If your goal is to make money on YouTube, striking subscriber milestones is critical. For instance, you need at least 1,000 subscribers to become a YouTube Partner and start earning ad revenue. And the more than subscribers you take, the higher you rise on YouTube'due south "benefit level" ladder (call back: awards, managers and production aid, starting when you hit 100,000 subscribers).

What if yous programme to use YouTube for branding and video marketing, rather than to make money directly? You still need subscribers. They bump upwardly your play counts, sentinel time, and engagement—all important signals to the YouTube algorithm.

Find out how to get people to click that Subscribe button and become gratuitous existent YouTube subscribers using legitimate strategies to abound your channel.

You can too sentry the video below to go our top seven tips on how to abound your YouTube following:

Bonus: Download the free thirty-day program to abound your YouTube following fast , a daily workbook of challenges that will help you kickstart your Youtube channel growth and runway your success. Become real results subsequently 1 calendar month.

Why you shouldn't buy YouTube subscribers

Await, we understand the urge to buy YouTube subscribers. We're not going to shame yous about it.

But we are going to outburst your bubble: it own't gonna work. The truth is that the video creators backside the globe's best YouTube channels aren't spending their time or money on shady growth schemes. They're too busy making awesome videos.

First, let'south look at how "gratuitous" YouTube subscriber services work. (While keeping in mind that null is really free. As the saying goes, if you're not paying for the production, you are the product.)

You earn your "free" subscribers by subscribing to and liking other channels, every bit instructed by the service. Most ask you to subscribe to xx channels and like a sure number of YouTube videos. In return, x channels volition subscribe to yours.

Essentially, you're hiring yourself out as a one-person clickfarm. It'south similar to the fourth dimension we tried Instagram engagement pods.

The service hopes that y'all get bored of all this endless clicking subsequently a few days and make up one's mind to pay for YouTube subscribers instead. Either mode, the service wins: they either get your time or your money. Whether you lot get them through a free scheme or you pay for them, what exercise y'all become?

  • Bot subscribers that don't appoint
  • A bad look for your existent audience, who are probably quite bully on actuality
  • The risk of running afoul of YouTube's fake engagement policy (tl;dr: you could go banned)
  • Potential stink-eye from any brands that might eventually want to partner with y'all

At the end of the solar day, it's just not worth information technology.

There are a lot of clickbait videos out in that location that claim to tell you how to get one,000 YouTube subscribers for costless. Or even a million! Of class, if information technology seems as well adept to be truthful, it probably is.

Clickbait videos rack upward tons of views from people looking for some quick and like shooting fish in a barrel secret to boosting their number of subscribers. Just they're just clickbait. They're not real. Don't waste product your time, unless you only want a laugh.

The fact is, in that location is no workaround. Yous've got to put in the piece of work. But there are some simple, real-globe tactics you can utilise to showtime growing a legitimate YouTube following right away. Let's dive in.

How to go more YouTube subscribers (for gratis): xv tips

If you're just starting out, have a look at our guide to creating a YouTube channel. You should accept the basics of your channel in place before you dive into the tips below.

Here, in order from easiest to most complicated, are our best practices for converting viewers into subscribers. Don't tackle them all at in one case. Endeavour out i of these tips for each new video y'all mail service, or implement one or ii a calendar week.

1. Ask your viewers to subscribe

It doesn't get much easier than this.

Sometimes your audition simply needs to be reminded.

Does request for the subscribe seem besides salesy to you? It can be, if you ask too shortly or besides often. Just a quick reminder to subscribe at the stop of your video is only making information technology easier for fans to keep up with the work you do.

Call up to demonstrate why your channel is worth subscribing to. Make certain you ask for the subscription only after y'all've provided new and useful information, or you've made viewers express mirth.

2. End your video by teasing what you're working on next

Subscribing to a channel on YouTube is an act of anticipation. Viewers who've merely seen what your brand is most are primed to want more if you've washed your job right.

Hyping your side by side video, and making it articulate why it'southward not to be missed, is the virtually organic way to encourage people to tap subscribe.

Of course, this requires having a good handle on your YouTube content schedule, and knowing what's coming adjacent. (More than on that presently.)

