If you develop content in your marketing strategy, you know that videos are one of the most popular formats. Likewise, you should know that YouTube is the leader among video platforms (and the second largest online search engine in the world, after Google). So read on to find out how to get subscribers on YouTube and boost your brand real engagements.
YouTube today
Currently, YouTube is the preferred video platform for 70% of Internet users (Yanev, 2021). In fact, it has two billion registered users monthly worldwide.
Every day, this audience watches a billion hours of content presented in two types of videos : pre-recorded or live-streamed (YouTube Official Blog, n.d.). These are the factors that enhance the performance of content on the platform (YouTube Help, sf):
Viewing time of each video clip.
Average percentage of videos the audience watches per view or retention rate.
Number of views of the videos and the channel as such.
Traffic sources.
Audience demographics.
What your users see and how they interact with it.
Number of subscribers to the channel.
Taking this into account, you will surely wonder how important it is to know how to get subscribers on YouTube . Well, it is essential, since subscribers constitute a regular base of views on your different video formats. Additionally, they can maximize your organic reach.
Additionally, subscribers contribute to the metrics that YouTube considers to position your videos in searches and other forms of content exploration. These include: number of views, average viewing time and interactions.
However, why do consumers subscribe to YouTube channels? A study conducted by HubSpot found that:
30% of those surveyed do so because an organization offers instructional or educational videos about their industry or profession.
21% are interested in such videos about their hobbies.
17% do it because a channel publishes fun or entertaining material.
With this in mind, here are techniques to address the issue of how to get subscribers on YouTube:
How to get subscribers on YouTube
We present some good practices that can help you win fans on YouTube (Collins, sf; Newberry, 2021; Riserbato, 2021):
Know your audience
This aspect is key to answering the question of how to get subscribers on YouTube . It involves knowing and interpreting details about their needs, desires, interests and expectations about your brand, offer and sector. Also, in relation to your content consumption behavior on the platform as such.
For example, Cocomelon is one of the channels with the most views and subscribers in the world. Its audience is children, which is why it is dedicated to creating 3D animations of traditional and own children’s songs.
Create educational content
According to official figures, 77% of people use YouTube to learn a new skill (Wojcicki, 2021). Thus, streaming or recording video aimed at teaching is beneficial for a brand wondering how to get subscribers on YouTube . A potential consumer tends to reach out if they find value in a company’s content for free.
There are channels that educate their audience in the professional field, such as HubSpot. This creates material on marketing , sales and customer service. Likewise, others promote their offer and brand values with material aimed at the hobbies of their audience. This is the case of Sodimac, which publishes videos suitable for experts and ordinary people interested in improving their spaces.
Optimize your content
The SEO positioning of your content is another factor to consider when planning how to get subscribers on YouTube . If you optimize your videos, users will find them more easily and you will be able to win them over with their quality. For that, try:
Correctly include keywords in the metadata of each video clip (title, description, tags, category and thumbnail ). The information in these elements must correspond to the content of the video.
Create long videos (they perform better than short ones). Be sure to use the intro to detail what the rest of the video contains. Beauty YouTubers (like KathleenLights and NikkieTutorials) are pros at it.
Add end screens and cards to your video to promote material from your channel.
Customize the preview image (or thumbnail ) of each video. This helps persuade users and establish a brand image of your channel. Gamers excel at this tactic .
How to get subscribers on YouTube: optimize your channel
Additionally, it is more than natural that you consider optimizing your channel. These are some useful practices for this:
Customize your channel header, icon, and description. Solid branding builds a good image in the eyes of users.
Create various playlists . Organize your videos to increase their views and increase channel viewing time. The Smithsonian is a great example of this mechanism.
Use the featured video. This is a video on your channel page that plays automatically when they visit. You can even choose two different ones for subscribers and visitors. For the latter, make a trailer for your channel that shows them what they can expect if they subscribe.
What you must not do
In addition to wondering how to get subscribers on YouTube, you need to know that there are also unfavorable tactics to achieve it.
For example, there are services that sell subscribers. Likewise, there are others that promise them for free if you subscribe to other channels. The problem with these mechanisms is that these users are not real fans who will interact with your content in the future (Newberry, 2021).
Additionally, there are other practices that YouTube considers fraudulent and that entail penalties on the platform. These include promoting third parties that inflate engagement metrics, exchanging subscriptions, and publishing content that tricks users into watching a certain video (YouTube Help, n.d. a).
How to get subscribers on YouTube is a matter that requires constant work, but it is not impossible. Implement these tips and witness how your channel grows.