I hope you're ready, this is a long one XDD In case you're wondering about my credentials, I have currently 2981 subscribers, so I'm getting up there. You know, probably.
1. Channel Art
This is important, more than you know. Eveyrthing about youtube these days is Image. There are SOOOO many options now to choose from that people are judging based off of looks. If a channel looks good, professional, attractive, then people are going to continue on. It has to make them feel like they're in a place that knows what it's doing.
2. Thumbnails
Thumbnails are SUPER important, for the same reason as the above. I've done tests- videos I don't put thumbnails on will get 12 views. Videos I put thumbnails on will get 100+, especially if they're eye-catching and pop out. Try to put as much information about your video in them as possible, while still being minimalistic. For example: In a video I did where I played a bunch of crappy girl games, one of them included a scene where Edward Cullen got stabbed by Buffy the Vampire slayer, so my thumbnail is Edward in a red dress being stabbed by Buffy in the butt. Hilarious, and people laughed and came because of the thumbnail alone.
3. Personality
I didn't get a chance to watch your channel, but I'm going to put this as a generality. DON'T ever apologize for your content. Psychology states that when you apologize for something- i.e. "Sorry I'm late" or "Sorry my video is poor quality" or "Sorry I'm not interseting"- then people are convinced and remember you for those things. Say "Thank you for waiting!" or "Thank you for watching my video!" or "Thank you for being a part of my beginning journey!" People will feel better. People will feel like they're achieving something by watching your channel, like they're important- and that's HUGE in human psychology. Also make sure you have a Persona. Pretend you're confident, even if you're not. No one will know! XDD
4. Consistancy
Pick a schedule you know you can adhere to and stick to it. I upload every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, currently because of my college school schedule. I do Horror videos on Monday, Random videos on Wednesday, and Fantasy Videos (generic genre) on Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I'll sometimes upload vlogs, and on Saturdays I'll livestream. I stick to this schedule, and when I don't, people get worried- I get loads of messages asking where I am, or if I'm late. They know my schedule, and on those days go to my channel to see what I've uploaded. This gives people a sense on continuity.
5. Don't Do What Everyone Else is Doing
There are exceptions to this. What I mean is stuff like Vanilla Minecraft- you might be able to get away with this later in your youtube career when you're already established, but these days, nothing says "been there, done that" like vanilla minecraft. It's SO worn out; everytime I even bring it up on my channel the consensus is always NO DON'T RECORD THAT. You can stick to the wave of hot and exciting- like Five Nights at Freddy's was, or Amnesia: The Dark Decent, or Undertale. Watch what people are looking for.
6. Pick Channels to Emmulate
This is SO important. People like Pewdiepie, Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and Cinnamontoastken are popular for a REASON. Don't ignore them! Watch them, learn what they do, why are they funny, how do they edit, and try to pick up some of their tricks and personality ideas. Pewdiepie is NOTHING like his youtube persona. He's a quiet guy who's actually really demure to strangers, but online his persona is crazy, crass, lewd, and just childish. But people like that! His videos are all also 5 minutes t0 10 minutes long. That's important! Attention spans are shortening, and your videos need to as well. People are coming to watch just a few minutes of your videos; they don't want 30 minutes videos anymore. If you still feel like you need more, set it up so you upload maybe 2 videos in a day at 10 minutes or less. That's what I'm currently doing, and it seems to be working.
7. BE ACTIVE IN YOUR COMMUNITY
If someone comments on your video, RESPOND BACK. Like NAO. Communication is SO huge right now, because it's what sets apart the professionals from the kids. You don't need to like, give them your age or name or location, but say Hi! or Thank you for the comment! or Oh, you liked it? Great, I'm glad! Right now, my community calls themselves Potato Buddies and they hang out in a skype chat. On my birthday, they all phoned my skype and sang to me- it was SUPER sweet. Things like this are super important! Hang out with them, find a way to maybe do videos with them. Without these commenters and viewers, we're not really a channel!
That's all I can think of right now. Hope this was helpful!
