"How do I increase my subscribers organically?" — we'll start with one of the most commonly asked questions. After discussing organic growth options, we'll move into the websites, software, and apps that have been tailor-made to help you gain subscribers!
In this article, we'll go over our 7 top-recommended ways to increase YouTube subscribers using a variety of tools and methods that are popular among successful YouTubers, including websites, apps, and software.
Read this article from top to bottom to equip yourself with the best tools currently available — your YouTube channel will enjoy substantial growth once you put these tools into action!
1. Grow Organically | Use the free tools available to your YouTube channel
Organic, or natural, YouTube channel growth means your channel gains subscribers without using third-party services. You will increase your subscriber count simply by understanding the tools available to you and making the best use of them. See below for our concise list of tips that, if put into action, will ensure your channel gains popularity organically.
Thumbnails
Have you noticed how a lot of the top 10 YouTubers have cohesive thumbnails, following a specific style and often re-using the same filters and fonts? So have we and so has everyone else! That's because this looks attractive to viewers.
In the case of YouTube, everyone is judging the book by the cover. You need thumbnails that will delight viewers and entice them to click.
Tip: The title of your video should be reflected in your thumbnail. So if the video title is "Meeting Casey Neistat at VidCon 2018," then the most important part of the title should be written across your thumbnail. If you want to emphasize that you met amazing vlogger Casey Neistat, then "Meeting Casey Neistat!" written boldly in an easy-to-read font should be featured on your thumbnail.
Playlists
The automatic play function of playlists is your best friend. With your videos starting to play one after another automatically, more viewers will continue to watch your content, remaining on your channel.
Creating comprehensive playlists of all your content will also ensure viewers can search and find the videos they want more easily, guaranteeing you more views in the process. Viewers don't want to scroll endlessly through your channel to find a single vlog!
About section
All too often we see this common mistake — a YouTuber has great content, uploading regularly, but when we go to learn more about them, the About page is blank white. This will leave a poor impression on new viewers who found one of your videos, enjoyed watching it, and was hoping to discover what your channel is all about.
Create an engaging About page and keep the length around one to three sentences—in other words, keep it short! Viewers basically won't read a novel and will simply click away if they see a wall of text.
Channel art
We cannot overstate the importance of having relevant and beautiful channel art prominently displayed above your videos. Channel art usually provides the first impression to new viewers, so you want to spend some time thinking about your channel's theme and how the channel art works alongside your icon.
2. Google Ads | Paid Website
To increase your YouTube channel's subscriber count, Google Ads allows you to run an ad campaign on YouTube to promote your videos. According to YouTube, "You can create an ad that appears before a video starts, or alongside a video on its watch page on YouTube."
Google asks that you create your own ad with a set budget and target audience; these features can be changed at any time. What's more, there's no minimum fee required to make an ad campaign, and you can cancel whenever you want.
Tip:
1. Choose your target audience carefully.
YouTube recommends keeping in mind the four Ws: who, what, where and when. See below for a description of each!
YouTube's Four Ws for Ads
| Who | Narrow down your focus to a segment of your audience, focusing on a particular demographic such as 20-somethings interested in gaming. |
| What | Choose what types of video you want the ad to run in, or hand-pick the video or channel. |
| Where | YouTube wants you to choose the audience location which can be as broad as a country or as narrow as a set radius. |
| When | Based on your advertising budget, choose how often you'd like your ads to run. |
2. Choose your ad format carefully.
There are a few options available to you concerning how your ad will appear in a video. See below to learn more.
・TrueView In-Stream: These are what you're probably most familiar with. These ads play within video content (before, during or after) and can be skipped after five seconds.
・TrueView Discovery: As the name implies, these types of ads help viewers discover your channel by displaying your ad on another video's watch page, within search results or on the main YouTube page.
・Bumper Ads: These are similar to In-Stream ads but one important difference is you cannot skip them. They last for six seconds and can be placed before, during or after a video's content.
Choose the format you want based on the goal of your ad campaign. For example, if you want to create a longer ad, then the skippable TrueView In-Stream format is better, but If you want to make a short but lasting impression, then use a six-second bumper ad. Any of these options will help drive up your views and subscribers.
How to increase subscribers and views:
Analyze the results — don't simply run an ad and forget about it. Use the tools available to you to gauge how the ad is performing in terms of views and engagement, and make changes to optimize the ad's reach.
