YouTube is simply one of the most exciting and accessible video-sharing social media sites out there, and it also happens to be the biggest.
Over the past few years, content creation has had a surprising surge in popularity as a career option for all types of people.
YouTube has even launched its very own premium entertainment subscription service which removes ads and grants access to a library of original content exclusive to the platform.
On the creator side of things, as long as you have a YouTube account, which is wrapped up into your Google account, you can subscribe to different channels, create video playlists, and even post your own content.
But chances are if you found this article, you've already tried posting content to YouTube or you've been seriously considering it recently.
In either of those situations, you could very well be asking, 'How LONG does it take to get noticed on YouTube?'
It's an important question to ask, and while the answer can vary pretty wildly depending on your specific situation, we will try to answer it as best we can.
We will also be offering a number of important tips for growing your YouTube channel (which can apply to any social media network) and standing out from the ocean of competition on the platform today.
Let's start by trying to answer that central question: how long will it take for your YouTube videos and channel to get noticed by a lot more people and maybe even by YouTube itself?
As we said above, there's no single answer here. Since everyone's content is inherently different, there's no telling how long it will take to gain more traction with your channel.
For example, if you've only posted three videos so far by each has earned more than 5,000 views, you could easily see your channel grow quite quickly, attracting new subscribers thanks to the algorithm promoting your work.
But a more likely situation is when you post all kinds of content and you still only get a handful of views on each one. You might have 12 subscribers or you might have 500. Either way, YouTube will be less likely to promote your work as compared to videos from huge, pre-established channels.
Assuming you post quality content on a regular basis and your subscriber count has been steadily rising, it could take anywhere between a few months and a few years for your channel to really take off.
Here's some really good news: the more subscribers you earn, the better your chances are of those subscribers promoting your work to others. There's also a much better chance that YouTube will start showing your videos to more people, thereby increasing what's called discoverability.
If you feel that your YouTube presence isn't catching on as quickly as you'd hoped, we have a handful of tips that will help you grow your channel and find new ways to delight your viewers.
This is one of the most important tips we can offer, and that's because it has a direct impact on how YouTube's algorithm views your content, and more importantly, it can determine how that algorithm decides to promote or not promote your work.
When you post a video to your YouTube channel, those first 48 hours are extremely important for the health of that video and for the overall long-term success of your channel.
YouTube essentially uses this short period of time to gauge the level of excitement and engagement around your video.
Views aren't the only important factor here, but they're definitely still important. If a brand new video gets thousands of views in just a day, then YouTube will take this to mean that the video potentially has a very wide audience, and so it promotes the video to people not already familiar with your channel.
But on the other hand, if that new video only gets three views within the first couple of days, YouTube will decide that it's not worth promoting the video and simply won't show it to anyone. You can imagine how this negatively affects your channel.
Evergreen content refers to videos that stay relevant over a long period of time, as opposed to videos that will only be relevant for a short time.
An example of a video that's not evergreen would be one that covers the breaking news of the day. That video will most likely only stay relevant for a day or two before no one has an interest in watching it.
But evergreen videos that offer pure entertainment or advice that's valuable at all times will have a much better chance of getting more views in the future.
The great thing about evergreen content is that you may suddenly find your videos getting viewed months or even years after their initial production. This is because the viewership can change with people's collective interests.
For example, if you have a channel (about Chess, Bitcoin, or whatever)—try to focus on aspects that will stay the same for years so that when there is a peak interest in these topics (usually triggered by something in the news or the culture) then your channel will be in a position to capitalize on these potential viewers.
If possible, make all of your YouTube content evergreen so that, even if each video doesn't bring in too many views right away, there's a chance that more people will find it in the future.
Collaborations are a great promotion strategy, not just for YouTubers but for musicians and artists as well.
Maybe you know some other YouTubers who already have lots of subscribers, or maybe you'd like to reach out to bigger YouTubers and ask them if they'd be interested in collaborating.
If you can manage to work on a project with someone who already has a dedicated fanbase, then you're much more likely to gain some new subscribers of your own.
No matter how many subscribers you already have, this community of followers can be an excellent resource for determining how you should change your channel, if at all.
You can hold Q&A sessions with your subscribers if you like, or you can even set up an email address where viewers can send in suggestions for future videos.
At the very least, you can invite viewers to leave comments under each video to offer their feedback and to learn what they liked and what they didn't like.
You don't need to take every single suggestion you receive, but listening to your subscribers can be a huge help to your channel both now and in the future.
