21 Ways to Get More YouTube Subscribers (2023)
21 Ways to Get More YouTube Subscribers (2023)
1. Keep Your Content Consistent:
As you’re creating new videos, you need to make sure they fit with your target niche. If you upload a random vlog one day, a gaming video the next, and a cooking video right after, users won’t know what to expect from your channel. And if they don’t know what your YouTube channel is about, they’ll be less likely to subscribe. In the end, you may get a bunch of random page views, but you won’t have any longterm subscribers. Instead, you need to give viewers a reason to subscribe to your channel by choosing a channel theme. For example, subscribers to our YouTube channel at OptinMonster know that we’ll consistently post videos on how to increase leads and conversions. As a result, when viewers want to learn how to grow their email list or get more sales from their website, they know they can come to our channel.
Choosing a niche for your YouTube channel will give your channel more focus and help you find your target audience more easily.
There are many different types of YouTube channels you can create. Some of the most popular YouTube genres are:
Vlogging
Cooking
Gaming
Tech
Comedy
Travel
Beauty and Fashion
Reactions and Commentary
Of course, don’t let this list limit you. You can create a successful YouTube channel on just about anything so long as you’re passionate about it.Take this channel, Clean My Space, for example. It’s a whole video series dedicated to cleaning: When you choose a channel topic you enjoy, your passion will shine through, and viewers will rush to subscribe.
2. Optimize YouTube Titles for CTR:
Being distinguishable is the most important aspect of YouTube success. One great way to do this is to give your videos offbeat names. This way, you’re going to be getting a lot of people coming to your channel based on curiosity alone. Having quirky titles will play a major role in getting the views that your channel needs to benefit from the social proof factor. But to get a maximum amount of views, you will also need to dive into the SEO part of YouTube marketing. Here are a few tips for optimizing your YouTube titles for greater reach: Use the keyword in the title. This had a larger impact on SEO in the past, but it still has a pretty large effect on video. Google crawlers don’t watch videos the way they read blog posts, so putting the keyword in the title will let Google bots know what your video is all about.
Use Google Adwords to identify what people are searching for on the web. Try to tackle videos with a perfect blend of high volume searches and low competition. Don’t make the title too long. Google truncates the length of the video down to 66 characters and adds ‘YouTube |’ before the video (taking an extra 10 characters). Your ideal video title should be no more than 50 characters. Make the title descriptive. Give the audience a sneak peek as to what the video will be about. Make the title engaging. Like I said above, having a quirky title will get more people to click. The more clicks you have, the higher it will rank. Don’t use the word “video” in the title. This will only take up space and won’t help you rank higher on YouTube’s search engine (though it may have an effect on normal search engines).
3. Make an Upload Schedule:
Stick to It If a user finds your channel and sees that your last video was uploaded 2 months ago, they’re probably not going to subscribe. YouTube viewers want consistency. So, if you want to gain subscribers fast, your YouTube channel should be consistent. You need to train your audience to know (and look out for) when a new video will be launched. But how often should you be posting new videos? Start by uploading 1 video every week. 4 videos per month is enough content to attract new subscribers. It also shouldn’t be too overwhelming for you to produce. When you choose an upload schedule, make sure you stick to it. The last thing you want to do is disappoint users by not uploading when you said you would. That’s because inconsistent posting will never allow you to build a loyal audience. To help you stick to your YouTube schedule, you can create a simple content calendar using Google Sheets. Or, you can make a pre-made template with a software like Canva:
4. Publish Longer video====only 10+ minutes:=====
Although YouTube is home to many detailed, in-depth reviews and other such lengthy content, the high converting videos are the ones which are now more than 10+ minutes. Earlier, shorter videos used to perform well but now as YouTube has gained the momentum, longer videos tend to rank higher. Comscore reported in January 2014 that the average length of most YouTube videos was around 4.4 minutes. For content creators who are getting started, this is the golden number. Follow this number until a following is built. Once you have a good following, you can experiment with video length and see what your audience’s reaction is. Keep it simple, informative, entertaining, and more than 10+ minutes. This is no hard and fast rule, especially if your video could be done in <5 minutes, you could do that. It is a tough challenge, but it’s worth your efforts.
