Want to learn how to get more subscribers on YouTube with ease? Some free YouTube subscriber hacks can help grow your following and boost overall engagement with your videos and channel.
In this blog, Ignite Visibility’s Senior Social Media Strategist, Ashley Nigro, will go over how to get subscribers on YouTube with some effective, proven strategies.
MY EXPERT OPINION ON WAYS TO EARN YOUTUBE SUBSCRIBERS
If you have a YouTube channel, you’re likely looking for reliable ways to increase your YouTube traffic and get more followers. There are many strategies you can try, but I’ve found some to be faster, easier, and more effective than others while avoiding the black hat technique of buying subscribers.
Having a large number of subscribers is crucial in driving more engagement for your videos, as every video you post will have the chance of getting in front of these people without relying on the algorithm to reach new audiences. Over time, with regular posting, you can connect consistently with your existing followers while growing your audience.
In turn, the more subscribers you have, the more people will engage with your brand. To get you started, let’s go into how to get YouTube subscribers with the right approach.
What We’ll Cover:
- Why Are YouTube Subscribers an Essential Metric?
- How to Optimize Your Channel & Content for Subscriber Growth
- Hacks to Gain YouTube Subscribers for Free
- Why You Shouldn’t Buy YouTube Subscribers
- FAQs About YouTube Subscribers
WHY ARE YOUTUBE SUBSCRIBERS AN ESSENTIAL METRIC?
You should know how to get more subscribers on YouTube because of these people’s essential role in growing both your channel and your business. Having a large number of subscribers offers several key benefits, including increased visibility for your channel, more trust among audiences, and generally more engagement.
Today, YouTube attracts around 2.49 billion monthly active users all over the world, which is half of all social media users. The average person also spends 48.7 minutes on YouTube every day, with many of these viewers likely tuning into their subscriptions’ latest uploads.
By tapping into these audiences and attracting more subscribers to your channel, you’ll have the chance to get ahead by using YouTube’s algorithm to your advantage. Specifically, a large number of subscribers signals to the algorithm that your videos and channel are worth ranking, similar to likes and other engagement. Subsequently, you’ll be able to reach newer audiences with increased reach and visibility.
If you’re wondering how to get more YouTube subscribers to your channel, there are plenty of ways to do so without the need to pay a dime. Getting free subscribers for free can help you get the most from your channel as you grow a loyal following and game the algorithm to your advantage.
STEPS FOR OPTIMIZING YOUR CHANNEL & CONTENT FOR REAL SUBSCRIBER GROWTH
As you discover how to get more subscribers on YouTube, there are a few key steps to start with, including:
Channel Optimization
One of the first steps to take is to optimize your channel. Your channel is your brand’s central hub on the platform, so it should be unmistakably and uniquely yours.
Make your channel’s layout appealing to new viewers, potentially by including and highlighting an introductory video to kick things off. Also, include a detailed description of your channel and what it’s all about, along with recognizable branding elements, including a prominently featured brand name and logo.
Additionally, within your videos, include clear “Subscribe” CTAs in your videos; one cool recent update is the ability to get the Subscribe button to animate with a rainbow halo simply by saying “subscribe” in your video.
SEO for YouTube
Another key component of your optimization efforts should entail search engine optimization (SEO), which will help you further earn subscribers on YouTube for free by appealing to the platform’s (and Google’s) algorithm.
To optimize your videos and channel, use relevant keywords in your titles, descriptions, and tags. When using keywords in titles, keep them toward the front, or consider using more conversational keyword phrases like questions or statements that people are likely to search.
Thumbnails and Titles
You can also attract more YouTube subscribers by using appealing and engaging thumbnails and titles. In your thumbnails, consider using images that help you stand out, whether it’s a specific personality you feature in your videos, logos and color schemes, or a particular image format. This image should ultimately make people curious and want to learn more by watching your video.
Also, while your titles should include keywords for SEO, they should also be engaging to viewers and entice them to watch.
14 HACKS TO EARN SUBSCRIBERS ON YOUTUBE FOR FREE
Want to learn more about how to get YouTube subscribers the easy way? Let’s go over some free YouTube subscriber hacks that can help you here:
1. Use End Screens and Cards
You might have seen this on other videos you’ve watched online. At the end, YouTube shows an “end screen” that offers a bit of marketing.
