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

Royalty-free music isn’t a perk reserved for large creators. YouTubers of all sizes need 

 to make better content and attract more viewers.

Think about it: Have you watched a video that seemed OK, but everything improved once the music kicked in? At that moment, you probably felt the “cinematic mood” as the music paced the story.

Well, viewers can feel that, too. They might not leave a comment saying so, but there’s a reason polished videos get significant views. And that reason alone is why you should 

find royalty-free music for YouTube content

If a song is royalty-free, you don't need to pay 

 it's used in a video.  At most, you'd pay a one-time fee to use the song if it's not free already.

By doing this, you'll skip the hassle of dealing with copyright holders and reduce copyright claims and strikes on your channel.

What's the Difference Between a Copyright Claim and a Copyright Strike?

If that sounds good to you, here’s your guide for finding high-quality stock music.

 This resource is from YouTube itself and pretty much guarantees you won’t use copyrighted music. Every sound in the collection is copyright-free and ready to download.

3. Here you can see Paid and Free options for the music you want. You can also choose to split your revenue with the original artist!

Ways to use music from YouTube Audio Library


4. Use the Browse tab to search for music by title, genre, mood, artist name, duration, and attribution requirements.


5. Hover over the icon for the music file and click the play button to hear what a track sounds like.

Ready to download from the YouTube audio library? Hover your mouse over any track and click 

As a creator, you’re allowed to use these tracks and continue 

There’s a good selection of music, too: jazz, rock, reggae, pop, folk, country music, and other genres. Just make sure you don't distribute the music yourself or use it in illegal content.

Best Royalty-Free Music Sites for YouTube

The music library on YouTube is helpful, but some people just need 

They might want royalty-free background music that sounds better, uses different instruments, or creates a specific vibe.

If that sounds like you, it’s time to find a music website and pay for original tracks. This isn’t the same as paying for 

Here are the best royalty-free music sites:

The sites above require a little cash, but that’s better than going to risky sites to find free music.

Technically, an artist offering royalty-free music (for free) could change their mind in the future. After that, what’s stopping them from slapping a copyright claim on your video?

It’s not a common situation, and people usually aren’t that sneaky. But there’s a slight chance it could happen. In that case, it's best to reach out to the individual artist and offer a mutual agreement that benefits both parties. In such a case, you need to make sure that you have a written contract that lays out the details to avoid conflict in the future.

Now that you have some royalty-free jams, learn how to 

Do you want to add royalty-free music to your YouTube videos? Here’s how to find the perfect tunes and take your channel to the next level.

How to Get Royalty Free Music for Your YouTube Videos

Are you an aspiring YouTube creator? If so, you’re probably wondering what type of channel you should make. A gaming one? A cooking one? Something related to your hobby?

If you can’t decide, immerse yourself in the world of YouTube channel topics. See what types of videos others are making, then study their methods for 

The list below will help you get started. From weird to charming, we’ve gathered some of the fastest-growing YouTube channel ideas from real creators who’ve found success. Let’s dig in!

Just imagine it. What if someone remixed every rap or R&B song in medieval style?

 (385,000 subscribers) is doing, and the idea is refreshingly fun. From Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” to Mary J. Blige’s “Family Affair,” you get a taste of pop culture mixed with medieval flutes, harps, and bagpipes. Each remix is nostalgic yet surprisingly new.

The success of this channel proves that no matter what you’re into, someone will find it interesting. All you have to do is target the right viewers!

Anticipation of new music keeps viewers engaged

2. A Mortician Answers Your Creepy Questions

Of all the ideas for a YouTube channel, anything to do with coffins or funerals is probably the riskiest. After all, we’re talking about 

. It’s a sensitive topic and pretty morbid to think about.

 (1.95 million subscribers) draws people in with a unique channel idea. Instead of shying away from uncomfortable topics, a licensed mortician answers questions about death, mourning, and funerals. Is it legal to mummify someone? What happens to a body during cremation? Are protective caskets a scam?

Ask a Mortician proves that education channels can be fun, too (even the grim ones).

The novelty factor (few morticians have YouTube channels)

3. Video Tutorials That Don’t Help Anyone

Most online tutorials are helpful because they show you how to do something meaningful. So what happens when a channel 

 helpful but doesn’t teach you anything at all?

 (17.2 million subscribers), it’s not what you think. This channel markets itself as a place of learning, but every tutorial goes wrong. From making a hamburger to fixing a flat tire, the final result is usually chaos and destruction. It’s comedic gold!

