How to Get Subscribers on YouTube

Last Updated: December 5, 2022

If you want to get more subscribers on YouTube, you've got to learn how to get the word out and make high-quality content that people will enjoy. You can learn to improve your content, appeal to your viewers, and come up with a strategy for getting the most subscribers possible.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Creating Content

1
Upload several high-quality videos each week. No one will subscribe to a channel without any content on it. If you want to get people to subscribe to your channel, it's important to start regularly posting videos. Create a schedule and stick to it.
- Have set times for uploading, and let people know when you release new videos. Work video-making into your schedule regularly. If you've got every Thursday afternoon free to make videos, then release a video every Friday.
- Be consistent. Try to stick to your schedule as much as possible. People will unsubscribe sometimes, if your channel sits dormant for too long.
2
Have a theme for your channel. Most people subscribe to channels that feature specific and unique content that they enjoy. If you want subscribers, it's important to make your channel as specific as possible. Do you make cooking videos? Reviews? Vlogs? ASMR videos? Pick a theme and stick to it.
- Most people don't subscribe to channels with totally random home videos thrown up. Even if you want your channel to feature different kinds of videos, it's still good to have some sort of basic theme. Maybe it's humor videos, or just content for kids. Whatever the case, it's good to have a topic in mind.
- If you want to make, say, both gaming videos and cooking videos, consider starting two different channels to feature those videos. It's likely you'll end up with more subscribers for each separately, than both together.
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3
Be enthusiastic on camera. The most successful YouTube users are usually pretty high-energy. People like to be entertained, so it's a good idea to put on your best and most energetic face when you make videos. You need to look like you care about the topic you're discussing.
- Take some time to make sure you look good on camera. You don't have to have movie-star looks to be successful on YouTube, but it helps to clean up a little before you record videos.
- Not all videos need to be super-enthusiastic. If you're recording affirmation videos, or vlogs of political commentary, it might be better to be kind of quiet. Match your energy level to the video you're making.
4
Be unique. People subscribe to channels that provide content they can't find elsewhere. If you want to get more subscribers, your channel needs to include videos that can't be found on other better channels. Even if you're a big fan of the NeedleDrop's music reviews, or Jenna Marbles humorous vlogs, it's important to find some way to specialize, or improve upon the content you like.
- Maybe you like music and want to review new records. Cool. Pick a specific genre to get even more specific and appeal to a particular audience. NeedleDrop's got the full-indie spectrum covered, but maybe you just review K-Pop, or death metal.
5
Record a channel intro video. Let people know what your channel is all about by recording a channel intro video that will play when someone clicks on your channel. These videos are usually short, provide a brief introduction to who you are and what you do, and invite people to subscribe for more.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Improving Your Content

1
Learn more about your viewers. Google provides free analytics services to YouTube content creators, so they can track and analyze the kinds of people attracted to their videos. When you know a little more about them, you can make content that will appeal to that audience more directly. Google's analytics services provide information including:
- approximate age
- gender
- geographical location
2
Use better sound and video equipment. Most people won't subscribe to channels with fuzzy audio and phone-quality video. If you're serious about having a successful channel, it's a good idea to invest in an HD video camera with a good microphone for recording audio. Read this article to learn more about good cameras for making videos.^{[1]
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- If you can't spend money on new camera and recording equipment, it's still important to make sure your videos are clear, steady, well-lit, and synched properly.
3
Edit your content well. One thing you'll notice about a lot of successful YouTube content creators is that their videos are heavily edited. Most popular videos are not just long, single-takes. Lots of the jokes and style of the YouTube video come from quick jump-cuts and humorous little moments.
- Often, YouTubers will record a long video, but then cut it up to include only the funniest parts in the best order. Play around with your videos in a basic editing software like iMovie. Only keep the best bits.
- Don't record your videos straight to YouTube. Take some time to edit them before making them live on your channel.
4
Keep your videos uncluttered and neat. Popular YouTube videos are short, clean, and neat. No long intros or credits at the end, no loud soundtrack in the background, no fancy fades or camera tricks. It should just feature the content that you want to highlight.
- If you want to share links, put the links in the description box below the video. Link boxes in the video are annoying for lots of users who just want to watch. This might get your other videos more accidental views, when people click on them while trying to delete the boxes, but it won't get you more subscribers.
5
Make lots of different kinds of videos. It's good to have a theme for your channel, but people don't want to watch the exact same video over and over and over. Try to mix it up. Come up with a few different types of features, or a short week-long theme for your channel, to give people a reason to keep watching.
- If you do cooking videos, mix up the type of recipes you feature. Aim for a dessert item one week, then an entrée the next. Do a month of only your best Italian dishes. Do a month where you try out recipes you've never tried before. Do a month of dishes your grandmother showed you.
6
Match the length of the video to your topic. Some popular channels feature videos that are quite long, 15-20 minutes, while other popular channels feature videos that never go past the four minute mark. The video should be long enough to do what you want it to do, and no longer.
- If your channel appeals to younger kids, keep the videos short. Humor videos and blogs should be no longer than 3-4 minutes.
- If your channel appeals to an older, specialized audience, like for beer or cigar reviews, your videos should be more in-depth and longer.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Attracting Subscribers