5. Make Eye-Catching Thumbnails:
The thumbnail of your video is the first thing YouTube users will see. So, you need to create eye-catching thumbnails if you want people to click on your video and watch. After all, if no one watches your videos, you won’t get any subscribers. Many of the best YouTube thumbnails follow a similar formula: Quality, eye-catching imag, Title tex, Contrasting color, 1280 pixels wide by 720 pixels tall (minimum width of 640 pixels) For example, take a look at this thumbnail from one of our videos on growing your email list with Instagram: With just one look at the thumbnail, users can tell exactly what the video is about. You’ll notice the other videos in the search results follow a similar pattern. Not a designer? Don’t worry, you can easily create stunning thumbnails for your YouTube videos using free visual content creation tools. You can also create a thumbnail by pulling a screenshot from your YouTube video. This is a good solution if you’re in a pinch, but you really should take a few extra minutes to create a custom thumbnail. Now that you know how to create a click-worthy thumbnail, let’s move on to creating searchable video titles.
6. Write a Compelling Channel Description:
Your YouTube Channel Description is HUGE. (Especially when it comes to video SEO) Sadly, most Channel Descriptions look something like this: Imagine that you’re about to subscribe to that channel. Is that description going to make you lunge for the subscribe button? Probably not. Contrast that weak description with this one: See the difference? This about page works because it: Tells you what the channel is all about Gives you important information on the channel (like the upload schedule) Includes a strong call to action to subscribe Here’s a template that you can use to write your own Channel Descriptin: For example, I used a few different relevant keywords that people on YouTube would search for……like “SEO”, “link building” and “content marketing”.
7. Edit your videos ruthlessly:
Thomas Hawk, a well-renowned photographer, claims that for every single photograph that he publishes, he has ten rejected shots. The same goes with any type of editing. Ruthlessly edit your YouTube videos and make sure only your best ones get published. If you make haste about strictly adhering to your schedule and publish haphazardly, it will only hurt you and your brand as a whole. Make a lot of recordings while you are shooting a video, and make sure only the best parts get selected. Take multiple shots if you don’t feel confident about a certain take. Although I haven’t done much video editing on a Macintosh, Adobe Premier will work perfectly if you are based on Windows. Get the right editing tools to assist you in this (often) painstaking process. If you are willing to invest more time and effort to understanding cinematography, I recommend you check out The Five C’s of Cinematography: Essential tips for film making. It has some great cutting-edge techniques for both the novice and the seasoned cinemato rapher. How To Edit A Video On YouTube
Here are the right YouTube dimension for various quality:
2160p (4K) – 3840 x 2160 pixels
1440p (2K) – 2560 x 1440 pixels
1080p (HD) – 1920 x 1080 pixels
720p (HD) – 1280 x 720 pixels
480p – 854 x 480 pixels
8. Embed YouTube Videos In Blog Posts:
Your blog is a HUGE untapped source of views and subscribers. Why? Well, if someone’s reading your text content, they clearly like your stuff. Which means they’re primed to subscribe. That’s why I embed lots of videos in my blog posts. Sometimes the video makes up an entire step or tip: But I also embed videos as a way for people to learn more about something from the post: Either way, these embeds get my videos in front of more people. And not just random people. I’m showing my video content to people that are SUPER likely to subscribe to my channel.
9. Make the most of meta tag:
Make use of the Google Keyword Planner for getting ideas on relevant keywords for your YouTube videos. Add all of those relevant keywords to your videos. This will help you become more discoverable in both Google and YouTube search engines. Overdoing keywords will not help (it will actually hurt), but a few well-researched and well-placed keywords can do wonders for your rankings. A low video count may not always be only about poor content; it could also indicate poor discoverability Metadata is something that plays a major role in getting your videos displayed in search results. You can browse some well-converting videos and see what meta tags they are using to give you some ideas. But don’t just copy and paste meta tags; this won’t help your cause.
10. Only Create and Post Highly Watchable Content:
Yes, I know this tip might seem obvious, but YouTube is full of clutter, so it’s easy to feel like you can get away with posting sub-par content. Well, you can’t! The only way to really stand out from the pack and grow your subscriber base it to create the best of the best content in your space. The key to accomplishing this is planning during pre-production. Here are a few ways you can do this better then your competition:
11. Consider giveaways and video challenges:
Who doesn’t love giveaways? Offer your audience something in return for all of their engagement on your YouTube channel. A free YouTube giveaway or video contest will reward your current followers, and will help lure in new followers. You can give away anything you want:
A new tech gadget.
