How to Get Your Channel to 100 Subs!

Pretty good tutorial man! We should work together on a 1000 subscriber tutorial, for a real fan baseboosts my gangsta!
 
Hmmm. I had a hard time getting better than <250 views per day. Even without specific targeting and about 40USD for video campaign and very general "game" targeting.

You can specify that you want only in-stream ads by goign to video's tab and clicking on the pencil for the video.
 
ohaple said:
Hey guys, just finished part two in my series on how to grow your channel. Thought I would share the video and writeup here since there seems to be a lot of "why is my channel not growing?" posts here.
This is not the be-all end-all, but it is how I went from 0-2300 in only a couple months.

Here is the video if you want to listen to the tips rather than read them all. Also helps to see some of my examples and visual aides.

Alright, so assuming you already followed my advice from the first video, you have your equipment, your branding, and you have refined yourself as a jack-of-all-trades.

So whats next?

I suggested that you save some money if you can. All you need is about $16.
This isn't required, but create a channel trailer (30sec-1min) and then go to your video manager, click promote. Set up a video campaign of a couple weeks, at the minimum value. If you have less than 100 subs, this should at least double your growth, and possibly do more since Google often over-serves the ads. (I paid for approximately 200 views a day, and got 7000 one day. I should note that this level of over-serve isn't typical, but over-serving at some level is common. This will kickstart your growth and allow you to save months of growing at 1-5 subs a day. If you plan on making this a business, any dollars spent early on advertising will pay off big in time saved.

Next, make sure you are continuing to respond to EVERY comment on your videos. Even with the new G+ comments, keep replying. Keep being active on twitter, gaining followers through interaction not follow chains. These are potential eyes on your videos.

Avoid giveaways. They bring subs and views short term, but give a false sense of growth. Spend the money you had for your giveaway prize for software, equipment, or ads.

Network! Find Youtubers of a similar size, in the same genre, and interact with them. Maybe collaborate on content, shout each other out, and put each other in the recommended channels box. To find a channel of similar size, go to one of your videos, look at the recommended videos on the right. Find one that has similar content, and is about the same size as you. Message them and see how you can work together.

DO NOT worry about joining a network yet. They do not help you grow, even as much as they may promise it. Just focus on your own content for now.

Lastly, focus on SEARCHABLE content not SUBSCRIBER content. I consider searchable content something that you can rank for in the search results, and is searched by people. Subscriber content is something that people will only be able to find through your social media/subscribers.
Examples:
How to import textures in photoshop- Searchable
Minecraft Lets Play Episode #23 L337 Castle!-Subscriber

Even though people may search "minecraft lets play" you are a small channel, and are unlikely to rank for it. Select topics that are appropriate for your size. As you grow, you can try to rank for more ambitious topics. The smaller you are, the more specific (and often obscure) topics you will need to try to rank for. This is a tricky line to walk, but when you figure it out, it will be obvious. When I was at 100 subs, my "How to Make a Borderlands Psycho Mask" video got 3000 views. That was specific enough that I was ranked front page. You need to find similar gateway videos in your topic area. These are where you will get most of your growth and new viewers.

Let me know what you think, and any questions or additional advice. Hope it has helped you some![DOUBLEPOST=1384564868,1384564648][/DOUBLEPOST]Just realized this perhaps belongs more in the tutorials than this section. Would a mod be willing to move it?
Click to expand...
This was ridiculously helpful. Thanks!
 
Oh my god, Ohaple I need help.

I did everything you said to do in this video, I remember setting my campaign budget to $15, and for a couple days it showed no stats, I log in today, and I got like 2400 views, 1 sub, and it says under the Total Cost Campaign $60.

I don't even know...

I checked to see if they charged my card, and so far only charged $2?

edit: Okay so after panicking I just found out that I got 48 clicks, and my cost was only $1.07, but my Served Cost was $58.37.

Regardless, I still put my ad campaign on pause, as all I have received so far is like 2,000 views on my actual ad, and only one sub. I did delete all the targeting groups I had though.
 
Last edited:
bSMPlays said:
Oh my god, Ohaple I need help.

I did everything you said to do in this video, I remember setting my campaign budget to $15, and for a couple days it showed no stats, I log in today, and I got like 2400 views, 1 sub, and it says under the Total Cost Campaign $60.

I don't even know...

I checked to see if they charged my card, and so far only charged $2?

edit: Okay so after panicking I just found out that I got 48 clicks, and my cost was only $1.07, but my Served Cost was $58.37.

Regardless, I still put my ad campaign on pause, as all I have received so far is like 2,000 views on my actual ad, and only one sub. I did delete all the targeting groups I had though.
Click to expand...

Interesting... 15USD over X amount of days (i think default is 14 days?) for your campaign budget, but yet google charging you 60USD? Weird. I just started my campaign and I have it at 2USD budget per day. I thought it wouldn't go above the budget.
 
bSMPlays said:
Oh my god, Ohaple I need help.

I did everything you said to do in this video, I remember setting my campaign budget to $15, and for a couple days it showed no stats, I log in today, and I got like 2400 views, 1 sub, and it says under the Total Cost Campaign $60.

I don't even know...

I checked to see if they charged my card, and so far only charged $2?

edit: Okay so after panicking I just found out that I got 48 clicks, and my cost was only $1.07, but my Served Cost was $58.37.

Regardless, I still put my ad campaign on pause, as all I have received so far is like 2,000 views on my actual ad, and only one sub. I did delete all the targeting groups I had though.
Click to expand...

