How to Grow YouTube Views

Growing Your YouTube Channel

The role YouTube plays in developing a brand cannot be underemphasized. From social media influencers to small businesses to even large corporations, YouTube helps develop an active audience. However, simply having a YouTube channel will not help grow your brand. Your YouTube channel must be well executed. When your YouTube channel is professional, then you will grow your views and, thus, grow your following base.

Focus

The Greek tragedy level of irony that every active user of the internet is aware of is this: although popularity on the internet is characterized by viewers’ short attention span, a YouTube channel that lacks focus on the grand scale will not be successful. Every video should fall under a central theme and each video should follow its subtheme.

Even the descriptions of your videos should be focused. Use the following YouTube confirmed template when it comes to writing descriptions: 2-3 sentences that includes key words, ~150 words that covers a detailed outline of your video, and links to websites and social media.

Create eye-catching titles that summarize your video. Try to add brackets to gain even more appeal. “5 Ways to Gain Followers [Proven]” will catch a viewers eyes more than “Five ways that I gained followers on YouTube.”

When using tags, remember to use “main words,” “keywords,” and “variations,” in order to gain more views from people searching.

Activity

In running a YouTube channel, activity is a key factor of success! If you post videos consistently, on a scheduled basis, then you are more likely to gain a larger following. More videos means more content. More content means more viewers. If you aim to release videos on a weekly or bi-monthly basis, then you will greatly increase your following.

Equally important as your activity is your followers’ activity. It doesn’t matter if you have 53k views on your latest videos if you only have 13 followers. Encourage your followers to “like and subscribe” at the end of each video. End each video with a question to engage your audience. More comments will lead to more activity.

Another proven method of gaining following is to link from other social media sites. If your channel’s partnering Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. all link back to your YouTube channel, you unify your audience and gain more followers.

Aesthetic

If the three most important rules of Real Estate are location, location, location, then the three most important rules of the internet are aesthetic, aesthetic, aesthetic. The most boring YouTube channel can be easily improved with a good aesthetic: an appealing border on the channel, an alluring icon, and organized playlists can make a world of difference in developing your YouTube channel.

Now, you don’t need professional photos for your channel. A simple icon with vibrant colors made on Canva, or a Photoshop equivalent will suffice. If you keep your aesthetic focused, with a unified theme in mind, then you will be sure to look more professional and gain a larger following. Try to have a thumbnail that includes these four colors: blue, green, orange, and yellow.

Authenticity

One of YouTube’s greatest strengths is the level of authenticity that every video has. If you have a consistent cast of people in every video, then they will feel more authentic and, thus, gather a more active following. Viewers will develop a parasocial relationship with the people in the videos, and they will be more likely to watch them. If your channel revolves around a specific product, keep this aspect in mind. Maybe your makeup company has a woman from the age of 18 to 24 years old in your videos, as this demographic is most likely to buy makeup. The viewers will be more likely to keep up with videos because they not only want to learn about the product, but the woman’s life. Humans are social creatures and this shouldn’t be downplayed in the development of your YouTube channel.  A long term goal may to have each video fall under a general narrative in order to attract viewers and followers. A follower will be more likely to return to your channel if they want to learn the end of a narrative, as well as learn more about your channel and/or product.

A Word of Warning

If the latest social media trends have shown us anything, it’s that internet culture is finicky. Fifteen minutes of fame has become fifteen seconds of fame, and the slightest misstep can cause more harm than good. (Look towards media icons who have fallen from grace like James Charles, PewDiePie, and Logan Paul for some great examples.) It is important, therefore, to know your audience as well as the trends of internet culture. A protip would be to not get involved in politically charged buzzworthy behavior, as the pendulum is always swinging on what is and isn’t considered “problematic.” Another protip would be to study the trends of your audience. If you are specifically targeting 16-24 year olds (Generation Z and Millenials), then try to understand what is popular among this age group and why. Just remember to not try to be “too relevant,” because even the most loved brands can become hated overnight. (Google Denny’s rise and fall on social media, for more details.)