3. Verify your Google business relationship

By default, all YouTube users can upload videos up to xv minutes long. If you lot desire to create content longer than that, you lot'll demand to verify your account.

Since longer videos give you more than options for the kinds of content you tin create, this is an of import step for anyone who wants to build a professional channel.

To verify your account, go to www.youtube.com/verify on your estimator (not a mobile device), and follow the instructions.

In one case you verify your business relationship, you can upload videos upward to 256GB or 12 hours long.

four. Collaborate with your audition and brand friends (a.thousand.a. build community)

If you course relationships with your viewers, they're more than likely to want to keep watching your work. Respond to comments. Follow their channels back.

Yes, it's exciting if a famous YouTuber comments on your video, merely who knows who'll be famous next twelvemonth. Form a customs of peers and promote each other. (Yes, I'grand talking about shine theory.)

Likewise, once you're plugged in, your audition volition provide you with plenty of gratuitous content ideas for your adjacent video. Don't worry, yous don't have to take all of them.

Manage your YouTube presence using Hootsuite and not only can you lot upload and schedule videos, yous can also add comment streams to your dashboard. That makes it easy to review, respond, and/or moderate comments on all your videos from one identify.

5. Create constructive channel branding

Channel branding is an important way to let viewers know who you are and what they can await from your channel.

Imprint fine art

Your YouTube banner welcomes everyone who clicks into your channel. Perhaps they simply watched a video and are looking for more. Peradventure they're a potential subscriber.

Make certain they know where they are and why they should stick around.

Laura Kampf YouTube banner art

Source: Laura Kampf

Your imprint needs to be clean, on-brand, compelling, and—this is the fussy part—optimized for all devices. Y'all don't want important details covered up past your social media buttons, for instance.

We accept a handy guide for creating your own YouTube channel art, along with free templates with the near up-to-date dimensions.

Channel icon

Your channel icon is essentially your logo on YouTube. Information technology appears on your channel page and anywhere you annotate on YouTube. Make certain it conspicuously represents you and your brand, and that it's easy to recognize even at a modest size.

Aqueduct description

This text appears on the About folio of your aqueduct on YouTube. You lot accept up to 1,000 characters to describe your aqueduct and permit viewers know why they should subscribe. We've got a full blog post on how to write constructive YouTube descriptions to get you started.

Custom URL

Your default channel URL will expect something like this: https://world wide web.youtube.com/aqueduct/UCMmt12UKW571UWtJAgWkWqgyk.

This is… not ideal. Fortunately, you can change it using a custom URL. In YouTube Studio, choose Customization in the left menu, and so click Basic Info and scroll downwardly to Channel URL. Yous can change your URL to something like this: https://www.youtube.com/c/HootsuiteLabs.

The catch is you need to get at least 100 subscribers before you tin can merits a custom URL. If you lot're non in that location however, put this on the top of your to-do list for when you lot striking that commencement subscriber milestone.

6. Add a custom channel trailer

YouTube'southward customization settings permit you lot to brand the about of the featured video space at the top of your channel page. Yous can choose to show one video to existing subscribers and something else to non-subscribed viewers.

YouTube channel layout video spotlight

Source: YouTube Studio

For non-subscribers, create a aqueduct trailer that lets people know what they tin expect from your channel and why they should subscribe. Hither's a groovy instance from Bhavna'due south Kitchen & Living:

And here's how the video looks on her aqueduct page:

Bhavna's Kitchen & Living channel page

Source: Bhavna'due south Kitchen & Living

seven. Brand your video thumbnails

A thumbnail is a 1280 ten 720px still epitome that acts as a embrace for your video. Think of it equally a mini motion picture poster. Information technology's your first, all-time take chances to persuade someone to click on your video. (Aside from your video titles, that is, but more on that later.)

We're not talking virtually getting YouTube views today (we've got a different mail for that), then why bring this upwardly here? Because consistent, professional custom thumbnails are another component of your channel branding. They can help tell new viewers more than nigh who you are every bit a video content creator.

Aim for consistent branding in all your thumbnails. Employ the same font, the same color palette, or even the aforementioned frame composition so people know (at least subconsciously) that they're looking at a video from your aqueduct.

