How to Grow a YouTube Following in 2024 [8 Ways]

Growing a YouTube following is a wise thing for any business or influencer to engage in. Here are some tips to do so.

Targeting the right keywords

keywords in youtube SEO

YouTube has become one of the most popular search engines in the world. Creators around the world are uploading 500 hours of video per minute to the platform – which means there is a lot of competition. Unless you have an email list or loyal Twitter following, it is hard for people to find your content. This makes it important to optimize content for search.

You should be targeting keywords in your profile, video description, and video titles that have a lot of searches but little competition. This is not as easy as it seems.

There are keyword research tools such as Keyword Tool to find keywords that are promising. There are also tools that will evaluate keywords and let you know the estimated competition, e.g., Tube Buddy. The goal is keywords that have a high search volume but low competition.

Optimizing your profile

How to Grow a YouTube Following

Once you have a list of keywords you are going to target, the next step is optimizing your profile. This involves completing data fields and using keywords in the right places.

You might be interested in adding important keywords to your channel name. If you are looking to build your channel around SEO tips, then it is way better to have a channel named “SEO Master” over “Ryan’s Channel” because it is going to help with the search.

Make sure you have completed the “About Us section”. Have any relevant keywords there especially in the first 48 characters because that is going to be displayed on the search results. Your profile page is also a good place for telling visitors what the channel is about. Don’t assume they are going to browse through the video and know what you are offering. Tell them what they can expect to find or learn from your channel.

Creating top-notch thumbnails for your YouTube videos

How to Grow a YouTube Following

The video thumbnail you choose for your video is going to have a lot of impact on your entire channel. This is the first thing visitors are going to see when they search for videos or open their homepage. The tile and channel are important too, but the first thing they see is your thumbnail.

You need to invest time and effort in optimizing your thumbnail because it is an important element. Don’t just choose a random screenshot from your video, take your time and come up with a great one. Use Photoshop and Canva to create a unique custom thumbnail for each of your videos.

When you look at some great thumbnails on YouTube, you will notice the use of illustrations, bold text overlays, and colors to hook viewers. You need to consider these things when making your thumbnail because that is how you grab the attention of visitors. If someone is interested in the thumbnail, they will have a look at the title before they decide to click on the video.

Title your videos like a pro

When you hook the viewer using the thumbnail, the next step is earning the click through the tile. You need to have a title that is compelling and provides search value, just like a top-performing blog title. When people click on the video, YouTube is going to recommend it on search results, homepages, and relevant videos.

Don’t use clickbait, provide value. You have to answer a common question viewers have. “What is in it for me?”

Are they going to be entertained, catch up on the latest news, or learn a valuable new skill? The title has to tell them why they need to watch the video and not choose the many other options out there.

Will your video teach viewers the fastest? It is the most comprehensive? Is it the most up-to-date? Such questions are going to cross their mind in milliseconds and they see the thumbnails and titles of the video before they decide to click on it.

You should also have relevant keywords in the video title because it lets YouTube know what the video is about and when to display it on the results page. You need to balance adding keywords, being clever, and providing value. This is easier said than done, but there isn’t one single formula that guarantees success – you have to try things out and see what works best for your audience and channel.

Posting videos at the best time

There isn’t a single best time to post. YouTube is global and what might be the best for tech content might not be for gaming content. You should experiment with different times and check on your analytics and see engagement.

If you are getting started, then the best time for posting according to Frederator Networks’ data is Thursdays and Fridays. The time that sees the most engagement is 3 pm. Recommended videos on YouTube are not on a traditional feed.

Building and promoting video playlists

One mistake channels make is neglecting the playlists. There are some who haven’t organized their videos and optimized the experience for visitors.

A playlist can help in keeping subscribers on your channel, find similar videos, and keep watching. You should find similar-themed videos and put them into a playlist.

You are going to rank higher on YouTube when users engage with your content for longer. YouTube is interested in making people remain on their platform, which is why they usually show content that has more viewers.

Cross-promoting your YouTube channel

You need to boost your channel’s audience by using all your promotional levers. Below are some cross-promotion ideas you can use:

Email: Sharing your newest videos with your email list

Social platforms: Post your new YT video on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. You can even use your Pinterest pins and Instagram account to drive traffic to your YouTube videos.

Blog: You should embed videos in your blog. You can have an entire blog post where you break down, transcribe, and highlight takeaways from a YouTube video.

Quora: This is a platform where you ask or answer questions and it is possible to have a link to a more detailed or comprehensive YouTube video.

Converting viewers into subscribers

how to grow youtube followers

Subscribers will watch your video and come back for more but viewers will just watch a video and leave. You need to make the one-time viewer subscribe to your channel before they leave because there is a chance they might never visit your channel again. There are times when it takes a couple of videos before someone subscribes to your channel.

You shouldn’t assume that they are going to subscribe by themselves, you should ask and remind them to do so. Visit SocialPlus to get more viewers and subscribers. Make sure your videos have calls to action at the start, middle, and end of the video where you ask them to subscribe to your channel. You also have to include CTA in the description. Ask them to subscribe to your channel so they can be notified any time you share new content.

Conclusion
We hope this article on “how to grow youtube following” will help you reach your YouTube goals. In order to establish yourself as a professional on YouTube, you need to get a greater number of followers. The only way to do this is by producing good content and optimizing key areas.

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