
There's no shortage of options when looking for places to create and post videos online.

, Instagram Reels, and other video-based apps, we recommend 

. It's the best place to build a loyal audience, and as we've seen many times, you can get views and make money long after you post. It's also easy to chop YouTube videos into TikToks, Reels, or other short-form content.

But if you need more convincing, here are nine smart reasons to create a YouTube channel in 2023.

1. The YouTube Algorithm Promotes Videos Regardless of Channel Size

The algorithm's number one job is to recommend videos to viewers. Fortunately, it doesn't do that by looking at a channel's views and subscribers. Instead, the algorithm looks for signals of satisfaction on individual videos: a high click-through rate, average view duration, level of engagement, and more.

What the YouTube Algorithm Likes to See on Creators' Videos

If the YouTube algorithm sees those positive signals (among others), it's more likely to suggest your content to viewers.

So, don't worry. Starting a YouTube channel is brilliant, no matter how many subscribers you gain. We've seen creators with small channels get thousands of views, and you can do it too!

, who has 887 subscribers. Even with a small audience, they got more than 50,000 views on the video below.

2. YouTube Videos Have a Longer Shelf Life

If you want your videos to age well, post them on YouTube. It's one of the top search engines on the internet (alongside Google), so you have plenty of opportunities to get views on your content — sometimes years later.

How does this work, exactly? Start by making 

 a part of your YouTube strategy. Look at your niche and identify topics that never go out of style or constantly need explaining. How to change a flat tire. Pumpkin pie recipes for Thanksgiving. Tips for negotiating a raise at work.

For example, we posted a video about how to apply for YouTube monetization in 2020. Two years later, we still get thousands of monthly views from that content.

YouTube Studio dashboard showing 13,311 views in the last 90 days for an older video

It's even featured as a video answer when you Google "how to get monetized on YouTube."

Google search results showing vidIQ's "How to Get Monetized on YouTube" video

Have you seen the YouTube Studio lately? It tells you everything you need to know about your views, subscribers, and your channel's overall growth.

YouTube Studio dashboard showing views, watch time, subscribers, and more

It's best to study how each video performs. You can take a look at the following:

Traffic sources (YouTube search vs. recommended videos)

YouTube Channel Analytics - The 6 Most Important Video Metrics

Encouraging viewers to watch past the 30-second mark is our biggest hurdle on the vidIQ channel. To improve this, we look at the 

 graph for each upload. When views fall, we go to that timestamp in the video, rewatch the clips, and brainstorm ways to be more entertaining next time.

Audience retention graph showing viewership dip after the first 30 seconds of a video

Got a TikTok channel? How about an Instagram? If you're a YouTube creator, you can easily cut down your longer videos to create short-form content for other platforms.

Remember the audience retention graph we just mentioned? Instead of using it to see timestamps where viewers stopped watching a video, you can do the opposite and see the most popular or replayed clips.

Audience retention graph showing a popular segment of a video

If you see bumps in the graph, those areas represent scenes people find more interesting than others. Try turning those popular clips into a TikTok, Instagram Reel, or YouTube Short.

We know the YouTube app is prevalent on smartphones. But you can also watch on iPads, laptops, desktops, and, most importantly, 

If you enjoy watching the YouTube TV app, ask yourself this question: When was the last time you loaded TikTok or Instagram on a TV? When you want to reach more people, YouTube is the way to go.

6. YouTube Has Great Monetization Features

, you can enable ads across your content. You'll make money when viewers watch or click on those ads, so imagine how the revenue snowballs as you monetize more videos.

Before you apply for the YPP, make sure you've reached one of these milestones on your channel:

Get 1,000 YouTube subscribers plus 10 million public YouTube Shorts views within 90 days.

You'll recollect 55% of all ad revenue for regular videos. YouTube Shorts revenue is slightly lower at 45%, but still worth a try.

