How to Double Your YouTube Subscribers (Without Buying Them) (3)
I've just gone with the option of creating a basic thumbnail from scratch. Obviously you can create something much better than this.
If you want to upload a custom thumbnail for a video, just go through the normal upload process.
On the page where you can adjust the video information, pick the ‘Custom thumbnail' option. You'll then have a custom thumbnail that will be shown around the YouTube platform. When it comes to creating a description for your YouTube videos,there's a lot you can focus on and this could become an entire post in itself. What you need to keep in mind is that you have a lot of space here and YouTube tends to use what you say to rank your content.
The first couple of lines on your description should be written so that they are easy to read in the search results.
Here's a great example. In this section, you may want to use some of the keywords that you used in your title. That way, you can ensure that it has some coherence. This will also improve the ranking ability of your video.
When people click on your video, they have the option to click on the ‘Show More' text. This will expand the description. You can use this space to insert a ‘subscribe to channel' link. If you want to do that, use the following link format —
https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=
Make sure that you enter your channel name after the ‘='. So, for Kissmetrics it would be —
https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Kissmetrics
When people click on this link, they'll be taken to your channel page, where a subscribe box will pop-up. In the description, you can also enter some other information, such as your other social media profiles, important links and even your content posting schedule.
You can also describe the things that are being discussed in your video, like this —
You could even highlight what is discussed at certain time sections in your video. I.e 21:48 – How to prevent your website from being penalized by Google.
These timestamps, will actually take those who click on them directly to the specified location in the video.
Remember — 65% of executives visit a vendor's website after having watched their video. Make sure that it is easy for those people to visit your site, by putting a link in your description.
It's also important that you give your video some tags. This will help improve the chances of your video appearing in the YouTube search engine.
You don't want to use anything that is misleading here. Have mix of some really specific tags that describe your video. Then, have a few that are quite broad, but still related to the genre.
There's no harm in using some of the suggested tags provided by YouTube, as long as they are in alignment with what your video is actually about. Use annotations Another, highly effective method for boosting subscriber rates is the use of ‘annotations.' You've probably experienced YouTube video annotations in some form or another while on the platform. They're the little boxes that appear throughout YouTube videos. Like this video from James Wedmore —
When people then click on that annotation, they're taken to the following page. This is an incredibly efficient way of boosting subscriber numbers.
Let's take a look at how you can do the same thing for your own videos. Go to the ‘Creators Studio' section of YouTube. There, click on the ‘Video Manager' section. Pick the video you want to add annotations to.
Then, from the ‘Edit' drop down menu, pick ‘Annotations.' You should then see the following layout.
To add an annotation, click on the ‘+ Add annotation' button. Apart from the ‘Title' option, each of the choices listed will allow for you to create a link. So, you might want to experiment over time, to see which form of annotation works best for you.
I'm going to pick the ‘Speech Bubble' option, as it is the most pronounced in terms of how it looks when it appears. You'll want to put some text in the text box. This will end up being your annotation text.
In terms of the color of the text and the speech bubble, you'll be able to experiment. Obviously, you'll want to pick something that stands out. However, what stands out is going to depend on the colors shown in your video.
Here's what YouTube has to say about picking a color for your annotation: Because my video has a black background, I choose the following setup, as I think it provides good contrast.
Once you added some text and you've adjusted the colors, you'll then need to decide when you want the annotation to appear. As with most things, you'll want to experiment with this. Thinking about it logically, you'll want to put your annotation near the end of the video, when you can be seen asking people to subscribe to your channel. At the start of your video, people do not really have a reason to subscribe to your channel, as they have not had a chance to experience your content.
And, if you put your annotation at the beginning of the video, there is a chance that it will distract and even annoy those who are watching the video.
YouTube has this to say about the duration of annotations:
Of course, if you put your annotation at the end of the video, you'll be able to display the annotation for more than 5-7 seconds. That's because you will have earned the right to, because your content was good — you essentially know this because they stuck around until the end. In terms of where the annotation should appear, it will depend on your video.
For example, in some videos you'll notice that people will point to, or mention a certain section of the video, when they ask people to subscribe. The place they point to or mention is usually where the subscribe box is located.
