Ask any YouTuber and they will tell you that generating significant views and subscribers isn't easy. But with the right strategy and tools, any video creator can build an engaged subscriber base when they understand what those subscribers want to watch.

Appealing to an audience to watch content you are passionate about making is just the first step, you need to know how to reach them and get your videos discovered. Our guides to how to guide more views on YouTube will give you the best tips to succeed on the platform.

Getting Views

How To Get More Views on YouTube

Getting thousands or even millions of YouTube subscribers is a dream for most creators. In the articles below, we'll show you how to turn casual viewers into long-term fans. 

Subscribers

YouTube Subscribers

Do you want to make money on YouTube? Millions of creators are earning a very good living from monetizing the platform and uploading content that drives huge views and engagements. Whether that YouTube income is from advertising revenue, merchandise sales, or brand deals, or subscriptions, we keep you updated with best practices and ideas.

Monetization

How To Make Money on YouTube

Want to see how your channel is performing? Read these YouTube analytics articles to discover what's working and what isn't. You'll learn how to identify which videos have the most Watch Time, clicks, audience retention, revenue, and more.

Analytics

YouTube Analytics

Watch Time is arguably THE most important metric on YouTube right now, and creators won’t be able to monetize their content without 4000 hours of it. But what is it and how can creators increase the amount of Watch Time their videos attract? We keep you updated on the best practices around Watch Time, and how you can increase how much your video content generates.

Watch Time

YouTube Watch Time

YouTube Shorts content is set to explode! 

All the latest tips, tricks, and rock-solid advice you need for this new feature.

YouTube Shorts

Do you know how to do keyword research so you understand what videos people are actually searching for on YouTube? Do you know how to create a custom YouTube thumbnail? Do you know how to create a Playlist on YouTube?

vidIQ has a ton of tips that will help every creator maximise their video content. We publish content every week to keep you up to date with all the best practices.

Tips & Tricks

YouTube Tips & Tricks

At vidIQ we have incredible insights into what viewers are searching for on YouTube. Not only can we confirm the top keywords being searched for, we can also show you how you can leverage that interest to create content around trending topics and tentpole events. That's going to give you a clear edge over other creators!

Insights

YouTube Insights

Your In-Depth Guide to Building a Successful YouTube Channel

When YouTube cut its subscriber requirement for early monetization from 

, it opened the door for more creators to earn money and build sustainable channels. 

three public uploads in the last 90 days

3,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days

YouTube Relaxes its Monetization Rules: Only 500 Subscribers Needed!

There's one caveat, though. Hitting this new milestone doesn't mean you can monetize your content with ad revenue — only 

What Is Fan Funding and Why Should You Care?

 is YouTube’s way of letting viewers directly support creators they love. Instead of relying solely on ads or sponsorships, creators can earn tips and recurring payments from their audience. YouTube introduced fan‑funding in 2014 to give viewers a way to make voluntary donations.

This built‑in “tip jar” includes three major tools—

—each unlocking at 500 subscribers and allowing creators to monetize while still growing toward full ad revenue. 

 is a monetization feature introduced in 2017 that allows viewers to purchase a chat message that stays highlighted and pinned at the top of the live‑chat window. The more a viewer pays, the longer their message stays on screen. 

This gives fans a way to stand out in busy live chats and gives creators a direct revenue stream.

 Enable Super Chat in your channel’s monetization settings and remind viewers during live streams that they can support you. Celebrate their contributions on screen, call out their messages, and thank them personally—it’s a powerful way to encourage repeat support.

 lets viewers tip on regular videos, not just live streams. Fans can pay between $2–$50 to trigger a celebratory animation and leave a highlighted “Thanks” comment. It’s similar to Super Chat but works on any published video. Super Thanks is available to monetized channels that meet YouTube’s eligibility requirements and comply with all policies.

 Mention Super Thanks in your video descriptions or on end screens. Encourage viewers who found value in your content to show their appreciation. Since it’s passive income, Super Thanks can generate tips long after a video is uploaded.

 are paid subscriptions that offer exclusive perks such as badges, custom emojis, members‑only videos, live‑chat access and other benefits. Fans pay a monthly fee to access these perks, and the steady income helps creators sustain their channels.

 Once you qualify for the YouTube Partner Program and meet eligibility requirements (usually 30,000 subscribers for non‑gaming channels), set up membership tiers in YouTube Studio. Offer meaningful perks—think behind‑the‑scenes videos, members‑only live streams, or early access to new uploads. The more value you provide, the more likely fans are to join and stay.

