Engage
While YouTube doesn’t come off as a social media platform right away, it’s important not to overlook that it still asks for plenty of social interaction. If you’re piling up videos nurturing your community in the comments section, you’re doing it wrong. YouTube, much like Google, rewards channels that see a lot of engagement.
YouTube checks the average time spent by viewers on your channel, likes vs. dislikes, watch time, and the most important – comments. If you can, it’s always best to respond to as many comments as possible.
Always tweak based on feedback
You may be struggling with new ideas for quality content. While they need to be original, you don’t have to build them from absolute scratch. You can always choose to reformat quality content that is already available. There’s a lot of valuable content out there that may not be as engaging or have not reached as many people. You can reformat them, add further value, and build content out of it. This will help your channel grow.
Cross-promoting on other platforms
If you already have a thriving audience at your disposal on other social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. then you could promote your YouTube channel there and invite your audience to subscribe to your channel. That’s the great thing about social media – it provides a lot of options and flexibility. In fact, it doesn’t necessarily have to be social media. If you have a blog that sees healthy traffic, you can post your videos there as well.
Encourage subscription
When users subscribe to your channel, they receive notifications when you upload new videos. The number of subscribers on your YouTube channel is a good indicator of “engagement” that your YouTube channel sees.
It’s always a good idea to encourage the viewers to subscribe to your channel at the end or beginning of each video. If the viewers find your content valuable, they’ll definitely “hit the bell icon” and subscribe.
However, never pay viewers to subscribe. That will terribly affect your engagement and hurt your account’s authenticity.
Stick to a schedule
When starting out on Youtube, it can be beneficial to keep an upload schedule with a minimum amount of videos per week. Try to upload your videos on the same day each week too, so your followers know when to expect new content.
A good starting point is one video a week. Try not to do too much less than that, so you stay fresh in people's minds. On the other end, try not to do too much more, as that can come across as overbearing to potential viewers. Ultimately though, put out as much content as what's comfortable for you and helps you to create the best possible product.
Also, try to time your uploads when your demographic is most active. For example, if your videos are directed towards high schoolers, don't upload at 12pm on a school day as they're likely to not see it. Instead, try to upload around 3:30, when they would be just coming home and checking their computers.
Friends and family first
If you’re just starting out on YouTube, your best bet would be to market through social media. Get as many of your friends to watch the videos as you possibly can. Ask them to spread the word. Engage with your audience and reply to comments. And if you receive any feedback, good or bad, welcome it. Promoting your YouTube channel on social media is among the easiest ways to grow the community. I’m thinking about Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more.
Focus on SEO
A major part of your channel’s success depends on YouTube’s algorithm. Be sure to build your content around a single keyword at the beginning. This will help you construct a thorough information base on your channel. The audience will know to check out your channel regarding that one specific topic. The best way to build your YouTube channel is to prepare a content outline around a particular topic and stick to it.
