If you have ever wondered what is the most popular internet application where you can stream videos then the right answer is YouTube. It is the biggest online video streaming application in the world with over 2.6 billion monthly active users. In just America, 98% of the population visits the application every month. When it comes to the world, at least 1/4th of the population watches something on the platform monthly. It makes over half of the internet users around the world have access to the online video streaming platform.
So you can understand how profitable his platform can be for your aspiring online career. For any new content creator, YouTube is the ultimate place for you to grow. YouTube has a huge audience pool that you can tap into, a better opportunity than any other online platform. On the other hand, YouTube also presents one of the most rewarding monetized programs for creators on all social media platforms. But with the increasing number of channels, content creators, and viewers, the competition on the platform is at an all-time high. So here are the 17 most effective tips if you want to start your career on YouTube, how you can create and promote a youtube channel.
Where to start?
Before moving on to the tips on how to grow your just-started YouTube channel, you need to make sure your channel will grab the attention of millions of viewers if used the right strategies. For these tips to work, first you need to make sure How to Create a YouTube Channel.
1. Pick a channel name that matches your vibe:
Picking the right channel name is very important as it will become your identity in the YouTube community. While choosing the right channel name, you need to make sure that the name that-
● Has your personal name or company’s name in it
● Matches your vibe and goes well with the niche you are going to make videos in
● Has a phrase or word that categorizes it
● Is easy to say and short
If you are feeling stuck and it is your channel, then the simpler way is just to go for your name. Many successful YouTubers have started channels with just their names and are now world-famous.
2. Select the right niche:
Now that you have sorted what your channel’s name is going to be, it is time for you to pick the right niche. Don’t worry it is easier than it looks and the option to change your niche anytime is right there. So how to pick your niche? Answer these simple questions and find out.
● What is the topic you feel most passionate about?
● What is something that you can talk to your friends about for hours without getting bored?
● When you are free, what kind of content do you search on the internet?
● What is that one topic that you can lose track of time researching?
The answer to these questions is your niche. However, you may think you are passionate about something but know one thing, YouTube is full-time work. You may easily lose interest when you have to spend hours researching, filming, and editing a video about that same topic. When the channel will start to grow, there for sure will be pressure about producing quality content. In those times, if you feel like it, you can also opt for another niche. But there will be a risk while changing your channel niche as you have already built a viewer base according to the previous topic. So keep that in mind while choosing what your channel is going to be about.
3. Keep consistency in your posting schedule:
Do you know the common thing between all the successful YouTubers in the world, no matter from which niche they come? It is their mindset and how they treat their YouTube channels. If you also dream of having a successful YouTube channel, the first thing you need to do is to treat filming and posting videos like it is your job. This means setting a YouTube posting schedule and staying consistent.
Many creators who are new to this platform upload a video once a week. But if you are juggling between a full-time job and posting once a week, every week might not be realistic for you. So you can create a schedule where you post every two weeks, it will work, but make sure you are sticking to it. Staying consistent means more than staying frequent.
4. Keep making improvements:
Take the first step and upload the first video. You cannot get views and loads of subscribers without releasing the first video. It is not going to be the most perfect video, but it is okay. According to famous YouTuber Ali Abdaal, "Your first video is going to suck." This is why you need to get out of the fear and release what you have saved in your draft.
The focus should not be on making every video the best but should be on making small improvements in every release. Try to improve one small element at a time, try out a new editing software, you can go for a different background score, or even choose a new, more entertaining, and eye-catching thumbnail. These small improvements will add up over time and will improve your entire channel without being overwhelming for the viewers and especially for you.
What are the SEO tips that can make your channel more seen?
Now that you have started your YouTube journey, picked out the name and niche, and uploaded your first YouTube video, it is time to focus on increasing your audience reach. YouTube is the second-largest scratch engine on the internet, right after Google, and its results are all videos. You can absolutely take advantage of this with the next few efficacious SEO tips.
5. Title and Keywords:
One thing that goes hand in hand with SEO is keywords which will help the YouTube algorithm to understand what your video is about and how it can help the viewers. Keywords are the only key that will help your videos show up in the suggested columns whenever a person searches for anything related to your content, increasing your visibility instantly.
Keywords can be just one word, or have two-three words, making up a phrase, giving both YouTube and the viewers a better idea of what your video is about. Including keywords in your title is also the best way to get into the YouTube algorithm. But do not go overboard with keywords as keyword stuffing can do more harm than good. One keyword is more than enough for your video title, plus you also need to make sure that the title is kept short. As studies show titles that are kept within 10 words perform the best in YouTube's search results.
6. Video descriptions and keywords:
The same thing applies to video descriptions as well and keywords deserve an important placement in your video description for the same reason it deserves an important position in your video title. Make sure to include at least one to two keywords in the first few lines of your video description. If you are confused about which keywords to choose, you can take help from various keyword tools like Google Trends, VidIQ, YouTube Autosuggest, Keyword Keg, etc.