1
Advertise your channel on social media. When you make videos, you an share them on your personal Facebook, Twitter, and other social media accounts, but your friends might get annoyed pretty quickly every time you put up a video. Consider making a social media account for the channel itself, and asking your friends to subscribe to those specifically.^{[2]
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- Friend other popular YouTube channels on social media, and try to get the word out as much as possible.
- Online forums for the topics you're interested in are also good places to promote your channel. If you do music reviews, post your videos on a music discussion board.
2
Follow similar channels. If you want follows, it's important for you to follow and subscribe to lots of channels as well. You need to be a video-watcher as well as a video-maker. Often, if people recognize that you're making similar videos, they'll just automatically follow you back.
3
Comment regularly on videos you like. One good way to attract attention to your channel is to comment positively and participate in the YouTube community. When you watch a video that you like, encourage the person who made it. Respond to a question asked in the video, or post a response video if you have something to say.
- Be positive. Negative trolling comments won't get you any subscribers.
- Don't advertise your channel on popular videos. Writing, "Hey check out my channel" on the newest Justin Bieber video just looks tacky, and won't yield you many subscribers.
4
Keep up with the comment stream on your own videos. When people take the time to comment on your videos, try your best to find the time to respond to them. Even if the comment is on a video that's three months old, it's good to Try to keep up as much as possible and at least say something to your commenters.
- If your videos start getting a lot of subscribers, this will get impossible pretty quickly. Still, it's important to interact with at least a few of the commenters on your newest videos. Try to keep up as much as possible.
- Sometimes, the YouTube comment stream can be an ugly place. Don't argue with commenters. If someone's trolling your videos with crude stuff or dumb comments, just ignore them.^{[3]
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5
Interact with your viewers. Popular channels are often the ones that feature the most interaction with the fans and subscribers. Try to find ways to respond directly to your growing numbers of fans.
- Pick good questions from the comments stream and answer those questions on camera.
- Tell your subscribers that you're looking for ideas for new videos, and try out some of their ideas if they're good.
- Invite your subscribers to post response videos to your videos. Invite your subscribers to comment with specific questions or comments.
6
Celebrate subscriber milestones in video. One technique that popular YouTube channels often employ is doing a special video of some kind for a subscription milestone. As soon as you get 100 subscribers, do a special video to commemorate. Bake a cake on your cooking video, or do a "Top 100 Songs of All Time" review on your music review channel.

Community Q&A

Question

I feel like my channel isn’t growing. I record with my phone and edit with iMovie. What can I do to grow and improve everything?

Community Answer

Try uploading more often. As explained above, if you don’t upload, then a lot people will unsubscribe. But no matter what, do not quit. Keep on trying!
Question

Can you give me the best topics for getting more subscribers on YouTube?

work stu

Community Answer

Gaming and real-life challenge videos tend to fare better in having subscribers. If you want ,you can also look at more successful channels and see what they are doing, then try to do something similar.
Question

Is making many alt accounts and subscribing to my main channel a good idea?

Deepak singh

Community Answer

It's a very bad idea. If you do so it means you are lying to yourself. If someone genuinely find your videos helpful or entertaining will always be your subscriber and follow you like a fan your fan.