3. YTtalk | Free Website
There is a special community you should know about if you're a serious YouTuber, and it's called YTtalk. This forum, intended for use by content creators, can help you increase your subscriber count if you commit enough time to the website. See the steps below to learn how you can promote your channel and videos in this community!
Step 1: Be an active and engaged member of YTtalk and earn YTtalk dollars, a virtual currency, in exchange for posting frequently.
- Note: Since the community is tight knit, don't go in expecting an instant fandom. You'll need to take time, just as you do with your YouTube channel, to cultivate some relationships with other members and become known within the forum.
Step 2: Once you've earned 100 YTtalk dollars, you can purchase a standard VIP membership to the Video Forums, which is where you can post and promote your amazing creative work!
- Note: A standard VIP membership can also be purchased for US $3.99.
Step 3: After you become a VIP member, be an active poster in the Videos & Channels section of the Video Forums. This will help others become familiar with your username, and once you've spent some time acquainting yourself to the forums, you can start promoting your channel to increase views and subscribers.
Tip:
Make sure your posts are over 200 characters each. This is the requirement to earn YTtalk dollars. Each post over 200 characters earns you one YTtalk dollar!
How to increase subscribers and views:
How to increase subscribers and views: With over 90,000 members, YTtalk is a great place to get eyes on your channel. Be sure to use good posting manners, avoiding engaging in arguments or other petty conversations in the forums. You want to maintain a good reputation on the forum to ensure other members don't lose interest in what you post.
4. TubeAssistPro | Paid Software
TubeAssistPro, a YouTube marketing tool that doesn't rely on YouTube's API, claims to help you "boost the reach of your videos to those that are interested in seeing them" and increase your subscriber count with automated software.
This tool uses automated software to target other viewers and channels to increase your engagement across the platform, getting more eyes on your channel in the process. Read below for a summary of the TubeAssistPro services.
- Sharing your content: Using specific keywords related to your channel personality, you can automatically search YouTube for users with similar interests and send them a comment or message recommending your videos.
- Subscribing to relevant channels: The software will search for channels similar to your own genre and either comment on or subscribe to the channel automatically.
- Getting attention with live videos: Search for and find live videos based on keywords you choose. TubeAssistPro will automatically leave messages in the live video comment feed, bringing attention to your channel name in real-time.
Tip:
The above-mentioned functions comprise two different paid package deals from TubeAssistPro. If you want to use the live video function, you'll need to purchase the more expensive "Live Version" of the software for US $118 (this is for one account only—the price increases as you add YouTube accounts). If you only need the Standard Version, that will cost you US $82 for one account.
Note: Please use this software responsibly, following all of YouTube's Community Guidelines.
How to increase subscribers and views:
Since this software is designed for increasing subscribers and views, you simply need to take advantage of its automated features to see your channel grow.
Engagement and interaction are two important components of being a YouTuber. We recommend continuing to interact with fans on an individual basis where possible. Think of TubeAssistPro like a personal assistant, but don't let it fully operate your channel. You still want to have that personal touch!
5. YouTube Studio | Free App
This app is YouTube's solution for creators to have all the tools of the platform at their fingertips. The YouTube Studio is a must if you want to competently manage your channel. Using this app will simplify many of the tasks required in the video editing and uploading cycle, meaning you can upload more frequently and efficiently likely leading to an increase in subscribers!
Analytics:
What's more, you can view your videos' performance via the YouTube Studio app, which shows you the video view trend across a timespan of a week up to one year. This tool is important because you can see which videos perform well compared to poor performing videos. You can analyze performance and determine what viewers want to see and adjust your content based on this to bring in more subscribers!
Tip:
Everything you need will be found in the Dashboard section of the app, including the latest updates and alerts from YouTube. If you need to work on your videos, use the Video Manager section of the app to organize your videos on the whole, or to specifically edit one video in particular.
It's also important to pay attention to the app's Community section. This is where all the commenting features are, including the function to moderate comments quickly when you need to take care of troublesome comments. It's important to be able to review comments even when you're away from your PC.
How to increase subscribers and views:
The YouTube Studio is great for video management. We recommend taking advantage of this app as a way to manage your channel on-the-go.
You can quickly edit thumbnails, descriptions, titles, and monetization settings. You can also monitor and reply to comments in-app. Use the YouTube Studio when you're having a busy day away from your PC but still want to stay connected with your channel and audience.
6. KineMaster Pro Video Editor | Paid App
If you're looking for a video editor on mobile that feels the same as editing via PC, then you're in luck. Try out KineMaster Pro, a beautiful video editor, to make more attractive content, drawing in new subscribers with your high-quality creations!
