17 Ways to Get More YouTube Subscribers
Written by Brian Dean
![17 Ways to Get More YouTube Subscribers](png/how-to-get-youtube-subscribers-post-banner.png)
In this post, youโre going to learn how to get more YouTube subscribers in 2024.
In fact:
These are the exact strategies I used to grow my channel from zero to 555K subscribers:
![Brian Dean – YouTube subscribers Brian Dean – YouTube subscribers](png/brian-dean-youtube-subscribers.png)
And today Iโm going to show you how I did it…
…and how you can do the same thing.
- 1. Use โPower Playlistsโ
- 2. Publish Long Videos
- 3. Promote Videos In Your End Screen
- 4. Add a Brand Watermark
- 5. Focus On Video Quality
- 6. Reply To Every Comment
- 7. Write a Compelling Channel Description
- 8. Funnel People to โSubscriber Magnetsโ
- 9. Use an Awesome Channel Icon
- 10. Create a Channel Tagline
- 11. Try “Hearting” Comments
- 12. Make a Channel Trailer
- 13. Optimze for Watch Time
- 14. Embed YouTube Videos In Blog Posts
- 15. End Videos With a Strong CTA
- 16. Promote Your Channel
- 17. Optimize Your Channel Page
- Bonus #1: โThe Social Media Previewโ
- Bonus #2: Include a Subscribe Link in Your Channel Art
1. Use โPower Playlistsโ
โPower Playlistsโ are like regular playlists… but better.
Hereโs exactly how they work:
You see, most playlists are organized by topic.
![Power playlists Power playlists](png/power-playlists.png)
But Power Playlists are organized by outcomes.
Hereโs an example from my channel:
![Outcome organized playlist Outcome organized playlist](png/outcome-organized-playlist.png)
As you can see, the title of that playlist is an outcome:
![Playlist title Playlist title](png/playlist-title.png)
Which makes people MUCH more likely to watch my playlist… and subscribe.
2. Publish Long Videos
A while back we did the largest YouTube ranking factors study ever.
![Backlinko – YouTube ranking factors Backlinko – YouTube ranking factors](png/backlinko-youtube-ranking-factors-2021.png)
In that study, we analyzed 11 factors that might help video rank in YouTubeโs search engine.
And we found something surprising:
Longer videos rank better in YouTubeโs search results.
![Longer videos tend to rank better in YouTube Longer videos tend to rank better in YouTube](png/longer-videos-tend-to-rank-better-in-youtube.png)
For example, some time ago I published this video.
As you can see, my video is almost 13 minutes long:
![SEO for beginners – Video duration SEO for beginners – Video duration](png/seo-for-beginners-video-duration.png)
And thatโs one of the main reasons that it ranks in the top 3 in YouTube for the keyword: โSEO for beginnersโ:
![YouTube SERP – SEO for beginners YouTube SERP – SEO for beginners](png/youtube-serp-seo-for-beginners.png)
3. Promote Videos In Your End Screen
Hereโs the deal:
The more of your videos someone watches, the more likely they are to subscribe.
The question is:
How do you get people to watch 2, 5 or even 10 of your videos?
Promote another video in your End Screen.
Hereโs an example from my channel:
![Backlinko end screen – Next video Backlinko end screen – Next video](png/backlinko-end-screen-next-video.png)
This simple โNext Videoโ has led LOTS more views and subscribers:
![YouTube analytics – End screen video clicks YouTube analytics – End screen video clicks](png/youtube-analytics-end-screen-video-clicks.png)
Hereโs how you can do the same thing:
First, include 10 seconds of time at the end of your videos specifically for your End Screen.
Hereโs what mine looks like in the raw video file:
![Backlinko – End Screen template Backlinko – End Screen template](png/backlinko-end-screen-template.png)
Then, use YouTubeโs End Screen editor to add a link to a related video:
![Backlinko – End Screen editor Backlinko – End Screen editor](png/backlinko-end-screen-editor.png)
Thatโs all there is to it ๐
4. Use a Brand Watermark
You probably know that you can add a Branding Watermark to your videos.
![Branding Watermark Branding Watermark](png/branding-watermark.png)
This watermark lets viewers subscribe to your channel inside of your video.
