Growing Your Audience

Part3

Growing Your Audience

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   Don’t expect instant success. Few YouTubers become an instant hit with their first video. Although there are some exceptions--and hey, maybe you’ll be one--most have to work hard just to get their viewing stats into double digits. Be patient, and use every opportunity you have to promote your channel. With time and effort, you may start to see results. Stick with it.^[7]
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   Share your videos on social media. Below every video on YouTube is an arrow with the word “Share” next to it. This button should become your new best friend. Click it, and choose the icon of which website you’d like to post to. A pop-up window with a summary of your video will open. You can either edit the summary or leave it as it is. Just don’t alter the link! Websites like Twitter and Facebook will play the videos without having to open a new window or tab.
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   Enter YouTube contests. YouTube contests are a great way to promote your channel, plus they can be a ton of fun, too. Search the web or YouTube to see which channels are running contests.^[8] Find a contest that pertains to your channel, and read the rules. If the deadline gives you enough time to make a video, enter! Usually, viewers have to vote on how entertaining, educational, funny, etc. a video is. If viewers like your video, they’ll likely head over to your channel and subscribe.
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   Send an email. Contact all your friends and family members in your address book. Try something simple like, “Hey, everybody! Check out this video I posted to YouTube. Let me know what you think.” Chances are, they’ll forward the link to even more potential viewers.
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   Use tags. Tags make search engines use your videos as results when someone looks up certain terms.That funny cat video you’ve been watching likely has tags like “comedy,” “cats,” “cute,” etc. Make sure you stick to tags that accurately describe your video and channel. Don’t use inaccurate tags just to get more views. You’ll end up feeling dishonest, and disappointed viewers might leave negative comments.
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   Create your thumbnail. By default, YouTube selects three stills from your video to use as the thumbnail image. If you’re not feeling any of the stills, create your own image. Take a selfie, a screenshot, or any other image that gives an eye-catching visual description of your video. Include a few lines of text that elaborate the image and flesh out the video’s title.^[9]
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   Take constructive criticism seriously. No first-time video is perfect, and what fun would it be if it were? Each video is a learning opportunity for you to get better. If a viewer praises you for your script delivery but noted that the background noise was distracting, look for free and easy ways to erase unnecessary audio. Make small improvements to each video along the way, and before you know it, you’ll have a sleek, professional looking channel.