Youtube for Actors

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It can be really hard to get a new YouTube channel off its feet. You post your latest web series, episode or monologue, and you cross your fingers, and wait for the comments, and likes, and subscribers to come pouring in, but instead, crickets. But don't you worry. In the next few minutes, I'm going to give you 10 quick tips to get your first 100 YouTube subscribers. If you're brand new here, I'm Heidi Dean and I teach you how to rock your social media, make more connections, and create the actor's life of your dreams. Make sure you subscribe to my channel, and hit that little bell so you always know when I've got a new video just for you. The first thing you need to do is narrow your audience. A lot of new creators create random videos that they think everyone will like, but what usually happens is because they're desperately trying to appeal to everyone, they end. Up appealing to no one think really hard who you're creating content for.

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Are they Harry Potter lovers, Game of Thrones fans, horror film lovers. Be specific. Then before you create any videos, do some research on YouTube to see what kind of content these people would want to see. Then you can create content you know your audience will enjoy. Number two, create a trailer for your channel. This trailer will only autoplay for people who are not subscribed to your channel. Keep your trailer short, exciting, and end with that call to action to subscribe. Number three, create an interesting profile. Don't ignore your YouTube about section. This is where you can sell your channel to potential subscribers. Tell the viewer what they will gain by watching your channel, and why they should subscribe. You can also include any important links to your website, or any other social media. Before we get to number four, I want to know, do you have a YouTube channel right now?

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If you do, hop in the comments below and tell us what it's about, so we can check it out. Number four is super important. Choose searchable titles. When choosing titles for your videos, think about what your audience would actually type in search to find them, and keep in mind, only the first 45 characters show up in search, so make sure you keep your keywords toward the front. Number five, create better thumbnails. Your thumbnail is like a mini movie poster for your content. Its only job is to get people to watch. Your video can come up in search, but if your thumbnail's boring, nobody's going to click on it and then obviously they're not going to subscribe to your channel. Remember, people are visual and you need to stand out from all the other competition on YouTube. You may even want to take some time and shoot some photos specifically for thumbnails.

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It may feel silly when you're shooting these thumbnails ahead of time, but you're definitely going to get a better photo. Stick around to the end of this video and I'll show you my outtakes for when I did the thumbnail for this video. Number six, add a watermark. YouTube allows you to add a branding watermark to your videos, so that non-subscribers can become subscribers with one simple click. You can see it right now. It's right there. That is the watermark. Next tip, use YouTube's free analytics. Specifically find the audience retention graphs in your YouTube analytics. These are going to teach you what your audience likes. Maybe your intro is too long, and people are ditching your videos right away. You want to keep them watching. The longer they watch, the more you'll show up in search, and the more subscribers you'll get. Number eight, to be successful on YouTube, you're to want to create consistent content.

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If your goal is channel growth, you're going to want to set a schedule for your channel. Will you publish weekly, monthly, biweekly, and what days of the week will your videos come out? This will keep you on track as well. You can put the schedule in your channel art, in your channel trailer, or in your About section. Just a few more tips. Number nine, create playlists. Playlists like this one are one of the most under utilized growth hacks on YouTube. Most people don't realize that playlists show up in search just like videos do, so make sure you optimize your title and description for your playlist just like you would a video. Playlists are also fantastic for web series, or any content where you want your viewers to watch something in a certain order. They will ensure your audience will watch the content the way you intended. Number 10, just ask.

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Don't assume if someone liked your video that they're going to subscribe. You need to tell them what you want them to do. That reminds me, have you subscribed yet? Here are those outtakes when I planned my thumbnail right before I shot this video. Ha. Yes. Yes, and yes. Yes. Yes. I'll see you on social.