If you’re new to YouTube but want to monetize your content you’ll need to generate 

, and you’ll also need 1,000 subscribers to qualify. Here are 10 tips to help you attract those first 1000 subscribers to your YouTube channel

#1 Apply Directly to Your Audience to Subscribe

There is a school of thought that suggests asking for subscribers, may sound a little desperate, even cheesy, but it's simply a part of the YouTube fabric. People ask you to smash that like button to improve the YouTube algorithm and engagement rates. I've never had a single comment on one of my videos complaining about asking for subscribers and if you never ask, you may never get.

#2 Use Resources to Encourage Subscriber Sign Ups

A way you could encourage your viewers and subscribe is to use animations on your videos to make the subscribe button pop. You can get all sorts of resources from all over the internet. Simply try what fits for you and you may see an upsurge in your subscribers.

#3 Take Advantage of Your Watermark Branding

Our next step is to take advantage of our watermark branding. When viewers click on this icon, it takes them to your channel where they could subscribe after watching more of your content. It's edited and created via the branding page on the Creator Studio. Make sure the word ‘Subscribe’ is included in your icon, and don’t introduce it right at the beginning or at the very end of your video. You want it to act as a visual distraction, maybe 30 to 45 seconds into the video.

#4 Add a Call to Subscribe on Your Endscreen

While you can’t add subscription links in YouTube Cards during your video, you can add a subscribe button to your Endscreen. Have a play around with graphics and animations for a really strong call to action (CTA).

Next up is a neat little trick. Whenever you share your YouTube channel add a command to the end of your link, like this: 

. When users click on it they are prompted to automatically subscribed to your channel before actually visiting your YouTube channel page.

#6 Use a Pinned Comment to Ask for Subscribers

Another way to directly appeal to your audience for a subscription is to write a comment and then pin it to your videos. When you do this, that pinned comment appears at the top of the comments list. Now again, I feel as if honesty is the best policy. Be open and transparent. Tell your audience why you're pinning these comments, why you're asking for subscriptions. Maybe it's because you want to invest the money you earn back into the channel with new equipment or products.

#7 Add a Subscribe CTA to Your Video Description

You could also add a similar message to the video description of all of your videos.

#8 Be an Active Part of the YouTube Community

Another thing you can do is reach out to an entirely new audience by adding value to other channels. That might be watching their content and posting awesome comments that either get pinned or liked by the channel creator and create a conversation. When people get involved in those conversations, they might think, "this video creator perhaps has value on their own channel." So, try and attract a new audience who may really enjoy your content and subscribe.

As an example, we get all sorts of awesome comments from you on our videos. I'm sure many other video creators are reading those comments, agreeing or disagreeing, generating a conversation, perhaps visiting your channels and subscribing. In a recent example, we had a video creator who got an audit on one of our live streams, and that drew in a significant number of new subscribers to his channel. He increased his subscriber base by 5% just by contributing to our 

#9 Post Content on a Regular and Consistent Basis

Our next tip may sound obvious, but it does need reinforcing. Post new content on a regular basis. For some viewers, it may only take one video to convince them to subscribe to your channel. But for others, they may watch a video, enjoy it, but they don't subscribe. Then in their YouTube homepage, they see a never new video from you, they watch it, enjoy it and say, "Yep, I've seen a couple of videos from this person now. I enjoy their content. I'm going to subscribe."

#10 Make Your YouTube Channel Homepage Welcoming

Following on the theme of encouraging viewers to become subscribers, make sure that your channel homepage is very welcoming. Use a channel trailer, give a good description about what your channel does including a good channel banner, and of course, plenty of playlists that tell the viewer exactly what your channel's about. In fact, when you're sharing videos, share the playlist video link. That means that when a viewer is watching your video, they're within your playlist environment. There may see it more videos that they like from your channel and eventually subscribe.

If you want to take your YouTube channel to the next level then make sure to download vidIQ. It will help you research YouTube, analyze videos, audit your own channel, and take actionable steps 

Man thinking with text on how to get 1000 YouTube subscribers and vidIQ logo

Want to monetize your YouTube content? We show you how to get your first 1000 subscribers so you can hit that goal.

Top 10 Tips to Get Your First 1000 YouTube Subscribers NOW

Sure, you have a big YouTube channel now, but can you remember who your first ever subscriber was? Yes, it may have been your mum or your boyfriend, but it’s still fun to go back in time and confirm.

