To win the attention of YouTube’s algorithm, you need a lot of subscribers. Today, I will show you real methods to get free YouTube subscribers. No tricks. No hacks. Just tactics that work.
Over the last few years, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat have stolen the social video highlight. However, YouTube is still incredible advertising and marketing channel, receiving over 30 million visitors per day and 5 billion daily video views.
According to GlobalWebIndex, 1 in 4 YouTubers watched a branded video last month. It is not just millennials utilizing YouTube, either. Google shows that YouTube reaches 95% of online adults age +35 in a month. And according to new demographic data from Google, YouTube’s reach continues to broaden to older audiences.
In this post, you will learn eleven methods to begin getting YouTube free subscribers. When you are just beginning to build your YouTube channel or looking for some methods to optimize existing content, this post is for you.
1. Stop hacking. Begin promoting.
When you search “how to get free YouTube subscribers,” you will uncover a delightful subgenre of social media advice dedicated to ‘hacks and glitches for YouTube.’ Those shortcuts—usually sold in sensational headlines like ‘how to get millions of free YouTube subscribers’—promise to show you a hidden trick that will flood your channel with free YouTube subscribers (the truth is YouTube hacks only exist in case your definition of a “hack” is a little-known function).
One of the most popular YouTube tutorials for getting free fans comes from a young expert named JustKyptic.
During my analysis for this post, I’ve to admit—his headline hooked me. According to Mr. JustKyptic, he is found a YouTube glitch that gets you tons of free YouTube subscribers in just a few seconds.
I had to watch.
When you watch the video, you will learn JustKryptic’s YouTube hack.
As he mentions, you could open up your developer tools in Google Chrome. As you could know, clicking “view” > “developer” > “view source” reveals the HTML source code for any webpage.
Next, Mr. JustKryptic clicks on the “YouTube subscriber count” button. And with a flick of his wrist, he changes his YouTube subscribers from 500 to 1000. He warns against changing it higher as YouTube may ban your account.
I’m certain that you could spot the error?
JustKryptic is only editing the source code on his own Chrome browser. Only he could see that his YouTube subscriber count has increased—this isn’t a real change made in YouTube however is simply on his own personal browser.
At the end of the video, he admits that is a prank.
I watched 5 more of these YouTube hack videos. And most followed the same format: they were a prank.
So when you are looking for YouTube hacks, you are likely wasting time. However, you still need subscribers.
In case you have a new or unknown YouTube channel, you should gain some kind of traction. Without the attention of YouTube’s algorithm, your videos won’t appear in search outcomes or appear in recommended lists.
So how could you get the organic ball rolling? I asked this query to Gianni “Luminati” Nicassio, a founding member of the indie-band Walk Off The Earth. Gianni utilized YouTube to catapult his unknown band into a global act, earning over 634 million natural views from YouTube.
His advice for new YouTube channels? Be ruthless about promotion. “When you are getting began, do not shy away from the grunt work,” says Gianni. “Making engaging content is only half of the process. You should get ruthless and promote, promote, promote.”
“Begin with your Facebook friends and shamelessly (however still with some class) ask them to share your video. Then, find out the place your viewers are hanging out and begin targeting those websites. Go to blogs that relate to your content material and share your video. Or reply in the comment sections of the related video.”
Your task: Stop wasting time searching for YouTube shortcuts. Instead, build a plan to promote your YouTube channel. Begin with manual tasks. And when you have some traction, free YouTube subscribers and natural traffic will start to appear.
2. Follow the 1×4 content schedule
I wanted to know the way to build a YouTube following from scratch, so I interviewed Graham Cochrane, the founder of the famous YouTube channel “The Recording Revolution.” Cochrane went from unemployed to making a 7-figure business around audio engineering tips. YouTube has been a key distribution channel for him.
Cochrane mentions publishing frequency is key.
“The BEST thing you could do with YouTube (or any content creation for that matter) is to make lots of content and make it consistently. I have made at least one video a week for 7 years.”
This frequency helps you keep subscribers (another essential metric for YouTube) as well as helps you attract new free YouTube subscribers.
“People come to expect your content material. You make a dependable rhythm like your favorite TV show. You realize it comes on every week. Plus, if you create more content you improve the number of places people discover you online. Instead of seeing your brand for one or two YouTube searches, you begin to appear again and again in search outcomes.”
An easy formula that works is this: 1×4. Publish 4 YouTube videos each month. That breaks down to one video every week. It is a simple number to keep in mind and you will soon see new YouTube subscribers trickling in.
Your Task: Commit to a publishing schedule. A simple formula: one YouTube video every week for a total of 4 a month.
3. Stop talking. Start delivering.
YouTube explicitly states: “channels and videos with larger watch time are more likely to turn up in search outcomes and recommendations.”
How could you improve your watch time? There are a lot of tips and tricks online. However, an important principle is this: value your viewer’s time.
According Gianni Nicassio (the viral master I mentioned earlier), you should send value right away. “We have discovered that the first 8 seconds of your video is the most important. The click-away rate in these precious seconds is staggering. When you create music videos, begin playing music right away. In case you are teaching something or explaining a product, begin delivering info.”
Nicassio recommends you skip straight to the content and then promote your merchandise at the end. “Do not tell people about your day, do not discuss other videos that you are making or where to purchase the song. Just play the track and tell them the supplementary info after the song or in the description.”
Your Task: Shorten your intro. Skip the flashy intro and theme music. Ensure the first 8 seconds of every video hook viewers.
4. Expand your search net with Pinterest
Most of your subscribers will uncover your channel by either searching in Google or through YouTube’s search bar. Pinterest is also a visual search engine, making it an ideal match for your YouTube strategy.
Not every business or brand is right for Pinterest. To find out whether your clients live on Pinterest download the helpful audience worksheet.
- Hire a designer to turn a few of your greatest YouTube videos into Pinterest-friendly photos. For instance, when you run a YouTube cooking channel, you might have a Pinterest visual that gives tips for proper knife techniques or quick tips about baking. On each visual asset, link to your YouTube channel and tell people they could watch the full video here.
- Collect these graphics and make an SEO-focused Pinterest collection. For instance, you can turn your topic-focused playlist into a Pinterest collection. Target a high-volume keyword with your Pinterest collection—like “Healthy summer recipes” or “Photography 101 tutorial.”
- Consider investing some budget in Pinterest ads. They’re quite effective and will help increase your visibility. That is optional as people will naturally discover your Pinterest collections through search.
Your task: Build SEO-focused Pinterest collections that link back to your YouTube channel.