Get Better Results On YouTube

I’m a YouTube producer for 14 different channels that upload daily videos. I’ve been doing this for about a decade now, which means I’ve seen my fair share of content that really took off with a great following and made great money from it, and others that didn’t quite get it right. 

A lot of YouTubers want to get better results on their channel, but they don’t necessarily have the right tools to make it work. Some don’t even know what the problems are, to begin with! 

Yes, different channels want different results. But the point is that you want more views and more subscribers - so eventually, you can build your own tribe or community.

So if you have a YouTube channel that maybe has a couple of views that just won’t take off the way you want it to, I’ll explain what it takes to have a successful channel and how exactly you can achieve it.

Here’s a simple guide that can help you get better results! 

1) Make your video look and sound pleasing.

First off, you don’t really need fancy equipment to get high-quality videos when you’re starting out; you just have to know how to use your resources well. 

If you’re using your phone to film videos, that’s perfectly fine! You can still film in a way that looks pleasing to your audience. 

Lighting is really important, but you don’t have to look anywhere else to get good light - the sun is right there! A good trick is to put your phone or camera on a tripod against the window, letting natural light come in on you. 

If you’re just talking straight to your camera about your experiences or knowledge, the audio it picks up could already work well. 

But you could also invest in a mic, especially if you do music covers or just want to lessen background noise. There are mics that plug into your phone or SD card, so they’re really easy to use and record with.

Another helpful tip is to clean up your background; this way, there are less distractions so you can keep your viewers’ attention on you. Just put in a few things there to create a certain look and let people know what you’re about.

2) Attract more viewers by uploading videos daily. 

I have clients who are now six-figure influencers, but started with only a handful of subscribers. While there are a lot of factors that contribute to this, one of the major ones that really spiked up those numbers is how many videos they upload on a regular basis. 

What I usually do is start with four months of uploading five episodes per week. After a while, start to see spikes in your views and subscribers!

Spikes don’t last forever - but every time you get one, you create a higher baseline. This means you can only go uphill from there. 

What also happens when you start uploading frequently is that the YouTube algorithm picks up on it! Your videos will start showing up as suggestions on other videos related to your channel, or even on the YouTube homepage. 

3) Be a good storyteller.

Share your experiences and talk about what people want to know: these two things are basically all you need to do as a YouTuber!

Think about what you can talk at length about, then start looking for keywords or frequently searched phrases that relate to your experience or expertise. If you’re lost on what topic to do next, you can actually encourage your viewers to ask for what they want to hear from you. 

Treat each video like a carefully laid out story. You want to start with what your viewers can expect, set key points you want to discuss then elaborate on them, and end with something that calls them to action. If you have more videos or resources that are relevant to your topic and might be helpful for them, encourage them to check it out!

Keep in mind that the focus is you! We want to see you, so you should always be on camera when you’re talking. You also need to make sure that you’re smack dab in the middle of your frame, so it’s easier for your viewers to concentrate on you. Look up the rule of thirds and you’ll see how it can apply to your framing.

You don’t need to do fancy or flashy text effects. I used to do it too, but I found that it works better for corporate or business videos. It actually tends to distract from your story and might even turn people off from watching to the end. 

This actually leads me to my next point.

4) Keep ‘em watching with longer videos. 

Remember that YouTube loves watch time. One of my most popular videos - it’s now at over 5 million views - is more than 20 minutes long!

Sometimes a YouTuber would come to me to audit their channel and right off the bat, I’d tell them to make their videos longer. For example, you can do one 10-minute video instead of ten 1-minute videos. See, YouTube viewers put in the time and effort to watch videos - the key is to keep them interested. 

If you’re a vlogger, there are tons of things you can do! Show your B-roll, talk about fun activities and epic adventures, put in music - but like I mentioned earlier, always bring the focus back to you! Talk to your audience so they can feel like they’re taking this journey with you. Lots of vloggers also have different styles, so you can also feel free to check out a few 

One thing, though: avoid using photo montages. Even if you’ve gotten some pretty awesome shots, viewers are on YouTube for videos! 

Now it’s probably a little trickier for YouTubers who do talking head videos that are educational or even motivational to make sure your audience stays with you until the end. 

But as long as you establish eye contact with your audience, cover interesting topics, and tighten your video editing to remove filler content, you should be good to go The secret is just to communicate with your audience in a clear and confident way! 

Don’t be afraid to switch it up a little bit, though. You can move around and talk at different angles. For example, if you’re doing educational videos, you can use visual aids like blackboards to help effectively guide your audience through whatever it is you’re teaching them.

5) Customize your channel. 

YouTube is a very visually oriented platform, so your look matters! When people click on your videos, the first thing they see are your thumbnails. 

Make sure your thumbnails are readable. Just remember that if your viewers have to squint, they probably won’t click on your video. 

It’s also good to develop a theme with your thumbnails! Put in a text and photo format that you can follow every time. It’s easier to make, plus it gives your channel a consistent personal style.

A good way to find your style is by looking through other channels that cover the same topics as you. What do their channels look like? What colors are they using? What text is in their thumbnails? You can take note of what you like and don’t like in their channel, then apply it to yours. 

These strategies have worked well for me and my clients! I’ve gotten my clients to unbelievable growth and influence when all it really takes is just a few simple tweaks and a lot of passion. 

So you can start trying out these steps and let me know if you see a change in your results! I’d love to hear from you.