So you started a YouTube channel. Whether you’re just embarking on your content creation journey, or you’re a seasoned creator branching out into the video platform, getting 1,000 subscribers should be your first big milestone.
Having 1,000 subscribers is essential to becoming eligible for all monetization options in the YouTube Partner Program, including earning ad revenue. Hitting that subscriber count and a minimum amount of watch time (4,000 watch hours of long-form videos in the last 12 months, or 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days) will allow you to take your YouTube channel from a hobby to a legitimate side hustle, or even a full-fledged content creation career.
Read on for 15 effective ways to get your first 1,000 YouTube subscribers.
15 tips for getting your first 1,000 YouTube subscribers
1. Create videos about your expertise or passion
Having a passion means you have at least some knowledge about a given topic, and that expertise is something that audiences want access to.
According to Jay Clouse, founder of Creator Science, creating content on something you’re knowledgeable about is a great place to start: “In an ideal world, you have some type of earned insight that you can leverage. Something that you have uniquely discovered and identified through experience.”
However, it’s okay if you’re not an expert when you start your YouTube channel. Clouse says that you can position yourself as a beginner who’s excited to learn about something and share that process with your viewers: “Say I’m really interested in this problem, and I’m going to be investigating it. Along the way, I’m going to share what I’m learning [in my content].”
2. Publish new videos regularly
Too often, creators get excited about a platform, publish a bunch of content early on, and get discouraged when they don’t immediately get a ton of subscribers. But remember this: few YouTubers are overnight successes. Your subscriber count grows when you consistently upload new videos.
So, how often should you be posting new videos? Depends on who you ask, but a good rule of thumb is to post at least once a week — or two to three times if possible — if you want to see some quick results.
Publishing frequently will give you a robust backlog of videos in just a few months. It’ll also allow you to experiment with your content.
3. Experiment with different types of videos
When your channel is still under 1,000 subscribers, you haven’t really found your audience yet. Just because you started out making a certain type of video doesn’t mean that’s the kind of video that’ll bring you success. As you’re building your YouTube channel, you’ll need to test out different content to see what sticks.
These early stages are the best time to experiment, because the risk is so low. You have the luxury of trying whatever you want, so have fun with it!
While video formats such as tutorials, reaction videos, and listicle-style videos are popular, you can also explore other types of content. Go beyond your comfort zone, and you might land on the kind of video that skyrockets your channel’s growth.
4. Add YouTube Shorts to your content strategy
Even if you specialize in long-form content, there are a few good reasons why you should make YouTube Shorts part of your overall strategy:
- Shorts use a different algorithm: The Shorts algorithm isn’t the same as that of long-form videos, meaning they can reach potential subscribers without hurting your channel’s long-form content.
- Shorts encourage experimentation: Because you just need your phone and a couple of minutes to film and edit them, Shorts are a great way to experiment with new kinds of content and new topics.
- Shorts are great for discoverability: The Shorts feed has an infinitely scrolling feed that shows content viewers aren’t necessarily subscribed to. Creating Shorts will put your content in front of more eyes and increase your chances of reaching new subscribers.
5. Introduce opportunities to subscribe to your channel wherever you can
Seems pretty obvious, right? But you’d be surprised how many YouTubers don’t make the most of a video’s descriptions or the content itself.
If you want to drive up your subscriber count, insert multiple opportunities in your content for a viewer to hit subscribe. Don’t throw it up in their face every few seconds, but include a link to subscribe in your video’s description, say it out loud (“Don’t forget to like and subscribe!”), and add a subscribe button in the video itself.
Here’s how you can add that button to your videos:
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- Select Customization from the left menu, then tap Branding.
- Select the display time of your video watermark — choose between the entire video, the end of the video, or a custom start time.
- Click Change and upload an image for your video watermark, then click Done and Publish.
