Since YouTube is the most popular video hosting platform, if you are not using it properly, you are losing out way too much in terms of growth, revenue & branding. In this blog, we’ll cover in detail how you can get new subscribers on YouTube. 

What is your go-to platform when you want to learn any skill for free?

Or where do you watch those cute how-to tutorials? 

Or what is that mobile application which you opened for 5 minutes only but you kept watching some amazing content & stuck there for 5 hours straight?

Undoubtedly, it is YouTube, right?

You must be thinking, how we are aware of it & how can we be so sure about it?

But, to be honest, we knew the answer because these are the universal facts. It is not just you or us, it is the entire world that loves binge-watching on YouTube. This is what makes YouTube the second most visited & popular website in the world. 

Being an online coach, it becomes extremely important for you to leverage a platform that without any doubt, is being used by a major chunk of your target audience. 

Creating your own YouTube channel can help you to:

  • Grow your audience
  • Monetize your knowledge 
  • Establish your personal brand 
  • Build Authentic Relationships with your audience 

The benefits of being on YouTube are endless. It is a platform that can change your life 360° & can introduce you to an ocean of growth opportunities. 

Many of our course creators get consistent leads through their YouTube channel only. They have even grown their followers on various social media platforms like Instagram & Facebook by sharing about it on their YouTube channel.  

Since we know anything great never comes easy, so before you enter into that ocean of opportunities, firstly you would need to amass a reasonable number of people who love to watch your content. These people are popularly known as “Subscribers”. The growth of your YouTube channel is directly proportional to the number of subscribers you have on your channel. 

In a nutshell, subscribers are the lifeblood of any YouTube channel. You may have a lot of visitors on your channel but, converting them into your subscribers is the real challenge. In order to get new subscribers, a robust content strategy is what you need. 

This blog is for you if you are looking out for actionable & effective strategies to get new subscribers on your channel. 

Top tips on how to get new subscribers on YouTube

1. Create a Captivating Channel Trailer 

‘You only get one chance to make the first impression’ 

Isn’t something that we have heard since our school days?

No matter if it’s an interview, business meeting, or a date, if you’re not able to seize their attention within the first few seconds or minutes, chances are you may lose that opportunity. The same applies to your YouTube channel as well.

You would definitely want a viewer to become your loyal fan, right? 

You would want him to hit that red subscribe button as soon as he/she watches your content or visits your channel, isn’t it? 

Well, you can actually convince them to subscribe to your channel & that too within the first 10-15 seconds.

Let me elaborate on how you can do that. 

Since first impressions last long, so you can leave a permanent mark on the hearts of your audience by creating a captivating 10-15 seconds long channel trailer. In this short clip of 10-15 seconds, tell your audience about your mission & goals. If it is something that they want to achieve or learn, chances are they will hit that subscribe button. Use catchy graphics, images, or your own short video clips while creating your channel trailer. 

Related: How to make money as a creator

2. Create Eye-Popping Custom Thumbnails 

One of the most important parts of YouTube videos is the video thumbnail. Since visuals are always more attention-grabbing than the text, we can conclude that video thumbnails are more powerful than the title of the video. 

YouTube auto-suggests some snippets from your videos to be used as thumbnails but you won’t regret investing time in designing your perfect thumbnail. 

As you can notice that videos that have thumbnails with a combination of images & text tend to get more attention than the videos that have only textual thumbnails or the videos that have only pictorial thumbnails. 

A thumbnail is said to be a good thumbnail when just by a mere glance at it, you get a clear idea of what you can expect from the video. 

You can see in the above example, all the thumbnails have a single image, the institute’s logo, & the topic of the video in big bold letters. All of them are designed by using the same font. This is what leads to establishing a brand. 

Therefore, you should invest appropriate time in designing thumbnails for your videos. It can help you to get new subscribers on YouTube.

3. Consistently Create Useful Content

One of the secrets to getting new subscribers on YouTube is to post useful, engaging & informative content consistently.

Since people visit your channel to learn certain things from you but, if your channel doesn’t provide them consistent value, you might lose them forever. Even if you have designed eye-catching thumbnails & have written long SEO-Optimized descriptions, they will not stick to your channel. 

Your audience is not going to love you for your thumbnails, description, or video titles. They are going to love you for the value that your channel would provide them. Therefore, be very sure that creating fresh & informative content consistently is what you need to get new subscribers on your YouTube channel.

YouTube is a vast platform, you’ll be competing with thousands of other creators in your niche. We understand, it is not easy to post a new video every single day & to be honest, it is quite overwhelming too. So, instead of posting every day, you can post a new video once a week. But, make sure you are posting on the same day & the same time every single time you post a video on your channel. 

Related: The Best Online Course Platform

4. Write Catchy Video Titles

“Clickbait” 

Isn’t it something that we all have heard about?

Don’t we get curious to watch the videos that have crazy & appealing titles? 

