28 Tips on How to Grow a YouTube Channel & Build Your Audience

People spend nearly one hour on YouTube, every day. Despite the rise of TikTok and other video channels, YouTube still reigns supreme. YouTube channel can be a real gold mine for businesses looking to reach more of their ideal audience, as well as educate them and build loyalty among their existing customers.

And with YouTube Shorts (YouTube's response to the rising trend of short-form videos), you have double chances to reach your ideal audience.

So, how do you grow your YouTube channel? We've gathered all the tips you need. Keep reading and find out more.

What is a view on YouTube?

A view on YouTube is counted when a viewer intentionally initiates the watching of a video and watches it for at least 30 seconds. If a video is less than 30 seconds, watching the complete video counts as a view.

Why do you need a lot of views?

Views are a critical measure of a video's success on YouTube. High view counts not only boost the visibility of your content but also enhance your credibility and attractiveness to potential subscribers and advertisers.

In other words, the more views you have, the more the algorithm will show your videos to more people likely to be interested - and the more eyeballs you will attract to your content.

How do you get more views on YouTube?

Getting more views on YouTube isn't rocket science -- it does require attention to detail, regardless of whether you're a content creator or a business with a YouTube channel,

Psst: Not sure where to start with your YouTube channel? At Mayple, we have gathered the top YouTube channel managers for you to work with.

Focus on your video titles

Video titles are the first thing potential viewers see. Yours should be compelling and clear, giving viewers a strong reason to click and watch.

Don’t dismiss YouTube SEO

YouTube's search algorithm uses various factors to serve the most relevant videos to users who search for a specific topic in the search bar. Optimizing your videos for search is crucial if you want more visibility.

Keyword research

Use tools like Keyword Tool to find relevant keywords that people are searching for. Ideally, you want to look for high search volumes and low competition, as this gives you better odds (especially if your channel is relatively new and you're just starting to optimize videos for search.)

Incorporating these keywords into your content can boost its discoverability. Then, use TubeBuddy to see what your competition is for that keyword: if the competition is low, your video has a higher chance of ranking well for that keyword.

Source: TubeBuddy



Title and description

Include relevant keywords in your video's title and description to improve its ranking on YouTube's search results. Be careful, though: You should not sacrifice the "human" factor for keyword stuffing. Make sure your title and video description are engaging, informative, and accurate.

Engagement

YouTube prioritizes videos that drive engagement, including likes, shares, comments, and clicks on the subscription button. Encouraging viewers to engage with your content can improve its visibility. Saying things like "leave a comment" or "like this video if you enjoyed it" or "hit that subscribe button" can go a long way in increasing engagement.

Categories

Choosing the right category for your video helps YouTube understand your content's context, assisting in better targeting your audience.

Tags

Tags provide additional context and allow you to incorporate relevant keywords, helping it appear in related searches.

Need someone to help you with your YouTube SEO? Contact Mayple and hire a top YouTube marketer to match your business and needs.

Don’t dismiss Google SEO either

YouTube videos often appear in Google search results. Optimizing your video content for Google can get you more visibility in search results and attract additional views from the world's largest search engine.

Look for keywords that could appear in Google, and optimize your videos for search (both in terms of title and description and in terms of what you actually say in the video).

Add captions to your videos

Captions make your content accessible to a wider audience, including non-native speakers and the hearing impaired, potentially increasing your view count.

Get to know your audience

Understanding who your audience is and what they like to watch is key to creating content that meets their interests and keeps them coming back for more.

If there's one surefire way to make sure your content is appreciated, it's making sure you know your audience inside and out: what they like, the kind of jokes they're likely to react to, the content they relate to, and more.

The more you know, the easier it will be to build a channel they not only like but recurrently come back to. And the more audience retention you get, the healthier your channel growth will be.

Build creator partnerships

Collaborating with other creators can introduce your channel to a broader audience and boost your views. Plus, it can help you better understand the platform by learning from other successful channels (it's always easier to navigate more turbulent times when you have the bird's eye view.)

Here's a great example of an interview that the Futur did with Chris Do.

Engage with other YouTube channels

Commenting on and sharing other YouTubers’ videos can help build relationships within the community, often leading to more visibility for your own content. Showing you're there for another YouTube channel is not just a sign of respect but also increases the chances of reciprocity.

Make your thumbnails stand out

An eye-catching thumbnail can significantly increase the likelihood of someone clicking on your video among a sea of other options. Some of the most important tips to remember when creating YouTube thumbnails include:

• Use high-quality images
• Make sure the thumbnail accurately represents your video's content
• Include text that is easy to read and highlights a key aspect of your video
• Use bright colors and bold designs to make your thumbnail stand out in search results and recommended videos.



Cross-promote your videos

Promoting your videos on your other social media platforms can draw in views from audiences outside of YouTube. Cross-promotion might also attract new subscribers to your channel, increasing your overall reach and engagement.

Create binge-able series

A series of related videos encourages viewers to watch more of your content in one sitting, increasing your total view count. Examples include:

• Series of recipes inspired by a location or ingredient
• How-to videos for a particular skill or hobby
• Reviews or rankings of different products or services

Embed YouTube videos on your website

Including your YouTube videos on your website or blog can expose them to your existing audience, leading to more video views. This tactic can also help drive traffic from your website to your YouTube channel, increasing your subscribers.

Create playlists

Playlists help organize your content and make it easier for viewers to watch multiple videos in one go, potentially increasing your channel's overall views. They are also a great way to make it easy for your audience to consume your content - just like Netflix automatically plays the next episode, a playlist will automatically start the next video, keeping your viewers engaged for longer.

