If you’re looking at starting a new channel on YouTube and want it to grow quickly, having a guide to help you grow your YouTube channel from zero like a boss from experts who know the ins and outs of all the different strategies to succeed on the platform, is crucial.
Learning and getting help from experts is true in any industry; it’s why medical students study at a hospital under experts’ guidance before becoming doctors.
And being a content creator, especially on a platform like YouTube, is the same. You need expert help to be successful.
So, suppose you’re interested in starting a new channel and need tips to grow your YouTube channel from zero like a boss to something that’s a thriving community and gaining subscriptions with a bit of guidance, hard work, and commitment. In that case, you can turn your channel into a success.
Gone are the days when you could post a cat video and have it become a viral sensation with millions of views. It takes strategic planning and knowing all the industry tricks we at Raffiti Media know to help you take your YouTube channel from zero to something with people watching, sharing, liking, and talking about on other platforms.
It will take a much more disciplined approach than posting a video and getting views. It will take some effort and know-how, so we’ve created this guide to help you.
Ready to get started then?
Here’s our guide to growing your YouTube channel from zero into something your audience craves.
How To Grow A New YouTube Channel in 2024 (and Beyond)
The thing you need to understand is for some channels, it will take a while to see any traction. But if you are strategic about implementing the tips we discuss here, you will see quick results without any shortcuts.
Most people’s problem these days is that they’re looking for quick wins through shortcuts, like buying subscribers and likes, paying for traffic with ads, and other short-term tactics.
If you’re interested in starting your channel, growing it, and seeing it thrive in 2024 and beyond, there are a few factors you need to know to succeed.
The main goal is to grow something sustainable that you can count on, that your audience looks forward to, and something that helps you achieve your outcome objectives.
To do this successfully, you need to focus on the following:
- Grow Organically–Don’t Pay For Traffic
- Understand How The Platform Works
- Know Your USP–The Unique Selling Proposition
- Create Quality Content
- Optimize Your Content And Your Channel
- Create Engaging Thumbnails
- Consider A Creative Intro
- Utilize End Screens
- Engage With Others–Especially Your Target Audience
Before we discuss these pointers in detail, let’s examine the benefits of running a successful YouTube channel.
A little motivation never hurts anyone, and understanding how you can benefit from growing your YouTube channel from zero like a boss might increase your interest in making it happen.
Benefits Of Running A Successful YouTube Channel
Okay, so running a successful YouTube channel doesn’t just happen. When it is successful, it comes with a variety of benefits.
For content creators, the goal may be to have a viral video or a channel that is the authority on topics in a particular niche. The goal may be monetized for others by selling products or advertising revenue.
Running a YouTube channel simply to be a content creator can be a reward and a fulfilling experience in and of itself. Still, more than likely, there is a different outcome: your objective is to create and publish content on the platform.
The most significant and obvious benefit of publishing content on the platform is the insane reach that YouTube offers publishers, allowing them to reach a broad, diverse audience.
In 2023, there were over 2.1 billion users on the YouTube platform, which is 25% of the population on Earth. To get even a percentage of those people to view and consume your content would be an incredible feat.
With that size of reach, gaining any traction for your channel and content can build a loyal following and grow your business potential.
Additionally, YouTube’s broad potential audience allows you to showcase your creativity with a unique potential reach.
This gives content creators a unique opportunity regardless of whether you’re trying to highlight some entertaining content, informative tutorials, or heartfelt messages for a wider audience than otherwise.
Finally, the opportunity to monetize your content through the platform through advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsorships, direct selling, or even driving traffic from YouTube to an external website or blog can be incredibly lucrative if done correctly.
There are some outstanding opportunities, but seeing the fruits of your labor may take some time, especially if you’re starting a new channel without an audience or traction.
If you want to grow your YouTube channel from zero like a boss and maximize your potential for the channel, you’ll need to be strategic in building and growing, which is why we’ve created this guide to help you.