7. You Can Share Product Links Under YouTube Videos

Did you know you can put as many links as you want under your YouTube videos? They're super easy to paste into the description section. And once there, viewers can click them to buy a physical or digital product you've created.

But if you're not that advanced yet, don't worry. Many creators who don't sell a product of their own make money by helping other companies do the same thing. At that point, you'll become an "affiliate" of the company and get a unique affiliate link to share with your audience. If viewers click on your affiliate link (and buy something from the company), you'll get a small commission from the sale.

A list of affiliate links in the description of a YouTube video

This wouldn't work on TikTok because you can't add clickable links to video descriptions. So don't take this opportunity for granted on YouTube!

8. YouTube Has a Copyright System to Reduce Theft

YouTube's copyright system is far from perfect, but it does a lot to protect videos from outright theft.

For example, if someone uploads your video to their channel, YouTube recognizes you as the content owner. You'll be notified about the situation and asked what actions you want to take, if any.

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

9. You Can Become an Expert and Build a Community

We all love short, snappy videos, but there's something to be said about the credibility of long-form content. The viewer gets to see you more often, hear your thoughts in better detail, and get more information from you over time. It's the perfect situation for creators who want to become experts and thought leaders — something that's harder to do on TikTok or Instagram.

Now that you know the benefits, it's time to start creating. You have all the knowledge you need (and hopefully the confidence) to know that YouTube is the best place for video creators in 2023.

For more details on the topic, watch our video about all the reasons to have a YouTube channel.

Here's a quick guide to help you start your channel, find your niche, and build an audience that loves your content.

A YouTube graph showing increasing views over time

Are you debating whether to start a YouTube channel or another video page in 2023? Get unstuck with 9 smart reasons to pick YouTube over any other platform.

9 Smart Reasons to Start a YouTube Channel in 2023

Going viral is the worst thing that can happen to a small YouTube creator.

If you're wondering why anyone would say that out loud (or write it), we get it. It sounds wrong. After all, what's so bad about 

For new creators, the real danger is becoming obsessed with unrealistic expectations. Going viral is hard to do, which means it's nearly impossible to repeat.

Chasing that high without a deep understanding of YouTube could send anyone down a dark, twisted path — and here's why.

1. Viral Views Don't Always Come From Your 'Real' Audience

 When you join YouTube to chase viral trends, you ignore your core audience.

We made this mistake a few years ago on the vidIQ channel. Two creators were in a tight race to have the most-subscribed YouTube channel (PewDiePie and T-Series), and the topic was trending off the charts. We wanted some of that buzz for ourselves, so we made videos about the subject to attract more viewers.

Things didn't go according to plan. We gained many subscribers, but they didn't stick around to watch videos about our main topic: YouTube education. New viewers showed up for the drama, and when the trend was over, they abandoned our channel.

Meanwhile, loyal viewers begged us to bring back our old videos.

Video comment where a small creator asks vidIQ to stop covering the PewDiePie vs T-Series topic

So, take it from us: If your core audience doesn't care about a trend, neither should you.

2. Sometimes, Going Viral Comes with Criticism

Before you go viral, few people know who you are and what you're about. They don't know your deeply-held opinions, personal values, and controversial takes on hot topics.

All of that changes when you gain a little fame. More people pay attention and chime in with their opinions, good or bad. Thousands of people could say you make inspiring videos to change the world, and thousands could you make "terrible" content they don't want to see.

If the feedback is mostly negative, that can destroy a small creator who's still finding their voice and core audience. On top of that, it's just tough to bounce back after being mocked online.

There's no denying the emotional high that comes with going viral. It appeals to our deepest human desires, like the need to be seen, understood, and appreciated.

But feeling like the king or queen of social media is addictive. If you're not careful, you could make any video on any topic just to feel the power of going viral.

Beneath one of our videos, gaming creator 

 described what it's like to go viral as a small creator — and it wasn't fun.

"This has happened to me," they say. "I've got two videos that hit over a million that got kind of 

 out of nowhere. Then attempting to chase those view counts was honestly impossible. Yet I felt bad about videos I did make or deviated from that style of videos regardless."