Fan funding can be a gratifying way to make money consistently on YouTube. But to do that, you need quality subs who are open to supporting you financially!

Building a community of 500 people may feel daunting when you’re starting at zero, but it’s achievable. Here's how to get those natural, fan-level subs on your channel.

Woman looking at phone and surrounded by emojis

It's nice to have 500 subscribers (and unlock fan-funding), but that doesn't mean viewers will automatically send you money on YouTube. They must feel 

 to do it, which usually happens when they connect with your content.

 (that you didn't pay for). These viewers will show up to watch your videos and support your content with the occasional Super Chat or Super Thanks, to show their appreciation.

So, how do you build a real YouTube community? As soon as you have 30, 40, or 50 viewers on a steady basis, reply to their comments! 

Engage with them on the YouTube Community

 tab and ask them what they want to watch. Keep showing up, and they'll do the same!

2. Choose an Underserved Niche on YouTube

 What type of viewer will most likely send you a Super Thanks (aka, a monetary tip)? We already know that organic, engaged subscribers will do this. But can you think of anyone else?

Alright, we won't keep you in suspense. If you can find an underserved community on YouTube — like unicyclists who walk their dogs simultaneously — make videos for 

. Chances are, they're waiting for someone, 

, to show an interest in their hobbies. If you're that special creator, they'll appreciate you 10 times more and

Another way to lift your subscriber count is by paying attention to global trends. For example, which video games come out next month? Is there a new dance taking over TikTok? What's happening in sports, cinema, and music?

 aligns with your channel, don't let the moment slip away. Make a video about it! Our 

 will inform you when there's a popular trend ongoing at once!

vidIQ can help you with that, especially when using 

 our newest feature. This nifty tool shows you which topics are growing in popularity on YouTube, along with a keyword score, competition score, and the monthly search volume of the term.

4. Target YouTube's Recommendation Algorithm

 watch videos that YouTube recommends? As a new creator, you have a tremendous opportunity here to reach new viewers. When seeking more subscribers, there's no better place for your content to surface than in someone's 

The YouTube video suggestions that appear beside a particular video

But which videos will YouTube recommend? Your best bet is filming something that 

 and likes. It should also mirror what people enjoy right now.

, look at your competitors — aka, channels that make similar content to yours. What are their most popular videos, and which videos are being recommended next to 

Study each recommendation. Write them down so you can make similar videos with your unique spin, flair, or perspective. After all, you now have 

 that YouTube recommends specific videos to your target audience. Use that info to grow your channel!

5. Make Search-Based Content at Least 30% of the Time

Standing out on YouTube is challenging, especially as a small creator. The good news is you have plenty of ways to get viewers' attention! You can make videos with a unique perspective or blend two niches to "wow" people. You can make the brightest, boldest thumbnails to get more clicks.

But no matter what, remember to make videos people are actually searching for. YouTube has many search pages; getting your content on just 

 could result in more views and even increase your subscriber count.

Channels that surfaced YouTube search for "start a youtube channel"

It all starts with optimizing your videos for YouTube search and doing something called 

Add relevant keywords to your video title, description, hashtags, and video chapters.

6. Borrow the 12 Most Popular Thumbnail Styles

Thumbnails are essential for getting your first 500 subscribers on YouTube. Most creators spend hours on those images, from developing an idea to ensuring the thumbnail matches the video title.

So, here's a neat shortcut to quicken the journey: Make thumbnails that are proven to work!

  How To Make Attention Grabbing Custom Thumbnails on YouTube with vidIQ

Show a final result (like the finished meal after a cooking tutorial)

7. Promote Your Videos Outside of YouTube

Woman holding a phone surrounded by social media icons

 so it pays attention to your channel. You do this by promoting your content 

According to Todd Beaupre, who leads the discovery product team at YouTube, sharing your videos in online communities is wise. You'll get your first video views much faster, enter viewers' watch history, and prompt the algorithm to share your content with similar audiences.

5 Secrets You Didn't Know About the YouTube Algorithm

So, think of all the Facebook groups, Discord servers, or forums that align with your channel's topic. Could you share your videos there? As long as you're a genuine member of the community — one who engages and brings value — it's OK to share content that adds to the conversation.

8. Use Links and Buttons to Help Viewers Subscribe

Sometimes, viewers need a little convincing before subscribing to your channel. And even then, they may only click the button if it's right in front of them!

 want to subscribe to your channel; you just have to make it easy for them.

That's where buttons and links come in handy on YouTube. You can add a YouTube subscribe button to the bottom of your videos, on your end screens, and on your website. You can also paste a subscribe link that adds people to your community once they click it.