Organic Growth Versus Paid Traffic
There are two schools of thought on how to grow a channel quickly on YouTube. The first thing to know is that YouTube, like its parent company, Google (and Alphabet), is designed to be a search engine.
When users type in the search bar their query, instead of driving results to a website or blog, the YouTube algorithm drives traffic to the most relevant videos that match those queries.
And being one of the top search results is enormous, so you’ll need to optimize your content and descriptions much like you would with traditional SEO strategies–more on that in a bit.
Understanding that the platform is a search engine will help you decide which strategy is best for growing your channel.
So, what are the two different schools of thought on growing on YouTube?
The two schools of thought on growing traffic on YouTube are paid traffic and organic growth.
With paid traffic like buying subscribers, there is a quick-hit strategy that will immediately drive traffic to your channel and content, but it’s only as good as the amount of money and time you spend running an ad campaign.
But once the spigot is turned off, your traffic drastically cuts off.
You may see a trickle of traffic still coming to your content, but it’s not sustainable unless you have deep pockets and funding.
Instead, a better, longer view is to focus on growing your channel and traffic organically.
To grow organically, you’ll need to do more than create compelling content; you’ll also need to optimize your descriptions, thumbnails, and other SEO-oriented strategies and tools.
While this strategy may take a little longer, some shortcuts effectively boost your traffic in the short term and are sustainable over the long haul.
Don’t worry if you’re unsure how to do these things or don’t have the time to oversee all the needed aspects.
Raffiti Media is a full-service YouTube management agency that can help you in every aspect, from optimization to content production, so that your channel has the best chance to succeed.
Understand How The Platform Works
As a platform, YouTube makes uploading content simple. But that’s where most people go wrong. They presume that because they’ve uploaded something, they can try to promote it and get enough traffic that their content will gain traction on the platform.
In reality, YouTube is a search engine that aims to provide users with suitable videos to match their search queries at the right time. It’s really that simple.
However, getting videos to appear at the top of search results will require content creators to optimize their content to appear relevant to users’ search requests.
You’ll need to research some basic SEO for the platform, but you’ll want to spend some time researching the specific terms and phrases that your target audience is looking up.
What you find will be crucial to guide how you craft your descriptions, thumbnails, intros, and end cards to match those so that the YouTube algorithm recognizes your content as relevant.
In addition, you’ll need to engage with viewers and your audience so that they watch your video to the end and are willing to like and share your content.
Audience engagement is another crucial factor in how the algorithm decides what’s relevant in searches.
Know Your USP–The Unique Selling Proposition
It’s not enough to create keyword-driven, high-quality content. You must also know what sets you and your brand apart from competitors and how to best sell to your customers.
Your unique selling proposition (USP) sets you apart and offers customers value that others lack.
Questions to ask yourself to help identify your USP include:
- What is your passion for this project and brand?
- What are your goals for it, and how does that best help the viewer/customer?
- Why are your content and products better suited to address your audience’s current needs and issues?
- Is there something you do or offer that is different from others in the field?
Once you can identify and answer these questions, you can decide how to craft content that best serves the audience.
The more people are familiar with your brand, especially if you’ve done it well and it is identifiable, the greater brand loyalty you’ll generate.
People identify with brands they know and like, even going so far as to adopt the brand as part of their own.
The brand becomes personalized to them.
Becoming a personal brand is one of the most important things you can focus on.
Think about Apple.
When starting out, they branded themselves as outsiders that offered superior technology.
As soon as the iPod and iPhone were launched, the branding shifted to appeal to individuals who relished the devices’ uniqueness and sleek luxury.
This strategy created an ecosystem of Apple users and non-Apple users to create a tribal approach.
And this tribalism has been exponentially crucial to their growth, with a whole group identified by the “blue” iMessage symbol making fun of those other phones that are outside of the Apple sphere by being identified as “green” in text messaging.
What drove Apple’s sales wasn’t having the best technology. Others came to market faster and often did it better.
However, Apple made the brand an identifier that people wanted to be seen and known as having been a part of–it became a tribal mindset that drove sales year after year.
