Reaching 1,000 subscribers on YouTube is more than just a badge of honor–it’s also the big milestone that 

unlocks monetization through the YouTube Partner Program

With monetization (and let’s face it–the channel’s future) hinging on such a big milestone, it leaves many in our community wondering, “How many videos does it take to get 1,000 subscribers on YouTube?”

To get to the bottom of this, vidIQ analyzed data from over 

 created in the last three years, each of them having reached that 1,000-subscriber milestone.

What we found reinforces something many creators already suspect: Consistency is key.

Graph showing how many videos 5 million channels took to get to 1000 subscribers on YouTube

The more you upload, the higher your chances of hitting 1,000 subscribers.

 designed to help them grow smarter and faster.

Analyzing the Data: How Many Videos Do Creators Post Before Reaching 1,000 Subscribers?

 by the number of videos they had uploaded at the time they reached 1,000 subscribers, a clear trend emerged: Success on YouTube 

Here’s a simplified breakdown of what we found:

Table showing the breakdown of channels reaching 1000 subscribers on YouTube in 3 years

 reached 1,000 subscribers with fewer than 10 videos. These channels likely benefited from an outside boost: 

, a strong social following, or a pre-existing audience from another platform.

While it's inspiring to know that rapid growth 

 happen, it’s important to view these stories as exceptions—not the standard path.

Here’s where it gets interesting: nearly 

 that reached 1,000 subscribers had uploaded 

This suggests a strong turning point. Once creators passed the 40-video mark, their chances of reaching 1,000 subscribers rose significantly. Why? Because by this point, creators often begin to:

Improve their video quality and storytelling

Refine their thumbnails, titles, and editing workflow

Build a content library that drives consistent views

Think of your first 40 videos as building your foundation. This is where you will learn, experiment,  and build your creative identity.

150+ Videos: The Most Common Route to 1,000 Subscribers

The most common path to 1,000 subscribers? 

 upload that many before seeing success, but it does highlight the power of 

.  Every new upload gives the algorithm another opportunity to recommend your content and gives you another chance to connect with viewers.

Remember, every upload increases your skill, content library, and the chances that the right video connects with the right audience. Don’t forget it’s often just as much about the journey as it is the destination.

Sure, viral hits happen—but they’re unpredictable. Instead of chasing luck, focus on what you can control: showing up consistently and improving along the way.

 reaching their first 1,000 subscribers by posting regularly and staying focused on gradual growth. The creators who stuck with it—who kept uploading and improving—saw the results.

Behind most successful channels is a long trail of videos with few views, ideas that didn’t work out, and lessons learned along the way.

If you’re just starting or feeling stuck, know that your next upload is not the finish line, but another step toward that 1,000 subscriber mark.

YouTube growth isn’t a straight line. One month you might gain 100 subscribers, and the next just 10. That’s normal. What matters most is that you keep going.

Consistency matters because it creates opportunities. Every new video is a new chance to be discovered, build a relationship with your audience, and sharpen your skills.

So, how can you stay consistent without burning out or sacrificing quality?

Consistency doesn’t just mean working harder. It means working smarter.

. We recommend posting at least one video upload per week, but if that’s too much, even biweekly uploads can help you build momentum as long as you’re consistent.

Planning your content in advance reduces stress and last-minute scrambling. Use tools like Google Calendar, 

, or even a physical planner to map out your content pipeline. Be sure to include every step: idea generation, 

, filming, editing, posting, and anything in between.

Instead of filming, editing, and uploading one video at a time, consider recording multiple videos in one sitting. This saves time on setup and keeps you ahead of schedule when life gets too busy. You can film all of your content on the same day each week, then edit throughout the week.

Not sure what to post next? vidIQ provides 

 tailored to your channel’s content and audience trends. These ideas can help you keep the ideas flowing so that content planning never becomes a creative block.

At the end of the day, YouTube is like any creative discipline: You improve by doing. The more videos you make, the more natural you’ll feel on camera, the better your editing will become, and the clearer your message will be.

Think of your first 40 videos as a creative sandbox where you refine your niche, style, and voice. Each one is a stepping stone.

But that doesn’t mean quality doesn’t matter. Over time, start optimizing your:

: Aim for a title that is catchy, has emotional pull, and relevant to your video. Tools like 

 can help you craft titles that attract clicks.

, which means nailing them can make or break your view count. Use bold visuals, clean text, and consistent branding. Study what’s working in your niche and see how you can apply it to your own videos.

. Start with a hook, build tension or value, and close with a payoff.

