Ready to get all the secrets on how to grow your YouTube channel with 3 YouTube strategists!? I sat down with two strategists on my team to answer 50 of the most common questions we receive about growing a YouTube channel. We are answering questions on the YouTube algorithm, YouTube tags, how to get people to click on your videos and how to get people to watch more of your videos! If you ever had a question about how to grow a YouTube channel, we are probably answering it in this video!
YouTube Strategy: Get Discovered and Grow an Audience (members only): https://youtu.be/43glV0FOIig
Watch the full length, un-cut version of this video here (members only): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9jKDqiT0P8
ALL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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- How many tags should I use? Maybe 10-15, tags don’t really matter.
- What kind of keywords should I use? A few general and a few specific that pertain to the topic.
- How do I get more views on my videos? Write enticing titles, create enticing thumbnails, and connect with your audience.
- How do I get people to watch my videos longer? Craft a story or deliver information in the form of a story, plus B roll!
- Why do high performing videos suddenly start to decline? There are more people coming onto YouTube everyday, so there may be videos that compete with or perform better than yours.
- Should I pay for ads to get discovered? No — ads don’t change the way that viewers engage with your content.
- Should I upload daily? If it’s what best serves your viewer, but most of the time that’s a no.
- How often should I upload? We recommend at least once a week, but really only as often as you can produce solid, valuable content.
- Does algorithm only promote big YouTubers? Nope, it promotes content that engages viewers well.
- What is a Click Through Rate? The percentage of people that actually clicked through when they saw your thumbnail on their screen.
- Do thumbnails actually matter? YES!!
- Can I use copyrighted content in my video? Best rule of thumb is that if the content isn’t yours, and you don’t have permission, try to stay away from it.
- How does YouTube decide what videos to promote to viewers? It tries to understand each individual viewer’s watching habits and circulates what content it thinks they will like.
- What should I know before I start making videos for YouTube? Just start!
- Quality or quantity? Quality over quantity! Note: Quantity is great when you’re getting started so you can learn how to make better videos.
- How long does it take to get to 100,000 subscribers? As long as it takes for you to learn how to best connect with and serve your audience.
- What should I know about starting a YouTube channel in 2019? That it’s all about building a Know Like and Trust factor with your audience as well as what value you’re providing them (why should they watch your videos?)
- What can I do to promote my channel? You can always post it out on other social media platforms and collaborate with other creators, but it’s important to know that your reach on YouTube is enough as long you’re focused on how you can help people and add value to their lives.
- What kind of channels should I try to collaborate with? Channels of a similar size as you that have a similar AUDIENCE to yours, not necessarily similar content although that’s good too.
- How should I reach out to other YouTubers for collaborations? Come up with an idea that benefits their channel as well as yours, try to think out of the box and propose it to them.
- My channel isn’t gaining much traction, should I just give up? Never give up on something just because you have more to learn about it. You may have to change your strategy, but don’t give up.
- What is the most critical thing in growing my YouTube channel? Caring about what you can do for your viewers more than you care about what your viewers can do for you. What need can you fill for your audience?
- I want to start creating different content, will that hurt my channel? You’ll likely go through a subscriber turnover, but if you feel it’s better for the long run then it might be worth it.
- Why am I not making money on my channel? You aren’t monetized and/or don’t have a strong business model behind your channel with a sales funnel strategy.
- How do I rank in YouTube search? Create videos that connect with the questions and struggles a viewer has in their mind when searching for that topic. YouTube search is NOT the most valuable traffic source though.
- What is the most valuable traffic source on YouTube? Browse features and suggested videos. (Home page)
- How do I stay motivated to make content when it doesn’t get attention? Remember WHY you started doing it and make sure it’s something you really LOVE to make content about.
- Should I use VidIQ or TubeBuddy? It really comes down to preference, but try both and go from there.
- My channel is pretty old, is that keeping YouTube from promoting me? To put it simply, no. That’s extremely unlikely.
- How do I stay on top of my game with new video ideas? Research, research, research. Know your audience and learn their viewing habits. Study your traffic sources. Immerse yourself in what helps or entertains them and the ideas will flow.
- Should I niche down on my channel? Yes.
- Can you have more than one target audience? You’ll need one main target audience, but you can have sub-categories of your target audience.
- Do I need a nice camera to make good videos? Production value is great, but all you really need is valuable information and the ability to connect with people.
- Should I do live streams on YouTube? Live streams are a great way to a strong relationship with your audience. We encourage most creators to do so.
- What if you have a small following? Maybe don’t stress about live streaming, but never underestimate the power of connecting deeper with even just two people within your community and making that small community a strong one.
- What should I use to edit my videos? Start with something free like iMovie to learn the basics, then you can move into Premiere Pro or Final Cut if you want to learn more advanced techniques.
- Should my thumbnails be bright and loud? Thumbnails should have a clear focus that clearly proposes the value of the video. So, if your video is about lasagna, the thumbnails shouldn’t have a bunch of colors that would distract the viewer from what their eye would be looking for which is, lasagna.
- Do titles really matter that much? YES! Spend time on your titles. Put yourself in the viewers shoes–what would connect the dots for you if you were looking for that topic?
- Is it normal to get more views than subs? Yes. always.
- What days/times should I upload? Some of this can depend on your target audience, but mainly just whatever time & day you feel like you can be consistent with. Your audience will become dependent on it.
- What are the biggest no-no’s in growing a successful channel? Doing it for the fame, doing it only for money, and expecting minimal effort to bring big return. YouTube is a long-haul game.
- I’m changing the kind of content I make, should I delete old videos? It’s really up to you. The views and watch time aren’t hurting your channel, but if you don’t want people coming for the previous value you offered, then it’s up to you.
- What should my click through rate be if I want YouTube to promote me? The average is 2-10% and the closer you can get to a 10% CTR, the better you’ll perform. Usually, the more specific your content, the higher the CTR.
- How do I get people to comment on my videos? Ask them to!
- How do I get followers from other social platforms to go to my YouTube channel? You can ask them to, but make sure you’re also trying to grow your reach on YouTube and not just pulling in viewers from other social media platforms.
- Will the algorithm punish me if I can’t upload consistently? No, but we recommend being consistent in posting videos so you can build a loyal audience that can expect regular content from you.
- Will it punish me if I send people to my website? It’s better to keep people on the platform, but sometimes it makes more business sense to point people to your website. Try to use these videos intentionally and not do it all the time.
- If I take a break, will it kill my momentum? Not from an algorithm perspective, but if you don’t upload for years, your audience may forget about you and may lose trust with you.
- Why does YouTube hate me? It doesn’t! YouTube wants you to succeed. If your content isn’t being recommended, it’s because your content needs some work.
- How does the algorithm actually work? It studies viewer’s watching habits and pushes out content that it thinks a viewer will enjoy based off what they’re already watching. It values watch time above all else, which means if people are watching the majority of a video (audience retention is above 50%) that video is highly likely to be recommended much more frequently.
- What do you love about working with YouTube creators? We love seeing people recognize their value and that they have something valuable to offer. When this happens, we start to see life change happen and that’s our favorite thing about working with creators!