You’ve made the decision to launch a YouTube channel. You would want your channel to be successful whether you’re a seasoned creator venturing into the video platform or you’re just starting out on your content creation adventure. Reaching 1,000 subscribers is your first major accomplishment.
Why? Obtaining your first 1,000 subscribers is a prerequisite for being qualified for all of the YouTube Partner Program’s monetization opportunities, including the ability to make money from ads. Reaching a certain number of subscribers and meeting a minimum watch time requirement (4,000 hours of long-form video watch hours in the past year, or 10 million views on Shorts in the last ninety days) will enable you to transform your YouTube channel from a side project into a respectable side business, or even a full-time career in content creation.
However, how can you start expanding your channel? Continue reading for 11 practical strategies to attract your first 1,000 YouTube viewers.
11 pointers to help you acquire your first 1,000 YouTube fans
1. Make videos showcasing your skills or interests
You’ve undoubtedly chosen a specialty as a creative that you’re enthusiastic about. Guess what, though? If you are passionate about anything, it’s likely that you know at least a little bit about it, and audiences are hungry to learn more. This is true for viewers on all creative platforms, including YouTube.
The creator of Creator Science, Jay Clouse, says that starting with content creation on a subject you are knowledgeable about is a wonderful idea: “Ideally, you have some kind of earned insight that you can leverage.” something that, from experience, you have specifically learned and recognised.
When you first launch your YouTube channel, it’s acceptable if you’re not an authority on a subject. According to Clouse, you might present yourself to your audience as a novice who is eager to learn and share the process: “Say I’m really interested in this problem, and I’m going to be investigating it.” I will share what I learn along the road [with my material].
2. Consistently release fresh videos
Novice content producers frequently become enthused about a platform, release a tonne of content early on, and then lose hope when it doesn’t appear to take off. But keep in mind that not all YouTubers become famous immediately. Adding new videos to your account on a regular basis is the best approach to guarantee that you gain more subscribers.
What is the optimal frequency for adding new videos to your YouTube channel? The answer may differ according on who you ask, but if you want to see some immediate results, a good rule of thumb is to post at least once a week, or two or three times if you can.
In just a few months, publishing regularly can help your YouTube channel develop into a strong one. You’ll be able to experiment with your content as well.
3. Experiment with various video formats.
You haven’t really discovered your following yet if your channel has less than 1,000 subscribers. It doesn’t necessarily follow that the kind of video you began out making would be the kind that will make you successful. You’ll need to experiment with various content as you develop your YouTube channel to find what works.
Because there is so little risk, this is the ideal time to experiment. You are free to try anything you like, so enjoy yourself!
Though instructional, reaction videos, and listicle-style videos are among the most popular video formats on YouTube, you may also look through various kinds of material. Step beyond of your comfort zone, and you may create the kind of video that propels the growth of your channel to new heights.
4. Include YouTube Shorts in your content marketing plan.
Despite being relatively young, YouTube Shorts are a huge success on the platform because of the short-form video style. There are several solid reasons to include Shorts in your YouTube strategy, even if your area of expertise is long-form video.
Employees of YouTube have attested to the fact that the algorithm used for shorts is distinct from that for long-form videos. This implies that any Shorts you produce will not interfere with your channel’s long-form content and will have every opportunity to reach prospective subscribers.
Shorts promote experimentation: Shorts are a terrific method to try out new topics and types of content because they can be created quickly. All you need is your phone and a few minutes to record and edit.
Shorts have a fantastic discoverability factor because of the way the feed is laid out, which makes it easy for users to come across unexpected content and motivates them to scroll down to see the next video. Posting Shorts can undoubtedly help if you want to improve the number of people who see your material and your chances of gaining new subscribers.
5. Whenever possible, provide ways for people to subscribe to your channel.
Quite apparent, don’t you think? However, you might be shocked at how many YouTubers fail to utilise both the description and the actual substance of their videos.