Here’s a fun little fact for you - the 

 went live on February 22nd, 2013. After 30 million views and 500K subscribers, we decided to find out who our very first subscriber was. You can do the same by following these steps:

Click on your profile image in the top right-hand corner and go to the YouTube Studio

On the dashboard screen, scroll down to see "Recent Subscribers"

Click on “See All” to open a new dashboard

In the top right of this screen, click on the "date range" and select "Lifetime"

Now click on the "Date Subscribed" column twice, to show you the first or oldest subscriber

The one person who can stake their claim as "first" on vidIQ for any of our videos is 

. Unless she decides to unsubscribe. Don’t do that Ali.

Without the viewers who watch your videos, the people who subscribe to your channel, the community that engages you and supports you, you as a creator might as well present to an empty room.

These are the people who first placed faith, trust, and value in the message you have to share.

As a creator community, especially during these very challenging times for everybody, give something back to those who first supported you and gave you the courage to start your YouTube channel. Take a look back to who your first subscribers were and watch one of their videos, give it a like, and post a nice comment. It may mean the world to them right now.

If you want to take your YouTube channel to the next level and 

 then make sure to download vidIQ. Join over 1 million other users and use vidIQ to help you research YouTube, analyze videos, audit your own channel, and take actionable steps 

And if you’re really serious about growing your YouTube views and subscribers, sign up for exclusive access to the 

 and learn how to launch a successful YouTube Channel in just 30 days.

Silhouette with question mark, green arrow, and red subscribed button with text "First?"

Who was the first person to ever subscribe to your YouTube channel? We show you how to find out.

How to Find Your Very FIRST YouTube Subscriber!

As a YouTuber, you have the potential to reach a global audience with your content. Because as access to the Internet and cheaper mobile devices increases across the world, millions of new viewers are tuning into YouTube to watch a staggering range of topics and creators.

Even if you publish content in your native language, you can translate your video into a huge number of other languages. That way you can reach audiences in many different countries, and therefore grow your views and subscribers. And who doesn’t want that?

Find Out Where Your YouTube Viewers and Subscribers Come From

First of all, let's first find out where your audience comes from so you can make decisions about what languages to translate your content into.

Click on your YouTube profile image and then go to the new Studio.

From here click on ‘Analytics’ and then click on the ‘Audience’ tab at the top of the screen.

Below the graphs, you should see a ‘Top Countries’ panel showing you where in the world your audience watches from.

With this information, you can start to translate videos into that country's native language.

How to Translate a Video Title & Description on YouTube

To do this go to the ‘Video’ section of the YouTube Studio.

On each video in this list, you will see an edit button that will take you to that video's details page.

Down the left-hand side you will see a subtitle section, click it, and this will show you all of the current subtitles and translations for this video.

 audience are from India, so let's do a Hindi translation for some of those viewers. To do this:

Click the ‘Add Language’ button and use the drop down menu to select the language you want to translate into. Now this language is being created. Click ‘Add’ under the title and description column, a pop up box will now display showing the video's original language for the video title and description and an empty box for your translations and this is where we insert a little magic.

Once you have the vidIQ extension installed (

), you will see this translate button that with a single click will translate both the video title and description into your chosen language.

Make any edits to the texts you need to and then click the publish button so that now when viewers use YouTube in that language, your title and description will be correctly translated for them.

If you want to translate video tags, you can do that too. Go to the details section for the video and then scroll down until you see all of your tags for that video. Again with vidIQ installed, you will see a translate button that allows you to choose a language to translate all of your existing tags into as quickly and as efficiently as you've just seen.

There is a caveat with video tags however, in that irrespective of language, tags share the same tag space on YouTube. So you can't have a set of English tags and a set of Hindi tags, they are all lumped together and with 500 characters to play with, that's not much room.

How to Translate Subtitles for a YouTube Video

The next question that you may be asking is what about subtitle translations for your entire video?

The challenge we've had with subtitle translations is that the AI needs to listen to you in your native language and translate that into text, which isn't always perfect. Then it needs to take all that text and turn it into a new language and by the time you've gone through all of that process, the translations can be a little garbled. To say the least.

The best option available to you right now is to use a professional service such as 

. We use Rev to transcribe our videos in English, then convert those transcriptions into other languages.