A branded t-shirt.
A hosting subscription.
A new car…!
Whatever it is, your audience will love the chance of getting something for free, and they will tell all of their friends about it (especially if the prize is really good). This is not only free promotion, it’s free viral promotion. For a really big giveaway, many YouTube hosts require users to follow all of their social media profiles to enter into the contest. I recommend this approach. It’s best if the thing you’re giving away is related to your niche, but even if it’s not, your audience will still love getting something for free.
12. Execute Top-Notch Channel Trailers:
YouTube has this beautiful feature for marketers looking to grow their subscription base, called channel trailers. These are just as they sound, short trailers that automatically play when a visitor arrives on your YouTube channel page. This is the perfect opportunity to build your subscription base, if, and only if, you create insanely compelling content. These trailers need to be short (30-60 seconds), compelling, and most importantly they need to give your visitors a reason to stay. Do they need to be hilarious, beautiful, and emotionally charged? It will definitely help! What I really can’t stress enough is the need for an impactful call-to-action that gives the viewer a reason to subscribe. Check out this awesome example from SoulPancake. Not only is the trailer the perfect length, it provokes motivational emotions, comedy, and ends with a very creative call-to-action.
13. Make Sure Your Videos Are Under 5 Minutes:
So, your videos are all 30-60 minutes because your digital engineering software is complicated to explain? Or perhaps you’re in the law industry and believe the only way to instill trust is to include long video testimonials on your channel? While testimonials are great, long videos and YouTube do not go well together! Regardless of how complicated the product you’re marketing is, your videos should never exceed 5 minutes. Why? Well, science. Study after study proves that online video viewers have a short attention span. I mean, did you forget earlier when I told you how 20 percent of viewers drop off within the first 10 seconds? In fact, HubSpot has found that the ideal length for videos on YouTube is a nice and concise 2 minutes. So re-edit those long webinars, and turn them into short, snappy clips.
14. Add contact information:
YouTube is all about creating connections. Make sure your company contact information is easy to find. This will make it simpler to build relationships with your fans. Start by connecting your other social platforms to your channel banner. (Just click on the pencil icon at the bottom of the “About” section to add your links.) You can also include email addresses and other contact info in your About section. Some YouTubers, like Shameless Maya, even add a P.O. Box address for fan mail.
15. Add Powerful CTA’s Into Your Videos:
All good marketers know how to create powerful calls-to-action, or CTA’s. So why not use these skills of yours to give users a reason to return to your channel through a subscribe-able call-to-action? How does this work exactly? If the idea of inserting a CTA into a video sounds complicated, and possibly above your technical capabilities, I’ve got good news: It’s not! YouTube has made this easy by allowing marketers to add end screens and cards into their videos. Let me break down these two options a bit further: End Screens: An end screen is just what it sounds like, a screen where a call-to-action will appear are the end of your video. Whether you want to encourage viewers to subscribe, point them to the next video, or even promote your website or crowdfunding campaign, you can do all of these things with end cards. End screens allow you to chose from four different elements depending on your goal. You can even have multiple elements per end-screen (like in the image below). End cards can appear during the last 5-20 seconds of your video, which must be at least 25 seconds long. Cards: If end screens aren’t your thing, check out YouTube cards! These babies allow you to add more interactivity during your video, whether it’s pointing viewers to a specific URL, showing a video or playlist, promoting your channel, or even polling your audience.Here’s an example of what a card looks like in action: The only thing to keep in mind with cards is that users do need to press the little “I” icon at the right corner of the video to make the card appear. Check out this link to learn more about YouTube cards.
16. Ask Your Viewers to Subscribe:
You know how you add calls to action (CTAs) in blog posts, social media posts, landing pages, and pretty much everywhere else in your marketing strategy? Yeah, it’s the same for YouTube. If you want to get more YouTube subscribers for free, just ask! For example, in the intro of your YouTube videos, you can say something like: “Hey everyone, welcome back to my channel. Don’t forget to click Subscribe if you want more weekly updates on [whatever your niche is].” It’s as simple as that. You can also add a subscribe watermark to your YouTube videos. A subscribe watermark is a small icon that displays in the bottom corner of your videos to remind viewers to hit the Subscribe button. You can also try reaching out to your family and friends too. If just a few of your friends and family members subscribe to your channel, it’ll bring you closer to getting your first 100 YouTube subscribers. And thanks to the psychological phenomenon FOMO or “fear of missing out,” the more subscribers you have, the easier it is to get even more. But everything starts by simply asking people to subscribe.