That end screen appears during the last 5-20 seconds of the video. It can show as many as four elements.
What are “elements”? They’re clickable widgets that you use for shameless self-promotion. They make it easy to keep people engaged with your brand.
Here you can see the one we have added. Since adding this, we have received thousands of new subscribers who now leave more comments.
Ignite Visibility utilizes the end screen to lead viewers to view more video content and subscribe.
Here are the kinds of elements you can add to your end screen:
- Link to another video – use this option to link to a related video or the latest video you uploaded
- Link to a playlist – if you have an entire playlist related to your video, advertise it on the end screen
- Link to a channel – ideally, you’d want to link to one of your own channels
- Call for a channel subscription – if you want people to subscribe to your channel, ask them to do so in an end screen
- Link to your site – use this option if you’re using YouTube to bring more traffic to your website
- Link to merchandise – a great option for ecommerce marketers
- Link to a crowdfunding campaign – a great way to use YouTube to raise money
Before you begin making YouTube end screens for your videos, it’s important to take note of these guidelines.
This isn’t available to just any YouTube creator. You have to be a member of the YouTube Partner Program to qualify.
This has a set of requirements to join, including having at least 1,000 subscribers and over 4,000 watch hours in the last year.
- Your video must be a minimum of 25 seconds long.
- YouTube end screen dimensions: 1280 × 720
- YouTube end screen length: 5-20 seconds
- YouTube end screen element sizes:
– Subscribe or other channel spheres: 294 × 294
– Video or playlist rectangle: 615 × 345
– Link square: 294 × 294
End Screen Qualifications
If you haven’t yet achieved those milestones, you’ll have to look at other ways to promote your videos before you can use this.
Even if your channel qualifies for end screens, that doesn’t mean that all of your videos qualify for them.
To prevent a hostile user experience, YouTube prohibits you from adding end screens to videos that use annotations.
If you do try to add an end screen to a video with annotations, YouTube will inform you that you need to delete the annotations first. You can delete them with just a couple of clicks.
How to Add an End Screen
Here are step-by-step instructions to add an end screen to one of your YouTube videos.
- Sign in to your YouTube account.
- Click on your account icon in the top, right-hand corner.
- Select “Creator Studio” from the drop-down menu that appears.
- In the left-hand sidebar, select “Video Manager.”
- Click on “Videos” in the drop-down menu that appears.
- On the main screen, you’ll see a vertical list of your videos. Scroll to the video you want and click the “Edit” button.
- On the top tab bar, click “End Screen & Annotations.” If this is your first time doing this, you’ll likely see a popup that tells you a little bit about end screens. Just click the “Got It” button in the lower, right-hand corner.
- If you have annotations on the video, YouTube will tell you that end screens don’t work with annotations. Click the “Delete Annotations” button and select “Delete” on the confirmation box that appears.
- Now, you should be looking at your video with a big, blue “Add Element” button on the right-hand side. Click that button.
- A drop-down list will appear. Select the kind of element you want to add: “Video or Playlist,” “Subscribe,” “Channel,” or “Link.”
- Once you’ve selected your element (and specified related info), you’ll see it on top of your video. That’s how your viewers will see it as well. Keep in mind: you can move your element around. Just hover over it, click on it, and drag it to any part of the screen where you’d like it to appear.
- Add any additional elements you want to put on the screen by clicking the “Add Element” button. Remember, you’re limited to a maximum of 4 elements.
- When you’re done, click the “Save” button in the upper, right-hand corner.
Additional Options for Creating an End Screen
There are also a couple of additional options you can use when creating an end screen.
When you’re on the page where you add elements, you’ll see a few buttons at the top of the video: “View,” “Use template…,” and “Import from video.”
The “View” button will help you with the layout. For example, you can use it to show or hide a grid.
Click “Use template…” if you want to format your elements according to one of YouTube’s predefined layouts. You can see the layouts by clicking on the button.
Finally, click “Import from video” if you’d like to import an end screen from another video. That will save you some time so you don’t have to duplicate your efforts.
2. Include Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
Another way to get more free subscribers for free is to include compelling CTAs. These CTAs should include vocal and visual requests to like and subscribe within the video itself along with your descriptions.
For example, you can have the personality in your video ask viewers to like and subscribe at the end while using animations to visually indicate how to engage. In addition, you can include a link to your website in the video description to drive more traffic from YouTube to your site.
