Are you struggling with getting views and growing subscribers on YouTube? There’s a lot of buzz surrounding YouTube. We see dozens of videos in our feeds daily talking about why we should create a YouTube channel, how to attract millions of views and followers, the best ways to monetize a channel and whatnot.
It’s all good to see the glitz and glam behind having a successful YouTube channel, but not every YouTuber is going to realize the dream of living the laptop lifestyle.
The bitter reality is that several factors weigh into making a channel so successful that it earns a living for its creator.
In this blog, I’ll go through 13 common mistakes new YouTubers make, how to hack the algorithm for explosive growth, actionable strategies that are working now, and a lot more.
How Does The YouTube Algorithm Work?
First things first. If you want to win big on YouTube, you need to figure out how its algorithms work. This will help you understand the key opportunities you can tap into and grow your channel by building an engaging audience. YouTube has two basic algorithms that work to match the users with the videos they are most likely interested in.
The first algorithm, that most users are aware of, is the ‘search’ algorithm. This comprises a set of rules and instructions designed to show videos a user is most interested in against a search query on the app. YouTube reads the keyword in the query and uses automation to find the best relevant results.
The second algorithm, though not quite obvious, is the ‘suggested videos’ algorithm. This algorithm uses the systems to find out the most relevant videos about the same topic a user is currently watching.
Let’s say a user is currently watching a vegan recipe video. This user will most likely get recommendations about vegan recipes for big families, vegan recipes for weight loss, vegan recipes for high protein, etc.
13 Common Mistakes New YouTubers Make
1. Not Choosing a Specific Niche
While it’s very tempting to go after every viral video and create one around that topic and theme, it simply doesn’t work. YouTube isn’t just a video-sharing social app, it’s the second-largest search engine after Google.
That means people come here to get their questions answered, find ideas, and learn valuable skills. The YouTube algorithm favors niche channels covering a specific topic or niche and covering that comprehensively.
It kills their efforts in two ways: one, they fail to attract a niche audience and build their authority, and two, they can’t get the attention of the algorithm and so their channels don’t grow.
2. Architect Content Strategy that Builds Authority
An Architect Content Strategy that Builds Authority is a plan to create and share valuable content that positions an architect or architecture firm as a trusted expert in their field. By consistently providing insightful and informative content, they establish themselves as a go-to resource for potential clients and industry peers.Here's how this strategy works:
Target Audience: First, the architect identifies their ideal clients and tailors the content to their specific needs and interests.
Content Variety: The strategy goes beyond just showcasing a portfolio. It involves a variety of content formats like blog articles, case studies highlighting past projects, e-books on design trends, or even videos showcasing the architectural process.
Expertise & Value: The core of this strategy is high-quality content that demonstrates the architect's knowledge and problem-solving skills. This could involve sharing insights on sustainable design practices, common challenges faced during construction, or innovative building materials.
Content Pillars & Distribution: The strategy organizes content around core themes (content pillars) with related, more specific pieces (cluster content) for better organization and SEO (Search Engine Optimization). This content is then distributed through various channels like the architect's website, social media platforms, or industry publications.
3. Optimize Your Videos For More Visibility
As we have seen above, two video recommendation algorithms on YouTube are used to match audiences with the most relevant videos they might love; the “search” algorithm and the “suggested videos” algorithm.
If you want to get the maximum visibility on the platform, you need to master both so that you reach more people on the app and grow your audience.
You should start with keyword research. What are the keywords your audience is searching on the app? You should use these keywords in all vital places - your video title, thumbnail, at the beginning of your video, and in the video description, etc. You should also use relevant keywords as tags when publishing a video.
This will tell the algorithm what your video is about and show it to the users most likely to be interested.
4. Design Click-worthy Thumbnails
YouTube video thumbnails are the first thing viewers see when they search for a term on the platform or scroll through their feeds. You have to hook their attention within a second and persuade them to click on the thumbnail and watch your video.
Being new on the app as creators, new YouTubers ignore the value of designing thumbnails that get clicks. The algorithm notices how many times users click your thumbnails versus how many times they have seen them.
If you get more clicks, your videos will be promoted higher on the search results as well as in the suggested videos - inevitably gaining more views, comments, and subscribers.
