YouTube is among the best-paying social media platforms today, with over 2 billion users. Content on YouTube varies from music, entertainment, food, vlogs, lifestyle, and tutorials. Once you create a channel, you want nothing more than for it to be a success!
And, let’s face it: starting a YouTube channel and trying to convince people to subscribe is challenging. You can ask in every video for your viewers to subscribe, but what will actually get them to click that button? And, why is it important that they do so?
There is a lot of information out there about what you need to do to grow your channel and find your niche. There are quick fixes to gaining subscribers and a lot of different pieces of advice on how to do it. We’re here to help you figure out the best way to grow your channel and get you to 1,000 (or more!) subscribers.
Why Do I Want To Have 1,000 Subscribers On YouTube?
First, having 1,000 subscribers on YouTube is an essential step to being able to monetize your YouTube channel.
If you want to be part of the YouTube Partnership Program (YPP) and start making money from your channel, you need to have a certain number of subscribers. It is also necessary if you want to become an influencer, do affiliate marketing, or even use YouTube to sell your own products and services. Many of the people you want to do business with on YouTube will look at the size of your channel and video views to help them decide if they want to affiliate with you.
The journey to get to 1,000 subscribers can be a long process that requires dedication and carefully crafted content. Viewers need to become invested in you and your content so that they are eager to come back to watch your videos and return to your channel. Your goal should be to create and market your content in an engaging way so viewers will subscribe and watch the videos you are producing.
Reaching 1,000 followers also requires consistency. Viewers often choose to subscribe to channels that are producing content regularly. It’s important to identify an upload schedule for content that works best for you, your channel, and your goals.
Although it may feel overwhelming at first, reaching 1,000 subscribers is doable by almost anyone with a bit of effort. Our team at Raffiti Media is here to help you achieve this milestone for your channel! Read on to learn more about why you need 1,000 subscribers, some ways to get there, and some other tips to help monetize your channel.
What Are The Different Ways To Make Money On YouTube?
There are four primary ways to make money on YouTube, all of which require you to have subscribers on your channel. Some of these requirements come from YouTube and others will come from the brands or individuals you are interested in working with. To monetize your YouTube channel, you need to be an eligible creator. That means you meet the requirements of the YouTube Partner Program.
1. YouTube Partner Program (YPP). Whether you want to make money from your content or ads, joining YPP is an important step. YPP allows you to monetize your channel memberships, allows users to shop your own products, and enables Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks.
To apply for the Youtube Partner Program (if you are located in the US, UK, Taiwan, Canada, or South Korea), your channel must have:
- 500+ subscribers with 3 public uploads in the last 90 days, AND
- 4,000 watch hours on long videos in the last 12 months, OR
- 3 million views for YouTube shorts over the previous 90 days.
Once you have over 1,000 subscribers, even more benefits unlock for you and your channel. This includes earning Ad revenue! To start earning Ad Revenue from YouTube, you need the following:
- 1,000+ subscribers, AND
- 4,000 watch hours on long videos in the last 365 days, OR
- 10 million views for YouTube shorts over the previous 90 days.
Additionally, YPP has benefits for users that have over 20,000 subscribers!
2. Sell your products or services. This will give your business exposure and strengthen your relationship with your fans. Until you’re part of the YPP program, you can promote your products and website in your channel descriptions, but it gets even easier once you qualify for YPP!
3. Product Influencer. You can partner with companies or individuals and market their products and services on your channel as an influencer. Top influencers can charge as much as $20,000 per video.
4. Affiliate Marketing. You can also earn commissions by promoting products from other brands. Transparency is key to successful affiliate marketing, so don’t forget to reveal to your viewers any partnerships you have for promoting products and brands. Good product reviews also helps foster the partnership and makes the advertisement more convincing.
Now that you understand how you can monetize your YouTube channel and why having subscribers is important for your success, let’s discuss our top tips to reach 1,000 subscribers (or more!).
10 Tips to Help You Get 1,000 Subscribers on YouTube
Before we get into our top 10 tips on how to get 1,000 subscribers, let’s answer the burning question: How long does it take to get 1,000 subscribers on YouTube?
In short, it depends.
It is difficult to predict exactly how long it will take you to get there because there are many factors that affect channel growth. However, studies show that it takes an average of a year and a half with dedication, consistency, and hard work. Some people can do this in as little as 5 months and others take many years. Your results will vary depending on how much effort you put into your YouTube channel.
Below, we’ll discuss 10 tips to make your journey to 1,000 subscribers as easy as possible.
1. Do Your Research
For your videos to show up for viewers, they must appear in relevant search YouTube. This means you’ll need to research and analyze what your potential clients are searching for on YouTube and other search engines and ensure you use that to help your content rank in the top results.
Using YouTube’s Research Tab Insights tool is a great place to start. It’s a free tool built into the YouTube Studio App.
You can use the research tab to help you discover what content your viewers are searching for and identify where there might be content gaps. Content gaps are what is missing or outdated in the market and can help you get ideas for future videos.
