How to Grow Your Brand New YouTube Channel (6 Strategies)

So, you've created a YouTube channel for your business -- smart move! Over 2.2 billion people use this social media giant each month, and that number isn't going down anytime soon.

Now that you've created a basic account, it's time to start building your audience. The early days of any new channel can be tough, but there are specific things you can do to improve your odds of success.

Today, I'm going to share six key strategies we've used to grow multiple YouTube channels over the last ten years. I'm confident that these tips can help you regardless of whether you want to build a standalone YouTube channel or something to complement your existing small business.

Let's begin!

Optimize for Searchability

The first thing you should do is optimize your channel for search. Google is the largest search engine in the world, and YouTube is second in line. If people can't find you on these sites, you're going to struggle with brand awareness and engagement.

The good news is there are plenty of ways to ensure your video SEO strategy is a success.

My first piece of advice is don't forget to fill out your profile. Your page description, name, and other information are used in the algorithm to rank your channel. If everything's blank, YouTube will have no idea what your channel is about and, thus, can't recommend it to your intended audience.

It's also important to include relevant keywords in your channel and video titles. YouTube will use this information in conjunction with your profile to determine your intent, which helps it find people who may like your content.

As you publish more videos with related keywords, your channel will slowly rise in search rankings for those phrases. Beyond keywords, you should also maintain a natural writing style in your titles, descriptions, and tags to keep them readable for both humans and search engines.

Keep a Schedule

Another impactful way to grow your channel is to publish high-quality, engaging videos on a consistent schedule.

I bet you have a favorite YouTuber that uploads every week. For me, there's a channel I love that posts at 9 am every Thursday. If I can't catch the live show, I know to tune in later in the evening.

You can build loyalty and trust with your audience by telling everyone when you'll post and then keeping your promise. People want to engage with content creators and businesses who meet or exceed their expectations.

If you're just starting out, aim for at least one moderate-length (10-20 minute) new video each week. You'll be surprised at how much this one small adjustment will impact your growth.

It's also worth mentioning that YouTube sees creators who publish consistently as more authoritative and are more likely to feature it in the search results and recommendations.

Host Plenty of Live Events

Live events are an amazing way to connect with your audience and grow your YouTube channel. People are always looking for new ways to interact with businesses and creators. In fact, research shows that 91% of people are actively looking for more interactive content.

With that in mind, let's look at a few types of events that have helped us over the years. Use these as jumping-off points. I recommend finding ways to tie the theme back to your brand, product, industry, or intent.

• Ask Me Anything (AMA) - Allowing customers and prospects to come in and talk to us face-to-face made a huge difference in how they see us and our channel. This is a great way to build trust and allow people to get to know you.
• Behind the scenes - Consider showing your subscribers what's going on behind the scenes. You could show how you did a particularly cool video editing trick, or you can tease a product. You'll build hype and surely get new followers.
• Giveaways - We love hosting online giveaways on our YouTube channel. When it's time to announce the winner, we often use live video to get people excited.
• Tutorials/Guides - I'm sure there's something your audience wants to know more about. Show off your expertise by hosting a live tutorial workshop where people can learn about skills, tools, and other resources.

Experiment with Short-Form Content

I highly recommend experimenting with short-form content alongside your long-form videos. Short videos, around 30 seconds to 2 minutes, are perfect for YouTube. People have short attention spans, and it's only getting shorter, so keep your videos brief and engaging if you want to build traction.

You could create a channel trailer, offer single tips (as opposed to longer guides), give a shout-out to someone you think is doing well in the industry, or simply ask your subscribers to share their thoughts.

Short-form content is easy to watch and share, so you'll gain lots of views and subscribers in no time. I suggest always keeping a few short videos in your upload schedule to stay connected with new viewers.

Don't be afraid to experiment with different short-form content ideas so you can see what your audience enjoys. Pay attention to view counts and comments to determine what's resonating with people. Then, keep creating more of that popular content. Quickly releasing a variety of short-form videos can help you gain momentum and start your channel strong.

Engage with Your Audience

Once your channel is up and you're getting views, start engaging with your audience! The average person watches around 100 minutes of video content every day, and in most cases, they engage with these videos. You should respond to their comments and questions as much as you can. This will help you get to know the people who are watching your content, which can help you improve your channel over time.

You can thank them for watching, respond directly to their comment, or ask them questions to keep the conversations going. YouTube sees comments as a positive signal and will elevate your channel if they see consistent comments and engagement.

It's also important to remember that engagement is how you build a loyal community that keeps coming back to your channel. Engagement is a two-way street, so make sure you're doing your part and engaging with your audience as much as possible.

Collaborate With Other Creators

Collaborating with other YouTubers is a great way to gain exposure and new subscribers. There are a ton of different opportunities to boost your channel through these strategic partnerships.

You could, for instance, partner with influencers and set them up with your affiliate program. They can review your product and give their honest opinion. If they like it, they can promote it on their channel and use their affiliate code to make a commission on every sale they help secure.

If you have a standalone YouTube channel and don't use affiliate marketing -- no worries! You can find people in your industry who create the same kind of content and do fun crossovers that help their audience discover your brand and vice versa.

The bottom line is building relationships with other YouTubers leads to cross-promotion, collaborations, and a support system of allies in the YouTube community.

Final Thoughts

There you have it! Six simple strategies to help boost your new YouTube channel. My advice is to take it one step at a time. If you try to incorporate all of these strategies at once, you may get overwhelmed. We took things slowly, piece by piece until we eventually built an effective YouTube strategy. I hope the tips today help you on your journey!