Successful channels on YouTube attain subscriber lists that number in the hundreds of thousands or even millions – more than average viewers of some cable TV shows.
For instance, a father and son’s YouTube channel has attracted 1.3 million subscribers. Jared, a self-employed filmmaker, and his nine-old-old son Evan produce EvanTubeHD, which features Evan reviewing toys.
According to Fast Company, the family earns around $1.3 million a year in advertising revenue from the EvanTubeHD channel combined with the EvanTubeRAW channel that features, Jared’s wife, Alisa, and their six-year-old daughter, Alisa.
Although the family team is certainly successful, they’re not the only YouTube video producers to attract subscribes numbering in the millions. The Top 100 YouTube Channels are dominated by music and entertainment channels – mostly pop music groups — with 10+ million subscribers. Many businesses have found that YouTube offers a superb method to promote their products and educate consumers. There are even multiple videos on how to create a YouTube channel for your business.
The Old Spice YouTube campaign has gained over 452,000 subscribers since 2010. In the videos, the character Isaiah Mustafa tells women their men could smell like him if they used Old Spice instead of ladies’ scented body wash.
Videos are ideal for demonstrating how products are used, a key for promoting sales. The best strategy is to focus on the goal the consumer hopes to achieve with the product, and direct them to your website. Businesses offering services can produce videos of employees providing the service to satisfied customers.
BuzzFeedVideo (Rank #94), from the online publisher, produces videos for 14 separate YouTube channels with a total of more than 18 million subscribers and 200+ million views per month.
Google uses multiple channels to produce videos about how to use Google products to successfully grow and enhance your business.
The videogame Minecraft Xbox has issued a series of “Let’s Play” videos that attract as many as 34 million views for each video.
The National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) issued 41 separate videos on YouTube about the Hubble telescope, garnering hundreds of thousands of views.
In aggregate, videos about food processors have attracted over 500,000 views and power saws over two million views. Multiple videos on makeup have achieved over three million views each.
How to Become a YouTube Star
Jared and other successful video producers offer these tips for aspiring YouTube stars.
Be persistent. Maintaining a regular and consistent posting schedule encourages viewers to return. Posting once or twice a week, on the same days every week is best.
Don’t give up. Large numbers of viewers don’t come immediately. EvanTubeHD started with just a few hundred views a week. Some topics gain viewers faster than others.
Embed videos in your company blog and website where appropriate – for instance, videos on your products on the website’s products place. A link to your YouTube channel in your company “about” section can increase video views.
Work on SEO. Google search bots cannot read a video. Adding descriptive text in tags enables search engines to index videos and increase chances web searchers will find them. Including a transcription of videos on your company blog improves SEO and gives visitors the option of reading the text in addition to watching the video.
Recruit subscribers. Attracting repeat viewers — in other words subscribers — is key to obtaining more viewers. Simply asking viewers to subscribe with a call to action can do the trick. You can try a phrase like, “Subscribe to our channel by clicking the button below.” Or “Make sure you never miss our awesome videos by subscribing to our channel.” A unique call to action can help differentiate your video channel.
Engage your community. Offering viewers prizes, replying to comments and thanking individual viewers in videos will help them feel appreciated and keep them engaged. Proposing a question at the end of videos can spark a discussion.
Comment on other channels. Commenting on other channels can help promote your own videos. However, appearing overly promotional or arrogant can backfire. The last thing you want to do is criticize someone else’s video and say yours is better.
Develop a connection with the audience. The most successful YouTube stars build a connection with their audiences. Viewers feel as if the on-camera personality is a friend. Understanding your audience can help build a relationship, and showing enthusiasm can attract people who are interested in your topic.
Provide value. Offer a benefit — something that can help viewers. Jared and his family, for instance, provide reviews of toys and content for children that parents are comfortable with.
Entertain. The most successful YouTube videos include an entertainment factor – humor, talent, emotion or a “wow” component.
Use annotations. YouTube annotations, messages that pop up while the video is running, can be used as subscribe buttons, links to your website, links to other videos, or links to your social profile.
Bottom Line: YouTube is a powerful channel for increasing website traffic and promoting your brand. However, success requires the right tactics. These 10 tips can help.
Other Articles
Proven YouTube Strategies to Attract Subscribers, Optimize SEO and Drive Conversions
Business 2 Community
Five YouTube Subscriber Techniques
The Social Media Monthly
Using YouTube for Your Business
Social Media Today
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
