YouTube Content Ideas: How to Get More Subscribers for Your YouTube Channel

Last year, the number of YouTube channels with more than a million subscribers grew by 65%. That’s a lot of brands on the up and up—but you don’t have to hit a million to find success.

How do you make more and more people want to subscribe to your YouTube channel? The key is top-notch content. Here are YouTube content ideas to bring your channel toward success, plus YouTube best practices to keep in your back pocket while you create awesome videos.

What We’ll Cover:

• Brainstorming YouTube Content Ideas
• Best Practices for Recording YouTube Videos
• Pro-Tips to Make Your Content Stand Out 

How to Brainstorm YouTube Content Ideas

Find Your Niche

Entrepreneurship and content marketing have something in common: Niching down can help you succeed in both.

Just take a look at Thrasher’s French Fries, a boardwalk legacy that only sells french fries (and boy, are they good at what they do). They’re so popular that they had to buy a stand directly across the street from the original location because the line was getting too long.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Thrasher’s® Fries 🍟 (@thrashersfries)

Now think about this in terms of content. While your own brand may not be so narrow, honing in on content for your YouTube channel is a good idea.

It’s not the only way, but finding a niche—and sticking to it—can bring your YouTube content ideas to life.

According to YouTube, “Making videos for very specific audiences can help give structure to your videos and make it easier to build that connection with your fans.”

Finding the right niche takes thoughtful planning and analysis. Who’s your ideal audience, and what kind of content will you need to publish in order to attract them? You may be somewhere between Post 10, a YouTuber who records himself enthusiastically draining floods, and Option Alpha, a channel dedicated to all things options trading.

Establish a YouTube Creative Strategy

You’ll also want to look at your YouTube creative strategy from a broader lens.

This will not only help you brainstorm YouTube content ideas but find the right ideas to run with.

The best YouTubers layout 10 fundamentals that they keep in mind when creating their strategy. Use this list as a checklist to make sure all your ideas cover these key points:

1. Shareability (the video makes people want to share it)
2. Conversation (the video sparks conversation)
3. Interactivity (the video calls people to do something)
4. Consistency (with your brand, voice and aesthetic)
5. Targeting (you’re reaching for the same audience)
6. Sustainability (the content will last)
7. Discoverability (the content will be discovered)
8. Accessibility (you have closed captions, text descriptions, translations, etc.)
9. Collaboration (you’re including collaborative content when you can)
10. Inspiration (you’re inspiring action or beliefs)

All the while, make sure you’re coming up with ideas that are repeatable. One-off videos are great, but YouTubers tend to see a drop off in views shortly after publishing that video. Creating videos as part of a series ensures continued viewership and increased popularity, ultimately leading to more subscribers.

If you have found your niche but are having trouble generating content ideas, don’t forget about SEO. Keywords can be a pathway to content generation for your channel.

RELATED: What is YouTube Keyword Research? Do I Need it?

Best Practices for Recording Content

As you prepare and record your content, keep these 5 YouTube best practices in mind:

1. Write a script ahead of time.

Trust me. You’ll want to know what you’re saying before the camera starts recording. Reading from a script lets you speak naturally but authoritatively. Even an outline is fine.

2. Stage a background.

I’m not talking about wonky Zoom backgrounds here. If you’re recording a live-action video (rather than a voiceover, illustration or cartoon), it’s important to stage a room or shoot on location for maximum viewership.

3. Invest in audio and lighting equipment that’s within your budget.

There are so many options for audio and lighting equipment that they hit pretty much every price range. Find what works for your budget and research the product thoroughly before purchasing to make sure it’ll improve your existing quality.

4. If you’re interviewing someone, practice your listening skills.

Webinars and other interview-based videos require a two-way conversation. You may be asking questions while the subject answers them. Oftentimes, people have a tendency to interject with filler words to show agreement, so practice a quiet gesture or nod instead.

You’d be surprised just how much this can make a difference in the quality of your subject’s responses and the recording overall.

5. Consider recording your series in a template format.

You can follow a similar structure with each episode or video in a series. Start with a brand-specific intro and move into the pattern that works for your content. You’re probably familiar with this strategy when you watch your favorite TV shows or listen to your favorite podcasts. Even the most spontaneous people love consistency in their media!

Pro Tips to Make Your Content Stand Out

You don’t need an expensive setup to record the best content. Today’s mobile phones have serious camera setups (just take a look at the latest iPhones with what feels like a whole slew of camera lenses).

When shooting on mobile, make sure you have tons of great lighting and a steady surface (like a stabilizer if you’re moving around, or a tripod if you’re staying still).

Stay close to the built-in mic or invest in an external mic for better audio.

Then there’s your personality…

Don’t be afraid to show the faces and personalities behind your brand. Go behind the scenes or use vlog-like content that makes you relatable.

The first-ever video posted on YouTube was basically a vlog of someone talking into the camera while at the zoo. These kinds of videos have made audiences come together for decades.

Check out this 2005 video of YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim for evidence:

We can’t all be like Jawed with nearly 2 million subscribers, but you get the gist.

You can also take advantage of YouTube’s Collaborative Playlist feature to get more reach on the platform. Form a partnership with fellow brands or influencers for double the reach.

Finally, if you need help getting your list of YouTube content ideas off the ground, focus on question words. Words like what, why, who, where, do, when, which and how are great ways to start gathering ideas before transforming them into final video titles.

Bottom Line: Bring in the YouTube Subscribers

Niching down, focusing on playlists and making sure your YouTube content ideas fall under the video fundamentals is a surefire way to build a gung-ho strategy. As long as you’re employing best practices for recording content and following all the pro tips you can muster, you’re bound to entice subscribers to click that red button.

My agency has been building its YouTube presence for a handful of years now and has a healthy 50,000+ subscribers. Check out our ongoing content series, like breaking digital marketing news and SEO training, for a look at what it takes to build an awesome YouTube community.

As for how to create content for YouTube on your own, follow these tips and you’re sure to find success.