You can also identify competing content here as well. By exploring your viewer’s searches, you can see the other content they’re coming across. Watch the content that is being put out by these channels so you can see what they’re doing well and what you would do differently to set your content apart.
You can also use the Research Tab to identify:
- Recent audience activity: This shows the topic’s popularity with your audience over the last 28 days.
- Searches on YouTube: This shows the top searches made by viewers across YouTube.
- Watches on YouTube: This shows videos watched across YouTube based on the topic.
- Related topics: This uses your current search term to show you related topics that you can use to help you expand your content strategy.
How do you find the research tool on YouTube? Open the YouTube Studio app and sign in; on the left menu, tap Analytics, then click Research on the top menu, enter the topic you need to research on, and remember to save.
Don’t forget, you also need to research your video topics. Viewers expect the content they’re consuming to be accurate, approachable, and engaging. Ask yourself if someone who knew nothing about your topic could follow the video before you publish it to your page. Having a reputation for having high-quality, easy-to-follow videos will help you gain and retain subscribers.
2. Pay Attention to YouTube Trends
Different types of videos perform differently on YouTube and the types of videos that are popular change. Staying on top of these trends will help you grow your channel’s subscriber base and find your niche.
What videos are trending on YouTube now? Music videos, tutorials, comedy, sports, educational videos, and reaction videos.
Producing videos in one of these categories will help you drive traffic to your channel. They can also help with longevity and increasing video views because you can produce content that is evergreen and will engage viewers for years to come.
The length of your videos also affects your subscribers and your ability to monetize your channel. Currently, long-form content is more popular than short-form content. Consider creating videos that focus on long-form content.
Why are long-form videos more beneficial?
- They help you establish a connection with your viewers. This is because viewers spend more time on your channel, creating a stronger bond with you.
- Long-form videos also add to your watch hours, which are needed when qualifying to monetize your channel.
When deciding what length of video to produce requires the same research you are doing to identify your viewer trends, but also consider the topic, style, and purpose of your video when deciding to produce long vs short-form content.
3. Create High-Quality Content
YouTube is competitive with more than 114 million channels competing for viewers. But, don’t let that discourage you! We have some solutions to help you stand out as a new content creator or as an established creator who is looking to gain more subscribers to monetize your channel.
One of the best ways to stand out is by making high-quality videos. Below are a few ways to help you ensure that your content is high quality.
Before you even hit record, make sure you have a clear direction for your video. If it involves a script, take time to rehearse so you sound comfortable and natural when speaking to the camera.
As a new creator, it’s okay to use your smartphone to record your videos. However, there are some things you need to keep in mind:
- Use the rear camera since it has better quality than the front camera.
- To avoid tilted videos, use the grid on your phone’s camera.
- Hold your phone horizontally. This will ensure the video looks good even on larger devices like TVs.
- Invest in good lighting – ring lights produce the most natural lighting on faces. Make sure you test the position of your lighting as well so you’re not casting any weird shadows.
If you’re ready to move beyond a smartphone and create even better content, make sure you establish a budget for the equipment you’ll need. Getting everything you need can be expensive!
Most content creators use the following to create high-quality videos:
- A camera that is designed to produce videos.
- A microphone that minimizes background noise and helps isolate speaking voices.
- Good lighting to help produce natural-looking shadows and well-lit faces.
- A tripod to help support the camera.
- Video editing software.
Using a neutral background is also an excellent way to make your videos look professional. Avoid messy or distracting backgrounds like mirrors and windows; instead, choose a solid-colored background. This can be a bedsheet, a backdrop paper, or a wall.
When deciding on a camera position, keep the rule of thirds in mind. The rule of thirds is a guideline in which an image is divided into thirds horizontally and vertically to ensure that you take well-composed photos and videos.
If your content is well-produced, subscribers are more likely to view your content as superior to your competitors.
3. Engage With Your Subscribers
People love interacting with their favorite content creators, and YouTube giveaways and contests are one of the best strategies to help you interact with your subscribers.
Running a successful giveaway contest can help you quickly gain subscribers who are new to your channel. Giveaways market your brand and increase engagement and reach in your channel. Prizes can include money, products (yours or something relevant to your channel), or shoutouts in return for their engagement with your channel.
Just remember to keep up with engaging, high quality content after the giveaway so they stick around! You may love your hat with the company logo on it, but your followers may not find that enticing enough to participate.
And, if you’re not ready to run a contest just yet, there are other ways to engage with your subscribers. You can respond to their comments on each piece of content and answer their questions in future videos. Building a connection with your subscribers will help them return to watch future content you put out.
4. Make Use of YouTube Analytics
To grow your YouTube channel, you need to understand your viewers.
What does your audience like? What kind of videos attract the most subscribers? Which videos do better than others?
YouTube Analytics helps with all data for actions going on in your channel.
How do you find YouTube analytics on your phone?
- Download and open the YouTube Studio app and sign in to your account
- At the bottom of the screen, press the Analytics icon. This will open more options.
- You will then find Research, Overview, and Content options and choose what you want.
