How You Can Start A SUCCESSFUL YouTube Channel in 2020 (AND get your first 100 subscribers!)

If you've been thinking about starting a YouTube channel or growing your YouTube channel in 2020, this video is for you! You may have heard a lot about what you need to do to get started but I want you to grow in the quickest way possible with the least amount of overwhelm.

This week, we're digging into what you need to do to grow a successful YouTube channel in 2020 without all the fluff!

Before we dig in, I think it's important that I share something with you. One of the best ways to grow faster and become more successful on YouTube is with the YouTube Trifecta. That's right, there's a trifecta. 

The trifecta is your click through rate, your audience retention and your end screen click through rate. By having all of that under control and doing well, you're signaling to YouTube that your content is high quality and should be promoted to others on YouTube as well.

This means instead of YouTube only recommending 5% of your traffic, you can have 83% of your traffic coming from YouTube recommending you to others. And that's how you're going to grow more quickly.

So how do you make that happen? Let's dig into the steps necessary.

Step One: Find Your Niche.

You absolutely need to know what you're channel is going to be about and what the purpose of your channel is before you even get started on anything else. This is going to help you refine the type of content that you create which makes it easier for YouTube to categorize the type of the content you're putting out.

This also helps your audience understand what they'll be getting from you and will help you create consistency in content. For an example, if you're putting out a mixture of home decor and diy videos and then throw in vlogs as well, people aren't necessarily going to be watching everything because they're on your channel for one specific purpose.

Figure out what that purpose is and then create content in that direction.

Step Two: Sign Up for a Google Account.

YouTube is owned by Google so you're going to need a Google account. Once you have that, you can go to YouTube and set up your channel. This is pretty simple!

Step Three: Name and Customize Your Channel.

When it comes to naming your channel, you can go back to step one and look at the purpose of your channel. Maybe consider some keywords or phrases that people search in your name choice.

However, the simplest name choice is your name! Yep, your actual name. If your name isn't available, you may have to get strategic here. I don’t recommend using any numbers or making it complicated. 

Once you have a name, you're going to want to customize your channel. This is when you'll start working on your banner! Your channel banner will highlight the subject of your channel so be sure to incorporate your brand into it. For example, if you're a channel that is focused on baking, maybe you'd include a photo of yourself with cookies or cake in that banner.

How to Make a Channel Banner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbLgfYiI_S4&t=413s

For my channel. I included a value proposition at the top so people know exactly what they're getting when they tune into my channel and I also share when I post new content. 

Now in the beginning, you won't have new content but when you do, you'll want to make sure to customize your home page! This really helps your audience see the best of your content and gives a great impression.

To learn how to customize your homepage layout, click here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3BENzXdGNs

Step Four: Generate Ideas.

If you're thinking about starting a YouTube channel, you're most likely already rolling some video ideas around. It's time to write those down! Now I suggest keeping everything organized digitally so that you can keep track of everything.

I like to organize my content in a program called Asana but you can use any digital system that works for you. The key here is keeping it digital. This ensures you don't lose anything, say, if you're kids get ahold of something.

Once you've written down your ideas, you can start to create new ones! One way is to see what other content creators in your industry are talking about. Let me be clear here... I'm not saying that you should copy them. Instead, let the content inspire you!

Another great place to look is Pinterest! This will help you see what people are searching for and how topics are performing.

Step Five: Research.

Okay, this step needs to happen before you create anything else. Take those video ideas and research them to make sure that they're set up for success. What I like to do is take my topic and search it on YouTube. When I find videos that have more views than subscribers, I know it's a popular topic and one that will be great for my viewers!

Step Six: Determine Your Video Title and Thumbnail.

That's right, you're planning this too! These are two very important parts of your click through rate so you'll want to make sure that you plan them out before you create the content. Think about how you can tie your first 3-5 seconds of the video into your title and vice versa.

Once you know your title, you can create your thumbnail. But here's the deal. You DO NOT want to repeat the title on the thumbnail. Instead, use complimentary text.

Step Seven: Plan Your Content.

You've planned your topics, you know your title and the thumbnail. Now it's time to script! I always suggest scripting videos. Scripting videos will ensure that you know exactly what you're going to say so you end up saving yourself time filming. It'll also save you time editing since you'll be prepared with a game plan.

One of the things that I always recommend is filming more than one video at a time. This batching is going to make it where you can get a lot of content done all at once. So plan out a month of content and plan to film it all in one day. This is going to save you a lot of time and really set you up for success.

Step Eight: Film Time!

Click the video above to see my film set up! But filming is one of the most fun parts. Set up your equipment, get your shirt changes ready and have those scripts on hand.

Since you're filming, you're probably wondering if you should have memorized those scripts. Or maybe invested in a teleprompter. The answer is a big nope!

Instead, have your script in front of you, read a few lines, look at the camera, repeat what you read, rinse and repeat!

Step Nine: Focus on People.

This is all about the people that engage with your video! If someone leaves a comment, reply to them! You can even comment on your own video to start the engagement up!

Step Ten: Get 100 Subscribers!

You've got your video posted, it's time to promote it! Share on other platforms that you've posted a video or started a channel and ask them to subscribe. Email your list. Engage on other channels. 

Remember, YouTube is a social platform so get social to get the ball rolling!

Step Eleven: Know Your Numbers.

This part sounds so boring but it's so important. Get to know your analytics and start tracking them. You want to make sure you're tracking that YouTube trifecta. Want to know where to find the analytics you need? Watch the video above!

Step Twelve: Stay Consistent.

You know what you need to do. You need to do it consistently. I recommend posting once a week. By staying consistent, you'll be signaling to YouTube that you're reliable content AND it'll provide you with better data.

And you want that data so that you can continue to go and grow!