For example, accept a quick peek at Jack Sturgess's Bake with Jack YouTube aqueduct. His consistent, compelling thumbnails show that his channel offers enough of reasons for viewers to subscribe.

Bake with Jack branded thumbnails

Source: Bake with Jack

8. Use YouTube's clickable subscription tools in your videos

YouTube offers a couple of congenital-in clickable tools to help you catechumen video watchers to aqueduct subscribers.

End screen

This is a still image at the cease of your video where you can remind people to subscribe, or insert another call to action, before YouTube'southward algorithm moves them on to the side by side video. Y'all can add an end screen to any video during the upload procedure, equally long equally the video is more than 25 seconds long.

You can also get back and add end screens to existing videos, which tin can be a neat way to start converting subscribers right away from your existing content.

Bonus: Download the gratuitous 30-mean solar day plan to abound your YouTube post-obit fast , a daily workbook of challenges that will assistance y'all kickstart your Youtube channel growth and track your success. Get real results after one month.

Go the free guide right now!

To add an end screen to an existing video, click Content in the left menu of Creator Studio, and so select the video to which you lot want to add an finish screen. Click the End screen box on the right side of the screen and add a Subscribe element to your video.

Make watermark

This is an extra subscribe button that will hover in the bottom correct corner of your video. Yous can choose when during your videos the watermark appears.

To add the watermark, click Customization in the left menu of YouTube Studio, and so select Branding. The watermark will now appear on all your videos.

9. Recall in terms of playlists

Playlists are a great style to increase your YouTube channel's sentinel time. Similar a Netflix series, a YouTube playlist autoplays a set of videos in a set order. The viewer doesn't accept to actively click the next video—they just sit down back and let the content keep coming.

Think of each playlist as its own mini-aqueduct, or as an ongoing series. If someone watches a few videos in a row and enjoys them all, they've got plenty of reasons to subscribe for more.

Playlists appear, non surprisingly, in the Playlists tab of your aqueduct.

You tin can likewise use playlists to…

10. Showcase your content strategically on your channel page

From the layout tab in YouTube Studio, you can add up to 12 sections to your aqueduct homepage. This allows y'all to feature your best content right up front, so new visitors see your best creations as they think about whether to hit the Subscribe push button.

You tin also utilise sections to showcase the playlists you created in the final tip. Use playlists specifically targeted to various viewer needs to highlight right off the superlative the extensive value y'all provide.

For example, take a look at these playlist sections on the English with Lucy YouTube aqueduct:

English with Lucy English grammar playlist

Source: English with Lucy

People likely state on her channel page after searching for English linguistic communication learning tips. They tin can immediately see from her playlists that there'south plenty of information in that location if they desire to larn about grammar or pronunciation.

If y'all're non sure which sections to include on your channel folio, try starting with Pop Uploads. This will automatically collect your height 12 videos with the highest number of YouTube views.

11. Run a contest

If you lot want a short-term bump in appointment, or just feel like you've been languishing in a subscriber count plateau, check out our guide to running a YouTube competition.

Key steps include choosing a prize that matters to your audience, and asking viewers to subscribe and turn on notifications to participate.

12. Release videos on a consequent schedule

Many experts confidently cite a rule of thumb equally to how often creators should mail video to their channels. For instance: one video a week to kickoff, increasing to 3-four week every bit your channel grows.

The theory is that more videos = more than watch time from viewers. Only prioritizing quantity over quality has drawbacks.

If your goal is to convert viewers to subscribers, you demand to focus on quality get-go, and consistency side by side. (And then you lot can start worrying about quantity.)

If yous upload videos consistently, then people know that more than good content is coming, and they're more than likely to tap subscribe.

You can also use a social media direction platform like Hootsuite to schedule your videos on YouTube for publishing later.

xiii. Entice your audition over from other social media channels

This means cross-promoting on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook—wherever y'all take an existing community of fans established. This tin can be every bit uncomplicated as encouraging people to check out your YouTube aqueduct in your Instagram or Twitter bio.

Posting a teaser of your latest video is another bang-up mode to draw people to your YouTube channel from other social accounts. Instagram Stories are ideally suited to this since yous can offering a trailer or teaser of your video and betoken people in that location with a simple Swipe Up link.