![Backlinko YouTube watermark Backlinko YouTube watermark](png/backlinko-youtube-watermark.png)
Unfortunately, most Branding Watermarks are completely ignored.
For example…
I once added this watermark to all of my videos:
![Backlinko – First watermark Backlinko – First watermark](png/backlinko-first-watermark-1.png)
And it didn’t work.
So I decided to try something new.
Instead of a watermark that looked cool…
…I used one that looked like a normal YouTube subscribe button.
![Backlinko – Latest watermark Backlinko – Latest watermark](png/backlinko-latest-watermark.png)
And my new watermark generated 70% more subscribers than my old one.
![Backlinko – New watermark success Backlinko – New watermark success](png/backlinko-new-watermark-success.png)
Pretty cool.
5. Focus On Video Quality
When I first started my YouTube channel, I read the same advice over and over again:
โIf you want to grow your channel, you need to upload videos on a regular basisโ.
Unfortunately, simply publishing a bunch of videos usually doesn’t work.
Iโll explain:
When I first started my channel I published videos on a consistent schedule…
…but no one watched them.
![Backlinko – Low YouTube view rate Backlinko – Low YouTube view rate](png/backlinko-low-youtube-view-rate.png)
And the few people that watched my videos didnโt even bother to subscribe.
![Backlinko YouTube channel – Low subscriber conversion Backlinko YouTube channel – Low subscriber conversion](png/backlinko-youtube-channel-low-subscriber-conversion.png)
So I decided to change my approach.
Instead of quantity, I decided to focus 100% on quality.
And this โquality over quantityโ approach to my YouTube videos worked super well.
Flash forward to today and my channel generates over 120k views per month:
![Brian Dean – January 2024 – Views Brian Dean – January 2024 – Views](png/brian-dean-january-2024-views.png)
And because I make sure every video is high-quality, over 3k people subscribe to my channel every month:
![Brian Dean – January 2024 – Subscribers Brian Dean – January 2024 – Subscribers](png/brian-dean-january-2024-subscribers.png)
6. Reply To Every Comment
This is one of the easiest ways to get more subscribers.
In fact, YouTubeโs internal data has found a clear correlation between replying to comments and subscribers:
“When creators take the time to interact with their loyal community, it can encourage audience participation and ultimately result in a larger fanbase.”
Why does this help?
Well, most YouTubers never reply to comments.
Which means you instantly stand out when you do.
![Brian reply to YouTube comment Brian reply to YouTube comment](png/brian-reply-to-youtube-comment.png)
Thatโs why I do my best to reply to as many comments as I can.
(Especially right after I publish a new video.)
7. Write a Compelling Channel Description
Sadly, most Channel Descriptions look something like this:
![Ann Cooks – About Ann Cooks – About](png/ann-cooks-about.png)
Imagine that youโre about to subscribe to that channel.
Is that description going to make you lunge for the subscribe button?
Probably not.
Contrast that weak description with this one:
![Pat Flynn – About Pat Flynn – About](png/pat-flynn-about.png)
See the difference?
This about page works because it:
- Tells you what the channel is all about
- Gives you important information on the channel (like the upload schedule)
- Includes a strong call to action to subscribe
Hereโs a template that you can use to write your own Channel Description:
![YouTube description template YouTube description template](png/youtube-description-template-2.png)
Pro Tip: Sprinkle in a handful of keywords in your description. This can help your channel rank better in YouTube search.
For example, my old channel description used a few different relevant keywords that people on YouTube would search for…
…like โSEOโ, โlink buildingโ and โcontent marketingโ.
![Keywords in about section Keywords in about section](png/keywords-in-about-section.png)
8. Funnel People to โSubscriber Magnetsโ
Hereโs the step-by-step process:
First, head over to your YouTube Analytics.
And click โSubscribersโ โ โSee Moreโ.
![YouTube analytics – Subscribers – See more YouTube analytics – Subscribers – See more](png/youtube-analytics-subscribers-see-more.png)
Next, identify the video that brought you the most subs last month:
![Subscriber magnet video Subscriber magnet video](png/subscriber-magnet-video.png)
(This video is your โSubscriber Magnetโ.)
