We’ve heard time and time again from creators with
more than one million subscribers
that the most important first and next step is to make authentic, genuine content. All the tips, tricks and advice mean nothing if you aren’t making videos that attract viewers. Luckily, it isn’t hard to go back to the basics.
Everything is going to hinge on the idea, so brainstorm, discuss, debate, make lists, add and cross things off, until you come up with an idea you feel confident trying out. Then, try to think like a viewer. What draws you in about certain videos? What keeps you watching, subscribing and coming back for more? Consider what you’d want to see next if you were your audience and emulate what you like or what you wish you saw more of.
Carefully select thumbnails, descriptions and titles that are both accurate and engaging. This may take some experimentation ? whether it’s descriptive, mysterious or funny. If you’re a Shorts creator, make sure to grab your viewers’ attention in
the first couple seconds
. YouTube’s recommendation system is based on
several complex factors
, so instead of trying to “crack the code,” your first focus should be on creating great videos (and here are
some tools to get you started
).