Connecting this to the previous tip: If you tease videos on a regular schedule, people will start to anticipate your content. Once they're anticipating your piece of work, they're primed to subscribe.

Alexandra Gater is a home decor and DIY YouTuber who uses Instagram Stories really effectively to tease her YouTube videos, which she releases every Saturday. Subsequently swiping upwardly a few times, viewers are more likely to striking Subscribe and so her content can get a regular part of their weekend plans.

Here's a teaser on Instagram Stories:

Instagram story vintage bedroom makeover

Source: Alexandra Gater on Instagram

And here's the video on YouTube.

Pro tip: a social media scheduling tool like Hootsuite makes cross-promoting much easier. And we accept a total guide to creating a social media content calendar.

xiv. Do your keyword research for titles, descriptions, and hashtags

Agreement YouTube SEO and knowing which keywords related to your subject matter people are looking up on YouTube will help you title your new videos and choose the right hashtags. Merely information technology might too lend inspiration for your next video topic.

For example, if you lot have a YouTube channel about making kombucha at home, some preliminary keyword enquiry might reveal YouTube viewers are interested in how to choose the correct brewing vessel, how to make clean your brewing vessel, or how to perform second fermentation. These topics could all exist their own videos.

SEO (search engine optimization) tools like Google Keyword Planner tin help you place the words and phrases people are using to notice the information yous're providing. Your goal is to find topics in a sugariness spot: lower contest scores, merely higher search volume.

This lets y'all avoid making videos that no one is searching for. Or videos with titles no one tin can find.

Too, it'll help you avoid creating content on a topic that's already highly competitive before you're ready.

If y'all have no idea where to start with your keyword research, think almost what kinds of search phrases you would use to search for content within your industry.

For example, Adriene Mishler of Yoga with Adriene has an extensive back catalog of videos starting with the words "yoga for…"

Adriene Mischler yoga videos

Source: Yoga with Adriene

This is exactly the kind of language people are likely to utilise when searching for dwelling house yoga videos. And as Adriene told The Guardian last spring, keyword research and SEO terms sometimes guide the videos she creates.

In one case y'all showtime to build your aqueduct, you can utilise YouTube Analytics to come across which keywords are working to bring people to your videos. Look for trends that might guide the content you create in the futurity.

To admission this data, click Analytics in the left carte du jour of YouTube Studio. Click Traffic Source in the elevation menu, then click YouTube Search to see a listing of the pinnacle searches driving viewers your way.

YouTube analytics traffic source

Source: YouTube Analytics

You tin go back into the descriptions of older videos to add new keywords and hashtags, and increase your discoverability in YouTube search results at whatever time.

15. Collaborate with other creators

This goes all the way dorsum to Tip #4: Build community. Use your connections to find other YouTube creators to collaborate with and then y'all can leverage each other's audiences. After all, your audience trusts your recommendations, and their audiences trust theirs.

Once you get-go to build an audience, you lot might find that your followers suggest potential collaborations. Until then, explore YouTube yourself to await for potential collaborators in your field. If you discover someone who looks promising, reach out.

How to see your YouTube subscribers

You can check your list of YouTube subscribers from your channel dashboard. Hither's where to detect a total subscriber list:

1. In YouTube Studio, go to your channel dashboard and scroll down to the Contempo Subscribers card. Click SEE ALL.

YouTube subscribers see all recent

Source: YouTube Studio

2. In the acme right corner of the pop-up window, cull Lifetime from the dropdown menu.

lifetime subscribers list

Source: YouTube Studio

Y'all can at present click through your list of subscribers. You can choose to sort by subscriber count if you want to see the almost subscribed YouTubers post-obit you lot showtime.

If you only want to check on new subscribers, y'all can choose to encounter a list of people who take subscribed in the terminal 7, 28, ninety, or 365 days.

Note that the list only includes users who have made their subscriptions public.

Grow your YouTube aqueduct and audience faster with Hootsuite. It'southward uncomplicated to manage and schedule YouTube videos too as speedily publish your videos to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter—all from one dashboard. Attempt it free today.

Go Started

Grow your YouTube channel fast with Hootsuite. Easily moderate comments, schedule video, and publish to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Try it for Free