YouTube Basics – 10 Essential Tips on How to Get More Subscribers on YouTube
Youtube is the second largest search engine in the world and video is the hottest cake right now. If you own a Youtube Channel with tons of subscribers, you are sitting on top of one of the best marketing mediums available on the planet.
How to get subscribers on Youtube?
There are two ways. One is the blackhat way. You can rake in subscribers by paying for shady sites and bots. These methods might help you look cool in front of your grandma, but it is profoundly harmful in the long run. So we won’t recommend this way.
Instead, try to grow your channel organically. Remember, having 10,000 subscribers, that engage with all your videos is way better than having 100,000 subscribers that are barely aware of your existence.
Basic Tips to get Youtube Subscribers
These are tips for people who just started their Youtube journey. Though they are basic, they will lay the foundation for your brand on Youtube. So make sure you follow each and every one of these tips:
1. Make your Channel homepage Brandilicious
Most people, after being exposed to your video will check out your channel’s homepage. If you want them to subscribe, it needs to be as attractive and professional as possible. Treat your youtube channel like a brand! The impression you create in their minds in the first 5 seconds, matters a lot.
2. Increase Uploading Frequency and consistency
The key to any relationship is consistency. Same goes for you and your subscribers. You have to consistently nurture your subscribers with top class videos on a regular basis.
The math is simple. More videos mean more minutes consumed from your channel. This is a strong signal to Youtube that your channel is serious about video creation. It increases the possibility of your video appearing on the first page of search results.
Once it reaches the first page, you will get even more viewers and in turn subscribers. If your content is good, people will start sharing your videos leading to more subscribers.
3. Create Video Thumbnails that are irresistible to click
Once upon a time, only Youtube partners could use custom thumbnails. But now everyone can do it just by verifying their phone numbers.
People brainstorm for hours to come up with magnificent blog titles but don’t put the same effort into creating video thumbnails. This is because they don’t realize that thumbnails are to video what headline is to blogs.
All the effort you put into creating your video will go to waste if people don’t click. Your Video thumbnail plays a significant role in making people click. Here are a few tips to create click-worthy video thumbnails:
- Make it consistent: It is better you choose a particular style and stick with it. This helps in making your videos more recognizable over time.
- Colors: It’s better you stick with your brand colors. Again, there is no hard and fast rule. Use the color wheel to decide which color suits a particular post more.
- Resolution: The last thing you want to do is create low-quality images that get pixelated! Also, getting the wrong dimension can make your thumbnails look awkward. Make sure your thumbnails are of the size ‘1280×720.’
- Put your face up there: The human eye is attracted to human faces rather than text or any other graphic. Neuroscience has proved this. This doesn’t mean that you crop in a fixed template of your face in every thumbnail! Use different expressions that suite the topic of your video.
- Size of the text: Remember, thumbnails are small. The text has to take a significant portion of the thumbnail’s real estate to be visible when it appears on Youtube. Many people, having created posters, make the mistake of using text that is way too small.
More people clicking your videos result in more reach and thus more subscribers!
4. Never try to hit an ideal duration for your video
There are loads of advice out there about the perfect length of a youtube video. “Experts” often come up with contradictory statements. While some argue that longer videos result in more view time for channels, others argue small short videos result in more number of videos watched.
So which side should you pick? Neither!
The ideal duration of your Youtube Channel is unique to you. It depends on a lot of factors like the genre and even your style of presentation. Never listen to any of this advice. No one can ever tell you the ideal duration of your Youtube videos.
Set a time that you feel is ideal. Something which is not too long nor too short. You will be able to strike this balance once you create a lot of videos.
5. Use an Intro that keeps people interested
A cool intro and outro section for all your videos helps in branding your channel. If done right, this hack alone can reduce your bounce rates. However, it is vital that you don’t come up with something cliche.
Once you get people hooked on your video, you boost the chances of them subscribing!
6. Go Crazy and Edit like a Perfectionist
You might have a tight schedule because you are trying to upload frequently. But this doesn’t mean that you can compromise on the video quality. You have to spend a reasonable amount of time in post-production to alchemize your mediocre video cuts to a kickass vlog.
Also, take multiple takes of shots that you aren’t very confident about. Add effects wherever necessary. Do this in a way that makes you stand out.
Remember, the more creative your videos look, the more are the chances of getting subscribers!
7. Don’t believe the “experts” when it comes to the best upload time!
Some “experts” might tell you to upload your videos at a particular time to gain maximum reach. Following them is the stupidest thing you can do. Imagine that a 1000 people read this “case study.” Soon, everyone will be uploading videos at that exact time. Your video will drown in the sea of other videos!
These “best time to upload” hacks are basically based on some study. But as soon as the study is out, it becomes the worst time to upload – as everyone is doing it! Moreover, the results of that study might not apply to your channel’s genre and target audience.
The only way to find what works is to keep on experimenting. After a couple of months, you’ll start seeing trends and patterns. This is how you hack the best time to upload!
You can also use tools like Bird Song Analytics to spy on your competitors and get more Intel
8. Translate your Video subtitles to other languages
Before you start translating, you need to know about your traffic sources. For example, after a couple of months, let’s say you find that a huge chunk of visitors is from Germany. It would make sense to translate the subtitles of your videos to German.
9. Collaborate with other YouTubers
A great way to increase subscribers is by appearing on other Youtube Channels. Try to pick channels which have subscribers who might be interested in your videos.
The best way to do this is by being a part of Google’s dedicated community.
Make a list of Youtubers and then reach out to each one of them. Use a spreadsheet to document the whole process:
Use this template while reaching out:
Hey (name)
I’m a huge fan of your Youtube Channel! I especially loved the (video name) video you uploaded last week. It was super (compliment).
I’m also into (your genre). I have a youtube channel with ‘x’ subscribers. I was thinking if we could collaborate on a video. How about we catch up for a cup of coffee?
Warm Regards,
(Your Name)
10. Leverage comments to gain SuperFans
Once your channel kicks off, people will start commenting. This is a very good metric which proves that whatever you’re doing is working. Sadly, many YouTubers make the mistake of not engaging with these folks.
You should use this opportunity to build up a conversation. Over time, you’ll start building relationships with many. This tactic can give superfans who’ll not just subscribe to your channel but also actively promote it!