We get excited, right? 

Even if we don’t watch the entire video, we definitely click on it to see what’s there in the video. This is exactly what ‘clickbait’ is all about & this is exactly what you have to do.

Search for the topics in your niche that people are interested in. Write catchy & appealing titles but, make sure that the content in your video is amazing because that is what will stick in the mind of your viewers. If they like what they viewed, chances are they will watch your other recommended (suggested by YouTube) videos too. It will eventually lead them to click that red subscribe button. 

5. Don’t Be Afraid To Sound Stupid 

Accept the fact that you’re a human. You can make mistakes. Not everyone is born with in-built confidence but, that doesn’t mean you can’t build it.  Knowing the fact that thousands of people will be watching your video, 

initially, you might feel underconfident while speaking in front of the camera. Your voice may not sound like you expected but that’s completely fine. 

Practice, Practice & Practice!

This is the key to become better at recording videos. Think as if you’re talking to your favorite person while speaking in front of the camera. The only thing is that it is not going to be a two-way conversation. You will be the one who has to fill in the gaps in the conversation. You could do that by adding some slang & humor in your videos. 

The secret of getting more subscribers on your YouTube channel is to show your true self. Don’t try to be like somebody else. Stick to what you are as a person & then see your channel growing exponentially. 

6. Write Meaningful Descriptions 

You might feel that you have explained everything in your video so, you can skip the description section. 

But, we can not ignore the fact that YouTube is an ever-growing platform, why would they introduce a feature if that doesn’t provide any benefit to their users?

I hope this makes sense to you because they will never bring any feature which won’t provide any value to their audience. 

So, let’s understand why you need to write meaningful descriptions in your videos. 

Basically, there are two benefits of writing those long paragraphs under your videos. 

  1. Many people go through descriptions of the videos first so that they can decide whether they want to watch the entire video or not. In short, they save the time of your audience. 
  2. Meaningful & optimized descriptions can help the search engine to understand what is there in your video. Hence, they can increase the chances of your videos getting found via search. 

Don’t forget to mention the link to your course landing page in the description of your videos. Along with that attach all the useful links so that your viewers don’t have to wander from here and there in search of related topics. Hence, the convenient you make it for them, the more time they will spend on your channel.

7. Share Your Video On Your Social Media Handles 

YouTube allows its creators to share their content on almost every other platform & that’s a cherry on the cake, indeed. 

One of the best ways to increase the reach of your video is to share them on all social media platforms that you use. When people watch your videos on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, chances are they will visit your channel too. If they found your videos useful & informative, they won’t hesitate to click on that red subscribe button. 

Ask your friends or family members to share your videos so that you can get a maximum number of likes, views & subscribers. You can also embed your videos on your blog & mention there that you have more videos on your YouTube channel. In this way, this strategy can help you to get new subscribers on YouTube.

Related: Leverage your Instagram

8) Ask Your Viewers To Subscribe 

During the beginning & the end of your video, when you introduce yourself & when you say goodbye, don’t forget to ask your viewers to subscribe to your channel. If your content is informative & engaging then, to be honest, this trick works. People would want to watch your videos & when you yourself invite them to click on that play button, they’re more likely to do that. 

Therefore, it is extremely important to ask your viewers to hit that subscribe button to get new subscribers on YouTube. 

9) Leverage YouTube Ads

Since it is hard to beat people who have established themselves as an expert, you can leverage paid ads to give a boost to your videos. You will never regret investing money in a highly targeted paid campaign. As it will give you a bucket full of advantages like a significant increase in brand awareness, new subscribers, high-quality traffic & global reach. 

YouTube offers multiple types of ad formats like – 

  • Bumper Ads 
  • Display Ads 
  • Skippable Ads
  • Non-Skippable Ads & 
  • Sponsored Card Ads

You can use one or a combination of the available options. Create a highly appealing ad. Use graphics, animations & other multimedia features to make your ad more creative & attractive. 

10) Encourage Binge-Watching 

Though informative & valuable content in itself is self-sufficient but, if you post videos that help your audience to connect with you on a deeper level then the chances of them visiting your channel frequently are very high. 

Apart from being a coach, your audience would love to know you as a person. They would want to watch how a typical day in your life looks like, your journey, your failures, & your achievements. Therefore, it would be great if you could share such type of video once or twice a month. You can also conduct QnA sessions related to your journey. Though this is not mandatory but yes, without any doubt, it can give a boost to your channel. 

My bit:

Honestly, growing your YouTube channel is a long-term game. You can not expect to have tonnes of subscribers without putting in the required amount of energy & effort. 

So, instead of thinking about how you can monetize your channel, firstly, focus on providing value & building a loyal fan base. Once you get there, everything else will follow. 

Now, you know about multiple strategies that can help you grow your YouTube channel. So, without wasting any more time, pick a few strategies from the ones mentioned above & start implementing them religiously!