17. Execute Top-Notch Channel Trailers:
YouTube has this beautiful feature for marketers looking to grow their subscription base, called channel trailers. These are just as they sound, short trailers that automatically play when a visitor arrives on your YouTube channel page. This is the perfect opportunity to build your subscription base, if, and only if, you create insanely compelling content. These trailers need to be short (30-60 seconds), compelling, and most importantly they need to give your visitors a reason to stay. Do they need to be hilarious, beautiful, and emotionally charged? It will definitely help! What I really can’t stress enough is the need for an impactful call-to-action that gives the viewer a reason to subscribe. Check out this awesome example from SoulPancake. Not only is the trailer the perfect length, it provokes motivational emotions, comedy, and ends with a very creative call-to-action.
18. Post Often and Consistently:
Yes, I understand this might be hard to fathom at first. Not every marketing team has a full-time videographer to be grinding out content after all. Luckily, if you followed my advice in Tip #2 about building an in-house studio, scripting and creating well-done videos can easily become part of your weekly workflow. Consistency is key, because subscribers are not going to stay subscribed if you never update your channel or if you update 4 times in one week and then take a month-long hiatus. If you’re at all into SEO, you have likely heard of Moz. Moz does a great series called Whiteboard Fridays, with a weekly video that breaks down some SEO concept on a crisp whiteboard. Not only are these videos super-engaging and well produced, but they’re CONSISTENT. They are called Whiteboard Fridaysfor a reason. If you can nail down a re-occurring series like this, you’ll be golden for providing your subscribers consistent video content, leading you not only to keep current subscribers, but also attract new subscribers nd increase video engagement.
19. Add Watermark to your video:
This is a nice little hack that you can use for your YouTube channel right away. Youtube let you add a watermark that could be shown on all your videos and at all the time. This adds another way for your viewers to subscribe to your channel. This is how this watermark looks like:Do notice, the various options to show the watermark. You can also remove any existing watermark and use a new one. Initially, I used my logo as a watermark but later on, I shifted to “Subscribe” icon which helped me to increase the number of subscribers.
20. Check out your competitors:
Of all the tips for starting a YouTube channel, competitor research is one of the most valuable. Find successful creators in your niche and spend some time on their channels. Read their descriptions, watch their content, and check out who their subscribers are.
Ask yourself the following questions as you browse:
What kinds of videos seem to get the most views, likes, or comments?
What keywords does the creator use to describe their content?
How do they respond to negative comments?
What tools or editing software do they use?
How do they encourage subscriptions?
Use the answers to plan your own content. Build off of ideas that work well and avoid those that don’t.
21. Incentivize People to Subscribe to Your Channel:
All the parents out there understand the power of bribery. “If you eat your vegetables, I’ll let you watch the iPad for 10 minutes before bed.” These are words that I’ve heard my sister say to her boys time and time again. The funny this is, bribery is not something that we grow out of. In fact, it works exceedingly well on adults because it’s human nature to love free things. So, yes, you should bribe people to subscribe to your YouTube channel. I know it might sound ridiculous, but it actually works!
Here are two ways to incentivize people to subscribe:
Run a cross-channel contest: This is one of the oldest marketing bribery tricks in the book, but it works wonders if done well. For instance, let’s say you run a bowling alley in town. Create a contest where you promote your business on Facebook and Instagram, where the guidelines of winning a free night of food and bowling include liking your Instagram post, commenting, and subscribing to your YouTube channel. Inform contestants that the YouTube channel’s link is in your Instagram bio (#linkinbio) so they can easily navigate there and subscribe to your videos. And voila! Your YouTube subscription base has grown overnight.
Encourage viewers to subscribe for additional benefits in your videos: Another easy way to grow subscribers is by working the viewers that have already landed on one of your YouTube videos. Clearly they are already interested in your brand on some level, so why not use this opportunity to get them to subscribe? Do a subscriber-only giveaway: Announce in the video that if they subscribe they’ll be sent a free e-book or be given a free month-long trial of your software. Of course you’ll need to deliver on those promises, but this is a great way to get more subscribers in the door.