British YouTuber Dan Howell rightfully describes himself as an “internet cult leader.” With more than six million subscribers and nearly eight years worth of content, Dan is one of the biggest names online. Along with his best friend and flatmate Phil Lester, Dan has hosted a radio show, interviewed major celebrities on the red carpet, published two books, and toured the world.
However, towards the beginning of 2017, Dan decided that he was ready for a change. His channel had been “danisnotonfire” since the very start, but he wanted to shake things up in his career.
Here’s how you, too, can successfully rebrand your YouTube channel.
1. Make a video explaining your decision before you drop the news.
When Dan finally changed “danisnotonfire” to “Daniel Howell,” he released a video explaining exactly why. Because the shakeup across his social media pages had already gotten fans’ attention, millions of viewers flocked to Dan’s channel to find out exactly what was going on.
It’s important to include the subscribers who already know and love you in any major career decisions. By making this video, Dan calmed his viewers’ fears.
2. Change the icons and headers across your social media profiles.
When Dan rebranded his YouTube channel, he changed all of his social media to match. One of the biggest moves he wanted to make was choosing a new profile picture and header for his social media pages. Though he has yet to settle on a serious avatar, Dan is sure to include his followers in the decision.
Changing your profile picture and header gives your social media pages a brand new look. This is an important step in redefining who you are as a content creator.
my rebranding check list:
new icon ☑️
fresh content ????
rippling six pack ????
three arms ????
ability to gaze beyond death ????let's go
— Daniel Howell (@danielhowell) May 21, 2017
3. Consider changing the name of your channel.
The most important part of Dan’s rebranding was renaming his channel. Though his channel will always be listed as “danisnotonfire,” he changed the display name to simply Daniel Howell. He also modified his social media usernames to match.
Changing your channel name sets a new era of your career in motion. However, with certain sites like Instagram, it may be a little more challenging to get the handle that you want.
4. Stay true to the content that your subscribers love the most.
Dan’s videos are very important to a lot of people. He’s not rebranding his channel to change his content, just to switch up his image. By continuing to create the kind of content that his millions of subscribers love, Dan is maintaining his audience as much as he is growing it.
When you rebrand your channel, you don’t have to leave behind everything that made you successful in the first place. Dan’s videos still focus on the awkward situations that he always seems to land himself in.
A successful channel rebrand can be good for your career. By shaking up your image just a little bit, you can both grow your audience and keep your loyal subscribers on their toes.
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Kristen Harris enjoys listening to a wide range of music, from Taylor Swift to, on occasion, Celtic instrumental. She also spends her time writing, reading, and baking.
