If you are starting your Youtube creator journey no doubt you have thought about how to grow your youtube channel. In this article, I will talk you through my experience and some tried and tested methods. Take these steps to start growing your YouTube channel today!

My YouTube Channel

I created a channel that focuses on people who have or want to move and live in Germany. I share about living, working and schooling from an Expat family perspective.

Before I started my channel in 2019, I looked for content that was already in my Niche. For me, this was about people who moved to Germany as a family. And covered how they had been able to adapt, survive and thrive. When doing this research I found nothing that I could relate to, so I decided to solve the problem myself. I knew basic digital marketing techniques, but I had no in-depth knowledge about running a Youtube channel. Therefore I decided to put in the hard work needed and learnt on the job. See what I have learnt on how to grow your youtube channel.

How to grow on YouTube and make money

To get monetized on Youtube, you need to get your first 1000 subscribers. You will also need to have at least 4000 watch hours in a 12 months period. That sounds so daunting. However, to achieve that, the first thing to keep on lockdown is consistency. You can do this by planning ahead.

If You Fail to Plan, You Are Planning to Fail

Benjamin Franklin

Being consistent will help you see success. Part of this can include choosing the number of videos you are comfortable with uploading every week. Youtube advise uploading at least 2 videos per week. Because of this, I upload 2 videos per week too. You can then also tell your subscribers what days of the week your videos go up. This helps them anticipate when they should check back!

Quality over Quantity

Knowing the guidelines for Videos to upload is great. However, this might drive you to just upload anything to meet up with the video upload target for the week. I always strongly advise against this as quality above quantity matters on Youtube. You want your subscribers to come back for more content and so it should be worth their while. So even if you can only upload 1 video per week, that's fine, just be consistent with it.

Video thumbnails

If you are new to Youtube, artwork and thumbnails are crucial! Not only when you are seen in the discovery sections of YouTube. But also, when thumbnails are seen on other social media platforms it is really important to grab attention.

Taking attention-grabbing visuals to the next level. You can also create short clips from the full video and upload these on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This makes it easier to share with friends and family and get them on board. When you ask them to share with their social circle. This can also help drive traffic to your video on Youtube.

If you need help with YouTube artwork services be sure to check out some of the creators here on Indiy

What is the YouTube Algorithm

If you are looking to start or grow your YouTube channel chances are you have heard of the YouTube Algorithm!

I mentioned creating great thumbnails and small clips to share on social media. The reason for this is that the first few hours of a video being uploaded is very important. This is when the algorithm sees if a video is being watched by real people. If you get your artwork right it can greatly help reach your target audience. Get this right and Youtube in turn starts to recommend your video to other Youtube users.

YouTube wants to show people video content they will enjoy and engage with. Get the basics right and the algorithm will be your friend!

Monetize on YouTube

Let's jump back to monetization. Whilst working towards getting your channel monetized, there are various ways one can make money and grow as a brand. YouTubers get visibility and get approached by brands to help them promote their products to their subscribers. In order to do this, you need to build your community. Build this correctly and get paid for it. You can also get affiliate links where you get a percentage of what your viewers purchase with your link.

The possibilities of being a content creator and earning on Youtube are very realistic.

Engagement

Engaging your subscribers goes a long way. It helps them feel that they know you which in turn helps to create a bond. I do this by responding to comments, doing behind the scenes videos or answering subscriber questions. You can also let them inside your world! You can do this by showing them what happens in your life, popularly known as "A day in the life"

Creating YouTube content requires work

Filming is sweet, editing is where the work lies and so for me! Immediately after I had my baby, I knew I didn't have the luxury of sitting down for hours to edit. Because of this, I got myself an Iphone for 2 major reasons which were:

• To be able to film vlogs on my phone.
• The ability to edit on Imovie on the go.

This really made video uploads less stressful for me as a new mom. There is lots of free editing software, both for mobile devices and computers. The concept of video editing is usually similar across whichever one you chose. If it is too complex to use, I simply uninstall and look for a better one. Or why not find one of your peers on YouTube who can explain things!

How to grow your channel on YouTube - Wrap up!

Hopefully, now you are ready to grow your YouTube channel and build a dedicated audience.

Some Youtube channels take a while to develop momentum, some take off immediately. The most important thing is to not lose the fire that made you wanna share and upload videos. Study your analytics and learn what your subscribers want to see from you. In everything, enjoy the ride.

I also recommend checking out the Youtube Creator Academy. Here you will find free resources from YouTube themselves on how to have a great channel. And make sure you stay in their good books by familiarizing yourself with the YouTube community guidelines

Find me on YouTube here: Evelyn Olalekan-Elesin
Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/evelynelesin/
Twitter here: https://twitter.com/evelynelesin