In my case, this ONE Subscriber Magnet from my channel brings in as many subscribers as 13 other videos from my channel… combined.
![Subscriber magnets Subscriber magnets](png/subscriber-magnets.png)
Why is this important?
Your Subscriber Magnet video is already proven to generate subscribers.
And if you can get these video in front of more people, youโll get more subscribers
Here are 3 ways to get more eyeballs on your Subscriber Magnet.
First, feature that video in your End Screen.
Second, make a playlist that starts off with that video.
Finally, promote that video in a card.
You can even make your Subscriber Magnet your channel trailer.
For example, Evan Carmichael uses his popular Tony Robbins video as his channel trailer:
![Evan Carmichael – Featured video Evan Carmichael – Featured video](png/evan-carmichael-featured-video.png)
That way, Evanโs high-converting video gets in front of everyone that visits his channel page.
9. Use an Awesome Channel Icon
Your Channel Icon shows up pretty much everywhere on YouTube.
![Brian Dean – Channel icon Brian Dean – Channel icon](png/brian-dean-channel-icon.png)
In fact, your channel icon is like a custom thumbnail… for your entire channel.
Thatโs why itโs really important to use the right one.
So if youโre a personal brand, use a high-res headshot:
![Marie Forleo – Headshot icon Marie Forleo – Headshot icon](png/maria-forleo-headshot.png)
If you’re a company channel, use a version of your logo designed for YouTube.
For example, ESPN rounded their logo so it works perfectly as a Channel Icon:
![ESPN – Logo icon ESPN – Logo icon](png/espn-logo-icon.png)
10. Create a Channel Tagline
In the early days of my channel I completely ignored the positioning of my channel.
![Backlinko – Old YouTube channel Backlinko – Old YouTube channel](png/backlinko-old-youtube-channel.png)
And it was one of the main reasons that I struggled.
Once I started to strategically position my channel, my monthly views and total subscriber count shot up significantly.
![Views and subscribers after update Views and subscribers after update](png/views-ans-subscribers-after-update.png)
Fortunately, you donโt need an MBA to position and brand your channel.
In fact, all you need to do is create a simple tagline.
Hereโs the 3-step process:
First, identify ONE thing that makes your channel unique or different.
Maybe youโre a busy mom that can deadlift 500 pounds.
Maybe your channel teaches SaaS companies how to increase their MRR.
The exact โthingโ doesnโt matter.
As long as itโs different than the other channels in your niche, youโre set.
For example:
My videos teach people marketing strategies they can use to grow their business.
![Backlinko videos Backlinko videos](png/backlinko-videos.png)
But if I made my tagline โI teach marketing strategiesโ or โI help you grow your businessโ, Iโd blend in with thousands of other channels on YouTube.
So I decided to focus on the ONE thing that my channel focuses on:
Higher rankings and more traffic.
Second, put that tagline in big font on your Channel Art.
Hereโs mine:
![Tagline in channel art Tagline in channel art](png/tagline-in-channel-art.png)
Finally, say your tagline in your Channel Trailer.
![Say tagline in channel trailer Say tagline in channel trailer](png/say-tagline-in-channel-trailer.png)
11. Try “Hearting” Comments
Creator Hearts make it easy to highlight awesome comments from your community:
![Backlinko- Creator heart Backlinko- Creator heart](png/heart-comment.png)
Now for the interesting part…
When you heart a comment, that person gets a notification (and sometimes even an email):
![Creator heart – Email notification Creator heart – Email notification](png/creator-heart-email-notification.png)
And according to YouTubeโs own data:
“Weโve found that viewers who have received a heart on their comment are three times more likely to click on the notification (than with other types of notifications), potentially leading more viewers back to your channel.”
Thatโs right:
Heart notifications get 300% more clicks than average.
So whenever someone leaves a solid comment, hook them up with a heart:
![Brian hearting a comment Brian hearting a comment](gif/brian-hearting-a-comment.gif)
As you just saw, this will bring them back to your video… and make them VERY likely to subscribe.
12. Make a Channel Trailer
You probably know that a channel trailer can help you get more YouTube subscribers.
Here are 3 tactics for making a channel trailer that works:
Kick things off with your tagline
Start your trailer off with your channelโs tagline.
