Common issues that keep you under 1,000 subscribers

[Cimannon]

Hey YTTalkers! I recently heard a small YouTube creator complaining about how YouTube needs to update their algorithm to favor small YouTubers and not just "the big guys." Other small creators chimed in and readily agreed, but I honestly have a different perspective on why small creators stay small and it has nothing to do with YouTube's algorithm.

I thought about this community today and thought I'd share my thoughts here in hopes of encouraging some of you. Hopefully this helps some of you break out from under the 1,000 subscriber barrier that seems so difficult to break sometimes.

First of all, let's talk about that good ol' YouTube algorithm. Is it really geared for the large creators?

For context, I'm a YouTube Certified Consultant and work with both my personal channels and client channels. I started my first channel in 2006 and grew my most recent personal channel from 0 to 10,000 subscribers in the first 12 months. It's now about 25 months old and has 54,000 subscribers and 2.8 million views. It's in a very narrow, small, specific niche, too, not something big and broad like gaming, vlogging, or beauty (ha! image me doing that!).

Most of the channels I work with as clients come to me with under 1,000 subscribers. After about a month or two of working through some common issues that keep creators stuck in that subscriber bracket, they start to exponentially grow. That proves to me that the problem is not algorithmic.

One client of mine came to me before he even started his channel. After 9 months, he's now making $30,000 per MONTH in Adsense revenue alone. I don't say that to point the finger at me -- I say that to say: You can do this! If this guy who didn't even have a YouTube channel can do it, so can you. The algorithm is not the problem.

I've worked with countless channels that have grown from 0 to hundreds of thousands of subscribers and a lot of money fairly quickly. In fact, I used to be co-workers with the guys behind the CinemaSins channel. They'll be the first to tell you that YouTube's algorithm doesn't squish the little guys on YouTube. They started with 0 views just like everyone else. You can do this!

So what are those common issues that cause creators to feel stuck at under 1,000 subscribers?

1. Poor branding.
This goes far beyond a simple forum post, but think much broader than logos, header images, and branded bumpers. Essentially it's answering the questions, "Who specifically is this content for?" and, "Why should that person care?" Why does your channel matter? What difference does it make in that person's life? What's their motivation for wanting to subscribe to your channel in the first place? How easily does your channel answer those subconscious questions for them? How well is that "branding" integrated into your content and channel?

2. Poor titles and thumbnails.
It doesn't matter how awesome your content is if the thumbnails and titles aren't engaging, enticing, and attract people to click. That doesn't mean you should be misleading and tease a story that really isn't in the video -- that will backfire every time -- but it means knowing what the true value of your video is for someone and then crafting a "billboard" for it (title and thumbnail) that accurately pitches its value.

3. Craft better videos.
And I don't mean just in terms of production value -- I mean in terms of actual content value. Most creators assume that their videos are awesome and that the only problem they have is exposure. The problem with that way of thinking is that it locks you into a mindset that doesn't change with YouTube and causes you to start blaming other things that you don't control. It's pretty self-defeating. If you've been creating videos for even 6 months, go back and look at some of your first videos. You thought they were awesome back then. Today you're probably embarrassed by them. And next year you'll look back on the videos you're creating right now and feel the same way. So use tools like "audience retention" in YouTube analytics to craft better videos. Drop the stuff that causes audience drop-off (like branded intros, for example) and learn to start the videos with better hooks, eliminate wasted time, stuff like that.

Hope that helps some of you get on the right track. Like I said, anyone can do this YouTube thing. I really believe that. The key is to work smart, not to just work hard.

I'd love to hear what tips and ideas you have for breaking past 1,000 subscribers! Let's all help each other out here.

Wow you really seem to know what you're doing! Would you be willing to help me? Im just like the guy you talked about who hasn't started yet but as soon as I do I want to blow up like he did. Can you please email me? Cimannonapple@gmail.com

 

[RichGuitarGamer]

ALL of what he is saying is true.

I for one am still always looking to improve video by video - there was another topic regarding making shorter videos which have more punch and would generate greater audience retention. Its all a process of progress - most people on here do listen to advice and take on board what is said.

I have been making videos for around four months but its been the last 4 weeks that my channel has double in subscriber size mainly down to trying to improve video by video. I am not to bothered about the Youtube algorithm, just genuine video improvement in my eyes. I believe the big issue is that alot of people are signed with gaming networks which offer no support - so channel growth is slower then they expected.

Great advice tho!

 

[Andrew Zenpachi]

What if you've followed these steps, have good content and are using forums and social media to try and get your videos out there but aren't seeing results?

 

[Tim Schmoyer]

Wow you really seem to know what you're doing! Would you be willing to help me? Im just like the guy you talked about who hasn't started yet but as soon as I do I want to blow up like he did. Can you please email me? Cimannonapple@gmail.com

No, but if you want to schedule a channel review or consulting in the future, you can do that on my website at videocreators dot com.[DOUBLEPOST=1425786464,1425786418][/DOUBLEPOST]

What if you've followed these steps, have good content and are using forums and social media to try and get your videos out there but aren't seeing results?

Then it's likely that you're missing some of these basics. Of course, there's other things to consider too, but the basics should at least get you heading the right direction.

 

[Doom Video Vault]

I suffer the most from low retention but I still get views and I feel awkward doing commentary over my videos without some..push (IE alcohol, which does help me be more sociable when buzzed) which I haven't done yet.

I rebranded from Brutal Video Vault in January, which did help move away from an overrated and tiresome mod.

 

[ProfKranc]

Very helpful. Honestly this advise seems to be just repeated and repeated but never gets followed. Currently working on my branding now hopefully for a big update. Thanks for sharing man!

 

[Pointbox]

Great guide!

