Creating Content Often
Upload videos at least once a week. One of the most important steps in getting more subscribers is to provide as much content as you can. The more videos you have, the more popular your channel will become as posting lots of videos makes people want to come back. More videos means more search result, which will lead to more subscribers. Do keep in mind though that posting too many videos every week will clog up your channel and make it hard for viewers to find what they are looking for. Group videos into playlists so that people can find the type of videos they are more interested in.
Make a schedule and stick to it. Try to upload your videos at regular times throughout the week. Let your subscribers know when your next video will be available, and they will be more likely to return to your channel when the video is released. People are more likely to subscribe to someone who is regularly producing content as opposed to someone who uploads every once in a while. Consider live streaming your videos to be able to interact with your audience while they watch you. Live streaming videos are often placed higher in YouTube search results, especially while they are being streamed. You want people to anticipate your upload schedule when you're working to build a loyal following.
Properly tag your videos. Make sure that all of your tags match the content of your videos. If someone searches for something and your video pops up because it is improperly tagged, they will leave after a few seconds and most likely never return. Good tags will make sure that your videos are showing up in relevant searches. Use multi-word tags as well as single words. People often search for phrases. Limit yourself to a maximum of 15 hashtags per video. If you use more than that YouTube will ignore all of your hashtags and may not show your video in search results. Use relevant hashtags that people are searching for. Apps and sites like hashtags4follows.com can help you find these hashtags.
Take some time to write a good title. A well-titled video will stand out much more in a search result list than a poorly-titled one. For example, say you are making a video about baking cookies. A poorly-titled video might say “Bake good cookies”. A better title would be “Bake delicious, chewy cookies in less than 15 minutes”. The second title is more descriptive, and contains more keywords for search engines to catch. Popular YouTube accounts often use what is called "Clickbait". It is essentially a video title that will make the viewer want to know more. For example, "what happens next will shock you" or, "you won't believe what this person can do". This is a good trick to get more subscribers but may make many people angry if the video does not live up to the hype.
Write meaningful descriptions. Only the first few lines of your description will be visible when the video comes up in a search, so make sure that the beginning of the description does a good job of explaining the video and what the viewer is about to see. Make sure to include a good number of keywords in your description, but don’t overload it and make it difficult to read. Ask people to subscribe to you within the description and offer a link to your channel.
Planning Your Videos
Write a script. While it is very possible to make successful videos off-the-cuff, creating a script will help you deliver consistent programming. The script will keep you from veering off the theme of your video, as well as help focus your content for your audience. In the situation of a vlog, you might want to make an outline of what you want to say and go ahead and ramble. Some of the best vloggers do this and then cut out the footage where they say "um." In whatever content you create, make sure that you're being the most authentic version of yourself.
Film what you know. The most successful videos are ones where the creator is doing what he or she likes. Don’t try to follow the crowd and produce videos mimicking popular trends. You will be far more successful if you make what you want to make, and focus on polishing and building that.
Start with a hook. The introduction is one of the most important parts of a video. It should grab the audience’s attention, lay out the themes and direction of the video, and keep the viewer wanting more. You can do this with personal introductions, graphics, clips of what’s to come, and more. Keep your introduction powerful but short. Viewers are not likely to sit through more than 10-15 seconds of introduction. This includes titles, graphics, and lead-ins. Hook them quick and then dive in to the main content of your video. EXPERT TIP Ashton Wu Ashton Wu Board Game Expert Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 35K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate. Ashton Wu Ashton Wu Board Game Expert Captivate your audience. Make the first 10 seconds of videos engaging to capture your audience's attention. Craft compelling titles & thumbnails. Don't shy away from serious topics, but remember – YouTube is an entertainment platform, so add a sprinkle of humor. Have fun and keep your audience interested – it's the secret weapon for a thriving YouTube channel!