(Donโt have a tagline. Check out technique #10 from this post.)
For example, I say my tagline (โHigher Rankings and More Trafficโ) within the first 3 seconds of my trailer:
Stick to 60 seconds (or less)
YouTube themselves say that shorter trailers convert best:
![Shorter trailers convert best Shorter trailers convert best](png/shorter-trailers-convert-best.png)
Thatโs why I made my trailer about a minute long:
![Backlinko’s trailer is about one minute long Backlinko's trailer is about one minute long](png/backlinko-trailer-about-1-minute-long.png)
Show off your best stuff
Your trailer is a GREAT opportunity to promote your best content.
Thatโs why the middle of your trailer should be a 20-30 second highlight reel.
For example, my trailer includes LOTS of clips from my other videos:
That way, viewers can quickly get a feel for the type of content that I publish.
13. Optimize For Watch Time
Yup, Watch Time is a massively important YouTube SEO ranking factor.
And not just for YouTube SEO.
Videos with high Watch Time numbers get promoted more often on the YouTube homepage:
![YouTube watch time promoted YouTube watch time promoted](png/youtube-watch-time-promoted.png)
And in the Suggested Video sidebar:
![YouTube watch time sidebar YouTube watch time sidebar](png/youtube-watch-time-sidebar.png)
Thatโs why YouTube states that:
“The longer you can keep people watching on YouTube because of your content, the more your content may get surfaced.”
Question is:
How do you maximize Watch Time?
Use lots of Pattern Interrupts.
Pattern Interrupt
noun
An event that changes a person's thought patterns.
Pattern Interrupts make your videos more dynamic…
…which keeps people watching.
Thatโs why I use TONS of Pattern Interrupts in every video.
Including graphics:
Jump cuts:
And corny jokes:
Remember:
Pattern Interrupts donโt need to be fancy or complicated.
For example, check out this video from Safiya Nygaard:
Safiya uses lots of super simple Pattern Interrupts (like camera angle changes and simple graphics) to keep things fresh.
![Safiya pattern interrupts Safiya pattern interrupts](png/safiya-pattern-interrupts.png)
14. Embed YouTube Videos In Blog Posts
Your blog is a HUGE untapped source of views and subscribers.
Why?
Well, if someoneโs reading your text content, they clearly like your stuff.
Which means theyโre primed to subscribe.
Thatโs why I embed lots of videos in my blog posts.
Sometimes the video makes up an entire step or tip:
![Video as an entire step Video as an entire step](png/video-as-an-entire-step.png)
But I also embed videos as a way for people to learn more about something from the post:
![Embed videos to impart extra information Embed videos to impart extra information](png/embed-videos-to-impart-extra-information.png)
Either way, these embeds get my videos in front of more people.
And not just random people.
Iโm showing my video content to people that are very likely to subscribe to my channel.
15. End Videos With a Strong CTA
When someone gets to the end of your video, they think:
โWhatโs next?โ
And unless you give them something to do, theyโre going to click over to another video from another channel.
![User clicking on another channel’s video User clicking on another channel's video](png/user-clicking-on-another-channels-video.png)
Whatโs the solution? Tell them to subscribe to your channel.
And donโt be afraid to tell people exactly what to do.
For example, hereโs how I end all of my videos:
![Video ending captions Video ending captions](png/video-ending-captions-1.png)
I literally tell people to click on the subscribe button below the video.
That way, thereโs no guesswork or thinking involved.
And thatโs one of the main reasons that so many people subscribe right after watching one of my videos:
![People subscribe after watching Brian’s videos People subscribe after watching Brian's videos](png/people-subscribe-after-watching-brians-videos.png)
16. Promote Your Channel
The next time you create a blog post, podcast episode or Instagram Story, ask yourself:
โHow can I funnel people from this content to my channel?โ
For example, I included a link to my channel in every lead magnet:
![Link to channel in lead magnet Link to channel in lead magnet](png/link-to-channel-in-lead-magnet.png)
I even promoted my channel in podcast interviews:
![Brian promotes the Backlinko YouTube channel in podcast interviews Brian promotes the Backlinko YouTube channel in podcast interviews](png/brian-promotes-the-backlinko-youtube-channel-in-podcast-interviews.png)
17. Optimize Your Channel Page
When someone lands on your channel page, two things can happen:
- They leave right away
- They watch more of your videos and subscribe
And I can tell you from experience that an optimized channel page can increase your subscribers by 2-5x.