So, if you're doing that, you'll want to ensure that you have some coherence. If you're not going to be doing that in your video, YouTube recommends the following placements: Once you've done all of that, click on the Link option. Then select the ‘Subscribe' option. You then need to enter the channel name into the text box. Don't worry about entering the actual URL — you just need to enter the name of the channel. Click on ‘Preview link' to ensure that everything is setup properly. If it is, you should be taken to the channel page and the subscribe box should pop-up.
Like this —
Once you've set everything up as you'd like it to be done, just click on the ‘Apply changes' button at the top of the screen. If everything is saved properly, you should then see the button change to this —
Remember to test your video to ensure that the annotations do everything that they're supposed to. You also have the option of using YouTube cards. This feature is a little less direct, as you can't really use it to create a subscribe pop-up in the same way that you could using an annotation. However, it can still be a useful thing to consider inserting in the middle of your video.
Here's how you would go about creating a ‘YouTube card' for your video. Select the ‘Video' option inside of the ‘Video Manager'. Then click on the ‘Edit' drop down menu for the video you want to add a card to. Then select the ‘Cards' option. You should then see this screen.
Click on the ‘Add card' option and then choose ‘Channel.' Then, enter in your channel name and some text.
The teaser text is the text that appears on the little graphic that appears in the video.
Here is how it will look —
If you want to adjust when the card displays the ‘teaser text,' adjust the slider below. You'll notice, however, that the ‘i' will always be visible in the video. If people hover their mouse cursor over the ‘i' they'll see the following. This card will also appear at the time that you have chosen above.
Clicking on this will take users straight to your Channel. However, no subscriber box will pop-up.
Engage with your audience Another way you can boost subscriber numbers is by engaging with your audience.
There are a number of ways that you can do this.
The first is to respond to any comments you might have on your videos. This will make people feel as though you value their opinion. Plus, the fact that you're going through this effort might encourage them to subscribe. You could even argue that this counts as conducting customer service work that improves the customer experience.
When you look at it through that lens, you use the fact that 22% of people post positive things about a company after having previously posting something negative — all because they got a response.
If you're getting any negative comments on your YouTube videos, you might want to address them promptly. This will eventually contribute to a rise in subscribers because people will see this interaction on your videos and appreciate the fact that you do engage.
The second option is to host a Q&A session. You can do this using Google Hangouts. You might even just ask at the end of a video for viewers to post their questions in the comments section.
Then, in the next video you could spend some time going through the questions you received.
Another way you can engage with your audience is by creating videos based on what they want. For example, you could ask your audience what they want to see you talk about.
You can then create a video based on one viewer's suggestions and call them out in the video that you made. Consider doing some collaborations
When it comes to boosting subscriber numbers, you also have the option of doing some collaborations.
Collaborations can massively boost your video marketing efforts.
If you go about things in the right way, you may just end up joining the18% of companies that regard their video marketing as ‘very successful.' The best way to go about this is to find channels that have a similar audience to you.
Both of you could then arrange an event where you can both benefit from the interaction.
Here is what YouTube recommends, in terms of setting upcollaborations.
When you do a collaboration, it's important that you encourage people to subscribe to your channel. On top of that, it is also essential that the videos you publish immediately after the collaboration are amazing, so that they justify the viewer's decision to subscribe to your channel. Alternatively, you could consider doing some interviews on your channel. If you can find a way to interview some of the top people in your niche, you'll be able to attract their audience to your channel. When your channel has a decent number of subscribers and it's growing at a steady rate, you'll have s greater ability to attract such opportunities. Of course, you shouldn't let that be an impediment that stops you from trying. Email a few people who might be worth having on your channel and ask them if they'd be willing to be a guest. If they say no, respectfully ask them if they'd be willing to do a show when your channel has more subscribers. See if they can provide you with a ballpark figure that they'd be happy with. Remember, you don't want to be rude, but there's nothing wrong with asking for a potential future way to make it happen. Use YouTube Ads I've already spoken extensively about using YouTube Ads here. In 2014 YouTube's Ad revenue was $1.13 billion — people are spending money there for good reason. And, it looks as though people are watching them as comScore found that the average person watches 16 minutes and 49 seconds of online video ads per month.
In order to make it work, you might want to target some of the keywords that your videos are being created around.
This will ensure that your videos appear at the top of the search resultswhen people enter that keyword.
If you have a plan in terms of how you're going to make money from your YouTube channel, then this could prove to be a very effective option.
