One of the great things about YouTube is that it provides a platform for anyone in the world to showcase their talent. But one of the drawbacks is that it’s actually pretty difficult for new content to get discovered. As a matter of fact, there are probably hours and hours of great content on YouTube that don’t even have 100 views. And (unfortunately) there is no easy trick to getting thousands of views. But there are general rules you can follow that—coupled with some luck and elbow grease—can help you become a YouTube star.
Create Quality Content
First, you really do need to produce good, creative content on a regular basis. It’s true that stupid things sometimes get views on Youtube, but by-in-large the people who have reliable audiences got there by making consistently good videos. You should find your niche; make videos about something you know. There are successful YouTubers who do videos about just about everything—from celebrity impersonations to beauty tutorials to discovering the most calorific food in the world—so find something you’re interested in and stick to it.
Be Active on YouTube
You should also upload regularly, that way people who like your videos will subscribe so that they’ll be informed every time you make a new video. You should also be sure not to upload too much—say several times a day—because people may feel like they’re being spammed. Once every few days is great, and at the very least you should try to have a new video up once a week.
You also should try to connect to the YouTube community. Find other Youtubers who make videos like yours, or who are interested in the type of videos you make, and talk to them. You can find these Youtubers by going through the comments of popular videos that relate to yours. Then you can write on the channels of the people who commented. You might also go through the list of the people who subscribe to channels similar to yours and talk to them.
Connect with Other Users
You can do “sub for sub”—trading subscriptions to up your subscriber count—if you want. This may be a good way to get your first hundred or so subscribers, because having subscribers may give your channel a certain level of credibility; people like to subscribe to channels that other people are subscribed to. But ultimately you want views and repeat viewers, not a high number of subscribers that never check your channel.
It’s a good idea to “friend” a lot of people, especially if they seem to be interested in the type of videos you make. That way—even if they’re not subscribed to you—your videos will still come up on their homepage. It’s like free advertising.
If someone “friends” or subscribes to your channel check out they’re channel, too. It’s a good idea to comment on their page or videos (if they have them). And you may want to say more than just “thanks for subscribing;” take an interest in what they do, as well. People are more likely to continue following your channel if they feel personally connected to you. So it’s a good idea to also keep up those relationships.
Also be sure to post your video to your Facebook and Twitter, so your friends can check it out that way.
Finally, just keep at it. It may be discouraging to work so hard and not see an immediate pay off, but despite the well publicized outliers—like Susan Boyle—Youtube success generally does not come overnight. For any other issues or questions with computer usage, you can use TalkLocal to find computer technicians in your area. Good Luck!
