YouTube is one of the biggest social media platforms available today. In fact, it is actually more of a search engine than just an entertainment platform.
Think about it, everyone is searching for stuff these days, and where do they go to find it usually… YouTube! I know I often consult YouTube to find the answers to things. For instance, last week I needed to know how to tie a neck tie for an event my son was going to. I looked it up on YouTube and found a very helpful instructional video.
Millions of people are doing the exact same thing at any given time on YouTube and if you can tap into even a fraction of that, you can become successful.
Growing a YouTube channel is not that difficult if you follow these 4 steps. These are the exact things that all the successful YouTubers are doing because it works!
1. Be Consistent
The number one key to building a large following on any social media is to be consistent and this especially applies to YouTube. The more videos you create the greater your chances of getting views which often leads to subscribers.
Another reason to be consistent is because YouTube loves it! They want to see that you are always creating more content and that you are going to stick around a while.
The more videos you create, the more YouTube will start recommending you to viewers as well as rank you higher in the search.
When I first started my channel, I didn’t maintain much consistency and that really hurt me. But once I realized that I needed to constantly be producing content, my subscribers started to increase and my views went up dramatically.
The best way to be consistent is to try to create a new video and upload it every single day. Now this doesn’t make sense for some channels, but it does for most of them. Aim to create a video per day.
One of the things that I do is create a schedule for my week. So for instance, one day I will research all the topics I want to cover that week. Another day I will actually record the videos. And one day I will spend editing them and adding tags and descriptions. Then I set them up to be published… one per day.
Another strategy would be to just record, edit and publish all in one day. Do this every single day and you are good to go. Just do what works best with your own personal schedule. The key is to just keep creating!
2. Create Longer Videos – 7 to 10 minutes at least
The second thing you need to do if you want to grow your YouTube channel is to create longer videos. The point is to keep people on YouTube longer and with videos that last about 10 minutes on average, you will see better rankings within search.
Keep in mind that you want the viewer to watch the entire video and not just leave after 2 minutes, so make sure your content is useful and engaging. 
A good tip is to tell the viewer that you are going to explain something (or show them something) at the end of the video. Use words like, “stay tuned til the end…” and “at the end of this video I’ll reveal my number one recommendation for….”
Creating listicals (videos that list things out) is another great way to get them to keep watching the entire video. For instance, do a video listing the 5 best cameras for vlogging or 10 websites that save you money. By listing things out, people will be forced to watch so that they can find out what the 5 things in the list are. Make sense?
3. Get More Engagement
Another thing that YouTube really likes is when people engage with your videos. By this I mean that they do more than just watch the video.
Different types of engagement include, liking the video, sharing on social media or email, commenting, and even subscribing. These are all things that you want your viewers to be doing with each and every video you create.
But how do you get people to engage with your videos? I have found that just asking them is a very effective approach. For instance, I will tell viewers to “like” my video if they found it useful. I also ask them to subscribe if they are not already a subscriber to my channel.
⇒ Click Here to Subscribe to My YouTube Channel ⇐
Simply providing a call to action like this actually gets people to take action. A lot of people forget that they can like or share a video, so if you remind them, they will most likely do it.
Asking a question of your viewers during your video is a great way to get people to comment. It can honestly be anything, but try to keep it relevant to the topic if possible.
4. Keep Viewers on YouTube
The final thing you should be doing is providing a way for your viewers to stay on YouTube even longer. Remember that YouTube wants people to stay on their platform… obviously… and rewards those channels that do this.
By adding cards to your videos linking to either one of your other videos or to another YouTuber’s video, keeps people on YouTube longer. You can also utilize the end screens to suggest another video and most people will click on it.
Place links to your other relevant videos within the description area and you might also mention that you have more videos on a particular topic that people can check out.
All of these things will get people to stay on the platform longer and thus give YouTube a reason to like you even more!!
Final Thoughts – Treat YouTube like a Business
Getting over 100k subscribers and massive hours of views may seem daunting, but if you apply these simple steps and remain focused, you WILL see success with YouTube.
The best advice I can give is to treat it like a business. Work hard and work consistently as if you were working a 9 to 5 job. This is after all YOUR business and the effort that you put in is equal to the success that you will achieve.
Leave me a comment below if you have used any of these YouTube techniques to gain more traffic and get more views. I would love to hear about your success.