3. Create Playlists
As you learn how to get more subscribers on YouTube, you can also harness the power of playlists.
Playlists can organize videos by topic, potentially boosting watch time by encouraging your viewers to binge your content.
4. Generate Custom Thumbnails
Thumbnails can be more important than titles in some cases. After all, brains are wired to process visuals faster than anything else.
Keep these guidelines in mind when creating your thumbnails:
- Resolution: 1280 x 720 px .
- Format: JPG, GIF, BMP, or PNG.
- Size: 2 MB limit.
- Use high contrast images.
- Add text and colors to promote clicks.
- Choose a close-up image, whenever possible.
- Use a stock photo when in doubt.
- Be consistent with your branding.
5. Optimize Video Descriptions
Aside from quality, video descriptions are not to be neglected on YouTube. They don’t only let your videos be found in search engines but give your viewers insight into what the video will be about.
But, don’t go overboard by adding in your keyword 10 times or making your description multiple paragraphs long. This will actually damage your chances of showing up in searches.
Keep the description natural and authentic.
6. Utilize Video Transcripts
Did you know that you can view a transcript of just about any video?
Just go to YouTube and play a video with dialog. Then, click on the ellipsis (or “More” link) below the video title. It’s usually in the same vicinity as the “Share” link.
In the pop-up menu that appears, click on “Open Transcript”. If you’re on a desktop platform, you’ll see the transcript, complete with timestamps, slightly to the right of the video.
Keep in mind, YouTube transcripts are often auto-generated, so they might not be perfect.
Also, you might not see the option to open the transcript if the publisher, for whatever reason, chose to hide it for that video.
Not only do transcripts help with SEO, but they make your videos accessible to a much larger audience. Transcripts act as page copy, which gives your video more indexable text to help you rank for more queries.
7. Add Tags for Videos
You also have the ability to add tags to your YouTube videos, which could help with SEO as you indicate to the algorithm and searchers what your video is about.
In addition to targeting relevant topics, you can use tags to target certain potential misspellings of content in your videos to reach people who might enter those on the platform.
Just don’t overdo it with tags—Google could ultimately wind up punishing your videos and channel if you abuse tags to the point of spamminess or misleading viewers.
Relevant hashtags can indicate topics covered in a video while helping with SEO.
8. Develop a Consistent Posting Schedule
You should also post videos consistently to continually engage viewers and subscribers. The more you post, the more you’ll connect with subscribers and keep them loyal, as they come to anticipate your videos.
When scheduling your video uploads, try to pick consistent days and times to do so based on when your audience is most active. For example, if you plan on posting every Tuesday and Thursday, the best times to post on these and other weekdays fall between 3 and 5 PM.
Also, the length of your videos can help dictate how frequently you should post. YouTube Shorts can especially benefit from more frequent posts, as these videos tend to run for less than a minute.
9. Choose a Variety of Content Types
When learning how to get more YouTube subscribers, you’ll also likely find that varying your content boosts engagement.
Consider using some of the following content types to appeal to viewers in different ways:
- How-to guides
- “Top tips” videos
- List videos, like videos covering “top 10” items
- Q&As or interviews with industry experts
- Webinars
- Product or service tutorials
- Behind-the-scenes footage of your team at work
You can then organize the different content types in playlists on your channel.
10. Leverage Trends and Challenges
Take advantage of current trends and challenges to connect with wider audiences. You might find that others in your industry are covering a particular topic you could cover in a way that offers a unique perspective.
You can also get into challenges that incorporate certain trending hashtags, getting your brand on board with viewers following these challenges.
11. Promote Other Social Channels
Don’t stay on YouTube; take your videos all over the web to maximize viewership. Share your videos on your other social media channels, such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok.
The more widespread your videos are, the more you’ll discover how to get subscribers on YouTube through all relevant channels.
12. Collaborate With Other Creators
To get the best results from your YouTube marketing efforts, consider partnering with industry-related YouTubers. Forming partnerships with popular YouTubers can win over some of these personalities’ subscribers as you gain their trust.
Creators could try out your products or services and review them, incorporate your brand as a sponsor with clear mentions and recommendations in their videos, or otherwise partner with you to help you grow your brand recognition, viewership, and subscriber base.
13. Host Giveaways or Challenges
Who doesn’t love giveaways?
