How Do You Promote a YouTube Channel? Eight Ways (Archive, 2021)

Recorded in 2021 during Simon's s.media agency era — a team compilation with several s.media presenters. Published as part of a dated historical record; platform features described (swipe-up thresholds, tags) are as they stood in 2021.

Why does engaging with the community grow your channel?

Promoting your YouTube channel to get more views is actually a lot easier than you might think, and a great way to start is engaging with the YouTube community. YouTube isn't normally seen as a social network — it's often not even considered when people talk about social platforms — but it's a really social place, and you need to be engaging with your viewers. Any interaction is a positive signal to YouTube: liking comments on your videos, replying to them. It's a great signal to your audience too — they'll keep commenting because they get to interact with you, and it creates a personal experience that brings them back. Beyond the comments, use the community tab on your channel to post and interact in a more personal way.

What makes a headline worth clicking?

YouTube marketing is about standing out and competing for attention: is your content a must-see or a "meh"? The key to compelling headlines is grabbing attention without resorting to over-hype or click-bait. People are on YouTube to be entertained and want to know what your video is from the word go. Look at the big YouTube names for ideas. The approaches that work: simple questions, challenging opinions, putting "how to" in the title, or sneaking keywords in — "The Perfect Back Workout (Sets and Reps Included)", "10 Ways to Increase Your SEO Performance in 2021", "10 Reasons Why Your Ads Are Failing on YouTube". Give your title some thought and decide which keywords you want to rank for.

How should you use calls to action?

Have really clear CTAs — and that's not just "click the link below". Encourage people to comment, ask questions, like, share, subscribe — and drop those in all through your videos: at the start, during, at the end. For a short video you don't want to say them fifteen times, but in a longer video there's no problem reminding people a few times. Crucially, give them the reason why — the value they get: "subscribe to this channel to see more of X", "share this with your mates if they're into X too". CTAs build engagement, and you can build a narrative around them, which is one of their strongest features.

Where should you cross-link your channel?

Cross-linking is a fantastic, super-easy way to get your channel in front of as many people as possible. The obvious place is your website — top menu, social icons, or the footer; as long as it's there, somebody can find it. Then your social bios. Instagram only gives you one clickable link, in the bio — links in captions or comments don't work — so put it there, or use Linktree or Lnk.Bio to create a landing page holding multiple links (and at the time, over 10,000 followers unlocked the swipe-up link in stories). TikTok is similar — bio only — though it also lets you attach your Instagram and YouTube accounts directly to your profile, doubling your chances of being found. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter all allow clickable links in captions and comments, but put it in your bio or about section as well.

How do you find out what your audience actually wants?

You can't just put out any content on any topic. Get to know your audience by studying other creators and competitors: what are they talking about generally, and specifically which of their videos get the most views and engagement? Build a content strategy around that — but find your niche within it. Don't copy; take the topics your audience demonstrably wants and cover them in a way nobody else is. That's what makes you stand out.

How do you optimise for search?

YouTube videos show up in 70 per cent of the top 100 Google search results, and almost all queries have suggested videos on the front page — sometimes above the blogs, straight after the ads. YouTube is the second biggest search engine in the world, so treat every video like any other content that needs optimising. The best practices: keywords in your title and description; say the keywords in the video itself so the systems understand what it's about; ask for likes, comments and shares, because engagement feeds ranking; set the category so YouTube knows who to show it to; and add tags to reinforce the topic — it never hurts to add more relevant ones.

Why do playlists matter more as you grow?

Organising content into playlists is one of the best ways to help a channel grow. As you accumulate videos, it gets harder for people to find what they want to binge and enjoy. Categorising into playlists helps people navigate to exactly what they want, gives them a better experience — and Google rewards you for it. A good test: if you're starting to feel unsure about the number of videos you've got, your viewers are definitely struggling. Think about how you label and describe each playlist so it does what it says on the tin.

What makes a thumbnail earn the click?

Custom thumbnails make your channel look professional and credible. An eye-catching thumbnail grabs attention instantly — big text, colour, a striking image — rather than a random still from the video. Use different text from the video title, strong visuals, and plenty of colour that sticks to your brand guidelines so everything ties together and looks cohesive. Professional look, credible channel, more people through the door.