: Smooth pacing, strong visuals, and punchy cuts keep viewers engaged longer.

Understand What’s Working and Double Down

 on a regular basis. Keep an eye on which videos bring in the most views and which ones convert the most subscribers.

That data is gold. Think of it less as hard numbers and more as a signal of what your audience wants to see. Use this insight to shape your future content, improve performance, and scale faster.

Smart creators look for new and fresh ideas. Use YouTube search to see what’s already out there. Are other channels making similar videos? Are those videos getting views?

Look for content gaps where demand is high but supply is low. 

 can help you identify topics with high search volume and low competition—perfect for new channels looking to grow.

Creating content around trending topics can rapidly expand your reach. Tools like 

help you spot rising topics in your niche so you can get ahead of the curve.

Once you know which of your videos perform best and which trends your viewers are seeking, you will understand how to develop and refine into your 

. Your chosen niche lets you serve a clear audience while growing within a passionate, engaged community. Use this insight to shape your future content, improve performance, and scale faster!

Are You on the Path to 1,000 Subscribers?

Maybe you’re just getting started. Maybe you’ve posted dozens of videos and haven’t seen the growth you want. Wherever you are, remember: hitting 1,000 subscribers is less about finding a magic formula and more about committing to the journey.

With each upload, you’re stacking the odds in your favor. You’re building a brand, developing your skills, and growing your audience—one video at a time.

Start growing with vidIQ today—your first 1,000 subscribers are closer than you think.

A graph showing how many videos 5 million YouTube channels post to hit 1000 subscribers

Data from over 5 million YouTube channels reveals the truth behind consistent growth.

How Many Videos Does It Take to Get 1,000 Subscribers on YouTube?

The YouTube homepage is turning into a social media feed. Open the mobile app, and you’ll see that in addition to videos, there are extra posts from creators you’re subscribed to. These may be:

. They’re not just on the homepage of the app; you can also find them on a channel’s Community tab.

Unlocking Your Channel's YouTube Community Tab

In the past, YouTube required channels to have more than 1,000 subscribers to access the Community tab feature. But that's about to change, as YouTube is making the social feed more accessible to creators with smaller audiences. Starting October 12, 2021, you will only need more than 500 subscribers to access the YouTube Community tab.

If you haven't reached 500 subscribers, don't worry. YouTube has a plan to help you engage with your audience as well.

"For channels under 500 subscribers, we are working to bring Community posts to you in the future," Rob of Team YouTube writes in a 

Why You Should Post on the YouTube Community Tab

Once you've unlocked Community posts, you can use them to connect with viewers and increase your channel’s exposure. 

Consider this, for example. What if you could reach your core audience multiple times a day without posting a video – only polls, GIFs, images, and text? What if your next poll gets 50,000 votes because YouTube’s algorithm promotes it across the app?

How to Use The Community tab in YouTube Studio

That’s what’s happening right now. Our vidIQ polls receive a jaw-dropping number of votes. The exposure introduces our channel to thousands of viewers we’ve never reached on YouTube.

Can the same thing happen to you? Absolutely.

Reaching a New Audience with YouTube Community Posts

Every Wednesday, we host a live stream on the vidIQ channel. One of our viewers, the 

, asked an important question during the Q&A session: 

Should creators use the Community tab, and how does it affect channel growth?

. To prove it, we voted on one of ChessGeek’s polls. Our theory was that, when someone engages with a Community post, they’ll see more posts from that channel.

Guess what happened less than 24 hours later? The morning following that live stream, a Community post from the ChessGeek was on our homepage. It nearly covered the entire screen.

Days later, we saw more Community posts from this creator, and we never watched a single video of theirs.

So we proved our theory. On YouTube, it’s possible to:

Encourage the algorithm to show more posts to that viewer.

Watch our video below for more examples of how the Community tab fuels your growth:

Does the YouTube Community Tab Have Its Own Algorithm?

Beating the YouTube algorithm is something we’d never encourage you to do. It’s virtually impossible, and there are better things to focus on. Building an audience is more rewarding than chasing dozens of viral videos.

Still, we’re curious about the algorithm behind YouTube’s Community posts. Is it a separate algorithm or is it the same one that recommends videos to viewers? It feels like there’s an independent algorithm for both.

"At this point, every creator with more than 1,000 subscribers should be posting something on their Community tab." – vidIQ

But if that’s true, it means a user is just as likely to see Community posts as they are videos. And we know which one takes longer to create. 

You can spend two minutes crafting a Community post. A videos takes hours.