A style of clickbait you can’t be mad at, because it’s so funny

4. Your Favorite Foods, But Turned into Sausage

Sometimes, the best YouTube channel ideas are amazingly simple. For instance, what would your favorite foods look like if they were ground up and reshaped into sausage?

 gained 711,000 subscribers pursuing it. Over time, this channel has turned almost anything into sausage, and not just popular foods. They’ve done hair sausage. Snow sausage. Valentine’s Day 

A simple experiment with shocking results every time

Outrageous concepts, like trying to make sausage water

Many YouTube channels focus on people and their daily lives. So on a platform filled with vloggers and on-camera personalities, 

 created the “Olympics” of marble racing. Like Hot Wheels, this creator tosses marbles down a race track to see which one will cross the finish line first. There are twists, turns, and other marbles in the stands cheering on the contestants. With everything going on, this channel idea (with 1.37 million subscribers) is cute, charming, and entertaining all at once!

Mimics an actual sporting event (announcer commentary, crowd applause, etc.)

6. Shocking Patient Stories, as Told by a Medical Professional

What happens when you swallow 3,000 milligrams of caffeine powder? How would your body respond to 12 energy drinks if you drank them all in 10 minutes?

 (a licensed provider) or his colleagues have seen in the past. The creator says they’re “variations” of real cases, so they may be exaggerated a bit. Either way, it’s hard 

A Farmer Injected Cow Antibiotic Into His Leg

.” Maybe that’s why Chubbyemu has 2.77 million subscribers.

“Real” patient stories told by a licensed provider

Most cooking channels don’t share recipes from the 1900s while sprinkling in a history lesson and taste test. Typically, it's the average recipe video. Creators show you how to make something popular, like sourdough bread or seafood pasta — maybe a Thanksgiving turkey.

 (1.65 million subscribers) is a rare channel that goes above and beyond. It immerses you in a different era by sharing the history of specific meals, how to make them, and most importantly, how they taste.

Mixes education, cooking, and tutorials in a compelling way

Risky recipes that come with a taste test

What do you imagine when you think of “review” channels on YouTube? Do you see a creator explaining the pros and cons of buying the latest iPhone? A pet sitter ranking the most obedient dogs?

 (334,000 subscribers) flips that concept on its head. Instead of reviewing things you can buy or own, they review things 

 can buy or own, like air, water, and anxiety.

You’ve probably seen a lot of reviews on YouTube, but watching someone review water is…a different level of content creation. Mikasacus experiments with other concepts (primarily gaming), but the “reviews” are arguably the best.

Reviews items or concepts no one is expecting

Essay-like arguments for common, everyday things (which is funny in itself)

There’s a wide range of content on YouTube, especially when it comes to cooking channels. But how many of them let a dog named Francis sit in the kitchen and narrate each tutorial? We can only think of one: 

What’s interesting about this concept is that the creator doesn’t have to speak. By letting Francis narrate, the creator sticks to what they do best: cooking. Viewers get a tasty recipe 

 the entertainment value of Francis’ fancy accent.

An adorable dog that gets sleepy sometimes

An element of mystery (you never learn the chef’s name)

Lip-reading channels are popular on YouTube, but none of them execute the idea like 

 (8.17 million subscribers). This channel narrates various conversations, such as those between U.S. House of Representatives members and professional athletes at sporting events.

But unlike some channels, Bad Lip Reading lives up to its name. Instead of translating conversations accurately, they get things wrong on purpose — and it’s hilarious. You’ll laugh to the point of tears because whoever writes the scripts is basically an undercover comedian.

Lip-reads significant events or trending videos

Now that you have some inspiration, it’s time to create videos on your own channel!

Coming up with a suitable theme or topic can be challenging, but remember that the best creators do four essential things:

Mix elements of novelty, entertainment, education, and online trends

Rely on their expertise, hobby, or passion

When you’re ready to jump in, here are 10 brilliant tips for starting a YouTube channel!

How unique does your YouTube channel have to be to get noticed? These 10 channels (ranging from weird to charming) will give you an idea!

From Weird to Charming: 10 Unique YouTube Channel Ideas That Actually Worked

Starting a YouTube channel is tough, but growing it to thousands of subscribers — or even millions — is  much harder to pull off. Some may wonder if it's even possible anymore.

But if you want to restore your faith, take a look around YouTube. There's 

 (12 million subscribers) and the infamous 

 (136 million subscribers). You might even run into 

, who has 33.1 million supporters. It becomes astonishingly clear that growing a large audience is not impossible.

So, how did they do it? What are the steps to grow a successful YouTube channel?