8 Ways to Help Viewers Subscribe to Your YouTube Channel

9. Get Discovered with Viral YouTube Shorts

Did you know that creators are getting more subscribers with YouTube Shorts? We're seeing this happen monthly with vidIQ customers who reach 1,000, 10,000, or 100,000 subs in just a few weeks. Most of the time, they focus on short video content that ends up going viral.

How to Make a YouTube Short In 2025: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide

But how do you make a YouTube Short go viral? First, hook your viewers with 

 that gets their attention. Then, start analyzing the most popular Shorts. What do they have in common that other videos don't?

Generic advice will get you a long way, but never to the top. If you're starting from zero, getting a YouTube coach is the best thing you can do for your creator journey. However, you don't want just 

 coach. You want proven experts who give you personalized advice for your channel and content. 

And that's why here at vidIQ, we built the 

 where creators like you can grow with the help of  the best YouTube minds

So, sign up for the vidIQ coaching program and let your YouTube dreams come true!

Woman filming a youtube video on her phone

Smiling woman recording video with smartphone on tripod against pink background

Are you ready to monetize your channel? The first step is getting 500 subscribers on YouTube, so here are 10 ways to reach that magic number!

How to Get 500 Subscribers on YouTube & Unlock Fan Funding | vidIQ

For a brief few minutes on Friday 22nd of February, the King of YouTube, 

, his nearest rival contender. In a race which has gripped the YouTube community and seen PewDiePie fans initiate a number of stunts to keep the gaming creator’s numbers higher than any other YouTube channel, it was a routine audit from the platform that finally give T Series their spot at the top for a whole 20 minutes before PewDiePie regained the lead.

At time of writing, the influencer now has more than a 120K subscriber jump on the Bollywood media distributor, and due to the 

, and other golden promotional opportunities, PewDiePie could possibly be the first YouTuber ever to crash through the 100M subscriber barrier.

A few days ago, VidIQ ran a poll where we asked our followers whether PewDiePie would reach the 100M subscriber mark before T Series. An overwhelming 62% confirmed they did see the influencer smashing this goal but one user brought up the very valid fact that PewDiePie’s numbers may be inflated due to random accounts being created specifically to subscribe to his channel:

There’s no denying that the rallying call to, and between, the Bro Army has kept PewDiePie afloat in the face of sheer content uploads and viewing figures from T Series. But there’s also no denying that PewDiePie’s recent subscriber push may not be totally organic, and that may be a problem.

When YouTube does a purge of a YouTube channel the aim is to eliminate all non-legitimate subscribers and keep only the genuine ones. YouTube has pre-warned creators in the past that channel audits are imminent, but the platform has also carried out these sweeps without warning, which seems to have been the case last week. Socialblade confirmed that PewDiePie’s channel had been one of those affected, and consequently lost around 8K subscribers. It appears that T Series didn’t suffer the same fate, hence the blink-and-you’ll-miss it toppling of the crown.

With subscriber rates being so close between the two channels, it’s surprising that this kind of thing hasn’t happened before and to a much larger degree. But to really hold the lead, T Series needs to have more subscribers than PewDiePie for a significant amount of time to be officially recognised (by us anyway) as the new most subscribed to channel on YouTube.

In the meantime, by inflating his subscriber numbers via account set-ups or stunts, fans may actually be doing PewDiePie a massive disservice. YouTube are going to keep auditing channels and weeding out bots and other false-flag subscribers and view counts and the influencer may lose his top spot because of his rabid fan base and their campaign to keep him King, despite their best intentions.

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 

YouTube T-Series logo with crown and distorted crying man asking if it’s over

After months of campaigning, PewDiePie briefly lost his place as the most subscribed to creator on YouTube to arch-rival T Series. Find out what happened and why.

T Series Beats PewDiePie As The Most Subscribed to Channel

Welcome to the start of your future. Welcome to a world of self-discovery, creativity, influence, impact, stress (sometimes), fulfillment, and maybe even a career.

It's never too late to start a YouTube channel, but the longer you wait the harder it will be to grow. This video will help guide you through the reasons, the mindset, the strategies and the basic analytics of growing a YouTube channel from absolutely nothing.

 - Should I start a YouTube channel in 2019?

 - How to grow a channel with 0 views and 0 subscribers

 - How to grow your channel with a YouTube strategy

 - How to grow your channel by generating ideas

 - How to grow your channel by understanding analytics

Man showing okay sign next to YouTube logo with green sprout and starter guide text

Want to start and grow a YouTube channel in 2019? This is your complete starter guide!