This service can be pricey, so this suggestion is for larger channels who are getting millions of views a month and have a large audience in other languages. When you're talking about four or five percent of people watching in France, Spain or Italy, that can add up to hundreds of thousands, if not millions of views for those types of channels.

Or if you want to go even further, you can do this. In the video below, I am speaking Spanish. Now, I have to be honest with you, I have no idea what I’m saying because I don't speak Spanish myself. But the guys at 

 do. They take your channel and translate the whole thing into a brand new channel with everything including your voice translated perfectly into that language. That's why we call this YouTube channel 

When you can provide audio in a new language, it takes translation to the next level. Over the last year, we have been creating and translating content that will provide real value to our Spanish speaking vidIQ audience and just like any channel, it has required a lot of hard work and a lot of patience. But just like any channel, when it does the right things consistently, YouTube will begin to reward you with more views, more subscribers, more exposure.

So as your channel begins to grow and your audience starts to widen, think about the languages that those people speak and how you can help them with your content.

UK flag with arrow pointing to multiple international flags representing language translation

Did you know that you can translate your YouTube video title, description, tags, and subtitles into a huge range of other languages? It's a great way to reach a global audience and grow your views and subscribers.

How To Translate Your YouTube Video in to ANY Language

On average, how many comments do you get on your YouTube channel every single day? As your channel grows, you’re only going to get more of them, so let me show you how to answer them efficiently so you can stay better connected with your audience.

YouTube has rolled out a new feature called ‘Smart Replies’ which should help you answer at least some comments with automated text. But we have an easier solution that you can use via the 

But first, let’s take a look at the new YouTube Smart Replies set up. You need to access the comments page first. To do this:

Click on your profile image in the top right-hand corner of most YouTube screens

Click ‘Comments’ in the left-hand navigation bar to display the most recent comments that have been posted on your channel, whether they be for your videos, community posts, or YouTube stories.

Underneath some of these comments, (but not all), you will see some smart reply boxes. To add these as a reply to the comment all you need to do is click the box which will populate the reply line, which you can edit if you wish before publishing.

When smart replies appear, you don't always get the same options as they are context-specific to the comment itself. Presumably, YouTube is picking out common phrases and predicting comments you might use as stock answers. Hopefully, over time this will improve, giving you more smart replies to more comments.

Reply to More YouTube Comments with vidIQ

Now while this is a step in the right direction for YouTube, I wouldn't exactly call them "smart" replies. First of all, they're fairly infrequent, and I would also say they're pretty dumb replies since each one only contains a few words and a smiley if you're lucky.

Well, there is a tool that can do this a lot better and it's absolutely free. Let me show you what it is.

Let's take this as an example. On a video about how to get 1,000 subscribers we see a person who has posted a comment, but they only have six subscribers. We know this because we have 

 and along with the sub count, you will see this vidIQ button:

If you click it, it opens up the ‘Comment Template’ tool where you can create stock answers to questions and comments you get that are specific to your channel.

So, in this case, we can reply with some videos that will help the creator get to a hundred subscribers before they even tackle a thousand subscribers. And we've done all of this in a matter of seconds.

. So we know we get asked all the time about Playlists and custom thumbnails and how to get 

But we also have a lot of ways to say thank you, which courtesy of the vidIQ's tool, also populates the commentor's name to personalize the response.

Our general recommendation is that you respond to every single comment on your channel but eventually, as your channel grows that’s going to become impossible.

But YouTube's Smart Replies, in combination with vidIQ's comment templates, all which, to remind you, is 100% free, at least gives you a fighting chance of responding to a lot more comments than typing out each one by hand.

YouTube logo surrounded by multiple comment icons representing video engagement and feedback.

Engaging with your audience via comments is one of the keys to success on YouTube. The platform has rolled out 'Smart Replies' to help creators with this, but we have an even better solution!

The Secret to YouTube Success: Reply to More Comments!

Deleting a video permanently from your own channel couldn’t be easier. Just follow these steps:

Click on your YouTube profile image in the top, right-hand corner of the screen

From this dashboard screen, click the ‘Videos’ link from the left-hand navigation bar

Mouse over any video on this list, to be shown several options.

Click the three dots to the right, and you should see the option to delete the highlighted video

 warn you that this action is permanent and can't be undone, and will make you check a confirmation box to agree to this. Also, this will be your last opportunity to download the video if you need to.