We’re not going to say Community posts will get you more views. But we can’t deny that the exposure could lead to more views and subscribers for your channel. At this point, every creator with more than 1,000 subscribers (and soon, 500) should be posting 

Videos and Community posts are very different, but they both have their place on YouTube. That’s why it’s smart to post each type on your channel. If you’re making videos while never posting on the Community tab, you’ll miss a chance to connect with viewers. In fact, sometimes Community posts get 

For example, we posted a Community poll about whether YouTube should hide dislikes on videos. A whopping 29,000 people voted. There were hundreds of comments and more than 2,000 likes. 

We received all this by posting one question and two emojis.

Engaging with a Community post is simple. It often takes one tap. With a video, viewers have to watch for several minutes before seeing something they can comment on – if they decide to comment at all.

To get the most engagement from your Community posts:

Never over-promote your videos; that’s what YouTube recommendations are for.

If you’re doing polls, let one of the answer choices be “Other - Comment Below.” That should help you get more comments.

As with anything on YouTube, provide value.

Connecting with your audience helps you grow your YouTube channel. Before you do that on any other platform, learn how to use the Community tab.

Man surprised by 438% engagement increase with vidIQ and YouTube play button background

Have you passed 500 subscribers on YouTube? You can gain even more by posting on the Community tab. Keep reading to learn how.

YouTube Community Tab: The Underrated Growth Tool You NEED to Use

If you haven’t started a YouTube channel yet, now's the time. The platform has more than 2B monthly users, which means you have plenty of opportunities to find and grow your ideal audience. 

That doesn't mean it's an easy job, though. With YouTube being a free platform, millions of people have launched channels with dreams of starting a profitable business. Many creators have reached success, but you'll need a solid YouTube strategy to do the same.

You can start by prioritizing these seven powerful tasks on YouTube: 

Sharing your value proposition with viewers

Creating new content to stand out on YouTube

Seizing content opportunities, such as traffic from popular trends

Mastering each skill is easier said than done, but it's possible. If you need some motivation, watch the video below to see how seven creators used the game plan above to grow their channels.

Need more proof? Here’s an in-depth analysis of how these creators quickly grew their channels in 2020.

Becoming a YouTube Authority: How ‘100 Percent Zelda’ Dominated One Topic

. This channel teaches key survival tactics in the popular video game - how to farm superfoods, tips for finding the best weapons, how to set battle traps, everything.

100 Percent Zelda has been on YouTube for nine months. But in a short amount of time, the channel has amassed more than 30K subscribers and 4M views. That’s no easy feat, especially when you consider the competitive nature of gaming.

So what’s the secret to this channel’s success? It’s simple: 

Focus on one thing and never deviate from that.

 and taught players how to survive its biggest challenges. Instead of posting a bunch of random videos, 100 Percent Zelda made a commitment to cater to its audience.

You can accomplish the same thing on YouTube. Simply decide on a niche, then 

. Post content many viewers find useful, and never, ever, abandon your audience.

Want to know more? We filmed a case study on this channel months ago, and you can soak up all the wisdom below:

Stimulus Talk: How ‘ClearValue Tax’ Got More YouTube Views In 2020

 gave viewers the information they desperately needed: how to quickly get their stimulus checks. That prized information helped the channel grow from 200 subscribers to more than 1M.

Brian Kim, the certified public accountant who appears on camera, doesn’t add any fluff to his videos. Within 10 seconds, he says exactly what he’s going to cover and dives right in. The production value is fine, but it’s not overly polished with excessive editing.

Additionally, the video thumbnails on this channel are simple freeze-frames from the footage itself, as shown below:

But guess what? None of that matters as much when you’re helping thousands of people get the free money they’re entitled to. You can overlook some of YouTube’s best practices because viewers need the information that badly.

Nonetheless, ClearValue Tax did what counts most on YouTube. The creator posted frequently, which is half the battle. The channel also used relevant keyphrases, such as ‘second stimulus check update’ and ‘get your stimulus check’.

‘Dad, how do I?’ Gets More YouTube Views With Fatherly Advice

Want to start a YouTube channel that earns 3M subscribers and 12.5M views? If so, you’ll want to follow the wisdom of 

 This channel is successful because its value proposition is clear. In each video, the creator teaches a skill most people need to know.

Simply put, a value proposition is a promise. It’s a declaration of what viewers can expect to gain from your channel, and every creator on YouTube should have one.

Dad, how do I? has a subliminal value proposition. Without the creator saying a word, you instantly know what it means to ask your father for help. The name of the channel promises you a certain kind of video before you press play.