With 2000 views and only one additional sub, I would guess that your ad isn't as effective as it could be. Depending on the amount of overserving I got on my ad, I was paying $.05 to $.40 per sub gained. Revisit your ad. Make sure it is one of the best quality videos on your channel. Make it short, make it catchy.

I am not sure about the panicking thing, are you describing the overserving? I had a scare as well once where I thought they were charging me over $300 but really it was that they were saying I got $300 worth of value, but they still only charged my budget.

They will NOT charge more than your budget.
 
ohaple said:
With 2000 views and only one additional sub, I would guess that your ad isn't as effective as it could be. Depending on the amount of overserving I got on my ad, I was paying $.05 to $.40 per sub gained. Revisit your ad. Make sure it is one of the best quality videos on your channel. Make it short, make it catchy.

I am not sure about the panicking thing, are you describing the overserving? I had a scare as well once where I thought they were charging me over $300 but really it was that they were saying I got $300 worth of value, but they still only charged my budget.

They will NOT charge more than your budget.
Click to expand...

Hmm, I'm continuing the ad for now. Set the daily budget to $2. Got 3,000+ views, no subs, in fact I thought I gained one, but then I lost one somehow.

Could this have to do with my targets, or is it strictly just a bad ad?

Also yeah I saw the overserving and panicked xD.

Thanks for the help Ohaple, really appreciate it.
 
ohaple said:
Hey guys, just finished part two in my series on how to grow your channel. Thought I would share the video and writeup here since there seems to be a lot of "why is my channel not growing?" posts here.
This is not the be-all end-all, but it is how I went from 0-2300 in only a couple months.

Here is the video if you want to listen to the tips rather than read them all. Also helps to see some of my examples and visual aides.

Alright, so assuming you already followed my advice from the first video, you have your equipment, your branding, and you have refined yourself as a jack-of-all-trades.

So whats next?

I suggested that you save some money if you can. All you need is about $16.
This isn't required, but create a channel trailer (30sec-1min) and then go to your video manager, click promote. Set up a video campaign of a couple weeks, at the minimum value. If you have less than 100 subs, this should at least double your growth, and possibly do more since Google often over-serves the ads. (I paid for approximately 200 views a day, and got 7000 one day. I should note that this level of over-serve isn't typical, but over-serving at some level is common. This will kickstart your growth and allow you to save months of growing at 1-5 subs a day. If you plan on making this a business, any dollars spent early on advertising will pay off big in time saved.

Next, make sure you are continuing to respond to EVERY comment on your videos. Even with the new G+ comments, keep replying. Keep being active on twitter, gaining followers through interaction not follow chains. These are potential eyes on your videos.

Avoid giveaways. They bring subs and views short term, but give a false sense of growth. Spend the money you had for your giveaway prize for software, equipment, or ads.

Network! Find Youtubers of a similar size, in the same genre, and interact with them. Maybe collaborate on content, shout each other out, and put each other in the recommended channels box. To find a channel of similar size, go to one of your videos, look at the recommended videos on the right. Find one that has similar content, and is about the same size as you. Message them and see how you can work together.

DO NOT worry about joining a network yet. They do not help you grow, even as much as they may promise it. Just focus on your own content for now.

Lastly, focus on SEARCHABLE content not SUBSCRIBER content. I consider searchable content something that you can rank for in the search results, and is searched by people. Subscriber content is something that people will only be able to find through your social media/subscribers.
Examples:
How to import textures in photoshop- Searchable
Minecraft Lets Play Episode #23 L337 Castle!-Subscriber

Even though people may search "minecraft lets play" you are a small channel, and are unlikely to rank for it. Select topics that are appropriate for your size. As you grow, you can try to rank for more ambitious topics. The smaller you are, the more specific (and often obscure) topics you will need to try to rank for. This is a tricky line to walk, but when you figure it out, it will be obvious. When I was at 100 subs, my "How to Make a Borderlands Psycho Mask" video got 3000 views. That was specific enough that I was ranked front page. You need to find similar gateway videos in your topic area. These are where you will get most of your growth and new viewers.

Let me know what you think, and any questions or additional advice. Hope it has helped you some![DOUBLEPOST=1384564868,1384564648][/DOUBLEPOST]Just realized this perhaps belongs more in the tutorials than this section. Would a mod be willing to move it?
Click to expand...

How did get so youtube smart? LOL!
 
Josh Keatley said:
How did get so youtube smart? LOL!
Click to expand...
I was born this way? haha Actually a lot of researching on the net, plus a fair amount of trial and error.

bSMPlays said:
Hmm, I'm continuing the ad for now. Set the daily budget to $2. Got 3,000+ views, no subs, in fact I thought I gained one, but then I lost one somehow.

Could this have to do with my targets, or is it strictly just a bad ad?

Also yeah I saw the overserving and panicked xD.

Thanks for the help Ohaple, really appreciate it.
Click to expand...

So I went back and watched your ad. It isn't a bad video, but you want to remember to "show not tell." Your ad tells them why your channel is good, but it should also be a good example. Show some good gameplay, maybe start out with a valuable quick-tip, something that will hook them visually as well. Also, not hating on the console, but Wii U is not a selling factor for most viewers. It may even scare off people in the xbox and playstation community. I would leave the console out of it completely to make your impact more broad. Also, I like the "cutting to the chase" part, but ironically you do not get to your first point until the video is half over. Start out with a quick introduction, and then a compelling reason they should sub. Try to get it in before that first 5 seconds, because that is all you are guaranteed to get (after that they can skip).
 
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