You can create winning thumbnails by using interesting or weird images, problem-solution based text in bold capital letters, or simply making big claims with the text (it should be backed by the video content, of course).
5. Boring Video Titles
Titles are one of the most vital components that help get more clicks on a video and attract more views. After the thumbnail, your video title is the next reason why users click and watch your video.
Using intriguing terms, facts, or niche-relevant keywords combined with big numbers are great click magnets that get clicks and drive views on your videos.
On the flip side, most YouTubers use boring and uninviting titles that don’t get the attention of users and they scroll through to the next video in line. This discourages the algorithm to push your videos in the search results and the suggested videos section, so, your videos lose rankings.
6. Inconsistent Publishing
Inconsistent publishing on YouTube refers to irregular or erratic posting schedules by content creators. Here’s why it matters and how to address it:
Viewer Trust: Consistent content calendars build viewer trust. Erratic publishing can confuse your audience and harm channel growth.
Algorithm Favorability: YouTube’s algorithm favors channels with reliable schedules. Regular uploads reinforce channel reliability and engagement.
Global Audience: If you have a global audience, consider different time zones when scheduling video publications.
Remember, maintaining a consistent posting schedule can positively impact your channel’s visibility and audience retentio
7. Clickbait Strategies to Get Clicks
This is a huge turn-off for your viewers and perhaps the biggest mistake new YouTubers make. Someone new to YouTube content creation is certainly looking to grow their channel as fast as possible.
So, what they do is they use fake claims on the thumbnail to entice more clicks and gain more views on their videos. While the video itself doesn’t support the claim, users feel utterly disappointed and cheated. They simply click ‘back’ to never come back again on your channel.
This does more bad than good. Since the YouTube algorithm notices that users are leaving your videos within a few seconds, your videos lose rankings and views, as a result.
Your channel loses credibility and appeal in the eyes of users as well as the algorithm - diminishing your chances to grow your channel and build an audience.
8. Falling To the ‘Perfectionism Trap’
YouTube refers to the tendency to obsess over creating flawless content, leading to negative consequences. Here’s how it manifests and how to avoid it:
Endless Refinement: Creators get stuck endlessly refining their videos, delaying publication due to perfectionist tendencies.
Diminished Output: The pursuit of perfection can reduce the frequency of video uploads, affecting channel growth.
Harsh Self-Criticism: Perfectionists often have an internal voice that belittles their work, leading to self-doubt and anxiety.
To escape this trap, focus on consistent output, embrace imperfections, and prioritize progress over perfection.
9. Publish More YouTube Shorts
If you are struggling to scale your channel with gaining views and attracting more subscribers, it’s time to embrace the latest YouTube content format - YouTube Shorts.
These are short vertical videos similar to TikTok videos that are getting insane reach and views on the app. A Statista study of 2022 showed that as of June 2022, 1.5 billion monthly active users were using the Shorts feature with an estimated 30 billion monthly views. That’s a lot of eyeballs, isn’t it?
With the exploding popularity of short videos on TikTok, leading social platforms have shifted their focus to this new content format king. Social users are spending more time watching short videos than on longer videos.
A few months ago, Google said that YouTube Shorts have crossed 50 billion daily views. While Shorts present a huge opportunity to massively grow the reach of videos, grow and engage the audience, and boost revenue, a sound majority of new content creators are not utilizing them. And to me, this is one of the deadliest mistakes they are making today.
10. Poor Video Quality on YouTube
Poor video quality on YouTube refers to videos that lack clarity, are visually unappealing, or have bad audio. This can significantly affect viewer experience and deter people from subscribing to your channel or watching more of your content.
Low Resolution: Videos that are not in high definition (HD) can appear blurry or pixelated.Poor Lighting: Insufficient or uneven lighting can make the video look dark or create harsh shadows.
Bad Sound Quality: Audio that is muffled, has background noise, or is difficult to hear.
Unclear Visuals: Out-of-focus shots, poor framing, and cluttered backgrounds can make videos look unprofessional.
To enhance your YouTube video quality and create a successful channel, consider the following steps:
Invest in Good Equipment: High-quality cameras, microphones, and lighting gear make a significant difference.