More importantly, the content delivers on that promise. You get videos about everyday tasks, such as how to tie a necktie.

If you have dreams of going viral, take notes from this uber-successful channel. Make a promise to your viewers, then keep your word by posting the type of content they originally subscribed to see.

‘Paths Interactive Videos’ Finds a New Way to Boost Channel Watch Time

 isn’t like the other channels on this list. In three months, it has only earned 6K subscribers and 45K views, which is nowhere close to the millions we’ve previously discussed.

However, we believe this channel is one Reddit share away from going viral. That’s because it brings the classic joy of choose-your-own-adventure books to the YouTube world.

On the Paths channel, each video tells a story. When the video ends, viewers get to decide where the story goes next by clicking an end-screen thumbnail that whisks them to another video. It's a novel approach to YouTube, and we haven't seen this content strategy anywhere else - except maybe on Twitter threads.

This storybook content may help the Paths channel explode. It has the potential to increase channel Watch Time, which is a crucial metric for getting more views on YouTube.

Furthermore, a video with a high viewing duration has a better chance of being recommended to more people. On the Paths channel, this is almost mandatory because you have to watch the full video to complete a story.

So each video earns a ton of Watch Time, gets recommended to more people, and then those viewers must watch in full to choose the next adventure. It’s a brilliant scheme that works just like compound interest, except you’re accumulating valuable Watch Time instead.

‘APKAEIASAAS’: A Channel That Takes Advantage of YouTube Shorts

 channel that earned 425K subscribers and 50M views in just three months. 

 is a crowded YouTube niche, so how on Earth was this possible?

 had a lot to do with it. This new content type requires videos to be vertical and less than 60 seconds long, just like the content you'd see on TikTok.

But right now, not enough creators are making YouTube Shorts. There are more than 2B monthly users on YouTube, which means there’s a huge opportunity for short video creators to stand out - and that’s exactly what APKAEIASAAS did.

This creator posted YouTube Shorts depicting impressive builds in Minecraft’s mod-centric world. The content probably went viral because the YouTube app has a Shorts carousel that plays nothing but short videos. Chances are, APKAEIASAAS’s 

 content got featured there, earning the channel thousands of views.

Take a look at this Short from APKAEIASAAS. It has 15M views, which is an insane amount of notoriety for one video.

As a creator, you can't ignore the power of short video content. It’s everywhere now, so if you want to get more views on YouTube, start posting some irresistible YouTube Shorts.

‘Matt Talks Tech’ Doubles Down On a Winning YouTube Strategy

 joined YouTube in 2012 but didn’t publish a video until 2019. And even then, he experimented on the platform to decode how it works and what his niche would be.

 figure things out, everything changed. He found a successful YouTube strategy, cranked up his consistency, and started earning the number of views new creators want to see.

The formula Matt uses is simple. As a tech YouTuber, he titles all of his videos as follows: “Product + Release Date + Price.” So for example, one of his most popular videos is titled, “iPhone 12 Release Date and Price - iPhone 12 Apple Event Date?”

You can watch the video below, which has more than 500K views.

Once this formula was in place, Matt applied it to other product releases. The Google Pixel 5, the iPad Mini 6, the Xbox Series X - it was all fair game.

Matt Talks Tech dominates this strategy now, but it’s nothing you can’t repeat in the future. When you start your channel, pay close attention to what’s working for you. Then stay the course to get more views and subscribers on YouTube.

'Jake Fellman' Creates 3D Animation the World Has Never Seen

 had 41K views on his animation channel. Then he discovered YouTube Shorts and started uploading custom, 3D animation videos inspired by a popular game called 

. The multiplayer game has one objective: Fix a spaceship while avoiding the crew’s deadly, undercover imposter.

 mania has shown no signs of slowing, so Jake seized the opportunity on YouTube. In just 80 days, he gained more than 1M subscribers posting YouTube Shorts filled with 3D 

Want to achieve the same results on your channel? Watch the full case study below to learn more:

Jake is a former 3D motion designer, so he had the technical skills to grow an animation channel. But he has another gift people don’t talk about enough, which is unwavering self-belief. Back in October 2020, Jake said that in a year or less, he’d get 1M followers posting video content. Now 

 by simply being patient and passionate about his craft.

Creators, it’s never too late to share your passions on YouTube. These successful people, who are no different than you, have proven that in 2020. Now that 2021 is here, don’t second-guess yourself. Press record and don’t look back.

Red YouTube play button with "GAME OVER?" text on blue and purple background, vidIQ logo.