If you’re wondering how to get more YouTube subscribers, consider offering your audience something in return for their engagement. This will reward current followers and help lure new followers.
Whether it’s a branded t-shirt or a tech gadget, your audience will be excited to get something for free. And chances are they’ll tell their friends and family about it, especially if the prize is really, really good.
You can also encourage your viewers to subscribe as part of a contest entry. For example, you might indicate in a video that the first 10 to subscribe could win a prize, while also requiring participants to complete other steps like following other social media profiles or leaving a comment.
14. Interact With Your Subscribers
True engagement doesn’t stop at publishing high-quality content. In regards to how to get more YouTube subscribers, you need to actively monitor and engage with your followers.
Respond to any and all feedback from viewers—even if it’s critical—and “heart” your favorite comments.
You can even post videos responding to their comments.
WHY YOU SHOULDN’T BUY YOUTUBE SUBSCRIBERS
This is NOT a recommended hack, but something worth noting since you’re likely reading this article for YouTube hacks that’ll increase your subscribers and comments.
Paying for comments and subscribers will likely do more harm than good.
These paid-for subscribers are often bots, who don’t engage with your videos, and if they do, you run the risk that their comments and engagements alienate your real subscribers and turn them off.
YouTube could also take action by banning you for going against their Fake Engagement Policy.
Getting organic, active subscribers isn’t as daunting as you think and requires no technical measures! It only takes a few minutes to set up.
There are even ways to configure it so that you can put it on autopilot.
Ready to learn how to get more YouTube subscribers and get more comments? Let’s get started.
FAQS ON HOW TO GET MORE SUBSCRIBERS ON YOUTUBE
1. Is There a Way to Link to a Specific Point in a Video?
Yes.
If you’d like to link to a specific spot in a video, YouTube allows you to do that.
Go to the video, pause it where you want the link to start, and click the Share button. When the popup appears, select the “Start At” checkbox at the bottom. Then, you can set the time to where you want it to start.
Note that, by default, the time is set where you paused the video. You shouldn’t need to enter anything.
Finally, click COPY to put the video link in your clipboard. Then, paste that link wherever you want.
2. Is There a Way to Schedule a Video for Posting Later?
Yes. YouTube allows you to schedule a video publish time.
Alternatively, you can also enlist the assistance of a social media management tool to do that.
Check out Hootsuite, for example. Although the name implies that it’s designed for Twitter, you can also use it to manage other social media channels, including YouTube.
Hootsuite enables you to upload a video and save it for later publishing. The company has a video on the subject if you’d like to learn more.
3. How Can I Download Videos From YouTube?
If you want to download YouTube videos, you have a couple of options.
One way is to familiarize yourself with the YouTube API. Then, use that API to pull down videos hosted on YouTube.
Of course, that’s not an option if you don’t know anything about software development.
The other way to download videos is with the aid of a tool. While there are plenty of tools available, one of the most popular is Free YouTube Downloader. As the name implies, it won’t cost you anything.
Unfortunately, you’ll need to install software on your PC if you want to use Free YouTube Downloader. If you’re looking for a cloud-based solution, check out OnlineVideoConverter.com.
4. What YouTube Subscriber Hack Tools Should I Be Using?
Tools to help you increase your YouTube subscribers are already at your fingertips! You can use easy online photo-editing software tools like Canva and Picmonkey to create custom end-screen images.
Sites like Gif.com are also great for creating GIFs out of your videos that you can share on social media, which is a great hack for increasing subscribers.
Also, keyword-trend tools like Google Trends and Exploding Topics can be used for initial video research so that you’re always able to create content based on what people are looking for!
HOW TO GET SUBSCRIBERS ON YOUTUBE WITH IGNITE VISIBILITY
With the right approach to your video marketing strategy, you can easily earn subscribers on YouTube for free. It’s even easier with the help of video marketing experts like the team at Ignite Visibility.
If you want to learn more about how to get YouTube subscribers, Ignite Visibility can help by:
- Creating a highly optimized and unique YouTube channel
- Producing and optimizing high-quality videos covering a range of engaging topics
- Maintaining a consistent posting schedule
- Managing other social media profiles where you can share your content
- Supplementing your YouTube channel with other marketing efforts in a holistic solution
Want to begin your next campaign with us? Contact us today to connect with our experts and discuss your marketing needs.