If you want to go from zero to content hero, keep scrolling until you reach the end. We're going to tell you the best ways to grow on YouTube!

Standing out on YouTube is tough, but anything's possible if you focus on making unique, high-quality videos. By high quality, we don't mean having the best camera, lighting, or video backdrop. The best videos come from creators who study their audience 

This skill doesn't come overnight, but you'll know it's there when you can make viewers feel something at the end of a video — inspired, motivated, curious, slightly tickled. Shifting their mood from one state to another means you're wielding true influence (the kind that makes people hit subscribe and turn on post notifications).

So how do you pull this off? You can start by learning what makes a video engaging, such as:

"Hooking" viewers with a brief, punchy intro.

Holding viewers' attention with pattern interrupters, like text, music, images, and multiple camera angles.

Developing an interesting storyline (you can borrow common plot devices from movies and TV shows).

2. Optimize Your Content for Search Engines

YouTube is the second-largest search engine

 behind Google? Creators upload over 500 hours of video daily, and YouTube tries to deliver it all to the right viewers.

 videos to more people? Help them out by optimizing your content for maximum reach!

Here's the only checklist you'll ever need when it comes to 

Add the target keyword (plus related keywords) to your video title and description.

Use relevant hashtags to reach more viewers.

Organize your videos into YouTube playlists.

Promote your videos using cards and end screens.

When you use the right keywords, you can also show up on Google search pages. That's a lot of free promotion for your channel!

Woman designing YouTube thumbnail with drawing pad on computer

If you want to grow on YouTube, don't underestimate the power of custom thumbnails. Each one is like a colorful billboard advertising your video's "juicier" parts. The more intriguing those images look, the more inclined viewers are to click on your content!

There are plenty of ways to create good thumbnails, such as:

Using the right thumbnail dimensions (16:9 aspect ratio, 1280x720 pixels)

Taking clear, high-resolution photos for the background or other elements

Creating harmony between the title and thumbnail

Here are 12 thumbnails people love to click on YouTube.

4. Write Engaging YouTube Titles and Descriptions

With YouTube titles, you want to get in the habit of writing for emotion and not just describing the video. This is important because viewers are interested in more than "the topic" at hand. Plenty of videos on YouTube cover the same theme; the real question is, why should people care about 

 taps into the viewer's deepest fears and desires. It promises to change your life in 30 days with a new workout routine, or it scares you into pulling all your money out of the stock market. Either way, an enticing title makes you want to click it.

But if you need inspiration (and a nice break), 

And once you have a good title, focus on the video description. There are no tricks here because, at minimum, all you have to do is describe the video accurately.

Of course, you can take it to another level by ensuring your description has these 10 ingredients.

Adding hashtags to your YouTube video helps more people discover it, so tagging your content is always a good idea. Like most social media sites, the hashtags on YouTube are 100% clickable. That means a viewer can tap any hashtag and find themselves on a page showing thousands of videos related to a topic.

As you can imagine, getting featured on a hashtag page leads to more exposure for your channel! If you spend some time researching the best hashtag pages — ones that are popular but not flooded with millions of videos — you can grow your YouTube channel by attracting more clicks.

When you're ready, go to your video title or description. Type the # symbol followed by the descriptor of your choice!

6. Boost Your Engagement with a Call to Action

All of this engagement leads to more channel growth, but most viewers don't think about completing those actions. After all, they're too busy watching videos and exploring new content! To keep building your fanbase, ask viewers to like, comment, and subscribe at the end of every video.

7. Build a Strong Relationship with Your Audience

It's hard to grow a channel if you aren't connecting with your viewers, so always find time to be social on YouTube. You can start by responding to video comments or take it up a notch by hosting live stream Q&A's. Creating polls on the YouTube Community tab will also help you learn viewers' likes, dislikes, and behaviors.

Engaging with your audience isn't too different from hanging out with a friend. All you have to do is get to know who they are!

Two YouTubers collaborating while one holds the camera

 are a brilliant way to grow your channel by introducing new viewers to your content. But of course, not all collabs are successful. You have to find the right partners, make sure your audiences overlap, and do other things to make the project work.

Here are a few ways to execute the best YouTube collab:

Brainstorm video ideas before you reach out to collaborators.

Pick a video collab style (in-person, remote, video takeover, etc.).

Promote the collaboration to boost its reach.

9. Capitalize on YouTube Trends and Challenges

A woman filming a challenge video on her phone

To speed up your channel's growth, why not participate in YouTube challenges or a couple of social media trends? This approach works for small YouTube creators — especially those looking to grow sooner rather than later.

