Get more YouTube subscribers with these tried-and-tested methods

If you want to tap into the benefits of video blogging or video marketing, then you have got to be on YouTube.

While many other video sharing platforms like Vimeo, Veoh, Dailymotion, etc. exist, none come close to the popularity and robustness of YouTube.

In short, if you have to earn from your videos, YouTube is a platform that you have to be on. And being free and feature-rich makes YouTube the best choice for video marketing.

But if you have to earn a respectable amount from your videos, it is essential that you have subscribers, and a huge number of it.

The more the subscribers you have, the more will be your video views and more will be the ad views and clicks that can earn you money.

And when it comes to the number of subscribers, the more the merrier. You can never say that I have so many subscribers that it is enough.

That is why, you should always make an attempt to get more subscribers to your channel, and here are a few tips to do that successfully:

Offer quality content

The first criterion that must be fulfilled in order to get more subscribers is quality content. Th video that you upload must have good content.

Whether you are a posting a tutorial of some sort, or an interview with a popular icon, or a cooking video or anything that you want to share, it must offer good substance to the viewers.

If your video fails to offer what the viewers are looking for, they are never going to subscribe to your channel.

So, make it a priority to offer useful content via your videos and your subscribers will automatically increase.

Watermark your videos

If you have put in hard work to create the videos, you surely wouldn’t want others stealing it.

And thanks to YouTube, doing so is very easy. It allows you to add any watermark that you like to all of your videos.

However, instead of using your name or logo as a watermark, it is best that
you use a ‘Subscribe’ watermark. This will help you gain more subscribers very easily who will come back to view your latest videos.

Upload videos frequently

If you are not regular at posting videos, your subscribers will gradually lose interest as they find that your videos are few and far between.

That is why, before you start posting videos on YouTube, create a plan on what you want to upload and when you are going to upload it.

Follow the schedule and you will find that you are steady at work. Your channel subscribers will continue receiving what they want to see at regular intervals and that will keep them engaged.

Make the videos moderately long

While it is important that you post videos frequently, uploading minute long videos are of no use. Do not try to break one long video into many small ones in order to increase your post frequency.

Videos that are 10 minutes or longer gain more subscribers than those that are very short.

This is because the viewers would like to know more about the topic that the video is on and if they do not get valuable information, they may not want to watch more of your videos and there goes your subscribers.

That is why, it is recommended to upload videos that are atleast 10 minutes long or a bit more. However, do not stretch them unnecessarily as that can
bore the audience.

Use the YouTube intro and outro

If you have never heard of this, you need to go ahead and check this out.

When you add a sizzling intro and a fantastic outro to your video, your visitors are going to stick around for more than you can imagine.

Great intros pique their interest and mind-blowing outros make them want more. And to get more, they generally subscribe to your channel. And the best part is that with online (free) video creators, creating intros and outros is easy-peasy.

Create an interesting thumbnail

Thumbnails play an important role in attracting the attention of the viewers and if you can make the thumbnails catchy, you can compel more people to watch your videos.

The more they watch your videos, the better are your chances of gaining subscribers.

Use the End Screen efficiently

If you want more subscribers, you need to attract viewers to more of your videos. An effective way to do so is to use your End Screen to present/promote other related videos from your channel.

So, while you are about to end your present video, you are allowing the viewers a sneak-peak into other videos and if they have what the viewers are looking for, they will view them as well.

This will give them the information that they are looking for and make them feel that your videos are worth watching. The result? Well, they will subscribe to your channel.

Engage the viewers

If a viewer has liked a video that you uploaded, he/she may put a comment on your video mentioning the same.

Even if they haven’t liked something, they may express the same in the comments section. This should not only help you know what the viewers like or want to see in the videos, but also opens up an opportunity to engage with them.

Reply to the comments that the viewers have put in and they will surely like the gesture. Moreover, as you communicate with your audience, you stand a chance to convert them into a permanent fanbase.

Use a well-formulated channel description

Getting subscribers is all about attracting more viewers and a good channel description can do that for you.

Instead of going for a one-liner, add a brief channel description that tells the viewer about who you are, why you took to vlogging or video marketing, and how you can help them.

A compelling description will surely get you more subscribers. You can add a few keywords too for better rankings on SERP.