6. Optimize your videos for search with SEO
SEO (search engine optimization) refers to practices marketers use to get their content to rank higher in search engines. Usually, that means tweaking blog posts and web pages so they perform well for Google Search, but you can do the same for your YouTube videos.
Here are a few simple tricks you can use:
- Find keywords that reflect the content you create. Researching other creators in your niche is a good place to start.
- Include those keywords in your video titles and descriptions.
- Add tags that describe what your videos are about.
- Write detailed descriptions summarizing your videos’ content.
7. Review your videos’ performance in YouTube Analytics
With YouTube Analytics, you can see which of your videos perform best and what your current subscribers enjoy, allowing you to adjust your strategy as needed.
So after posting a string of videos, don’t forget to check in on your analytics. Over time, you’ll start noticing trends you can capitalize on to bring in more subscribers. Here are just a few metrics you should pay close attention to:
- Impressions click-through rate: How many people click to watch your video after seeing it on the homepage, in their recommendations, or on trending.
- Average view duration: The amount of time viewers spent watching all your videos divided by the number of times your videos were played.
- Audience retention: This helpful graph will show you when your viewers stop watching your videos. This can help you spot issues like overly long intros and poorly-timed sponsorships.
There are a ton of metrics in YouTube Analytics, but starting with these three will help you create better videos without getting lost in the numbers.
8. Make more of the content your audience loves
When you’ve got a grip on your YouTube Analytics, you start to get a feel for which videos your audience loves most. So what do you do with this information?
First, learn everything you can about those top performers. If you have a video that goes absolutely viral, watch it through a few times. What is it about that video in particular that made it so attractive? Did you jump on a trend and nail it? Was there some stylistic choice that made it stand out? Maybe a particular topic really resonated with your audience?
Whatever it was, try to do more of it. Find new angles to explore that topic, use the same style, or even start looking for a new trend to jump on.
9. Learn what you can from less successful videos
Your best videos aren’t the only ones you can learn from. Look through content that hasn’t brought in as many views.
Did you make any choices that could explain why it didn’t perform well? Maybe your video descriptions need improvement on the SEO side? It could even just be that your titles and thumbnails need work.
Regularly put some time aside — maybe once a month — to go through these videos and see if they have anything in common. That’s a sure sign there’s something to learn!
10. Ask for your audience’s suggestions in the comments
The audience you have right now — even if it’s just a few people — can be a huge help when you’re trying to gain more subscribers. After all, if you’ve already brought in a few people who enjoy your content, who better to tell you what you should be creating next?
Asking for suggestions in the comments section is especially helpful when your audience is still small because you can read every single comment and find great ideas. If you create content from your audience’s requests, you’re bound to attract more viewers like them.
11. Upload a trailer to your YouTube channel
What’s one of the first things people do when they see a YouTube video they like? They usually check out the channel to see what it’s all about. A channel trailer gives viewers a quick glimpse of the kind of content you create, without having to scroll through every single one of your videos.
The trailer plays automatically when potential subscribers land on your channel, which means it’s an easy way to hook them in and get them to click that subscribe button.
12. Find the perfect time to post on YouTube
Do you know when you should be posting on YouTube? While there’s no secret trick that’ll instantly get you 1,000 subscribers, there’s a simple strategy to getting your videos in front of as many people as possible: publish them when your audience is most active on YouTube.
Depending on your niche and target audience, your videos will perform better at different times of day (and different days of the week). So how do you figure out the right time to post?
Check your analytics on YouTube Studio. As long as you have enough views, you can find a chart under the Audience tab that shows you when your audience is usually on YouTube.
If you are just starting your YouTube channel and don’t have access to this data, don’t worry. Start by posting between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. (i.e. one of the best windows to post according to research by HubSpot) and see how your videos do. That’ll give you some data you can use to adjust your strategy, whether that means posting in the same window or at a different time.