That type of brand loyalty will generate opportunities long after the initial touchpoint with your audience. So, when deciding on your USP, consider how you can create a brand that people want to embrace and be a part of.
Create High-Quality Content
Once you understand how YouTube search parameters work and how the algorithm ranks content, creating high-quality content is the next task on your table.
When we discuss high-quality content, there are two factors in play.
The first is to shoot, record, and edit using top-of-the-line equipment. Invest in lighting, sound equipment, microphone pop filters, and other tradecrafts.
You’ll also want to create a publishing calendar to grow your channel.
Be sure to include a script for each video and try to have relevant tie-ins with other videos on your channel. This can also help increase overall views and watch times, other essential factors in how the platform evaluates and ranks content.
You’ll want to create a structure and outline to ensure that your video has a smooth flow and plenty of hooks to keep your audience engaged.
Also, consider how you represent your brand in this video and others like it. Consistency with your brand and how you structure the narratives in the video will improve brand recognition.
The first step in growing your YouTube channel is to create high-quality, engaging content that will attract viewers and keep them returning for more.
Ensure your videos are well-produced, engaging, and relevant to your target audience. Consider investing in good equipment, such as a high-quality camera and microphone, which will ensure your videos look and sound professional.
Optimize Your Content And Your Channel
When you want to launch and grow your YouTube channel from zero like a boss, think about the process like a farmer.
You’ll tend to the soil, plant a seed, water it, and nurture it; with a bit of time, temperature, and effort, it will bear fruit.
Optimizing your content and channel for search engines and the YouTube algorithm is the next in a series of strategic, actionable steps.
Using your list of relevant keywords and terms that your audience is using to find content like yours, you’ll want to include these in your video titles, descriptions, and tags to help search engines rank your videos higher and drive traffic back to them.
Another crucial feature at this stage is to include and create eye-catching thumbnails and outros, otherwise known as end cards, for your videos.
If you’re wondering what YouTube end cards are, well, end cards are graphics or other images that appear at the end of a video to capture a viewer’s attention and to take a desired action.
These actions could range from asking for subscriptions, likes, shares, or other actions, including going to an external website. Taking steps like these is essential to driving traffic and making your channel more relevant to how the algorithm ranks your content.
But don’t forget to provide high-quality content. Even if you have the best optimization strategy but offer poor content and videos, your watch times will drop faster than a brick in water.
And once your watch times drop, the platform will devalue your content, ranking lower and making your videos disappear in search results.
Create Engaging Thumbnails
When users come across your content, the first way to interact with them and hook them into watching your videos is through thumbnails.
Thumbnails are small clips on the platform that show viewers snippets of the video. This is the first touchpoint for many users and videos, so create accurate, eye-catching thumbnails that best represent your content.
These clips are often the first, and perhaps only, chance you have to convince a potential viewer that what you offer is worthy of their time.
That said, having catchy thumbnails is only part of the process. Don’t have eye-popping videos that have nothing to do with the actual video you’re trying to get people to watch.
If your thumbnails don’t closely match your content, viewers will quickly abandon watching, severely impacting your channel’s ranking.
Another critical reason thumbnails are important is that they can drastically increase click-through rates, which is another essential factor in how the platform ranks content.
Consider A Creative Intro
An intro is the place-setter for your content. Think about your intro like a movie scene that excites you to continue watching without telling you the entire story.
This is the hook to your video and what can be compelling for your audience to want to continue to watch what you are offering.
Another aspect of your intro is that a creative intro helps your audience know what to expect. Create one enticingly so that your audience is encouraged to watch your videos.
To make a lasting impression, consider how you are using your brand in other videos and thumbnails to ensure consistency and make it memorable.
If you’re still on the fence about the importance of a creative intro, consider these benefits as reasons to create one:
- Increased brand recognition
- Create an impression and perception of professionalism
- Improved familiarity
- A hook for your audience to continue watching
When you design a creative intro for your videos, you increase how your brand is remembered and entice your potential viewers to engage with your content.