How to Start a YouTube Channel: The Ultimate Guide!

All YouTube Analytics starts with impressions showing your thumbnails and titles. Make sure your impressions to views are always improving with great thumbnails.

You can find the impressions to views click through rate numbers by going to the new studio beta, clicking on the video, click analytics, then click reach users.

You want to aim for YouTube promoting your content for free by getting lots of watch time.

Watch the video above for all the details and 

don't forget to install vidIQ for free now!

YouTube analytics graph showing growth and metrics with a thinking man and #NotBoring text

Want to grow your channel faster? It's all about impressions to views and watch time.

How to Grow Your Channel Fast By Understanding Analytics!

In this simple tutorial, we show you how and answer some of the questions as to why and why you might not want to delete YouTube videos.

You will see 3 little dots next to your video.

A popup will appear to make sure you want to delete your video. Remember you cannot get these views, watchtime and enagement back if you delete it.

Normally we don't suggest deleting videos as you are going to loose your views, watchtime and social engagement. However if you have duplicate content or copyright material you should consider removing these if you apply for the YouTube partner program.

YouTube logo with green arrow pointing to a trash bin, symbolizing video deletion.

YouTube is in the process of creating a new Creator Studio for video creators and some of the basic functions have changed, one of them is how to delete a YouTube video.

How to Delete YouTube Videos In The New Creator Studio

Here are a few tips tricks and tools to make sure you have lots of video ideas so you can grow your channel faster.

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world with over 2 billion users.

Don't under estimate the power of answering questions people are asking. Use the YouTube search dropdown to see what questions people are asking and focus in on your niche.

After you search for a term on YouTube you will see that vidIQ has a lot of information on the right hand side. Including keyword score, related queries and top search terms. This helps you understand the universe of keywords around your niche.

You can click on any keyword to launch the explorer to see more details including the current trend of the phrase.

Ask your audience how you can improve and what they would like to see next.

Another great way to get channel ideas is to see what others in your industry are up to using the vidIQ competitors tool.

For more tips on growing your channel make sure you watch the video above. And don't forget to 

Man showing OK gesture next to glowing light bulb icon on blue background with vidIQ logo

To create a sustainable channel that will continue to grow, you need video ideas and lots of them. Video ideas will help you to create content on a consistent basis that you can feed to your audience, attract a new audience, gain more subscriber, gain more views, gain more watchtime... more of EVERYTHING!

How to Grow Your YouTube Channel Fast in with an Idea Generator!

If you've never clicked on the vidIQ Channel Audit button, now is the time.

It is our most power tool, we've just upgraded it, so this is your complete beginner's guide on how to use it.

Note: In order to follow along you’ll need to 

. Don’t worry, we offer a Free version of the tool if you’re not quite ready to access our premium features.

The Channel Audit tool is divided into five sections. Starting at the top you have an instant snapshot of the health of your channel.

Second is the Content to Double Down On section, which includes eight different metrics that track your best videos in each of these categories.

On the top-right hand-side are videos from competitor channels.

On the lower-right-hand side is the traffic being sent your way from other channels’ videos (Top Suggested). These are you cluster channels.

So whether you want to know which videos have the most watchtime, the most views, the highest audience retention or gained the most subscribers, the Content to Double Down On section is what you want to review to help you decide on what content to produce next.

We also include which search terms are driving the most traffic to your channel, as well as the performance of your endscreens and interactive cards.

These often forgotten about YouTube tools can really help with engagement and ensure your audience to directed to more of your content.

As well as showing you what you're doing right you also need to know what needs more work which is why we've included the Content That Could Use Work section.

This section shows your videos with the lowest watchtime, likes ratio, audience retention, views and which videos are actually causing your subscribers to leave your channel.

The final two sections are all about improving the metadata — that's tags, titles and descriptions — of your videos.

The Average Metrics and Items to Improve Upon sections highlight where you might have missed opportunities such as adding video cards, endscreens as well as adding videos to playlists.

The channel audit includes many interactive features to give you even deeper insights and analytics.

Mouse over the channel snapshot metrics for more details such as views this month versus views last month.

Click “View More” in each category to see a comprehensive list of all the videos ranked using that specific metric, as well as if they rank highly in other categories. Those videos which rank for multiple categories could be considered your premium performers.

Click on the video panels within each category to instantly view the relevant metrics for that video in the classic YouTube Creator Studio analytics.

Back on the audit screen, for both the Competitors and Top Suggested categories, click on any of the panels to link directly to that video's watch page.

