I’ve been posting videos regularly for over two years now, and I have a few YouTube Tips for Success that will help you grow your channel. Whether you’re using your channel as a way to promote your writing, or just as a fun outlet, these tips will help you find subscribers and get your message heard.

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Original photo by Sara Kurfeß 

I wish YouTube were as easy as just posting videos.

And I mean, it kind of is? But also there are like 64 million other tiny things that go into it, as well as about 97 thousand big things.

These tips are for people who want to be found on YouTube, or for writers looking to build their online community. I should also note that there are no easy, one-size-fits-all tips that will make your channel go viral.

These tips are for people who want to be found on YouTube, or for writers looking to build their online community. Click To Tweet

And I will say that it’s important to build the platform that works for you. As a writer, the most important part of your job is the writing.

So if these tips take away from your writing or make it too hard to do what you actually need to do, don’t worry about.

These tips are all about YouTube growth, but the growth of your manuscript is way more important.

YouTube Tips for Success

001: Consistency is the key to everything.

So, just as with working out or writing a novel, YouTube success comes from consistency.

I know that filming and editing videos takes a lot of time, but posting consistently has been the biggest key to my channel growth. And I also know it’s the first thing that everyone will tell you.

Sorry if this is verging on broken record territory.

I recommend creating a posting schedule. Once a week is just fine, twice a week is better. Three times a week is great, but also, almost impossible.

Post at the same time and on the same day every week.

And creating an editorial calendar will help you make that happen.

002: Comment at least once a week.

You should absolutely respond to every comment that is left on your videos. And you should try to log in at least once a week to make sure you do that.

But you know what else?

You need to comment on other videos. That’s the best way to advertise your channel.

So, follow creators that do what you do. Leave comments on their videos. Ask questions to really generate some conversation.

This won’t always pay off in the most direct way, but it’s a great way to get to know other creators, and to find people who you can collaborate with.

003: Niche down.

Okay. I know you’ve heard this one too. But I’m gonna say it again.

Your content needs to be all about very specific stuff.

Whether you want to do videos about your writing, books that inspire you, or your path to publication, make sure you stay on track.

If the video idea can’t relate back to the topics you post about, then you probably shouldn’t make that video.

Staying focused and making videos on a specific topic lets your audience know exactly what you’re about.

004: Watch outside your niche.

Even though it’s good to niche down, you should watch broadly.

Watching YouTube videos is a great way to come up with inspiration for your own videos.

See what other video creators are doing, and then see if it will translate to the work you do. There are tons of painters and musicians and photographers making videos about their art, and you can take the formats they use and apply it to writing.

Some of my favorite creators to follow are Robin Sealark, Kutovakika, Matt D’Avella, and Evelyn from the Internets.

005: Learn from the pros.

In addition to watching videos outside your niche, make sure you’re watching videos about how to YouTube.

I know that can sound dumb, but there’s a trick to everything.

And I wish I could say that just being your genuine self and posting videos that you think are fun is enough.

It’s not.

And I wish I could say that just being your genuine self and posting videos that you think are fun is enough. It's not. Click To Tweet

There are tons of creators out there showing you how they research keywords, how to read your analytics, and ways to increase your watch time.

If growing your YouTube channel is something you want to do, I recommend checking out these channels. Right now, my favorite is The Content Bug, and she’s great at sharing exactly how she does stuff.

006: You have to play the Google game.

Search engine optimization is important for a blog, but it’s also important for YouTube.

Google owns YouTube, and YouTube is the second strongest search engine in the world — after Google.

So here’s the deal: When you post your videos, make sure you are using keywords that people are searching for.

There are all manner of Chrome extensions you can use to see how the search terms you’re looking at rank. You can also see what the autocomplete suggestions are when you start typing a keyword into YouTube.

I could go on all day with this one, but just know that information about how to research keywords is all over the place.

The best way to get people to find your channel is by optimizing your videos for search. DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS.

YouTube Resources

001: Skillshare

It’s no secret that I love Skillshare. I’ve talked about it lot, but that’s because it’s so good.

Whether you’re looking for tech help or creative classes, Skillshare has you covered. They have classes on everything from writing to video to social media to music.

It’s definitely one of the best investments in myself I’ve ever made, and I recommend it to everyone. And when you use this link, you get two months free. So, like, get on it.

And, as an eCourse junkie, this is the best way to ensure that I always have something to learn. But if you aren’t an eCourse junkie, it’s still great because for the cost of one bigger eCourse, you get a full year of smaller ones.

So, if you need help with filming or just setting up the channel, get a Skillshare account.

Have you signed up for @skillshare yet? They basically have every class you need to grow your online platform. Click To Tweet

002: Gillian Perkins

Gillian has been posting to YouTube for a while, and she’s definitely hacked the system.

While I don’t like all her videos (a big part of why her channel has grown so quickly is that she does round ups of ways to make money online, so she knows how to clickbait), I do like that she gives no-nonsense tips.

She’s got tons of videos on how to grow your channel or set up your channel if you’re just getting started. She also has an eCourse all about how to launch your YouTube channel for sale on her website.

I recommend starting with her videos and getting all you can, and then, buying some of her eCourses if you’re ready to invest.

003: Keyword research

Find a Chrome extension that analyzes your search terms. Seriously. It will save your sanity.

Remember how I said YouTube was a search engine? Well. You gotta pick keywords that are strong and that you can rank for. Any number of tools will tell you the search volume and cpc rate for keywords you’re looking for.

Until recently, I used Keywords Everywhere, but they switched to a paid model that largely makes no sense. (You buy credits, and then each search is worth an arbitrary number of those credits.)

Industry standard is Google’s keyword research tool in Google Ads. But sites like SEMRush and Moz also have similar tools.

004: YouTube’s Creator Academy

Why not the answers straight from the horse’s mouth?

YouTube has created a whole library of resources for content creators to help them grow their channel. And it’s free.

Seriously.

There are courses on creating videos and channel optimization. But there are also classes on YouTube’s policies so you can learn more about what they allow on the platform.

Admittedly, I haven’t even scratched the surface of these resources, but it’s definitely something I plan to look into in 2020.

Where do you go for more information about how to use YouTube? Click To Tweet

What Are Your YouTube Tips?

How did you grow your channel? What made the biggest difference in your platform growth? Where do you go for more information about how to use YouTube?