For example, my channel used to look bland and unprofessional:
![Old Backlinko YouTube channel – Unprofessional Old Backlinko YouTube channel – Unprofessional](png/old-backlinko-youtube-channel-unprofessional.png)
Needless to say, very few people that landed on my page decided to subscribe.
Thatโs when I decided to put some time and effort into my channel page.
Specifically, I hired a pro designer to design some new Channel Art:
![Backlinko YouTube channel art Backlinko YouTube channel art](png/backlinko-youtube-channel-art.png)
And I organized my videos so that my best content appeared at the top:
![Playlists on channel page Playlists on channel page](png/playlists-on-channel-page.png)
That said:
Thereโs no โperfectโ way to organize your Channel Page.
But hereโs a template that I notice a lot of top YouTubers use:
![Top YouTube users template Top YouTube users template](png/top-youtube-users-template.png)
Bonus #1: โThe Social Media Previewโ
I used to share my videos on social media like this:
![Brian – Old style of social media video sharing Brian – Old style of social media video sharing](png/brian-old-style-of-social-media-video-sharing.png)
And my posts got buried.
Why?
Because Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media sites want to keep people on their platform.
This means they donโt like posts that send people to YouTube.
Well, I recently discovered a way around this problem:
โThe Social Media Previewโ.
And this simple strategy has helped me get lots of views on social media (many of which head over to YouTube).
![Social media preview – High number of views Social media preview – High number of views](png/social-media-preview-high-number-of-views.png)
In fact, one of my Social Media Previews got over 31,076 views on LinkedIn:
![LinkedIn – 30,000 views LinkedIn – 30,000 views](png/linkedin-30k-views.png)
Hereโs how to do it:
First, grab a 30-90 second clip from a recent YouTube video.
This clip should be a single technique, idea or point.
Next, upload that clip as native video content.
![Upload clip as native content Upload clip as native content](png/upload-clip-as-native-content.png)
This is key.
Like I mentioned earlier, social networks (like Facebook, Twitter and Reddit) want to promote native content on their platform.
And thereโs data to back this up.
Native video Facebook posts can get up to 10x more shares than posts that linked to YouTube.
![Native Facebook video posts get 10x more views than LinkedIn / YouTube videos Native Facebook video posts get 10x more views than LinkedIn / YouTube videos](png/native-facebook-video-posts-get-10x-more-views-than-linked-yt-vids.png)
Finally, include a link to your video as the first comment on the post.
![Include link to video as first comment on post Include link to video as first comment on post](png/include-link-to-video-as-first-comment-on-post.png)
That way, if someone wants to see more, they can easily watch the full video on YouTube.
And youโre set.
Bonus #2: Include a Subscribe Link in Your Channel Art
You probably know that you can link to external sites in your Channel Art.
But what you may not know is that you can sneak in an extra subscribe button there.
Hereโs an example:
![Subscribe button in channel art Subscribe button in channel art](png/subscribe-button-in-channel-art.png)
All you need to do is create a YouTube subscribe link:
![YouTube subscribe link YouTube subscribe link](png/youtube-subscribe-link.png)
Then, add that link as one of your Channel Art links:
![Add a “Subscribe” button as a Channel Art link Add a "Subscribe" button as a Channel Art link](png/add-subscribe-button-as-a-channel-art-link.png)
Make sure to give your link a compelling title:
![Give your link a compelling title Give your link a compelling title](png/give-your-link-a-compelling-title.png)
And when someone clicks on that link, theyโll see this high-converting prompt:
![“Confirm channel subscription” prompt "Confirm channel subscription" prompt](png/confirm-channel-subscription-prompt.png)
Nice.
Now Itโs Your Turn
So I hope this post helped show you how to get more subscribers on YouTube.
And now Iโd like to hear from you:
Which strategy from todayโs post are you excited to try first?
Or maybe you have a question about something you read.
Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below right now.