This article contains tips regarding channel growth, and should help you when it comes to gaining more subscribers and receiving more viewer interaction.
There is no shortcut here. It takes time and you must take advantage of each of the methods listed below to ensure you're giving your channel the best chance at receiving regular traffic.
Regular Uploads
People are much more likely to subscribe if they see that you upload to the channel regularly. If they see that your last upload was months ago, they may feel like you're not dedicated, or have even stopped uploading completely.
Working to a schedule is a good idea. Let your audience know when you will be uploading so that they know when to come back and see what you've put up.
Short Videos
If you're just starting out on YouTube, it is really important that you make your videos short while you work on building up an audience. I would recommend lengths of between 1-3 minutes. I know this can be very difficult with certain channels (gaming especially), but it really does help.
If people don't know you, and see that you have just very few subscribers, it is very unlikely that they will sit and watch a 15 minute video on your channel. This is because they will most likely judge how interesting you are based on your subscriber and view count. It sucks, but its true! Uploading much shorter videos to start off with gives people a taster of what you're like, and helps them to decide whether or not they want to subscribe.
Nice Artwork
Create some nice artwork to go on your channel. Its one of the first things people see when visiting, so you'll want it to give a good impression!
When creating the artwork, make sure it:
- Is original
- Reflects your channel content
- Reflects your channel style (colours, fonts, graphics, etc.)
- Is good quality (blurry imagery gives a bad impression!)
You can download templates from the YouTube website.
Quality
I know good equipment can be expensive, but it really makes a difference. People are much more likely to subscribe if they see professional quality in your videos. Its just how it is!
If you can't afford a good camera (or whatever you need), try and see if you can borrow one from someone you know. If you really can't afford something that records good quality picture, just try your hardest to represent quality through your editing.
Sharing Content
Once you have some uploads on your channel, you can start sharing it with the world! One of the best things you can do here is make use of all social media platforms that are available to you. This involves Tweeting the links, joining forums, and sharing on Tumblr, Facebook, etc. I would recommend creating a Facebook page that represents your channel.
Titles & Descriptions
Give your videos interesting titles. People will click on a video if they're curious about what the title is about. However, do not make it misleading! This may result in dislikes because people were disappointed to see that you lied to them about what your video involves.
Also, never leave your video description blank. Google & YouTube display results based on a few things, and keywords is one of them! Describe what your video is about in the description, and make sure you use the most relevant keywords.
I hope these tips will be of help to you. Just remember, you won't see results straight away. You must work hard!