Optimize video titles

Another effective way of getting more viewers and thus, more subscribers is the use of proper video titles.

The titles that you use for your videos must tell the viewers what the video is about, and should preferably contain a keyword or two so that the search engines find it easy to rank your videos.

Do not ignore video description

Not only does your channel description matter, video descriptions are important as well.

It shouldn’t be too short (a one-liner) or too long (an essay). It should ideally be a few lines that will briefly describe what the video is about and how it can help the user.

Try to include a keyword or two in the description for SEO benefits. But never overdo it.

Harness the benefits of meta data

Poor video views count doesn’t necessarily mean that the video content is poor. It could be that it has poor discoverability percentage, i.e. only a few people are actually coming across your video.

This could be because of wrong/no use of meta data on your videos. Much like any content, your videos, too, need the proper meta data to rank well on search results.

And the more easily your videos get found on search results, the better will be the viewership and more will be the number of subscribers on your channel.

Use subscriber magnets

Go to your Analytics page and find out which of your videos has earned you more subscribers.

Once you find out, you can use the same video as a subscriber magnet.

You can add that particular video to the End Screen of all other videos, put it on the top of your video playlist, make it a channel trailer, or anything that will get you the eyeballs that you need.

And once the video gets the attention, it can get you more subscribers like it was doing before.

Use the SML magic string

This short, one-line code can make it easier for you to get more subscribers.

When the viewers click on your channel link appended with the SML magic string, they automatically get a pop up that asks them to confirm subscription to your channel.

By placing the subscription option directly in front of the viewer, you increase your chances of getting subscribers.

Work on your channel icon

Having an appealing channel icon is totally worth it. The channel icon will be displayed everywhere and you do not want an indistinct icon that anyone can miss.

That is why, it is important that you make the icon as eye-catchy as possible. For personal brands, a high resolution headshot works the best, while for a company, an appealing version of the logo would be the best choice for the icon.

Use the Creator Hearts

This is a fantastic feature provided by YouTube that can help you connect better with your audience.

Suppose a viewer likes the content of a particular video and makes it a point to mention that in the comments.

This feature will not only highlight such a comment, but also allow the channel owner to react with ‘heart’ to the comment.

And when you do that, the user will receive a notification. And statistics show that such notifications are more likely to get clicked, bringing them back to your video.

This will increase interaction, and thus, the chances of subscribers.

Create a trailer that creates a hook

If you want to attract people to your videos, you need a killer trailer that will not only provide snippets of what your videos contain, but also create a hook that will be easily taken by the visitor.

Let your trailer show snippets of the best that your videos have to offer and you will have the viewer hooked to your videos.

The more they watch your videos, the better are the chances that they will subscribe to your channel.

Use your blog to promote your videos

If you have a blog with a good number of new and returning visitors, then it is a good idea to embed your videos to your blog posts.

People who like what you offer in your blog are more likely to find your videos more interesting. That is why, they can be converted to subscribers
more easily.

Use a definitive CTA

What happens when the viewer finishes seeing your video? In most cases, they will click on another related video from a different channel to know more about what they are here for.

And there goes your subscribers. But if you use a strong CTA that tells the user to click on the subscribe button to get the latest updates from your channel, they are most likely to click the button.

And you get the subscribers that you need.

Collaborate with other YouTubers

Instead of seeing other YouTubers in same domain as your competition, try to collaborate with them to create new, interesting videos.

The viewers (both yours and your collaborators’) will get more value out of the videos and you will easily gain more subscribers.

Instead of seeing other YouTubers in same domain as your competition, try to collaborate with them to create new, interesting videos.

The viewers (both yours and your collaborators’) will get more value out of the videos and you will easily gain more subscribers.

Host giveaways

Everyone likes freebies and you can use the same techniques to engage your subscribers and get new ones. You can hold contests that will reward your present subscribers.

Contests can be adding the most number of subscribers, getting the most number of likes, and so on. And when they do so, you benefit.

Use social media

An effective way of getting more subscribers on YouTube is to promote your videos on social media. Most of us have accounts on many social media platforms and a great many friends as well.

If you are active on social media, it would be a great idea to post your videos on various platforms and if they are good, they will be liked and shared by your friends, thus giving you a great outreach.

The more your videos spread, the more you will get views and subscribers.