As you strive to get to 1,000 followers, regularly check in with YouTube Analytics so you can make content that is relevant to your subscribers. This is also a great way to review your channel and help improve your watch time so you can enroll in YPP.
6. Collaborate With Other YouTubers
Another great way to grow your channel is by collaborating with other YouTubers in your niche. Collaboration will help you reach a bigger audience and increase exposure to your brand.
Collaborations always have a goal that is mutually beneficial to all creators involved. Consider what you and the other collaborator will gain before reaching out. Some reasons for partnerships are increasing reach, building a stronger relationship with your community, and engaging and learning from other creators.
If you and the other creator have similar audiences and interests, it means their audience should be interested in your channel and yours should be interested in theirs. Do your due diligence before reaching out to the other creator.
What should you consider when choosing who to collaborate with:
- What is the goal of your collaboration? Identify what you and the other YouTuber will achieve with your video or LiveStream.
- Audience compatibility: Research other channels and audience trends. What videos do the other YouTuber’s subscribers engage with? Do your styles match enough to engage both audiences?
- Content: Ask yourself if your content matches your collaborator’s content. Choosing the wrong people to collaborate with could cost your viewers’ interest and trust.
7. Market Your Channel
Marketing your content on other social media platforms is essential for success and to attract more subscribers.
Take TikTok for example: It’s one of the most popular apps for social media, which means you can reach a lot of potential viewers. However, videos on TikTok have a maximum of 3 minutes. You can use this to your advantage by editing segments of your YouTube video into engaging clips to help tease the content and get people excited for your content.
Instagram is a great platform to post short behind-the-scenes videos to excite your followers.
If you link your Twitter to your YouTube account, videos will automatically be reposted to Twitter. You can tag accounts that are related to your content which could earn a retweet and give your channel a boost in exposure.
Here are other ways to promote your YouTube channel for free
- Make a good description for your channel
- Use captivating video titles
- Add relevant hashtags
- Design YouTube thumbnails
Marketing your channel on other platforms will give you new viewers with every video you post. Each social media channel reaches people in different ways and you should use this to your advantage as you try to gain more subscribers. Just make sure you are consistent in your marketing to reveal the best results!
8. Be Consistent
When used in conjunction with other best practices for YouTube videos (including having high-quality content and knowing your target audience), consistency is the next essential step in growing your channel.
Viewers want to engage with creators that they feel connected to and they are more likely to engage with creators who put out regular videos. They know when to check out your channel and when to expect alerts for your latest videos.
Plan your videos in advance so you can have a regular posting schedule. Determine if you want to post twice a week, once a week, or once a month. Keep in mind that frequency helps get viewership on your channel. Create a schedule for the types of videos you want to produce and the schedule to get them produced.
Batching, or creating multiple videos in one sitting, is a great way to help get ahead of recording. You can then edit and optimize videos in batches. You can even schedule videos in advance so you can be working on videos weeks in advance instead of in real time.
9. Simply Ask Your Viewers to Subscribe
You’re probably familiar with a call-to-action button on a website. YouTube CTAs work similarly – they’re essential drivers to get viewers to your channel and/or other social media platforms. Use CTAs to persuade your audience to interact with your content.
You can put CTAs on your channel description where you lead people to your blog, website, or other social media platforms. However, don’t rely exclusively on these links to drive new subscribers to your channel.
You are an important part of your audience’s connection with your brand, and the most impactful way to gain subscribers is to ask. You can ask at the start, end, or even the middle of a video, but make sure it has a natural fit with the flow.
Phrases like “Please support my channel” and “Please subscribe so you don’t miss my next video” will go a long way to get people to hit the subscribe button. But, don’t get so caught up in asking for new followers that you forget to thank the people who have already subscribed. People like to feel connected with you and know you appreciate them watching your videos.
Don’t underestimate the power of simply asking people to subscribe to grow your channel.
10. Hype Your Upcoming Videos
Keep engagement going by updating your viewers on your upcoming projects to help you build a direct connection and trust with your viewers. By keeping them engaged and letting them know your future plans, it can help you and your content stay relevant.
We recommend that you stay brief in your updates about future projects, but you give it enough detail andhype to ensure your audience is excited and wants to subscribe. Combining this with that simple ask for a subscribe can be an easy way to get followers.
Hyping up future videos comes with one clear warning: don’t over promise and under deliver. Hyping up future videos only after you’ve developed realistic goals that match your ongoing plans for your channel and have clear direction. Once you’ve promised your viewers a video, ensure you deliver. Since trust and community is essential to channel growth on YouTube, not delivering a promised video in a timely manner can destroy this trust.
Conclusion
Getting 1,000 subscribers is a significant milestone for a new channel; it can be a big task, but it’s an achievable goal.
Taking time to make sure your content is on the right track will help you grow as a YouTuber. The tips we shared will make your growth easier and help your audience grow faster.
If you’ve read these tips and still feel overwhelmed, reach out to our team of YouTube experts. We have years of experience growing YouTube channels organically – that means without spending a dime. We encourage you to schedule a FREE CONSULTATION with our team to see how we can help you grow your channel and your business.
