How to Get the First 1000 Subscribers on YouTube
As per YouTube Policy, new Youtubers need at least 1000 subscribers and 4000 hours of Watch Time to Monetize their Channel. Here Monetization means, your Youtube channel will start showing ads from Google Adsense, and the channel owner will get 55% of the CPM ( Click Per Mile) when the ads shown are clicked on or seen by visitors.
So, How do you get your 1st 1000 subscribers fast?
Say clearly “ Subscribe to my Channel “ at the starting of your video within the Introduction part.
The above is called a verbal CTA or Call To Action. Just by asking people to subscribe will create a mental note in the mind of the audience, and most of them will subscribe.
I know there are a lot of us who feel shy to ask people to subscribe as it doesn’t sound sincere, according to them.
It is aptly said that, till you do not ask, you will not receive it.
Ask your audience to leave a comment below the video.
You can ask visitors to subscribe and then leave a comment below saying, “I subscribed.” This trick can create kind of an avalanche effect if few of the 1st visitors comment below the video. The comments impact your video analytics positively. It shows engagement with you and your audience.
YouTube Algorithm also sees it very positively. The more legitimate comments you have, the more your video will be pushed forward in the search options.
Remember to reply to all the comments with openness, like, respond to a comment with a Thankyou and ask for the commentator’s suggestion and ideas for the next video.
Post at least 30 videos fast in the first three months. Number 30 is just a personal estimate, with 30 videos on your YouTube Channel, the page will look populated.
I know it can be a momentous task, but try to pre-shoot content and batch edit. The Youtube studio offers options for schedule and premiere. You can upload your videos and write appropriate descriptions and schedule them.
The premiere option allows you to display your video’s Thumbnail Image till a scheduled date and time to let your subscribers and visitors know what’s coming. The right way to create a bit of buzz for your future content.
By the 31st or so video, if you had posted content consistently, your channel takes off. YouTube Algorithm registers that you are a serious content creator, and your videos get pushed up the search pages.
Upload videos in a single niche. It indicates to the YouTube Algorithm that you are an expert in your chosen niche. Nowadays, Google allows up to 50 YouTube Channels per account.
So, If you feel you can offer various niches in which you have knowledge and interests, then it is better to have different channels of different niches. Do not crowd mixed content in a single channel and, in a way, confusing the Algorithm.
Instead of a Channel link in the Video Description, Add a Subscribe prompted link.
Simple Suffix your channel link with ?sub_confirmation=1 at the end, and you will get your custom Subscribe to my channel, which, when a visitor clicks on, will be taken to a page where they will be first prompted to Subscribe before browsing your channel.
In case you feel that the resultant Channel Link + Suffix looks protracted and unseemly, then use a link shortener service like Bitly to shorten the Link.
This way, since the visitors to your channel, will be prompted to subscribe, your subscriber count will increase.
Display links to your social media profiles on your Channel Banner Image. Display the first Link as a subscribe link.
YouTube gives you the option to display social media handles on your channel banner Image on Desktop and the About Page on Mobile Devices. You can easily add a custom subscribe Link as the first Link.
To add the social media links, on your channel page, click on ‘Customize Channel’ → Click on About Tab → at the bottom of this page you will find the options of Links, there add your desired Links be it subscribe or your website or your Social Media accounts.
The idea here is more you subtly give scattered options to new visitors to subscribe to your channel; more is the probability of casual visitors becoming your long time subscribers.
Add a custom watermark on your youtube channel using the branding option available inside your Youtube Studio.
The images must be square of size 150x150 pixels. You have the option to add it to End of Video, Custom Start Time, and Entire Video. I suggest choosing the option Entire video.
Once you do these settings, this branding watermark is displayed in all your videos, and whenever the mouse hovers over it, it shows a subscription prompt.
This watermark is not displayed when the videos are played on mobile phones.
Create prominent Video Thumbnails and pretty channel banners, which are optimized for all devices like Desktops, Tablets, and mobile phones.
As mentioned earlier, Thumbnail Images are essential, and there must be a custom made thumbnail image with each of your videos. Thumbnail must state the context of your video in a few but prominent font so that the attention of the visitor can be grabbed in one go.
Equally important is a beautiful banner image with your Youtube Channel Name and gist clearly stated. Let say you want to inform your viewers you upload videos on such and such day of the week consistently; that too can be mentioned on the banner.
Thumbnails and Banner Images can be efficiently designed on Canva. Canva is very easy to use design platform and a hit among content creators. The free account is enough for most casual creators.
In the quest to gain those first 1000 subscribers on YouTube, it is crucial not to lose patience and stay positive throughout the process. The following mistakes are best avoided:
Please do not participate in Subscribe for Subscribe campaigns where 1000 people keep subscribing to each other to raise their subscriber count to 1000. This violates the YouTube Terms of Service, and your channel could be terminated.
As mentioned, besides the 1000 subscribers, a channel needs 4000 watch hours to be eligible for Monetization. Subscribe for subscribing is honestly not going to help your channel at all, because every single person that’s subscribed to your channel from doing sub for the subscribe isn’t going to watch any of your videos. That means you’ll have a tiny amount of watch time for how many subscribers that you have.
It’ll kill your engagement rate. I hope this guide helps you, and you achieve your milestones of 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours in the fastest way possible.
As an endnote, I feel 2020 is a great year to start your YouTube Channel, with widespread job loss worldwide. More than ever, people understand the importance of multiple earning sources.
Some Trivia: Facebook has 2.23 Billion Monthly Active Users, whereas Google’s YouTube has 1.9 Billion Monthly Active Users. YouTube is second only to Facebook as leading Social Media Giant.
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