How to Delete More Than One Video From YouTube

If you want to delete videos in bulk, you can use the checkbox column on the left to select multiple videos.

When you do this, a black bar of options appears at the top of the list

Click on "More actions" which will give you the option to delete all of the selected videos

Again, you will need to click the confirmation box to actually delete the videos forever

If you can't find the video you want to delete from this screen, you can use the search bar at the top of the screen which only searches for channel videos, not only videos on YouTube. When you find the video you want to delete, click on it to take you to the edit details page for that video, and you'll find those three dots to the right of the screen. Click here to find the same delete video option.

Think Very Carefully Before Deleting a YouTube Video

So now you know how to delete a YouTube video, let's talk about all the caveats of actually doing so.

First of all, as YouTube clearly states, 

there is no way to undo this permanent action.

 Not only will you lose all of the comments and engagement from that video, but, and most crucially, you will lose all of the views and Watch Time from that video.

So if you are looking to get to your goal of 

, really consider why you want to delete this video.

Also, deleting a video because it has a copyright or community strike on it won't get rid of that strike. And if you have copyright claims on that video, then you probably want to fix it through the 

And finally, if you are embarrassed by your older videos, watch the videos we first put out on the 

. They're not fantastic, but we're proud of them because they're all part of our YouTube journey to where we are now.

YouTube confirmation prompt asking to permanently delete a video with delete forever button

Have you ever wanted to permanently delete a video from your YouTube channel? This is a complete guide on how to do it.

How to Delete a YouTube Video [Complete Guide]

YouTube is a wonderful adventure, but it attracts its fair share of 

. But you don’t have to put up with that. It’s easy to cut that negativity out of your life and ban that spammy user for good. 

Whether you're dealing with harassment or just want to curate your comment section, YouTube makes it easy to block unwanted users across desktop and mobile.

What Does Blocking Someone on YouTube Actually Do?

Before going over how to block someone, it’s helpful to know what blocking can do and what its limitations are.

They can still watch your videos and see your public content.

They can’t comment on your videos or live chats.

Their previous comments won’t be deleted, but new ones won’t show up to others.

They are muted from your perspective, helping you manage your mental bandwidth.

Blocking is a creator-side moderation tool, not a full ban. So, if you’re worried about comments a now-banned user may have left in the past, blocking them isn’t going to magically make them disappear, nor will it help keep trolls from viewing your content.

What’s the Difference Between Blocking and Reporting?

While blocking a user can be a helpful tactic, it’s only good for curing the symptoms, not the disease. When dealing with particularly nasty users, you may have to resort to something more proactive, such as reporting them.

 may seem similar, there are some key differences:

 a user hides their comments and stops them from engaging

 a user flags abuse or spam for YouTube to investigate and take further actions, if needed


In other words, if someone is harassing you or violating YouTube's community guidelines, 

We’re going to walk you through how to block someone from your YouTube channel, how to block users from commenting, and what happens when you do.


When it comes to blocking someone on YouTube, content creators have a few different options available to them:


Go to YouTube Studio → Click “Content” in the left menu.

Open the video with the offending comment.

Hover over the comment, click the three dots (⋯), and select “Hide user from channel.”

Done! That user can no longer comment on your videos or live chats.

Option 2: Block Directly from the User’s Channel

Click the three-dot menu (⋯) on their profile banner.

Choose “Block user” from the dropdown.

In a live stream, click on the username in the chat.

Click the three dots, then choose “Block” or “Hide from channel.”

If you’re looking to block a user from the iOS or Android apps:

Tap the profile photo of the user in a comment or live chat.

Tap “Block user” or “Hide user from channel.”

Auto-Moderation Settings for Filtering Out Comments

In recent years, YouTube has improved comment filtering in YouTube Studio, allowing you to reduce the amount of spam and negativity your channel can potentially receive without lifting a finger!

Go to YouTube Studio → Settings → Community.

Under “Automated Filters,” add users to your Hidden Users list.

Use the Blocked Words feature to automatically hold toxic comments for review.

Toggle on “Hold potentially inappropriate comments” for extra protection.

People can be pretty nasty, and that’s not changing any time soon. That makes managing your YouTube community not just about growing your audience, but about protecting your peace and maintaining control over your channel.