You must include several chances in your material for viewers to click “subscribe” if you want to increase the number of subscribers. You should include a subscribe button on your video, say it aloud (“Don’t forget to like and subscribe!”), and offer a link to subscribe in the description of your video—even if you don’t want to yank it out of their face every few seconds.
The video watermark serves as the subscribe button. Watchers can easily subscribe to your channel by clicking the watermark when they’re on a computer and viewing YouTube. Adding one to your videos is as easy as this:
- Open YouTube Studio and log in.
- From the menu on the left, choose Customisation. Next, select Branding.
- You can select to have your video watermark display for the duration of the video, the end of the video, or a custom start time.
- To add an image to your video watermark, click Change, then select it, then click Done and Publish.
6. Make your films search engine friendly.
Search engine optimisation, or SEO, is the techniques used by marketers to raise the position of their content in search results. Usually, this entails optimising webpages and blog entries for Google Search. But did you realise that your YouTube videos might have the same effect?
Because YouTube has a search engine, you may utilise a few easy tips to increase the visibility of your videos and potentially attract new subscribers. What you can do is as follows:
- Look for keywords that correspond with the information you write. To achieve this, find out what keywords authors in your niche usually employ.
- Make sure your video descriptions and titles contain those keywords.
- Include tags that explain the subject matter of your videos.
- Summarise the content of your videos in-depth in your descriptions.
7. Examine the performance of your content in YouTube Analytics
It may surprise you to learn that your YouTube channel comes with a complimentary set of stats. You can evaluate which of your videos do the best, learn what your current subscribers like and would like to see more of, and make any necessary adjustments to your approach with YouTube Analytics.
Thus, remember to review your analytics following a run of videos that you post. You’ll eventually begin to see patterns that you can take advantage of to increase your subscriber base.
8. Request suggestions from your audience in the comments section.
When attempting to expand your channel, your audience can be of great assistance, even if you only have a few hundred subscribers. Who better to consult when deciding which videos to make next—after all, they’re already enjoying your content?
When your following is still small, asking for suggestions in the comments section is incredibly beneficial since you can look through every comment and discover some really fantastic ideas. You will inevitably draw in new people who share your interests if you produce content that your present audience specifically requests.
9. Add a trailer to your channel on YouTube.
When someone comes upon a YouTube video they enjoy, what is the first thing they usually do? Usually, they would tune in to the station to learn more. An overview of your content may be quickly seen by viewers through a channel trailer, saving them the trouble of scrolling through each and every one of your videos.
When new viewers come across your channel, the trailer instantly starts to play, making it a simple method to draw them in and encourage them to hit the subscribe button.
10. Choose the ideal moment to publish on YouTube
Are you aware of the best times to publish on YouTube? Although there isn’t a magic bullet that will grant you 1,000 subscribers right away, you can use this straightforward tactic to make sure as many people as possible see your videos: release new videos during the times when your target audience is most engaged on YouTube.
Your videos will perform better at different times of day (and on different days of the week) depending on your niche and target demographic. So how do you determine when to publish something?
You should check your YouTube Studio metrics first. When your audience is typically on YouTube, you can see a chart under the Audience tab—as long as you have a sufficient number of views.
Don’t panic if you are just getting started with your YouTube channel and don’t have access to this information. Start by publishing your videos between 6 and 9 p.m. (one of the greatest times to post, according HubSpot data), and monitor the performance of your films. This will provide you with some information that you may utilise to modify your plan, for example, posting within a different window or at a different time.
11. Work along with other creators
For the duration of your collaboration, you can effectively share each other’s audiences when you work with other creators. Usually, you would take part in a video on the other creator’s channel, and they would show up in one of yours, along with a little cross-promotion.
When you first start out, you may wish to cooperate with other creators who are at a similar level to your own. Working with a larger creator will undoubtedly benefit your channel more than working with a smaller one, but they are also less likely to accept a collaboration.
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