Learn Basic Editing: Familiarize yourself with video editing software. Cut unnecessary parts, add transitions, and improve overall flow.
Stabilize Your Camera: Use tripods or gimbals to avoid shaky footage. Stable visuals enhance viewer experience.
Focus on Lighting: Well-lit videos look more professional. Use natural light or invest in softbox lights.
Record Clear Audio: Invest in a good microphone. Bad sound quality can turn viewers away.
Remember, consistent effort in these areas will elevate your video content!
11. Not Having A Clear Goal In Mind
We have seen new content creators on YouTube making this mistake again and again. They start creating videos for their channel without having a clear goal in their heads. A YouTube channel might be geared toward generating leads for a local business, boosting online sales for a fashion retailer, or can be a source to generate revenue for an individual content creator.
Having concrete goals in mind helps architect content strategy accordingly and measure the KPIs (key performance indicators) to see if you are getting results or not. If you are not hitting your benchmarks, you may decide to pivot your content strategy and move closer to your goals.
12. Ignoring SEO
Not optimizing video titles, descriptions, and tags for search engines.Use relevant keywords, write compelling descriptions, and tag your videos appropriately to increase visibility.
13. Building A Team
When you are starting out on YouTube it’s fine to do everything yourself - video ideation, keyword research, script creation, video shooting, editing, creating thumbnails, and publishing.
As your channel grows, you will get more comments under your videos and you must respond to them if you really want to take off your channel. Why? This will keep the conversation going, build your credibility as an authority, and make you a real deal so that people can seek advice from you.
Your best chance to win is to outsource time-consuming jobs like video creation, editing, scriptwriting, etc, and focus 100% on research and other key business areas.
Building a team of professionals is key to scaling your channel, attracting more subscribers and views, and building a thriving brand on the platform.
Why Do Some YouTubers Fail?
Did you know that 95% of the people who start a YouTube channel quit after some time? You might wonder, why. Simply put, they lack the passion and drive to create content when they are not rewarded for it.
These are the people whose main goal is to make money off of their videos. If they don’t earn anything, it simply doesn’t make sense to them to continue with that.
Of course, there are other reasons like the ones we have covered above, but lacking the real passion for content creation and providing value is probably the most possible reason why so many people stop posting videos after some uploads or when they don’t see results after a couple of months of publishing on their channel.
Success on YouTube is not a few random videos away, it’s a long-term process that demands passion, commitment, and consistency.
Is It Hard To Be A Youtuber Now?
The short answer is, no it’s not. Becoming a YouTuber is perhaps one of the easiest things to do these days. But, becoming a content creator who is extremely successful is an entirely different story.
While anyone with a smartphone and internet connectivity can launch their YouTube channel, to appeal to an audience that admires you and engage with your videos, you need to bring forward something that’s uniquely yours.
There is no shortcut to YouTube's success. You need to have consistency, and authority and have to provide no fluff value that wins the hearts of the viewers. So, if you are someone looking to use the platform for growing your personal or business brand, YouTube might be the best thing that you will ever try.
How Do YouTubers Lose Subscribers?
One of the various reasons why YouTubers lose subscribers is that you might have a lot of fake or bot accounts following you. YouTube runs audit checks quite often, thereby removing suspicious accounts from your list of followers.
Another reason might be that your subscribers are facing viewer fatigue. After continuously watching videos on a channel for a long time, a viewer might lose interest over time for no reason at all. If you’re starting out your YouTube journey, bear in mind you might face the predicament more than once.
A lot of users unsubscribe as they don’t find your content of any value anymore. Let’s say you are teaching beginners to do Facebook marketing and grow a brand. After they have learned the basics, they need advanced strategies and tactics to scale further. Right?
What if your target audience is only beginners who need to get started? You will lose subscribers once they have gotten the basics and don’t find the advanced strategies on your channel.
Final Words
New YouTubers often face common pitfalls like inconsistent posting, poor video quality, and neglecting SEO. Avoid these mistakes by focusing on a clear niche, maintaining a regular schedule, improving video and audio quality, and engaging with your audience. By learning from these errors and prioritizing consistent, high-quality content, you can set your channel up for long-term success.