watching a video that looks and feels completely fake. Or watching a video that feels awkward and forced. Does that mean you have to be perfectly upbeat and overjoyed in every video? Not necessary. Keep it natural and positive. Give your audience something to relate to.
If you have a charismatic personality, get them excited to watch you. In other cases, your products and services should speak for themselves. Make it very clear what you are demonstrating and how it can be applied to the viewer’s life.
No matter how you present or design your video, you should always try to talk directly to the audience. Ask them to comment if they have any questions and share what they found useful. Be consistent with your videos! Don’t let your channel die. Even if you have a few great videos on there already, you’ll need to continue posting new videos to give people a reason to keep watching.
It’s alright if you can’t post every day, but try to do one or two new videos a week. This will strengthen the authority of your name and your brand. Give your audience something to look forward to and gain their trust.
Now is the Perfect Time to Start Your YouTube Channel!
There is no better time to make a YouTube channel for your business than right now. As you can probably imagine, the traffic on YouTube is enormous. In fact, official stats show that one billion people all over the globe visit YouTube each month. Not only will YouTube give people a chance to watch and share your content, but it’ll also help you with SEO (search engine optimization). Combining a well-written article with one of your videos is a great way to get people to click your links on Google.
- Read next: How to start a self-hosted WordPress Blog
Creating a unique, engaging YouTube channel and attracting loyal subscribers isn’t an easy task. However, putting in the effort to keep up a YouTube channel can be invaluable for promoting your products and services.
Stay connected with your viewers, give them valuable content and keep them coming back for more. These are some of the best ways to get more YouTube subscribers. If you follow these tips successfully, your YouTube channel will do wonders for your business!
