The best time to start a YouTube channel was years ago. The second best time is now. But even creators who started creating videos a years ago can see their engagement come to a standstill. Growing your YouTube channel isn’t always constant, consistent growth, where your views and subscribers are always increasing. You have to work to see numbers go up. But how do you grow your YouTube channel?
To answer that, we went straight to the source. In this article, we got advice from 5 successful content creators on what their top tips are for anyone wanting to grow on YouTube and get more views or subscribers.
Top advice from YouTubers on how to grow your channel
1. Follow your passion and find a unique way to make your content stand out
No matter what niche of content you’re creating videos about, chances are there’s already people creating content in it. Which means you’ll always have competition right from the start. So to make the best videos possible, you need two things to give you the best chance at standing out–passion and uniqueness.
Which is exactly the advice that Gerald Undone has for creators wanting to grow their channels: “Make videos about something you’re truly passionate about, but find a way to present it that’s truly unique to the platform.”
Passion will be what energizes you to keep creating content about your niche and makes your content authentic. Finding a unique way to present that content will be what gets the attention of viewers and makes them want to watch your videos. After all, anyone can sit down and record a video of them talking to a camera about a subject.
For example, let’s say that you have a YouTube channel where you make videos with tutorials for DIY home projects and tips for renovating. As of writing this article, there are about 15 million results on YouTube for “home DIY projects”. So how will you make your content stand out?
You could focus on affordability, creating DIYs that are low cost and use materials that people may already have around their home. Or you could focus on DIYs that fit a certain home decor aesthetic, like modern, farmhouse, or industrial. You can have a signature editing style for your videos that makes them more cinematic or artistic.
Regardless of what route you choose, finding a way to stand out from all of the other channels and videos will be essential to success. Katie Steckly also notes that, “The most successful creators are using the latest trends and strategies, but adding to them in a unique way.” Being unique doesn’t mean you should avoid trends entirely – just find a way to make them your own!
2. Create an efficient workflow that helps you make and post videos consistently
Concepting, shooting, and editing videos takes time. There’s no magic wand you can wave to skip those steps entirely, but there are ways you can streamline your processes and find ways to save valuable minutes.
Which is exactly what Jade Beason recommends: “Create a workflow which makes it easier for you to create content consistently. Consistency is key on YouTube, you need to ensure you have a process in place to make consistent posting achievable and enjoyable!”
Establishing a schedule for your channel should be one of the first things you do after you decide on what kind of content you want to create and start brainstorming ideas for videos. Once you have that schedule, you need to stick to it. As Jade said, consistency is key to consistent growth on YouTube.
So you need to make sure that your video workflow makes it possible for you to create videos in time to keep up with your set schedule. In the beginning, this will definitely be a learning process. As you start creating, you’ll notice what steps in the creation process take the longest. Once you’ve identified those time-consuming steps, start to look for ways that you can speed them up with tools or equipment.
Is script-writing taking you forever? Try using a script template. Is editing out all the silence or awkward pauses in your videos taking too long? There are tons of AI video tools available that are built to do exactly that. If adding effects and motion graphics is slowing you down, check out the pre-made, customizable templates in the Storyblocks library. We even created an entire video marketing toolkit full of templates to help creators save time during every step of the production process.
3. Know your audience and keep them wanting more
This next piece of advice was something two separate creators mentioned, so you know it’s important to pay attention to. And that’s your audience. After all, how can you create a video without knowing who you’re creating it for?
“Define your audience, serve their needs and give them a subconscious reason in every video to look forward to the next,” is Daniel Batal’s key advice. Being able to define your audience will make your video strategy much clearer. And giving your audience sneak previews of upcoming videos or content is a great way to keep them coming back for more.
Let’s go back to our last example of creating a home DIY YouTube channel. Who is the audience you want to create content for? Is it new homeowners with zero home improvement knowledge? Or do you want to speak to people who are already comfortable with DIY and know what they’re doing? The audience you choose will drastically change the kind of content you create, along with how you speak to your audience.
As Katie Steckly points out, understanding your audience in and out will help you create the best content: “When you have a deep understanding of who you’re speaking to, you can create content that really connects with people and provides them value.” She also suggests learning more about your target audience by watching other creators in your niche. Notice what videos tend to perform well for them, and read their comment section to see how people react to it.
Comment sections are great places to spark ideas for videos. Once you have those ideas, set out to create content that will give your audience value, but also presents the information in a new and interesting way (going back to tip number 1).
4. Patience and time are key
The final piece of advice is something that most aspiring YouTubers or content creators have heard before, but it’s worth repeating. “Be patient, and don’t give up. Building a YouTube channel takes a lot of time,” advises Tymon Reynders.
If you’re creating content hoping to become an overnight viral sensation, you’ll be waiting a long time. Creating and growing your content on YouTube is a labor of love. In some cases, videos you posted months ago will start to gain traction months later. You shouldn’t create videos with strict expectations for performance attached. Instead, create content that you love and you’re proud of, then get curious about how it performs.
Every video you post will be a learning experience, whether it’s getting a better idea of what thumbnails attract clicks, what day of the week sees more views, or what type of content resonates best with your audience. Testing out different approaches with every aspect of your content will help you learn even faster. The success of your channel will be a direct result of how you incorporate those learnings into your overall video strategy.
Create better videos, faster than ever with Storyblocks
Over time, with consistency and effort, your YouTube videos will get better and better. If you keep the four pieces of advice above in mind throughout your content creation journey, you’ll see your hard work and effort pay off.
Interested in more advice from successful YouTubers? Check out our post on the top video editing software that YouTubers use and their essential equipment for YouTube.
If you’re looking for more ways to speed up the video creation process, Storyblocks is here to help. Our flexible subscription plans give you unlimited downloads of 4K and HD footage, royalty free music, sound effects, templates, and more. With all the content you need in one library, you’ll be able to create better videos faster than ever.
