I Watched 100 Videos About How To Grow on YouTube: Here’s What All the Experts Recommend
Do any of these recommendations actually work? I put them to the test.
If you’re anything like me, every time you get an idea that you’d like to try something new, instead of just doing the new thing, the process usually looks a little something like this:
- Step 1: Think about doing the new thing for a few months.
- Step 2: Tell people you’re thinking about doing the new thing for another few months.
- Step 3: Spend another few months researching/learning how to do the new thing, and then finally…
- Step 4: Wait another six months before actually doing the new thing (why am I like this?).
The only good thing about being the CEO of procrastination is that I’m really good at step three, researching and learning. Part of my research/learning process almost always consists of watching at least 100 YouTube videos on the topic. So when I finally decided that starting a YouTube channel of my own would be a great way to help build my business, and connect with my future students, I knew just where to turn to learn how to make YouTube videos — YouTube.
Although I’m happy to report that I did make it through all four steps of my process, and have, in fact, started a YouTube channel (and posted seven videos!), I’m still learning so much about the process, and am by no means an expert on the topic. However, I’ve learned some pretty helpful tips along the way that I’ve been putting to the test.
1. Just Start
Even if you’re not like me and have somehow mastered the art of productivity, don’t have the crippling fear of failure holding you back, and don’t overthink every single thing you do, there’s still the likelihood that you’d spend at least a little bit of time researching a few things before starting a YouTube channel from scratch. The most common of these things being, which type of camera you should use to film a video. Oh and then there’s the lighting, and what about a microphone, and OMG how much does editing software cost? Should I hire someone to edit for me? And on and on.
The advice that just about every YouTuber gives? Start with exactly what you have (aka use your phone). And let me tell you, the perfectionist in me was cringing, but they’re not wrong. I filmed my first few videos using the selfie camera on my iPhone 6s Plus. I couldn’t even use the main camera because I needed to be able to see myself while filming. It took me a while to get over the embarrassment of posting a low-quality video of myself on the internet, but when I told people I filmed on my phone, they honestly didn’t believe me. I did invest in a crappy mic and ring light, but I could have gotten close to the same quality video without the mic, and just using natural light.
I’ve since upgraded my phone, mic, and lighting, but I’m so glad I didn’t let that stop me from starting. I have yet to film a video using an actual camera, and have no plans to anytime soon! In fact, I’ve filmed entire online courses using my phone.
As far as editing software, I downloaded Davinci Resolve (for free!), and taught myself how to edit by… you guessed it, watching a bunch of YouTube videos. I spent less than $50 total to start my YouTube channel, and honestly, that is way more than anyone needs to spend to get started.
2. Consistency Is Key
Ugh. Considering I was planning on starting my channel while working a full-time job, I knew this one was going to be tough for me. So, of course, I tried to find a YouTuber who said consistency wasn’t all that important, but alas, they all had the same advice. Be consistent. Whether that’s seven videos a week, one video a week, or one video every other week, whatever schedule works for you, just pick a frequency and stick with it. Although none of them seem to agree on whether a video a day is better than a video a week, they do all agree that having a consistent upload schedule is absolutely imperative for the growth of your channel, and here’s why.
The YouTube algorithm has two purposes, and two purposes only, 1. find the right video for the viewer, and 2. get the viewer to keep watching. The intricacies of how the algorithm accomplishes those two things are pretty complicated, but if we understand that these are the only objectives the algorithm has, then it makes sense that being a “reliable” creator by uploading content consistently is something the algorithm is looking for.
For the algorithm to start suggesting your videos (which is apparently where the real growth starts to happen), it needs to know a few things; the type of content your channel focuses on, how engaging your content is (meaning how long the viewer will actually watch your video), and how much additional content is available for the viewer to watch once they’re done with the first video (aka binge-able content). If the algorithm recognizes that a particular viewer might be interested in the type of content you create, before it starts suggesting that content, it needs to know that there’s more where that came from AND that there will continue to be more, consistently. This will allow the algorithm to fulfill its two goals, find the right video, and keep the viewer watching with video after video already available on your channel, and more to come week after week.
For me, working my way up to a consistent once-a-week upload schedule is the goal, and from what I’ve seen, that’s a frequency that is both respected by the algorithm (as if it has the ability to respect anything lol) and realistic enough to be sustained long term without treading into burnout territory. Props to the YouTubers out there uploading every day, I don’t know how you do it.
3. Make Sure Your Videos Are Searchable
As one of the largest search engines in the world, YouTube is a place where a lot of people go when they need an answer to a question. So, it makes sense to assume that, outside of the YouTube algorithm suggesting your videos to watch, one of the best ways to increase the chances that someone new will find and watch your video is through the search results. But how do you get your videos to show up in the search results? Here’s what the experts recommend.
First, once you have a video topic in mind, you’ll want to do some research on the topic itself. This will not only help you better understand what to include in your video, but will also help you determine which keywords should be in the title, description, tags, and actual footage of the video as well. One of the tools, to help with keyword research, that I saw being recommended over and over again is TubeBuddy. A free browser extension that helps you find high-performing, searchable video topics, and then craft the perfect titles and tags. Using a tool like TubeBuddy helps make the research process easier by showing you how many people are actually searching for the topic you’re thinking about using, and what keywords people are actually using to search for the topic.
For instance, when I was working on a video about the Facebook vs. Apple drama I spent a considerable amount of time researching the types of search terms people were using to learn more about the topic and used TubeBuddy to help me craft the perfect video title that earned the highest possible SEO score of 100.
There are plenty of other search tools available to help you in your topic research, and I’m sure all of them work just as well, but I would suggest making this process a whole lot easier by choosing one and using it to craft the titles, descriptions, and tags for all of your videos.
4. Trend Surfing
This one pretty much combines the power of the almighty algorithm and the search engine into one genius strategy that, if done right, can help your channel “blow up” (as in, get a lot of views, not literally explode). So what’s trend surfing and how does it work? According to the experts, trend surfing is creating a video on a trending topic, and allowing the algorithm to carry your video to the top of the suggested videos, and/or search results. Like a surfer catching a wave.
By creating a video on a hot topic, you benefit from the flurry of activity surrounding that topic. If a bunch of other creators are making videos on a topic, then YouTube just might suggest your video as the next one to watch if it’s also on the same topic. Or if the topic is something a lot of people happen to be searching for at the time, you increase the likelihood that someone will see your video in the search results and hopefully watch it!
I tried this strategy not too long ago by creating a reaction video to the 2021 Super Bowl commercials. My strategy was two-fold, using both the popular “reaction video” format, and a trending topic, the 2021 Super Bowl commercials, I was hoping to gain new viewers by being suggested by the algorithm, and through the search results. To date, that video has been on my channel for the least amount of time, but has the most views of all my videos, with the vast majority of the views coming from Suggested videos and YouTube search.
Now, keep in mind that “trend surfing” videos aren’t going to be the ones that continue to get views for months and years to come, because as the trend dies, so does the traffic being sent to your video, but this strategy can help with getting a quick boost and may result in an influx of new followers who will hopefully watch your other videos. So it’s definitely worth a shot, especially if you can find a trend that works well with the other content on your channel.
While these are some of the most common suggestions I came across during my research, this is far from all of them, and there are so many great ideas accessible for free on YouTube. Here are some of my favorite YouTubers who often talk about how to grow on the platform and give great advice, consistently.