Utilize End Screens
End screens are tools that YouTube offers on the platform for content creators to help guide their audience to take action.
These add-ons are placed at the end of a video to tell creators what action to take and how to get there.
On the end screens, you can place images, graphics, and links you want your audience to click, whether to subscribe, like or visit an external site.
By utilizing end screens on YouTube, you can increase views, watch times, and subscription rates with a short 5-10-second add-on that serves as a call to action (CTA) for your audience.
End screens can help with viewer retention and overall engagement, boosting how the algorithm evaluates your content and channel.
Engage With Others–Especially Your Target Audience
One of the best, cheapest, and easiest ways to improve your channel’s growth includes engaging with viewers and interacting with them.
You need to take a moment and respond to different comments and messages you receive about your content. It shows your audience that you’re invested in helping them through your responses and will help make your brand more personal.
See Your Audience Where They Are
In addition to commenting on and responding to messages on the platform, you should consider visiting forums and other areas where your potential audience hangs out, engaging with them there, and incorporating those messages and interactions into future content.
Meeting your audience in places off the YouTube platform is a good idea to show that you are committed to your brand and helping them get the solutions they want or need.
Forums like Reddit or Twitch and other platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and even Twitter can also be good places to interact and engage with your potential audience. These can help you create better brand exposure and showcase your expertise.
As discussed, interacting with them outside of YouTube will allow you to gain better insights into what your audience is interested in and expand your potential reach to others who may be interested in your content but haven’t come across it on YouTube yet.
Another suggestion is to host a live Q&A or an AMA (ask me anything).
Live Q&As and AMAs are live formats in which an audience member asks you a question, and you provide an answer in real-time.
Some content creators will record these interactions and post them later on a website or blog, but the hidden value is that your audience feels connected to you and your brand.
What’s more, these live interactions can do two things:
First, you’ll be able to draw attention to your brand and showcase your expertise.
Second, you’ll have better engagement and insights into your audience, which will further help you craft solutions for them in future videos.
Finally, consider cross-promoting your content with collaborators with similar brands and audiences that may benefit from your content and your audience from theirs.
By finding a partner to collaborate with, you can expose your brand to its audience, helping grow your viewership and possibly subscriptions in the process.
What’s more, collaborating with similar content creators will expose you to different ideas and ways of doing things, providing you with even more opportunities to create better content.
When you’re starting out, getting your YouTube channel up and running can seem daunting, especially if you’re trying to grow it quickly.
Focusing on the critical elements of a successful channel can help you create a successful strategy and solid foundation.
The keys to helping you grow your YouTube channel from zero as a boss include;
- Grow Organically–Don’t Pay For Traffic
- Understand How The Platform Works
- Know Your USP–The Unique Selling Proposition
- Create Quality Content
- Optimize Your Content And Your Channel
- Create Engaging Thumbnails
- Consider A Creative Intro
- Utilize End Screens
- Engage With Others–Especially Your Target Audience
It may seem overwhelming, especially for beginners.
But don’t allow it to become overwhelming. Our team of established professionals at Raffiti Media can help guide your strategy and partner with you for full success.
Running a successful YouTube channel requires a lot of work and attention to detail. If you’re new to the game and looking for ways to grow your channel from zero like a boss, then you must fully commit to the process.
But suppose you’re a single person running an operation and don’t have the know-how or time to focus on all the granular things it will take to make a successful YouTube channel. In that case, you should consider partnering with us at Raffiti Media.
We’re a full-service YouTube management agency, which means that we don’t just offer editing and thumbnail design services; we do the hard work for you, including content creation, that is focused on organic growth tactics rather than spending a dime on paid ads.
We have the proof, having created videos for our partners that have garnered hundreds of millions in organic views and gained hundreds of thousands of social media followers for our other partners.
If you’re looking for help to grow your YouTube channel from zero to something you can be proud of, give the experts at Raffiti Media a call today and schedule your FREE consultation.