YouTube comment where a creator explains the negatives of going viral

Before you "plan" a bunch of viral videos, make sure you're going down a realistic path for your channel.

It's impossible to name every internet challenge that caused severe harm, injury, or death. And to make sure those trends don't re-surface, we're not going to share them in this article.

But we will say this: You shouldn't attempt every hack, challenge, or trick you see online. Go after challenges that are either 100% safe, are within your physical ability, or make viewers feel good about what they watched because no one got hurt.

For everything else, it's helpful to ask two questions:

What are the long-term consequences of doing this challenge?

5. Going Viral Skews Your Perception of Quantity vs. Quality

Chasing viral moments on YouTube creates one of two extremes. On one end of the scale, you spend too much time creating the perfect, high-quality video to get more views. On the opposite end, you make too many videos (even low-quality ones) to get a viral hit.

Both mindsets are dangerous because they don't take your audience into account. They force you to produce either too much or too little content, making it hard to appease an audience.

Of course, the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle.

The best thing you can do is find the maximum number of videos your audience will watch daily and stick to that number. That ensures you have their full attention for a long time.

6. Chasing Virality Takes the 'Social' Out of Social Media

It's hard to satisfy your audience and create viral videos simultaneously. One requires you to understand a specific group of people's likes, goals, and motivations. The other forces you to cast your net wider, so millions pay attention to your content.

But if you cater to millions, you cater to no one. You don't get to connect with a real community, so there's no shared interest to build off of. Plus, people can usually tell when you're in it for the views. You won't come across as genuine, inspiring, or relatable — qualities that put the "social" in social media.

7. Planning to Go Viral Creates Unnecessary Pressure

It doesn't matter how many times you've gone viral on YouTube. No one is asking or even expecting you to accomplish that again. Most of the time, people look for entertaining, satisfying, or informative videos. So they're not thinking about your last viral video or that the current one has fewer views.

With that in mind, there's no reason to put unnecessary pressure on yourself. Viral or not, just make good content for your audience.

In a world where everyone wants to be noticed, it's best to follow that old, cliché advice: Just be yourself.

Connect with your audience on a deep level. Record when you have something valuable to say. And most of all, create content that makes you feel good and positively impacts society. And if a viral video comes, celebrate it and move forward. Don't obsess.

Want to learn more? This video further explains the danger of "chasing virality."

Another way to avoid toxic virality (yes, we just made that up) is to rethink the word "viral." If you typically get 100 views per video, you should celebrate when you start getting 400 views, 500 views, 600 views, and beyond.

 is your viral moment. You deserve to celebrate it as such!

A YouTube views graph going up sharply then decreasing just as quickly

So you've just started a YouTube channel, and the thought crosses your mind: How do I go viral? Here's why doing that too soon could hurt your channel.

Why Chasing Viral YouTube Videos Is Overrated [for Small Creators]

Did you hear the news? YouTube has introduced 

 to create more engagement between creators and their fans. Like handles on other apps, you can now "tag" creators to mention them in comments, search for channels by their YouTube handle, and more.

YouTube handles are now tied to your channel's URL

. This update changes the URL format, which now looks like this:

Of course, channel links existed long before handles. So if you're a creator, you might be wondering two things:

What's happening to the old URL(s) associated with my channel?

In this article, we'll answer those questions and explain how YouTube handles work.

YouTube handles are unique channel identifiers that begin with the "@" symbol. For example, our handle on YouTube is @vidiq.

These short names are designed to help you find and connect with other creators. As you browse YouTube, you'll see handles appear in comments, within YouTube Shorts, and whenever someone mentions you.

A viewer mentioning vidIQ in the video comments section

Notably, YouTube handles differ from channel names. Changing one has no effect on the other because they're two distinct monikers.

channel URLs are now based on your handle

. For example, our handle is @vidiq, and our new channel URL is youtube.com/@vidiq. When you paste that link into a web browser (youtube.com/@vidiq), it takes you to the homepage for our YouTube channel.