However, exercise caution when choosing different trends to hop on. Some will be a poor match for your channel's focus, making it difficult to turn casual viewers into devoted followers. Additionally, some challenges may risk your safety, like the viral yet highly dangerous 

But everyone has to start somewhere, right? 

Use this guide to find trending topics for your videos

, then ask yourself one question before settling on an idea: Does this help or hurt my channel long-term?

10. Build a 'Bridge' Between Short and Long-Form Content

Last year, YouTube announced it would build a bridge between YouTube Shorts and traditional, long-form videos. Notably, the platform vowed to change how it recommends content, making sure that longer videos are suggested alongside Shorts.

In other words, YouTube is analyzing Shorts viewership on all channels. Suppose a particular Short is getting massive views or engagement. In that case, the platform may recommend long-form content from the same creator!

So what does that mean for your channel's growth? Overall, it proves that YouTube Shorts are now a bridge connecting some viewers to your long-form videos. So by posting Shorts, you have a real shot at promoting the rest of your content!

Of course, this all depends on how your Shorts perform. 

So here's a helpful guide for increasing the Shorts views on your channel.

Promoting videos on YouTube is not difficult at all, so you should definitely do it to grow your YouTube channel quickly. There are plenty of ways to promote your videos, such as:

Using YouTube cards within a video to recommend other ccontent on your channel

Using YouTube end screens to suggest more content to watch at the end of a video

Pasting a link to a related video in the description section of your content

If you aren't familiar with cards and end screens, the main distinction is that one appears during a YouTube video, and one shows up at the end. You can place cards throughout a video to suggest additional content, but end screens are only active in the last 5-20 seconds. If you're using an end screen, try to suggest one video only (not two or three) so viewers don't spend too much time making a decision (and give up from being overwhelmed).

For a full guide, read our 17-step checklist for promoting your YouTube channel.

YouTube video player graphic that a man is tapping

When it comes to growing a YouTube channel fast, many content creators overlook the power of playlists. Many see them as a "holding place" for multiple videos, but it's much deeper than that.

YouTube playlists bring a sense of order to your channel. They organize your content so it's easier for viewers to browse your videos and find something interesting. On top of that, they encourage people to binge your content and bring more watch time to your channel.

And if you didn't know already, videos with high watch time have a better chance of being promoted by YouTube's algorithm (among other factors).

Do you need help creating or promoting your playlists on YouTube? This guide has you covered!

Earlier, we mentioned live streaming when we talked about building a relationship with viewers. So you already know that live streaming helps you connect with them through Q&A's, interactive games, and more.

But did you know that YouTube promotes live streams significantly? There's a section on the platform just for live videos, and getting featured there may not be as challenging as you think. We've seen streams with a modest number of viewers (5,000 or less) featured in the gaming section.

It's also worth noting that your live streams don't have to be flawless. You can cultivate a strong viewership by being friendly, interactive, and captivating.

What does it take a grow a YouTube channel in 2024? Learn how to make better content, get more subscribers, grow your views, and more.

How to Grow Your YouTube Channel in 2024: The Ultimate Guide

In this article, we won’t be answering your YouTube questions — not that we don’t want to 😉! 

It’s just that this time, we’re letting our 

 take the lead. This is one of our newer YouTube tools, and it exists primarily to answer all of your questions about growing a channel. It can also fix your video titles, write short video scripts, and help you flesh out your content strategy. All you have to do is ask!

The vidIQ AI Coach shares 5 video ideas in response to a creator asking for them

So what are people asking our AI Coach? What questions (and answers) can you expect from a machine that “lives” to help you 

. We’ll show you the most popular questions asked by creators and how our AI Coach responded. You’re about to learn 

1. “What type of YouTube channel should I create?”

 The type of channel you should create depends on what you're passionate about and what content you will enjoy creating and sharing. Think about what topics you're interested in and would enjoy learning more about or talking about. 

What does an AI Coach have to say about growing a YouTube channel? Spoiler alert: almost anything you want to know!

Your In-Depth Guide to Building a Successful YouTube Channel

From Weird to Charming: 10 Unique YouTube Channel Ideas That Actually Worked

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How to Grow Your YouTube Channel in 2024: The Ultimate Guide

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Ask an AI Coach: 19 Popular Questions (and Answers) About Growing on YouTube

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YouTube SEO: How to Optimize Your Videos for Maximum Views

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9 Video Ideas to Go Viral with YouTube Shorts

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6 Golden Rules for Responding to YouTube Comments

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