7. Linking important pieces of information:
After including keywords in the first few lines of your video description, use the rest of the space to tell viewers about yourself, and your business and then link your other platforms. Think of it more like a boilerplate template that is more or less the same for each video you need to customize the first few lines accordingly. You can your video description box to include -
● If you have a sale or any special offer for your viewers
● If you have mentioned any products in your video, you can give out their links
● Video timestamps
● Link to your other social media platforms
● Your website
● Your contact information
8. Set the channel tags:
Channel tags or keywords are the general labels that your channel and content are associated with. These tags help YouTube understand what the main topics in your channel content are. Your video title and descriptions are important for YouTube SEO, but these channel tags can also do wonders if used right. You can find it in the section of YouTube Studio, and from there click on settings and then select channel and add the relevant keywords. You can add up to 7-8 keywords in this section which is not limited to a specific number of keywords, but a character space of 500.
9. Create playlists:
When people visit YouTube, they are never satisfied with one single video and keep hitting the next video. This is the habit of people going to the YouTube rabbit hole that you need to take advantage of and you can do that easily by creating playlists. Playlists also increase the chances of getting more watch time and overall views. Group your videos by a specific topic or create a specific series. You can manage your playlists and create them from YouTube Studio as well. Select Content-> Playlists or you can add a new one from the Create menu you will find at the top.
In these playlists you can also add videos from other creators, increasing your chance of collaborations.
10. YouTube shorts:
Inspired by Instagram reels and TikTok videos, YouTube has also launched its short video content format called YouTube Shorts and soon it became one of the most popular video-watching formats. These videos are usually 15-60 seconds long and are crucial to promoting your channel and garnering views.
You can take a 15-second snippet from your latest video and upload it as a Short. Or you can grab snippets from a few of your videos and now you have at least 2-3 Shorts to upload throughout the week.
What are the other tricks?
Enough with the technical talks! What are some of the other tricks that can create a huge difference for your YouTube channel? Follow the below-mentioned tips to grow your channel and views even more.
11. Take video editing seriously:
Your content and how you are presenting it should be unique and this is what attracts your viewers in the first place but what keeps them glued to the screen and continue watching your videos is the editing. Usually, video editing takes much longer than filming the actual video but it is so worth it. A well-edited video will create a good impression in the minds of your viewers, keeping them attentive and coming back to the channel. Depending on your budget, in the beginning, you can either learn video editing by yourself or hire a professional editor to edit your videos.
12. Record your videos ahead of time:
As said before, consistency is the key to winning in this YouTube race and you can stay one step ahead by recording your videos beforehand. You can stay ahead of the production and get one with your filming at least 1-2 weeks before the videos go live. This will give you enough time to edit, re-edit, and minimize any unforeseen circumstances that can hamper your schedule.
13. Use timestamps to guide the audience:
Video timestamps are one of the newest features of YouTube that are also known as chapters. These are clickable links that allow the viewers to skip around in the video. If your video does not have them, this can throw the viewers off and as a result of not finding what they want, they might leave the channel. You can manually add these timestamps or let YouTube auto-create them. Follow these steps to add the chapters manually -
● Create a list of at least 3 timestamps
● Use “01:05 Name of Chapter” as a format
● Start from 0:00 in your first chapter
If you are worried about your previous videos not having timestamps then you can relax as YouTube lets you edit and add these chapters to your previous videos.
14. Be direct with your audience:
What is your content and how are you presenting it are important but how are you communicating with your audience is equally important. Get out of your shell when you are talking to your audience. If you want to grow your channel, you would need support from your viewers so let them know how they can support you. Ask them to subscribe, comment, and like the video so they know how they can help you grow your channel. Be honest with your viewers and see the difference in audience engagement!
15. Caption the videos:
When you do close captioning on our videos, it makes them more inclusive and accessible to your viewers. Captioning your videos means you are not missing out on any potential viewer, even if they are deaf, or have a hard hearing. You can either include your own written transcripts or have the platform automatically caption it with "automated speech recognition". Especially for creators who are just starting out, this "automated speech recognition" is a great choice as you can even edit words if YouTube gets any of them wrong. But once your channel starts to take off, consider hiring a professional to transcript your videos in multiple languages to create international appeal.
16. Attractive thumbnails:
There are several ways to attract a viewer to your newly uploaded video and one of the most effective ones is using charming and alluring thumbnails for your videos. The viewers will decide in milliseconds whether to watch your videos or not based on the thumbnail. Your video thumbnail should be created with much attention and give the viewers an idea of what your video is about without reading the title. You can either keep a common color palette or style or go unique with each and every video. But keeping something common will help viewers recognize you as a brand.
You can also use both logos and icons, based on the topic and keep the text minimal, focusing more on the visuals. You can add creative elements like hand drawings, different colors, and neon lights on the thumbnail depending on your brand and content.
17. Review YouTube analytics:
To move forward and grow your channel even bigger, you need to go back and review your channel’s growth. You can do it by reviewing the YouTube analytics where you can find key metrics that will help you understand how your YouTube channel is performing. You can check your subscribers and who have unsubscribed along with what are your top videos, what is your channel watch time, and especially traffic, helping you to understand how viewers are finding you.
Are you ready to start and grow your YouTube channel this year? After you have released the latest video, to gain your channel even more views and interaction, use Music Promotion Club’s constructive video promotion services at an affordable price.