Handles are rolling out slowly, but most creators should have received an email prompting them to select a handle by November 14, 2022. Otherwise, YouTube will automatically assign one.

A message from YouTube's support page explaining the deadline for choosing a handle before one is assigned

If you don't know what your current handle is (because YouTube assigned you one), here's how to find it:

After clicking your profile image, YouTube Studio is the second menu option

The customization option is below the monetization option on the menu

The basic info option is along the upper tabs on the channel customization page

4. Go to the Handle section to view your handle.

A form for typing out your new YouTube handle, which can include numbers and letters

A screen showing vidIQ's current YouTube handle and the option to change that by pressing 'Change handle'

2. Type in your preferred handle or choose one of the suggested handles. Click 

The box to type in a new YouTube handle is near the bottom of the screen; below that, the confirm button

What are the rules for creating YouTube handles? On this 

, YouTube lists a few requirements to keep in mind:

Use alphanumeric characters (A–Z, a–z, 0–9).

Underscores (_), hyphens (-), and periods (.) are OK to use.

Don't make it resemble a URL or phone number.

Make sure it follows YouTube's Community Guidelines.

What's Happening to Legacy URLs on YouTube?

Existing URLs for your channel will not disappear from YouTube. Instead, they'll redirect visitors to your handle URL, which goes to the same destination as before: your channel homepage.

Depending on when you created your channel, any of the following URLs could be associated with your account.

Channel ID URL: a link that uses your channel ID, which includes numbers and letters. Example: 

youtube.com/channel/UPTCLFA9jIKrKroO8LcyREFJ.

Custom URL: Until now, this was a URL you could personalize once you had 100 subscribers. Example: 

Username URL: an older link format that included YouTube usernames (not required anymore). Example: 

Any of these links will work as expected.

Can You Still Set a Custom URL for Your Channel?

You can't set up a custom YouTube URL or change an existing one now that handles are in place. When someone uses an old URL for your channel (including custom URLs), YouTube redirects them to your handle URL.

Naming Your YouTube Channel Is Still a Big Deal

YouTube handles may be the new, shiny feature, but don't forget the value of a good channel name. While handles help you interact with others, your channel name is entirely distinct from that. You can use your channel name to   explain your niche better and attract the right audience.

Need some pointers? Here's how to pick the best YouTube channel name.

A phone screen showing the YouTube blog announcement introducing handles

Now that YouTube has social handles, how do you find or change yours? Here's a quick guide, plus details on how a YouTube handle impacts your channel's URL.

How to Find or Change Your YouTube Handle

Does it feel like the YouTube algorithm is ignoring your small channel?

We hate to bring bad news, but you might be right. There's a chance YouTube 

It's probably not for the reasons you think, like the algorithm changing or YouTube favoring large, popular channels. More than likely, you need to know 

We hate to see so many channels stall out, so we asked Todd Beaupre, director of product management at YouTube, how to stop it. As he explained the algorithm, we learned 

 creators must know to grow an audience.

So if you want to turn your small channel into a large one, keep reading for some YouTube algorithm hacks!

Secret No. 1: The Algorithm Serves the Viewer, Not the Other Way Around

Spoiler: Many people know this secret already. They realize the YouTube algorithm is a recommendation system; its job is to 

But while many people know this, plenty of creators don't have that information. Some think the algorithm or video creators 

 what people watch, but that's not true.

"The main job of the algorithm is to serve the user when they show up," Beaupre says. "A lot of creators think about things from the creator's perspective, like 'Oh, I make a video, and then YouTube pushes it out to a bunch of people.'"

"For the most part, recommendations and [YouTube videos from search] don't get pushed out. They're pulled from viewers."

In other words, viewing patterns on YouTube influence the algorithm. You can post thousands of high-quality videos, but they'll only get views if they appeal to a specific audience.

