Even with hundreds of thousands of channels to choose from, YouTube viewers may often find themselves returning to the same few over and over. When creators manage to capture viewers’ attention like this, they can easily find themselves with thousands or even millions of loyal subscribers.
Though no one gains millions of subscribers overnight, you can increase the rate at which your own channel is growing with a few key changes to your content strategy. Here are five quick fixes for faster channel growth in 2019.
1. Establish an emotional connection with your audience.
With so many channels to choose from, why do viewers return to their same few favorites? Well, it’s likely that the creators they love have managed to capture these viewers’ hearts as well as their attention.
To a viewer, a favorite creator is more than just a face on a screen. That creator becomes a friend, someone they can spend time with whenever and wherever they want. To reach that coveted status with your viewers, you’ll need to establish a strong emotional connection with them.
Start by sharing stories your audience can relate to. Check your viewer demographics in your channel analytics, then think back to what your life was like when you were the same age as many of your viewers. What kind of friend or role model do you wish you’d had then? How can you be that person for your audience?
Net, increase the amount of time you spend interacting with them online. Respond to more comments, tweets, and DMs. Go live, whether it’s on YouTube or Instagram. If you receive fan mail, you can either respond personally or make a video about opening it.
Finally, strengthen your bond with your audience by giving back to them in real life. Hold giveaways on your channel or on social media. Give them merch discounts in time for holidays or big shopping seasons so more of them are able to afford your stuff. If you’re able, travel to YouTube conventions or hold meet-and-greets of your own.
2. Learn from your click-through rates.
In your channel analytics, your click-through rates tell you how many people clicked on each video. Compare these numbers from video to video. Then, look at what the videos with the highest click-through rates have in common.
It may help you to make a list of these video titles or compile the thumbnails into a single document. Print them out and use a red pen to circle recurring elements in these successful videos.
Next, compile the same sort of list for your videos with the lowest click-through rates. When you compare this list to the first one, what differences do you notice?
The elements you circled in the first list are now a part of your strategy for every future video. Because the title and thumbnail tactics you used then proved successful, you should repeat them. Any differences you noted in the second list, however, should never appear on your channel again.
3. Keep track of your audience retention scores.
Alongside your click-through rates, your channel analytics can also show you your audience retention scores. This graph breaks down how long viewers stayed tuned into each video. The longer they kept watching, the more successful that video was.
Repeat the exercise you did with your click-through rates, using your audience retention reports instead. Compare and contrast the final results of each to get a better idea of the content strategies that work best for your channel.
If you’re having trouble understanding your audience retention reports, then check out the video below.
4. Utilize your end screen.
Your channel analytics can also show you the click-through rates for your end screen. If you’ve kept viewers watching throughout the entire video, then your end screen is the perfect place to invite them to stick around and enjoy another video.
To keep viewers watching through your end screen, keep talking. Point them towards important links, such as your previous video or a playlist of related videos. For more tips on optimizing your end screen, be sure to check out this post.
5. Focus on quality over quantity.
Though frequent, consistent uploads can help your channel gain favor with the ranking algorithm, viewers care more about the overall quality of your videos than the sheer quantity of them. Even if you post a new video every day, not as many viewers will care to watch if the video isn’t enough to keep them interested.
Perhaps the best example of channel growth by focusing on video quality is Shane Dawson. After a hugely successful first few years on YouTube, Shane relaxed the production quality of his comedy videos. Though he was uploading five days a week, his views tapered off as his passion for his content did as well. However, last summer, Shane did a complete 180.
Instead of his typical bright yellow thumbnail and a food-related title, Shane uploaded a long-form, documentary-style video featuring fellow YouTuber Grav3yardgirl. The series blew up, as did Shane’s popularity. After the success of that series, Shane continued to make documentary series, which receive tens of millions of views. Even though he doesn’t upload as often as he used to, he’s experienced far more success now than he did when his content followed a strict formula.
In 2019, growing your channel is all about connecting with your audience on a personal level. Every viewer wants to feel special, so it’s your job to find out what works for your audience in particular.
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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.
Hi, I hope you continue to write such articles! There is definitely something to learn! The information is very well selected and everything is in place! Very good! I only have one question, I recently started a YouTube channel, but for the second month I do not have many subscribers and posts, but I want to fix this. I have read that there are some sites that you can buy subscribers. I want to develop my small business with my YouTube channel. I will be grateful for your advice!