Here's an example from one of my favorite channels - Unbox Therapy:



Try live streaming

Live streaming can create a sense of event around your content, drawing in viewers in real time and boosting engagement. Keep in mind live streams might not be suitable for every type of content ever, but they can work for things like:

• Q&A / Ask Me Anything sessions
• Behind-the-scenes looks at your creative process
• Live events or concerts
• Product launches or updates



Run paid ads

Investing in YouTube's advertising platform can help increase your video's visibility to a targeted audience. It might not be an inexpensive method of growing your audience on your YouTube channel, but it can be one of the faster, more effective ways to attract an audience likely to engage with you.

Repurpose your content on social media

Sharing snippets or entire videos on social media platforms can attract viewers back to your YouTube channel. One 30-minute podcast can easily become six to seven Reels/ TikToks or even YouTube Shorts videos, which you can distribute in a newsletter, on LinkedIn, on Twitter/ X, and so on.

Plan each video thoroughly

A well-planned video is more likely to be engaging and retain viewers, leading to higher view counts. And, in general, YouTube channel growth doesn't happen overnight: it's a systematic, step-by-step process, where you learn from each video. Every creator's journey is different - whether you're an individual creator or a business, you need to be patient.

Plan your content carefully and focus on improving with each upload. Make sure you always have content planned out, and more than anything, make sure you stick to your plan, even if you have to improvise.

Ride trends (when they make sense)

Creating content around trending topics can draw in viewers searching for current discussions or events. However, keep in mind that you shouldn't blindly follow trends just because they're popular. Make sure the trend aligns with your channel's brand and values before creating a video around it.

Try things out

Experiment with different types of videos to see what resonates most with your audience, helping you refine your content strategy. You might feel like you shouldn't "change something that works" (and you shouldn't), but new experiments can reveal new levers for growth -- and that's part of a sustainable growth strategy.

Ideas of things you can try out to grow your YouTube channel include:

• Changing your video format
• Trying out more compelling thumbnails (or testing which are the most eye-catching thumbnails for your audience)
• Building new creator liaisons and multiple-creator collaborations
• Analyzing the average session time to know how long or short your videos should be
• Creating more videos similar to what people already liked
• Adding or moving your subscribe button link on the video
• Playing around with different design elements or screen elements to see if they make your videos more engaging
• Analyzing what tends to turn viewers into subscribers
• Analyzing your traffic sources
• Create more content with YouTube's algorithm in mind
• Check if you can find new video ideas using Google Trends
• Work to refine your regular upload schedule and maintain your content calendar
• See how you can embed social proof

Interact with your audience

Responding to comments and engaging with your viewers creates a sense of community around your channel, making them more likely to come back for more. Make sure you take the time to read and respond to comments on your videos, as well as engage with your audience on other platforms like social media or email newsletters. YouTube is, after all, a social platform -- so engaging with your audience is important.

Be authentic and build your own voice

Viewers appreciate authenticity. Developing a unique voice and staying true to it can help you stand out and attract a loyal audience. Gone are the days of TV voices and everyone on YouTube channels copying each other—be yourself and create content that is true to your personality and style.

Authenticity can also help you connect with your audience on a deeper level, leading to more engagement and growth. Don't be afraid to show your personality and let it shine through in your videos.

Encourage viewers to comment and engage

Creating a community around your channel by actively engaging with viewers can encourage more people to watch and share your videos. Some of the best ways to encourage people to engage with your content include:

• Asking questions or prompting discussion in your videos
• Hosting giveaways or contests with specific entry requirements (such as commenting on a video)
• Responding to comments and interacting with your audience regularly.

By creating an engaging and interactive community, you are not only increasing the likelihood of people watching your videos but also fostering a loyal fanbase that will support and promote your channel.

Moderate the comments 

Managing your video comments to remove spam or harmful language helps maintain a positive community environment and a clean, safe channel. Keep in mind you shouldn't delete criticism, but you are more than free (and recommended) to remove any kind of comment that's hurtful towards others (whether they are part of your community/ audience or not.)

The best YouTube channels and creators take care of their audience -- and if someone in the comments section wants to ruin the balance, you are more than entitled to moderate their comment.

Understand it won’t be easy

Growing a YouTube channel takes time and persistence. Recognizing the challenges and staying motivated is key to long-term success.

You know what they say: Rome wasn't built in a day. Building a successful YouTube channel takes hard work, dedication, and patience. It's important to have realistic expectations and understand that there will be ups and downs along the way. But with determination and consistency, you can achieve your goals on YouTube.

TDLR: Hard work pays off

Big YouTube channels make it look easy, like reaching hundreds of thousands of people is a piece of cake.

Truth be told, there's a lot of hard work behind all the "fame." There's planning and mistakes and lessons learned and constant tinkering with the content strategy. Uploading a single video won't go a long way. But if you consistently show up and put in the effort, the results will come.

It's not just about gaining subscribers or views, but also building a community, connecting with like-minded individuals, and sharing your passion with the world.

Mister Beast uploaded his first video on YouTube in 2012 when he was just 13 years old. It took another five years for him to go viral with his famous "counting to 100,000. That's five years of trial and error, and, likely, a lot of "quitting", too. Countless hours of videos that were not successful- or at least not in any way his current video content is.

YouTube fame might seem like it happened overnight, but in reality, it's the result of hard work and persistence over a long period of time. So keep at it, stay consistent, and remember that every successful YouTube channel was once in your shoes too. Contact us today, and we'll match you with the best YouTube marketers for your business!