And in the top-right-hand corner of the channel audit screen, change the time frame to see your channels performance over the past 30, 60 and 90 days. (Note: This feature is only available with vidIQ Boost.)

You can even tick the “Limit to videos in timeframe” box to audit only videos published within the selected timeframe with all other vide0s and their metrics filtered out.

Dive deeper into all of the data points you find within top search terms, interactive cards and endscreens by clicking on each one to take you back to the classic YouTube creator studio for more in-depth analysis.

Finally, the bottom two sections are all about taking action now on your existing content. Let's take title length as an example.

vidIQ suggests our average title length is good, but does that apply to all titles? Clicking on the panel will list all videos published in the selected timeframe and show us whether each title hits the sweet spot. (Note: If you’re a Free vidIQ user, you’ll see only 2 results on these screens.)

Now if we take endscreens as another example, we’ll discover we’re missing endscreens on one video.

Clicking the edit icon to the right takes us directly to the endscreen tool for that video in YouTube, allowing us to fix the issue instantly!

Channel Audit V2 as we are affectionately calling it is one of our biggest upgrades ever, which is why we want your help.

Do make sure to click “What do you think” at the top and share your thoughts on what you like, what you don't like and what you want to see next. Or give us a shout on 

As a side note you can tick the “Include Screenshot” box to download a full-screen image of your channel audit.

YouTube content strategy dashboard showing video performance metrics and engagement data.

Your Complete YouTube Channel Audit Guide with vidIQ

Last week on January 23rd 2019 the Burger King social media team started liking influencer Tweets from 2009 and 2010. They liked three of Casey's tweets and here was his response.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">why is Burger King liking my 8 year old tweets? <a href="https://t.co/q8xL1S23NG">pic.twitter.com/q8xL1S23NG</a>&mdash; Casey Neistat (@CaseyNeistat) <a href="https://twitter.com/CaseyNeistat/status/1088235837089898497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2019</a></blockquote>

At the time of this Tweet he did not know that this was a trick Burger King was using to get influencers to give them free publicity and this single Tweet got over 13,000 likes. The truth was Burger King was using many influencers for a launch campaign. They are reintroducing funnel cake fries.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">some things from 2010 are worth revisiting—like your old tweets. and funnel cake fries. get them now for a limited time.&mdash; Burger King (@BurgerKing) <a href="https://twitter.com/BurgerKing/status/1088244260820975616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2019</a></blockquote>

Shortly after that the truth came out from an article from Complex titled "

the truth on why Burger King was liking your old tweets

". Here is Casey's response video where he claims that Burger King Exploited him.

On one hand you could say that Burger King used shady practices to get buzz about a new product launch. But on the other Casey took full advantage of this situation and tells Burger King to work with him for charity.

Infact they responded and seem to have agreed to his terms

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">sup <a href="https://twitter.com/CaseyNeistat?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CaseyNeistat</a>, we’re ready to meet your “suggestions.&quot; slide into our DMs real quick. <a href="https://t.co/PjIuwyWtGl">pic.twitter.com/PjIuwyWtGl</a>&mdash; Burger King (@BurgerKing) <a href="https://twitter.com/BurgerKing/status/1090331472035282945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2019</a></blockquote>

No matter your opinion on the matter this all happened from a brilliant social media team. We are not saying what they did was the right thing but it did gain attention and start something bigger. For example we are blogging about Burger King and Casey on a Tuesday.

Man in sunglasses and red jacket making a gesture outside a Burger King restaurant at night

Burger King created a shady social media campaign last week that has gained a ton of attention and upset a lot of social media influencers.

Your In-Depth Guide to Building a Successful YouTube Channel

How to Get 500 Subscribers on YouTube & Unlock Fan Funding | vidIQ

T Series Beats PewDiePie As The Most Subscribed to Channel

How to Start a YouTube Channel: The Ultimate Guide!

How to Grow Your Channel Fast By Understanding Analytics!

How to Delete YouTube Videos In The New Creator Studio

How to Grow Your YouTube Channel Fast in with an Idea Generator!

Your Complete YouTube Channel Audit Guide with vidIQ

Did Burger King Exploit Casey Neistat or did Casey Neistat Exploit Burger King?

How to Get More Views and Subscribers with YouTube Analytics

Could Article 13 KILL YouTube? #SaveYourInternet

How to Get More Views and Subscribers FAST on YouTube

I Didn't Get 4000 Watch Time Hours on YouTube... Do I Need To Start Again?

Introducing vidIQ Achievements for More Views and Subscribers