While there are dozens of factors that affect your visibility on the platform, the most important one is the number of views you get on your videos and channel.
In this article, we’ll explore proven tactics to grow your YouTube channel and maximize your viewership. Whether you’re just getting started or want to see your numbers tick further upward, these tips will help you achieve your YouTube marketing goals.
Bonus: We created a template that will help you develop a channel and content strategy that drives engagement organically. Download it and start optimizing your YouTube strategy today.
How to grow your YouTube channel in 2024
Growing a YouTube channel today requires a shift in focus. While your subscriber count still matters, the real growth comes from the performance of your individual videos.
When your videos consistently attract views and engagement, YouTube’s algorithm takes notice. It starts to see your content as valuable and pushes it to more viewers. This creates a powerful cycle: more views = more engagement = more visibility = channel growth.
That’s why creating videos that people want to watch and interact with is the foundation of a successful YouTube strategy. Just as important is to promote your videos effectively so they get the love and attention they deserve.
But before we get into the ways to drive more views on your videos, let’s clarify what counts as a view.
What counts as a view on YouTube?
Views refer to the total number of times your video or channel has been watched. Each time a viewer plays a video and watches it for at least 30 seconds, YouTube counts it as a view. If someone watches your video several times, each time is counted as a new view.
This applies across all devices whether a person watches via smartphone or desktop. It also applies to embeds and videos shared on other social media platforms like Facebook.
Additionally, when someone visits your YouTube channel, you receive a view. If you use YouTube Analytics, you can go to the Overview tab to see how many views your YouTube channel received over the last 28 days.
Why are views important on YouTube?
Views are critical to the growth of your YouTube channel. When your videos get more views, YouTube’s algorithm recommends your content to more people. This increased visibility often leads to more subscribers and faster channel growth.
Views are also part of how you can make money on YouTube. More views mean more ad revenue and better opportunities for brand partnerships. And the more you earn on the platform, the more you’re able to reinvest in your channel and create even better content.
Finally, views help expand your brand’s reach. In fact, each view is your chance to connect with a potential customer or fan. Over time, higher view counts can boost brand awareness and build brand affinity, helping you reach larger business goals in the long run.
How to grow your YouTube channel: 5 tips and tricks
1. Write engaging, must-see titles
YouTube marketing is all about presentation.
Titles are make-or-break when it comes to your video’s performance. Ask yourself: are you presenting your content as “must-see” or “meh?”
The key to crafting killer titles is grabbing your audience’s attention without resorting to clickbait headlines. People crave content that’s entertaining, and they likewise want to know what your video is about from the word “go.”
For example, you can take a page out of the playbooks of YouTube giants like BuzzFeed and WhatCulture. Such videos often rely on listicles, question-based titles or hyperbole (“insane,” “…of all time”) to rack up views.
Athlean X’s fitness-based videos are another good example. The channel’s content manages to sneak in relevant keywords in its titles while also coming across as conversational.
2. Optimize your videos for visibility
Here’s some food for thought: YouTube videos show up in 70% of the top 100 Google search results.
Heck, see for yourself. Any given product or “how-to” query on Google will return something from YouTube.
In fact, YouTube results sometimes even pop up before traditional blog posts or websites. Listen: YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world. Just like people search for products and need problems solved via Google, the same rings true on YouTube.
Think of your YouTube videos like any other piece of content that needs to be optimized in terms of keywords, tags and so on.
In order to increase your chances of showing up, you’ll want to follow some of the best practices for YouTube SEO:
- Titles and description: Include target keywords in your titles and descriptions. You can use a tool like Keywordtool.io to help you find keyword ideas.
- Mention keywords in your video: According to Brian Dean of Backlinko, saying your target keywords in your video can help YouTube better understand what your video is about.
- Engagement: YouTube uses engagement (likes, comments, views) to help determine where videos rank in its search results.
- Categories: Use categories to help YouTube get a better understanding of who to show your videos to.
- Tags: In addition to categories, you can also add tags to your videos to give YouTube more context about your content. You can use quite a few tags, so add as many as you can think of.
Just like with SEO for your website, don’t keyword stuff. Use keywords when it makes sense, not just for the sake of having them.
Every minute, 500+ hours of video hit YouTube. That’s a lot of content to compete with. But growing your YouTube channel isn’t just about creating great content—it’s about getting that content seen.
While there are dozens of factors that affect your visibility on the platform, the most important one is the number of views you get on your videos and channel.
In this article, we’ll explore proven tactics to grow your YouTube channel and maximize your viewership. Whether you’re just getting started or want to see your numbers tick further upward, these tips will help you achieve your YouTube marketing goals.
Bonus: We created a template that will help you develop a channel and content strategy that drives engagement organically. Download it and start optimizing your YouTube strategy today.
3. Figure out what your audience wants
With any type of content you produce, you want to make sure it’s aligned with what your audience wants. Whether you’re writing a blog post or creating a video, start by getting to know your audience and what type of content they want to see from you.
If you’re just starting to promote your YouTube channel, take a look at your competitors or other video creators in your industry. Look at which of their videos get the most views and engagement. This will give you an idea of what topics your audience wants to learn about and what style of videos they prefer.
Use Sprout Social’s competitive analysis tools to keep an eye on your competitors. Track key YouTube metrics like views, engagement and followers, and set realistic benchmarks for your own performance. You can also use Sprout’s listening features to monitor keywords and mentions as well as track audience sentiment around specific topics and brands.
4. Increase engagement by asking viewers to comment and like
Sometimes simply asking for engagement is the best way to get your videos noticed, especially when you consider the immediacy and connection that video content can create.
Not everyone who enjoys one of your videos is going to remember to drop a like or become your subscriber, so it’s common to put these reminders in the description or in the video itself.
Especially if you’re an up-and-coming channel, there’s no shame in asking for some love directly. In fact, asking visitors a question to answer in the comments suggestion or to check out another video are perfect ways to keep the engagement rolling. You can likewise link to other videos or drop an external link to your site to serve as a sort of CTA.
5. Schedule live streams for faster growth
Live video is one of the biggest social media trends and it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. With apps like Facebook, Periscope and Instagram making it easier than ever to stream live video, more and more brands are getting on board.
YouTube has been offering live videos for years but has only recently started picking up steam. You can take a look at some popular YouTube Live videos to get a sense of how other brands are using the platform.