 

[Wigglenator]

For those of us just starting out, I must say this is a great guide. Thank you Tim.
It is hard to get out of the common 0-100 mark. However, I did hear that the 100- 1000 mark was easier to achieve simply due to the fact that more people means more people to tell. So the algorithm I guess can come a little into play. However, the content creator is the main contributor to the channels well-being.

Let's just say in an example of a gaming channel. (Since I have less than 10 subs I will use mine as an example). If there were to be a competition between me at less than 10 subs and being very active (as in posting daily or every other day) vs. another you-tuber with 50 subs who only posts once every couple of days or even once a week. I honestly think I could reach 100 before they could simply because I am putting forth the effort and dedication needed to pursue active You-tubing.

Despite the other You-tuber having more subs than me. The algorithm more than likely will not advance him faster simply because of his sub count. It takes copious amounts of time, dedication, work, thought, and many other things in order to truly achieve more and more subscribers.

 

[Tim Schmoyer]

If there were to be a competition between me at less than 10 subs and being very active (as in posting daily or every other day) vs. another you-tuber with 50 subs who only posts once every couple of days or even once a week. I honestly think I could reach 100 before they could simply because I am putting forth the effort and dedication needed to pursue active You-tubing.

Yes, maybe, but I still think the algorithm plays a far less role in the growth of your channel than that. It does look at your posting frequency to some extent, but even if you're posting 5 videos a day and the other channel is posting 1 a week, they'll still grow faster in terms of subscribers if their content is highly valuable to a targeted group of people whereas your videos are only somewhat valuable and targeting a general, broad audience.

So, at the end of the day, it still comes down to branding, strategy, and delivering value.

 

[Hana]

Hey YTTalkers! I recently heard a small YouTube creator complaining about how YouTube needs to update their algorithm to favor small YouTubers and not just "the big guys." Other small creators chimed in and readily agreed, but I honestly have a different perspective on why small creators stay small and it has nothing to do with YouTube's algorithm.

I thought about this community today and thought I'd share my thoughts here in hopes of encouraging some of you. Hopefully this helps some of you break out from under the 1,000 subscriber barrier that seems so difficult to break sometimes.

First of all, let's talk about that good ol' YouTube algorithm. Is it really geared for the large creators?

For context, I'm a YouTube Certified Consultant and work with both my personal channels and client channels. I started my first channel in 2006 and grew my most recent personal channel from 0 to 10,000 subscribers in the first 12 months. It's now about 25 months old and has 54,000 subscribers and 2.8 million views. It's in a very narrow, small, specific niche, too, not something big and broad like gaming, vlogging, or beauty (ha! image me doing that!).

Most of the channels I work with as clients come to me with under 1,000 subscribers. After about a month or two of working through some common issues that keep creators stuck in that subscriber bracket, they start to exponentially grow. That proves to me that the problem is not algorithmic.

One client of mine came to me before he even started his channel. After 9 months, he's now making $30,000 per MONTH in Adsense revenue alone. I don't say that to point the finger at me -- I say that to say: You can do this! If this guy who didn't even have a YouTube channel can do it, so can you. The algorithm is not the problem.

I've worked with countless channels that have grown from 0 to hundreds of thousands of subscribers and a lot of money fairly quickly. In fact, I used to be co-workers with the guys behind the CinemaSins channel. They'll be the first to tell you that YouTube's algorithm doesn't squish the little guys on YouTube. They started with 0 views just like everyone else. You can do this!

So what are those common issues that cause creators to feel stuck at under 1,000 subscribers?

1. Poor branding.
This goes far beyond a simple forum post, but think much broader than logos, header images, and branded bumpers. Essentially it's answering the questions, "Who specifically is this content for?" and, "Why should that person care?" Why does your channel matter? What difference does it make in that person's life? What's their motivation for wanting to subscribe to your channel in the first place? How easily does your channel answer those subconscious questions for them? How well is that "branding" integrated into your content and channel?

2. Poor titles and thumbnails.
It doesn't matter how awesome your content is if the thumbnails and titles aren't engaging, enticing, and attract people to click. That doesn't mean you should be misleading and tease a story that really isn't in the video -- that will backfire every time -- but it means knowing what the true value of your video is for someone and then crafting a "billboard" for it (title and thumbnail) that accurately pitches its value.

3. Craft better videos.
And I don't mean just in terms of production value -- I mean in terms of actual content value. Most creators assume that their videos are awesome and that the only problem they have is exposure. The problem with that way of thinking is that it locks you into a mindset that doesn't change with YouTube and causes you to start blaming other things that you don't control. It's pretty self-defeating. If you've been creating videos for even 6 months, go back and look at some of your first videos. You thought they were awesome back then. Today you're probably embarrassed by them. And next year you'll look back on the videos you're creating right now and feel the same way. So use tools like "audience retention" in YouTube analytics to craft better videos. Drop the stuff that causes audience drop-off (like branded intros, for example) and learn to start the videos with better hooks, eliminate wasted time, stuff like that.

Hope that helps some of you get on the right track. Like I said, anyone can do this YouTube thing. I really believe that. The key is to work smart, not to just work hard.

I'd love to hear what tips and ideas you have for breaking past 1,000 subscribers! Let's all help each other out here.

Oh hi Mr Schmoyer!

I'm sure you've been told this 2342388232 times but your videos are awesome! Really helpful for planning and actually proved to be true. I have one question: How do I work out my target audience? I'm going to be doing videos on Art, anime and science/techy stuff. I feel like these are varied topics. What will be similar amongst most videos is that they will be tutorial/learning themed.

One more thing: How do I use Google keywords if it's asking me to pay? Do I have to pay?

Thank you!