Secret No 2: The Algorithm Uses Watch History to Recommend Videos

So far, we've learned that viewers determine what they like, and the algorithm delivers that experience.

But that raises a few questions: How do you get 

 content to show up on a video suggestion list? How do you make the algorithm 

First, get your content into someone's watch history, Beaupre says. The algorithm will notice your channel as more people watch your videos.

"We use watch history as probably the most important signal we know about a viewer to figure out what they want to watch next," Beaupre says.

So if the algorithm knows Viewer A watches your videos, it may conclude that Viewer A wants to see more of your content — which is exactly what you want to happen.

Secret No. 3: The Algorithm Looks at Titles and Descriptions When You Have No Views/Subscribers

Every channel has to start somewhere, and YouTube knows this. That's why new channels with no behavioral data, such as watch history, are analyzed for their metadata instead.

"I would say YouTube search is probably the first place for fresh videos," Beaupre says. "You upload a brand new video around Minecraft, [for example], and we're going to consider that video when someone searches for Minecraft based on the title and description."

So if you're a new creator with no views or subscribers, 

 to get the algorithm's attention. Do some 

Secret No. 4: Sometimes Your Niche Is too Competitive

We typically say there's an audience for every interest, especially on YouTube. But what if millions of people create videos on the same topic? That makes it harder to stand out no matter what you do.

Beaupre's advice? Take the road less traveled.

"I would discourage creators from trying to compete in the most competitive spaces in the word," he says. "Rather than go after the Minecraft query, for example, you might want to find a niche that isn't already being served by a million other videos."

finding trending topics for your YouTube videos

. Go to Google Trends and research people's interests, or head to platforms like TikTok and Twitter to discover subcultures in various niches. If you can find an underserved community, you'll be one step closer to finding your niche.

Secret No. 5: Don't Rely on YouTube to Promote Your Small Channel

Remember what we said about the algorithm and watch history?

To satisfy viewers, YouTube will make recommendations that mirror 

Once again, that raises another question: What do you do when no one has watched your videos yet?

If you're in this situation, Beaupre says it's time to look beyond YouTube.

"I wouldn't rely entirely on YouTube as the only way to drive attention to your content," he says. "Identify other places where your content might be relevant. That could be anything from Facebook groups to Discord servers to Twitter."

"Seed your video in places where you're going to get some watch history and kickstart that signal [to the algorithm]."

That doesn't mean you should spam your videos in community forums. Be intentional about where you share videos, ensuring that A) your ideal viewers hang out there and B) your videos solve their biggest problems. That's how you do clean, effective promotion.

You won't have to do this forever, but it's a powerful way to kick off your YouTube journey.

Small YouTube Channels Benefit from These Tips

YouTube's recommendation algorithm is complicated, but we hope this post explained the trickier parts. At the very least, you should understand five things to grow a small YouTube channel:

The algorithm serves the viewer, not the other way around.

The algorithm uses watch history to recommend videos.

The algorithm looks at titles and descriptions when you have no views/subscribers.

A competitive niche = less opportunity for views.

You can't rely on YouTube to promote your small channel, so leverage other social media.

Want to hear more advice about these tips? Watch this video to strengthen your knowledge of the YouTube algorithm.

Now that you understand the algorithm, here's how to make people watch multiple videos on your channel.

How does the YouTube algorithm work? In this post, we get helpful answers from YouTube's director of product management.

5 Secrets You Didn’t Know About the YouTube Algorithm

Writing a description for your YouTube video is never a bad idea. It helps people understand your content and the value it holds, which leads to a better viewing experience. You can even place keywords in your description and possibly get featured on search pages.

The only problem? Writing descriptions from scratch is time-consuming. And besides a basic summary of the video, what else goes in that big, empty box?

To answer that question, here's how to write descriptions for YouTube videos.

1. Get Ideas from a YouTube Description Generator

What goes in the description box for a YouTube video? At the very least, you need the right links, trending hashtags, and an awesome summary of your video content.

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