Blocking someone is no longer a last resort; it’s a smart, proactive move to shape the kind of environment you want to foster. Don’t hesitate to use this tool to defend your content, uphold your standards, and keep the focus where it belongs: 

YouTube comment from Internet Troll 42 asking Sub4Sub with vidIQ logo and prohibition symbols

Tired of Sub4Sub or other spammy comments on your YouTube videos? Find out how to block those annoying users for good.

How to Block Someone From Your YouTube Channel [Updated for 2025]

It couldn’t be easier to delete a video from your mobile device, you just need to make sure you have the YouTube app installed and you are signed in to your account.

From the main screen tap your profile image in the top right-hand corner and go to ‘Your Channel’

Click on ‘Videos’ in the top hand navigation bar to bring up a list of your content

Tap the three dots to the right of the thumbnail and title to see the ‘Delete’ option.

You can also delete videos via the official 

Tap the ‘Option’ button in the top left and go to ‘Videos’

Find the video you want to delete and then tap on it

This will take you to the videos edit page - there is a pencil icon at the top, tap on that

Then swipe to the advanced tab and then scroll all the way to the bottom of this screen and you should find the ‘Delete’ option.

Do You Really Need to Delete That YouTube Video?

YouTube clearly states that there is no way to undo this permanent action. So think very carefully about deleting any video as not only will you lose all of the comments and engagement from that video, but you will also lose all of the views and Watch Time too.

 because you want to monetize your content, really think about what effect deleting a video might have if it has contributed in any way towards that goal.

Also, if you’re thinking of deleting a video just because it has a copyright or community strike against it, know that it won't get rid of that strike. If you have a 

, you're much better off using one of YouTube's official tools. There's a full tutorial on how to use it here (only via desktop though):

And finally, if you are embarrassed by your older videos, then watch the videos we first published on the 

Now, if you're much more interested in creating new content and growing your channel, then make sure to grab vidIQ for either your iPhone or Android device. It is free so just search for “vidIQ” on the Apple app and Google Play store.

If you want more insights into YouTube then make sure to download vidIQ. Over 1 million creators use vidIQ to help with keyword and competitor research, channel audits, and so much more. 

And if you’re serious about growing your YouTube views and subscribers, sign up for exclusive access to the 

. Learn how to launch a successful YouTube Channel in just 30 days.

YouTube video deletion confirmation prompt with cancel and delete options on screen.

Have you ever wanted to delete a YouTube video quickly but only have access to a mobile device? If the answer is yes, we show you how!

How To Delete a YouTube Video On a Mobile Device (Android or iOS)

There is so much information about YouTube and its algorithms. But what info is correct and what is false?

, one of the very first SEO industry leaders to go all-in on digital video and the first to coin the phrase “social video marketing.”

With over 2 decades of experience in digital media, Mark is a pioneer, and a digital marketing expert who really understands that ins and out of the YouTube system.

Does changing the video metadata after a video is published good or bad?

Do descriptions, tags, and titles matter, or is YouTube AI smart enough?

Do likes, dislikes, and comment help or hinder your video?

Should you or should you not link to external websites off YouTube?

If you finally want know what is FACT and what is FICTION and how it impacts your video performance, THIS is the episode for you!

TubeTalk has been informing video creators and marketers since 2014, and is one of the most respected and listened to podcasts in the online video industry. Don't foprget to 

 on your favorite podcast application so you never miss an episode!

You can also find the complete list of all the 

Man with beard and short hair next to blue background with "TubeTalk" text logo

Let's BUST some YouTube Algorithm misconceptions!

YouTube Tips & Tricks

Top 10 Tips to Get Your First 1000 YouTube Subscribers NOW

How to Find Your Very FIRST YouTube Subscriber!

How To Translate Your YouTube Video in to ANY Language

The Secret to YouTube Success: Reply to More Comments!

How to Delete a YouTube Video [Complete Guide]

How to Block Someone From Your YouTube Channel [Updated for 2025]

How To Delete a YouTube Video On a Mobile Device (Android or iOS)

5 YouTube Algorithm Myths YouTubers NEED to Know With Mark Robertson

YouTube Stories: The Best Way to Quickly Engage With Your Subscribers

How to Live Stream on YouTube with Streamlabs OBS - Beginner's Setup Guide

How to Get More Subscribers On YouTube in 15 Seconds!

How to Add a Video Game Title to Your YouTube Description [2020 Method]