Have you ever imagined what digital media would look like if there were no YouTube? Legends such as PewDiePie, HolaSoyGerman, Smosh, elrubiusOMG and VanossGaming would probably not exist. Thanks to YouTube, anyone can become a producer or director today. However, this does not guarantee success since you are only as good as your number of followers. Posting great content doesn’t always cut it, especially in our competitive online world today.
Most brands aren’t creating any major movies or series, but when it comes to marketing, many of the same tactics are employed. The ultimate goal on YouTube is to build an audience or, in this case, subscribers. And to do that, you need to know what people are going to be attracted to and entertained by. If you accomplish this, then you are bound to become an industry expert, tech guru, or an educational resource to your target audience when they make their purchase decision.
YouTubers aim to find ways to get viewers subscribe to their page. This means that whenever they upload a new video, the subscribers will be automatically updated, thereby increasing the chances of seeing your videos. Every YouTuber wants to keep their target audience and returning subscribers engaged. So, put on your director’s hat and pay attention to these 20 tips to increase YouTube Followers from 0 to 100k:
1. Add videos frequently while maintaining consistency
It doesn’t matter if you’re new to YouTube, the easiest thing you can do to kick start your life as a YouTuber is to post videos consistently. This is the first step in building a reliable and hopefully long-term relationship with your audience. To post videos consistently, you need to first pick out days which you can dedicate to it completely. This allows people to treat it like weekly episodes of their favorite shows and form a regular habit. The more videos you have, the more diverse your channel becomes, and this helps in building a robust library which shows you have a wide range of expertise.
2. Create an attractive trailer for your channel
Visitors are like fishes, so you need to reel them in once they arrive on your channel. A memorable and attractive trailer can be attractive, visually stunning, funny and unique, which shows a brief highlight reel of who you are, why your videos are worth the watch, and why they should be interested in watching more. Think of all the movie trailers you have watched. Their main goal is to build excitement and curiosity. You can also look up your competitor’s trailers for some ideas or inspiration.
3. Promote other videos in your end screen
The more of your videos a visitor watches, the higher their chances of subscribing to your channel. So, the question is; how do you get visitors to watch multiple videos on your channel? The answer is simple. Promote other videos at the end of the current video. This is very common in DIYs and tutorial videos. Chances are if a user watches a video to its full length or even half way through, you can promote other videos related to the topic or even something entirely different.
4. Focus on quality, not quantity
Remember when we talked about posting videos consistently? You should definitely do that but it will only work if you post quality content. Posting consistently does not imply you post regularly, but rather balanced between quality and quantity. Follow the 80-20 rule, with 80 percent being the focus on quality and the rest on quantity. Moreover, don’t try to say the same thing over and over again for the sake of prolonging the video. This will be considered not only annoying but boring, if for some reason, someone decides to stay.
5. Reply to comments actively
Replying to comments is probably among the easiest ways to get more subscribers. Why? Because most YouTubers don’t even bother doing so which gives you an opportunity to stand out. In fact, YouTube itself had a say on this. When creators take the time to interact with their audience, it can encourage audience participation and result into a larger fan base.
6. Ask your audience about their interests
Again, this highlights the importance of interacting with your audience. Think about it. What better way to get more subscribers than interacting with visitors to post content that they find valuable. There is a much higher chance people will be willing to subscribe to your channel if you take their feedback into consideration. After all, it is them you are catering to with your content.
7. Optimize your video descriptions with keywords
That’s right. SEO isn’t just for your website. Google owns YouTube, so you need to incorporate its search engine into your YouTube video titles and descriptions. In fact, if you pay attention, you will see that YouTube videos are given priority over other search results. SocialBook YouTube Builder Tool allows you to get the best keywords for your video.
Keywords are an essential part of digital marketing, so you need to put in some research. You can also reverse engineer your content and make videos based on the highest ranking videos in terms of traffic. For example, you can follow Google trends right now which are mostly all about Covid-19, so why not produce content on it?
8. Brand your thumbnails
A thumbnail is simply a 1280 x 720px still image that serves as a cover for your video. They are your first and best chance to persuade visitors to click on your video, apart from video titles. Viewers hope to see sleek, professional and consistent videos rather than random uploads looking to get viral. If you are aiming for consistent branding for all your thumbnails, you can try out SocialBook Builder Tool which has its own thumbnail maker, or you can use the online version of SocialBook thumbnail maker first. You can get started for free and enjoy other features as well such as suggested video tags.