Pace your content. It is essential that your video’s pacing keeps the viewer from becoming bored. Don’t linger on uninteresting subjects, and keep the action moving forward. Don’t try to cram too much information into one segment. If you are producing informative videos, consider breaking up the content into multiple parts. This will keep the audience from becoming overloaded with information. On the flip-side, make sure that you have enough content to justify the length of the video. If the viewer becomes disinterested, even for a second, they will most likely leave to find another video. For longer videos, add small section breaks where the pace slows down a little. This will give the audience a moment to reflect on what they’ve seen so far before you move on with your content.
End with a call to action. At the end of your video, don’t just say goodbye and turn the camera off. Ask your viewers to subscribe to your channel, link your videos in Facebook, or ask them to leave comments below the video. All of these will lead to more subscriptions, and more interaction with your subscribers. Use Annotations to add a subscription button inside your video. Make sure that it doesn’t block any of the action, and save it for the ending segment.
Producing Your Clips
Edit your videos. Even basic editing can help separate your video from the thousands of similar videos on YouTube. Edit out any lulls, mistakes, or bad content. Take some time to learn how to use a video editing program. There are several free open source video editing programs available, and many digital camcorders come packaged with video editing software.
Develop transitions. If you are making a series of videos based on the same general concept (how-tos, reviews, etc.), come up with common transitions and effects that you can apply to all of your videos. This will give your content a unified feel, making it appear much more professional to the viewer. Transitions have a large impact on your video branding. Your brand is a very important aspect of YouTube channel success, so be sure to cultivate it as much as possible.
Practice your camera work. Experiment with different kinds of shots. Get to know your camera inside and out. Smooth camera work will do wonders for your subscriber retention. Avoid moving the camera around a lot, unless that is the specific feel you are going for. For example, if you are talking into the camera, and then want to zoom in on an example on the table, don’t film the camera moving. Instead cut from one shot to the other so that the audience doesn’t experience any jarring camera movements. Get a friend or family member to help. Having a dedicated camera operator can free you up to be more personable in front of the camera. Having a “crew” also adds an air of professionalism to your production, as opposed to just using your webcam to make a movie. Use a tripod or stand where ever possible to ensure a steady shot. If you must be moving around then use a jib or a camera with optical stabilization.
Building Your Channel
Keep your content consistent. Make sure that the content you upload to your channel remains consistent with the theme of your channel. For example, if you start by releasing several movie reviews, don’t move on to uploading recipe videos later. You will lose subscribers if they find that your content doesn’t match their expectations. Create multiple channels for different subjects and themes. This will allow you to link between your channels but keep your different content separate so as not to confuse viewers.
Interact with your subscribers. Replying to good comments and giving shout-outs to subscribers in your clips will really help strengthen the community of your channel. Make sure to moderate your channel as well, removing any nasty messages that may upset other subscribers. This will keep your channel friendly and popular. EXPERT TIP Ashton Wu Ashton Wu Board Game Expert Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 35K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate. Ashton Wu Ashton Wu Board Game Expert Engage with your audience to build an online community. Respond to comments across platforms like YouTube, Discord, social media, and relevant forums. Hearing your content inspire viewers is incredibly rewarding. No matter your niche, fostering a supportive community around your passion is a powerful source of fulfillment.
Subscribe to other channels. Find channels that share your interests, and subscribe to them. Leave thoughtful and well-written comments, and you will soon find subscribers from that channel coming to your channel as well. YouTube is a community, and interacting with it will help you grow much more than simply uploading your videos. Upload video responses to other videos when they fit, but avoid spamming other channels with your videos. You are likely to be ignored and blocked, which will hurt your chances of gaining subscribers. Treat other channels with respect, and you will start to see yours grow. Make sure you use the name of the channel or person you are responding to in the video title so it can easily be found. Leave positive comments on other people's videos. Just make sure they are relevant and not spammy.
Advertise your channel. Use other social networking outlets such as Facebook and Twitter to advertise your channel. Let your friends and followers know when you’ve uploaded a new video. Include a quick blurb about it when you post. If you have a blog, include a direct link to your YouTube channel so that your readers can easily find your video content. Simply use the following code to create a YouTube subscription widget:
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