It's never too late to start a YouTube channel. If you need proof, just ask these seven creators who've gained thousands of subscribers in just a few months.

Why It's Not Too Late to Start a YouTube Channel in 2021

When you are logged into YouTube, you should see your channel logo in the top right-hand corner of most YouTube screens. If you click on that, you have the option to go to YouTube Studio. This is currently in beta, but will become a standard as 2019 progresses. This is your new dashboard or analytics homepage, and from here you want to click on the Settings section down the left-hand side.

On this screen click on Channel, and finally you want Branding. This is where you can set a video branding watermark, and what this does is add an image of your choice to the bottom right-hand corner of videos, which viewers can mouse over and use to subscribe to a channel. This branding watermark also appears on the mobile YouTube app, but you cannot use it here to subscribe to a channel. The ideal image should be square, 150 pixels by 150 pixels, and no more than one megabyte.

How to Add a Branding Watermark to Your YouTube Channel

To add a branding watermark, simply click Choose Image, and select one from your computer. You can select when the branding watermark appears on your videos, but we highly recommend choosing the entire video, so that the viewers have the opportunity to subscribe whenever they want. This branding watermark affects all videos on your channel, and don't forget to save before leaving this screen.

This is an absolute no-brainer, it's guaranteed to work, it's a free way to get more subscribers, and it's a YouTube tool. Now you could of course use your own channel logo, and many do, but my question is this. This is a branding watermark, and the call to action is to subscribe to your channel. So it might as well say exactly what it does on the tin. As you can see, when we changed our branding watermark to this current Subscribe button, and set it for the entire length of the video, our subscriber count from that source increased by over 500%, and because we're such lovely people, we want you to enjoy the same success.

This is the ‘Subscribe’ button mentioned in the video

 - just click on that link, download it, and apply it to your channel.

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 

Red YouTube subscribe button with arrow and green arrow showing 500% increase in 60 seconds.

YouTube has a little feature that’s guaranteed to get you more subscribers. We show you how to turn it on, and what impact it will have on your channel.

How to Get More YouTube Subscribers In ONE MINUTE!

 in just 24 hours? Well, it's pretty simple actually. You pick the richest company in the world and you exploit the biggest tech search blind spot I have ever seen. I love case-studies like this!

But first, let's start with a little story.

Weirdly, I discovered this teeny YouTube channel, whose views had completely blown up literally overnight, because of my yearning for the new Samsung Galaxy Chromebook. I'm one of the few people in the world who gets Chromebooks. I love the fact that they're super light-weight, and even after years of use they never really slow down.

So when Samsung announced the Rolls-Royce of all Chromebooks, with a 4K AMOLED display with a stylus, I was all, "shut up and take my money". Even though it costs an eye-watering $999 USD, and it isn’t even available to buy in Canada (where I’m based).

So, if I can’t get my hands on the new Chromebook, what are the alternatives? I started to search around.....

Now, I was always under the impression that iPads were tablets. These days, however, Apple seems to be touting them as a viable alternative to the traditional computer. But I always thought computers needed a keyboard and at the very least, a track-pad, to give them the productivity you need.

And apparently, Apple now has an answer: the 

, a first-party accessory that attaches itself directly to the tablet.

Despite the price tag of $299 USD, it did capture my attention. But I needed to do the research here. I'm not just going to jump straight into this. But if I am going to do the research, I'm going to do what everybody else does - I'm going to search for it on YouTube.

Now, being a tech enthusiast, I assume that when I search for a product such as the “iPad Pro Magic Keyboard”, the usual creator suspects are going to appear: MKBHD, Unbox Therapy, Linus Tech Tips, and so on.

And when I searched for “iPad Pro Magic Keyboard” on YouTube, the auto-suggestion list was full of all of the keywords and phrases you might expect. So far so good.

But on April 19th 2020, that same search didn't return any videos about thw iPad Pro Magic Keyboard from any major tech creator. Not one. And I thought that was pretty odd.

I even checked on the Apple website just to confirm the keyboard was actually out. And it was, although there is a lengthy shipping delay. But on that particular date, I didn’t see any content in the YouTube search results from the creators I know, love, and most importantly, trust.

So let's go back to the YouTube to see what results 

First of all, from a VidIQ perspective, we think ‘iPad Pro Magic Keyboard’ is a fairly juicy keyword. Our keyword tool (which you can access by 

) confirms that search volume interest is increasing, and there’s not enough video competition to keep up with demand. That’s a win for any creator right there.

Want to grow your YouTube channel as fast as possible so you can monetize it? Read how one very small creator did just that!

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