9. Run recurring contests
Running recurring contests is a smart way to bump up engagement. You can also check out YouTube’s official guide for running a contest. The logic is simple. You need to choose prizes that matter to your audience, and ask viewers to subscribe and turn on notifications in order to participate. For example, gamers offer consoles or gadgets for winners and runner ups. The same way, movies and comic book channels offer merchandise related to the contest.
10. Announce your subscriber milestones
Everyone loves a round number. Announce them, celebrate them and do not forget to thank your audience for getting you there. Milestones build your reputation which helps visitors perceive your channel as the one to go to do when they make a search on a specific topic. This announcement can be either at the beginning of the video or at the end.
11. End videos with call to action
When a visitor on your video finishes watching, they think, “what next?” If you do not give them something to do, they will simply click on video from another channel never to be seen again. Many newbie creators are afraid to ask their audience to subscribe. Don’t be! Literally guide your audience to the subscribe button without any special effects or puzzles. Sometimes, the obvious call to action is the simplest one.
12. Connect with your audience on other social media channels (Cross-Promotion)
Cross-promoting on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest keeps your audiences not only engaged but connected across different platforms. You can simply do this by encouraging people to check out your channel in your Facebook or Instagram bio. You can also invest in cross-posting your content on different platforms for more reach and access. In the last few years, we have seen YouTubers post the same video across all platforms and this is because it works wonders for them. If you have a shot at getting viral, you need to take it without missing out on the opportunity.
13. Optimize your channel page
There are three things that can happen when a visitor lands on your channel page. They can leave right away, watch videos or/and subscribe. You can add some channel art and organize your best videos to appear at the top. This way, visitors have the chance to see your best work right at their fingertips and just a single click away, without any further searching.
14. Try to post long videos
Although this may contradict conventional wisdom, studies indicate that longer videos rank better on YouTube’s search results. Plus, longer videos are perceived as containing more relevant information as compared to short videos. This depends on the title as well. For instance, you can find pizza recipes under 2 minutes as well as over 10 minutes, but the content can be completely different. Visitors also have an expectation of how long certain videos should be. For example, a movie trailer is in between 1 and 2 minutes. Any video less than that might not get the desired clicks nor subscriptions.
15. Write an attractive channel description
Unlike video descriptions, channel descriptions do not change and remain on the channel for a long long time. Sadly, most channel descriptions are poor and usually one liners that hardly provide any relevant information regarding the creator, or the videos they intend to post. Imagine landing on a page which reads, “I vlog about life, food and other things”. Would you click on the subscribe button after reading this? Probably not! So, your channel description should clearly state what the channel is all about, provide important information such as upload schedule, and include an attractive call to action to subscribe.
16. Create a catchy tagline
In the early days, when there was hardly any competition, YouTubers often ignored the positioning of the channel. If running a successful YouTube channel required an MBA, you won’t have heard about all the success stories and digital influencers taking the digital media by storm. So, to brand your channel, all you need is a simple tagline; something different from others in your niche.
17. Partner with other channels
This goes all the way back to interacting with your audience. Your audience is much more than random visitors. Other channels can view your page and subscribe as well. Making friends on YouTube is a smart way to collaborate with the mutual goal of building each other’s audiences. Your audience will trust your recommendations. The same goes for their audience, so take advantage.
18. Upload your content on your blog or website
Uploading videos on your blog or website is a win-win tactic that can help your website’s search ranking on Google search engine. As long as subscribers and prospects go, you are already placing your content exactly where the people actually want it to be or where they are looking for it. Plus, this is a smart way to boost the visuals of your blog as well with quality content that is much more than plain images that do not necessarily capture the visitors’ attention or answer their queries.
19. Use click-able tools in your videos
Thank god YouTube killed annotations a few years ago. Pop-ups are old and something that we’re all definitely doing better without. Modern clickable tools include end screens and branding watermarks. End screens are still-images at the end of a video where viewers can be reminded to subscribe or add in another call to action. So, you have a few seconds until YouTube’s algorithm redirects them to other videos. Secondly, a branding watermark is an extra subscribe button that will hover over your video until it is finished, even while in full screen
20. Pre-announce your next video content
If you have placed a quality content on your channel, viewers who have just seen what your brand is about probably want to see more. After all, subscribing to a YouTube channel is an act of anticipation. Pre-announcing or hyping your next week, and making it clear that you shouldn’t miss it, is the most organic way to encourage people to click on subscribe. Obviously, other factors need to fit in such as your content schedule, and knowing what is coming next.
Good luck with your YouTube career and please keep in mind DO NOT buy YouTube subscribers and views EVER!
