What would happen if everyone who viewed your channel page hit subscribe? Wouldn’t that be amazing! Well, I’m not sure I can guarantee every single one of them will subscribe, but there are things you can do to get a whole lot more of them to! And that’s what we are talking about today: One of the most overlooked strategies to turn viewers into subscribers. Let’s get into it.
Why does it matter?
Your channel page is the first impression your potential subscribers have about you. I know they say, “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover,” but that’s exactly what we do. The people coming to your channel page are a warm lead. They don’t just end up there randomly. Usually they’ve seen a couple videos and now they are wanting to learn more about you learn more about you and to see if they should subscribe. Make it as easy as possible for them to figure that out! If they have to dig, there’s a good chance they’re just going to move on.
YouTube is such a visual platform and on your channel page you have multiple visual options to tell your story. It dumbfounds me how few people have a strategy around their channel page, when it’s such an easy thing to utilize. So let’s break it down.
Mistakes
One of the common mistakes creators make is making their channel page all about them. Your channel page is not about you, but about sharing the value you are bringing to your viewer. Now, this doesn’t mean that you can’t show your picture in your channel art. I actually think it’s a great idea to personally connect the channel leader with the audience. But, if all you have is a picture of your face and your channel name on your banner, you’ve told your audience nothing.
Channel Banner
Instead, use your channel banner to share the value you are bringing to your viewer. This is the perfect place for visual storytelling. One of our favorite examples of this is KetoFocus:
When you think of a keto diet, the last thing you’re thinking of is a stack of pancakes, right? So immediately, viewers are intrigued. Then, she shares the value her channel will bring to her viewers while hitting their pain points, “Your favorite recipes turned keto. Feel good, stay focused, and on track.” Then, she has a picture of herself as the leader of the channel. This is great.
Channel Trailer
Another extremely underused tool is your channel trailer. Your trailer will begin playing on its own as soon as an unsubscriber views your page. This is your chance to talk directly to them! Look at this as your elevator pitch of your channel. Quickly connect with your viewer, sharing your personality and the value your channel would bring to that viewer. I would recommend no more than 90 seconds for your channel trailer, although a better spot would be closer to 45 seconds. Give the pitch and quickly end the video because when it ends a big subscribe button will pop up for your viewer to click.
One of the common mistakes I see is creators just putting their most recent video in this spot or a video that has gotten a lot of views. This is not a place to try to get more views on your video. It’s a pitch for your non-subscribers. Be intentional and use this well! Your subscribers will see a completely different video. If you want to push your latest video, put it on their page instead.
Channel Sections
Channel sections is such a useful tool. You can sort your videos and title the sections in a way to convince your viewers to watch them. This is your full portfolio to showcase what value you bring. These are not just categories, the are mini pitches for your content. Treat it like this. Put the time and energy into building the intrigue and drawing viewers into these playlists.
YouTube has updated this a bit and locked a top section titled, “For You.” These videos are intended to be a personally curated playlist that the algorithm thinks each viewer will enjoy based on their viewer signals. Now, I don’t love this. Maybe this is a control issue, but I want to be intentional about what I want my viewers to watch and not just show a bunch of random stuff with no real direction from video to video. This really puts even more importance on titling your video sections something more intriguing to draw them past that top section and into the videos you personally picked for them to watch.
About Section
YouTube is constantly trying different things and moving stuff around. And with this, they have moved the About Page. Now you can see the first line of the about page under the subscriber count and everywhere you videos are being surface. This which makes this first line very important.
So what should you put there? If you have a business, don’t just copy your “About Page” on your website and put it into the About section. Use this section to connect you as a person, to your individual viewer. (Especially in that first line.) Share your value proposition. What value are you bringing your viewer? Tell your viewer right here.
All of these tools on your channel page are key in connecting you to the right viewer. You want a viewer to quickly connect with the value you bring and come back to your content again and again. When this happens, it is such a powerful viewer signal which is vital in growing your channel so you can reach more people and change more lives.
Keep Changing Lives!
Tim Schmoyer
YouTube . Instagram . Facebook . Twitter . Linked in