13. Test and compare thumbnails
90% of the best-performing YouTube videos have a custom thumbnail. It’s the first thing people see — yes, even before your carefully crafted title — and a big part of why they click. But you don’t need to have it all figured out before you publish your video. You can test multiple thumbnails at once, even after your video’s been published, to see which one works best.
Just go into Youtube Studio, pick a video you want to test for, and hit Test and compare under Thumbnail.
By testing your thumbnails, you can figure out which ones bring in more views for you and, ultimately, more subscribers.
14. Promote your YouTube channel on other platforms
Few content creators stick to a single platform. While YouTube has some of the best monetization options around, it might not be the best place to build an audience for all creators. Visual artists and photographers, for example, might do better on Instagram, while TikTok has been a great place to grow for dancers and beauty bloggers.
If you already have a presence on these other platforms, try promoting your YouTube content there and add a link to your YouTube channel in your bio. If you don’t, try seeing if you can create content there that can bring in a decent following — then funnel them over to YouTube.
15. Collaborate with other creators
When you collaborate with other creators, you share each others’ audiences for the duration of your collab. Typically, you’d participate in a video on the other creator’s channel, and they’d appear in one of yours — with some cross-promotion to go along with them.
Since you’re just starting out, reach out to creators who are around the same level as you. While working with a bigger creator would have more of an impact on your channel, they’re not as likely to agree to a collab.
Can you monetize on YouTube without 1,000 subscribers?
For most of YouTube’s history, creators needed at least 1,000 subscribers to access any monetization options of the YouTube Partner Program. This can be a long uphill climb for many creators — especially beginner and part-time creators making more niche content.
That’s why YouTube has a more accessible tier, allowing creators to get early access to some of its monetization features. With this expanded YouTube Partner Program, you’ll only need 500 subscribers (and either 3,000 public watch hours or 3 million public Shorts views) to be eligible.
Note, however, that there are some limitations to this lower tier of the YouTube Partner Program. It doesn’t give you access to all monetization options, including ad revenue sharing. You can only use YouTube’s fan funding features (i.e. channel memberships, Super Thanks, Super Chat, and Super Stickers) and YouTube Shopping (strictly promoting your own products).
One more thing to keep in mind: this expanded tier is only available in some regions. Here’s the full list.
Ready to make money on YouTube?
Hitting 1,000 subscribers is one of the first big milestones for any YouTube creator. It not only shows that your content has legs, but it’s also the first step for monetizing on YouTube. Make sure to keep publishing videos consistently, listen to your audience, and give viewers every chance to subscribe to your channel. Stick with it, and you’ll get 1,000 subscribers in no time.
Want more tips for making money on YouTube? Check out our YouTube Shorts Monetization Guide to learn how you can start earning with short-form videos.
FAQ: Getting to 1,000 YouTube subscribers
What happens when you get 1,000 YouTube subscribers?
When your channel hits 1,000 subscribers, you become eligible for the YouTube Partner Program — as long as you’ve also had either 4,000 public watch hours or 10 million Shorts views. With this eligibility comes a whole slew of monetization options:
- Ad revenue sharing
- Channel memberships
- Super Chat and Super Stickers
- Super Thanks
- YouTube Shopping
- YouTube Premium
Learn more about YouTube’s monetization features.
How much does YouTube pay for 1,000 subscribers?
How much you earn in ad revenue from YouTube depends on a number of factors, including your channel’s niche, your subscriber count, your audience demographics, and your videos’ engagement rate. According to vidIQ, the average RPM (revenue per mille, i.e. how much you earn per 1,000 views) is under $9.
Use our YouTube Money Calculator to estimate how much you can earn from your channel.
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Further reading
- YouTube Monetization Requirements: How to Monetize Your Videos
- What Is the Best Time to Post on YouTube?
- YouTube Shorts Monetization: How To Start Earning (Even Without 1,000 Subscribers)
- YouTube Money Calculator: Estimate How Much You Can Make on YouTube
- How To Create a YouTube Business Plan (+ Free Templates)