KineMaster Pro Video Editor is used by many, many YouTubers, which speaks to the quality and reliability of this app. Even though it's considered a full-featured app, it's free to download and try! There are ads in-app for the free version, but there is a premium version available if you can't stand being interrupted while you work.
One-stop editing...
This app is a one-stop video editor, allowing you to go from raw footage to a polished video all within the app. You can add subtitles, a voiceover, transitions, special effects, and more to your videos with KineMaster Pro.
We think creating videos with higher quality production value is an excellent way to increase your views and subscriber count.
Editing can make or break a video...
According to Creswick Creative, editing can make or break a video. That's because raw footage doesn't tell a story the same way an edited video does, with added transitions and excess footage removed. Creswick Creative also recommends not forgetting about audio in the editing process. It's often overlooked, but if your video sound quality is poor, it will greatly detract from the overall footage, harming your chances of increasing subscribers and views.
Hear from the voices of YouTubers:
"If you're after something more advanced that's going to mimic what video editing is like on desktop, then you need to check out KineMaster."
- Justin Brown, Primal Video
"This app really delivered and I highly recommend it."
- Drone Guru
"Kinemaster is the best video editing app by far. It allows multiple tracks, adding text, color correction and more right on your Android or iOS device."
- Nick Nimmin
Tip:
If you're editing video that was filmed on mobile, then it's good to know that you can change the orientation of footage that is flipped in the wrong direction. The app lets you rotate footage in 90-degree intervals — so useful for mobile users!
How to increase subscribers and views:
Take advantage of KineMaster's special layering functions to make videos chock-full of content. Viewers like videos that have a certain depth to them. If your footage looks raw, viewers will click away faster or may never click at all. In this app, you can combine multiple file types to layer photos over video. This is a very useful technique for YouTubers and your subscriber count may thank you!
7. Callmart | Free App
If people tell you that you're a talker, then you're going to love our final suggested app for increasing your subscribers! The Callmart app is all about putting people in touch and sharing knowledge. This translates well to the realm of YouTube since viewers tend to crave more direct forms of contact with their favorite YouTubers.
There are two ways to approach using Callmart:
1. Approach Callmart purely as a money-making opportunity
Callmart primarily functions to earn you money as a seller of knowledge and your precious time. Essentially, you make money in your free time by offering one-to-one phone calls in the app to buyers interested in connecting with you personally.
The app charges buyers the price you decided on a per-minute basis, and you will be paid instantly when a phone call ends. If you have a loyal following on YouTube, then we're sure you could find success using Callmart to connect with subscribers!
2. Approach Callmart as a channel promotion opportunity
Callmart can also uniquely function as an engagement-building app, which means you approach Callmart as a promotional activity primarily, and the money you earn from talking is just a bonus!
The quality of each phone call ranks highly while quantity may not be as important to you. By leaving a good impression on viewers, even from chats as short as a few minutes, you can promote yourself and your channel by word-of-mouth, which is a proven way to gain long-term followers.
We recommend this approach for YouTubers who are hoping to increase their subscribers and gain more views on videos. Of course, you can self-promote your content during phone calls, but remember to add a personal touch and really get to know your individual viewers.
Tip:
When you create your first listing in the app, be sure to include a photo. We recommend choosing a photo that represents your channel, such as your YouTube channel icon, so viewers will know it's the real you!
A detailed description of what viewers can expect from a phone call with you is also advisable. For example, if your channel deals with beauty, perhaps you can give personalized skincare or makeup recommendations based on viewers' skin or makeup troubles. Spend a while thinking about the knowledge or entertainment you can offer viewers and list these in your description.
How to increase subscribers and views:
Make yourself available as much as possible whenever you have free time. Your viewers may be from all across the globe, so the convenient time for a phone call will vary viewer-by-viewer. Remember to switch your availability slider to "Available" under the "My Listings" page whenever you're ready to talk with viewers.
In closing...
Hopefully you now have a foundational understanding of the best tools available to help you increase your YouTube channel subscribers and gain more views. We have to say that using charged communication is our top tip for increasing engagement with current subscribers, which will in turn promote word-of-mouth channel recommendations — the most valuable kind in social media.
Callmart is currently offering the first three months free-of-charge — this is your chance to keep more of what you earn and pay nothing upfront!
Try Callmart today and boost your engagement with subscribers and gain even more!