With over 1.5 billion active monthly users and 1 billion hours of video watched every day it’s no wonder why so many creators have used YouTube as a means to make money, however things are about to change. YouTube has officially overhauled their monetization policy, setting higher eligibility standards for content creators to meet: 1,000 subscribers and over 4,000 hours of watch time within the past 12 months. While video views have been the main requirement in the past, the video-hosting platform will also be placing heavy significance on a creator’s YouTube subscribers to determine whether or not their channels can monetize. To ensure your channel meets the minimum 1,000 subscriber count and continues to generate revenue here are some best practices to help you increase your YouTube subscribers.
Be Consistent With Your Video Uploads
Constantly posting content is key to increasing your youtube subscribers and is a common trend among all of the platform’s top creators. These creators post at minimum multiple videos a week, while some even post multiple times within the same day. In fact, most of YouTube’s top creators have an average of 78 videos per month. Just take a look at one of YouTube’s most successful creators Felix, better known as “PewDiePie”, who has the most subscribers of any vlogger on the platform (53 million, 20 million more than the next highest).
As you begin to upload and publish your content more consistently, you will want to make sure each video includes a clear call-to-action. The call-to-action should align with your goal to increase your subscribers and the messaging can be as simple as asking your viewers to subscribe. The best time for your call-to-action is about the 30 second mark. Keep in mind that consistency doesn’t only apply to YouTube. Everytime you upload a new video on YouTube, make sure you leverage the power of your other social channels to drive additional traffic, and potential new subscribers to your video by linking it on all social networks
Optimize Your Content For YouTube’s Search Engine
YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine behind Google and processes 3 billion searches a month, so optimizing your content with proper keywords and video tags will increase your YouTube subscribers and discoverability on the platform. One of the first things to consider as you create a video is the keyword you will associate with it. A keyword is a word or phrase that will describe what your video is about, it will also be part of what viewers type into YouTube’s search bar to find your video. Pick a keyword that is relevant to the content you create and include it in your video title along with the description.
Another important factor of YouTube SEO is making sure you’re using effective video tags that’ll help people find your video. Tags are similar to keywords and should describe your video but can be more general in topic and more frequently used. The top 25% of channels on YouTube use twice as many video tags as the average channel. We recommend that you use anywhere from 10-15 tags, anything more than that and your videos may start to get penalized.
Dissect YouTube Analytics
YouTube Analytics is another free and powerful resource that you can leverage to increase your YouTube subscribers. YouTube Analytics enables creators to monitor the performance of their channel with a number of different metrics and reports. You can see your videos watch time, where your traffic is coming from, and the demographics of your viewers. One of the most important metrics you should pay attention to is the viewer engagement drop off data. Measuring this metric will allow you to see exactly where your videos are losing engagement which in turn will help you make the necessary changes to hold your audience. This data can also help you determine if your videos are too long or too short. Once you determine the ideal video length, YouTube Analytics can help you see what the best time to post your content is.
Tap Into The YouTube Community
Engaging with your YouTube community will not only help you find new YouTube subscribers but also strengthen the relationship with your current subscriber base. A great way to build your YouTube subscribers is by collaborating with other creators. Do some research to see which top creators are within your niche and are posting similar content as you and don’t be afraid to reach out. Instead of competing for video views, work together and build a mutually beneficial relationship. This relationship will allow both collaborators to tap into each others’ fan bases, often leading to greater exposure for previous and future content!
Don’t forget that the YouTube community is also your viewers, so you’ll want to make sure you are engaging with them on a daily basis. Interact with them by answering the comments they leave or give them shout-outs in your videos. Get your viewers to help you reach your YouTube subscriber goals by running a giveaway/contest. For example, invite your viewers to share your channel with their friends in exchange for a shot at winning a prize (i.e. video shout-out or custom merchandise).
Don’t Be Afraid To Spend Some Money On Paid Advertisements
There is a fine line between paying for fake subscribers and paying for legitimate marketing efforts to drive real traffic to your content. YouTube and Vydia all have strict guidelines and consequences against any sort of fraudulent activity (like paying for subscribers) that will put you at risk to have your video removed…or potentially get your account suspended. Organically growing your YouTube subscribers through paid advertisements like YouTube and Facebook ads is a more acceptable and effective way to achieve the same results, without the risks.
Utilizing paid advertising like YouTube and Facebook ads will help you put your videos in front of the right people at the right time by targeting people based on their interest, age, gender and much more. For example, is your demographic girls aged 18-24 that live on the west coast who like pop music? Well, you can create an ad that will directly show to the people that meet that criteria. For more information about paid advertising check out these guides on YouTube and Facebook.
Don’t let YouTube’s latest policies limit your revenue generation. Follow these simple steps to increase your YouTube subscribers to continue making money today and learn how you can expand your earnings across multiple social platforms with Vydia’s multi-network publishing tool.