YouTube Secrets: The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Following and Making Money as a Video Influencer

by Sean Cannell

When you’re just starting out, think about which platforms you already use to connect with people.

Often, your target audience is made up of people just like you, people who share the same interests. That’s why the social media platforms you already use can be a great starting place, especially if you’re unsure of how to build your audience.

Learn how to tell your story and make it relevant for each platform. One big mistake many creators make is to create videos for YouTube and then simply upload the same exact video on every social media platform.

Spending just thirty minutes to study and learn about each platform might not seem like much, but it will place you in the top 10 percent of experts on those platforms. The fact of the matter is, few people take the time to really learn how social media works, and fewer keep up with the constant changes and newest strategies. Do this, and you’ll be well ahead of the curve.

create a simple content strategy for how you intend to make the most of them.

Always utilize hashtags for every post.

Frequently visit other influencers’ comments to engage with their audience. One of the best ways to find the tribes you want is by looking at the tribes of influencers who are like you. For value-added engagement, respond to comments, interact with their viewers, and answer questions.

Smart influencers use social media to grow and diversify their influence across multiple social media platforms.

don’t neglect strategically optimizing your videos for search if you want to build your influence.

Climbing the search rankings needs to be part of your ongoing growth strategy.

The three most important aspects of video SEO for YouTube are your title, your description, and the tags you add to your video. Get these right, and your videos will start climbing the ranks.

Discovery starts with figuring out what people search for. Once you know that, it will affect both the videos you create and the SEO for those videos.

Don’t cut corners on SEO, because you don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to get your videos listed in the suggested video list.

To incorporate discoverability into your overall video strategy, first research your video ideas to determine if there is widespread interest.

Google Keyword Planner.

Use this to help you come up with new video ideas you might not have considered or to tweak your existing ideas to better suit what people actually want to see. A

Strategically plan the optimization of your video before you press record. That way, you’ll be able to create the most relevant content possible for that exact search term.

SEO should be a priority from the moment you begin planning your channel. If you build it into the foundation of your channel, you will generate more traffic long-term.

Smart influencers don’t sit back and hope for results. They act intentionally in cultivating powerful relationships and pursuing collaborations.

collaborating is one of the fastest ways to grow your viewership, second only to viral video.

‘Collaborate with people that you can learn from.’

collaboration expands your network and leads to friendships and business relationships.

Don’t ever hesitate to reach out, even if you’re just starting. We forget most people like to help others, and it never hurts to ask. Asking doesn’t guarantee you’re going to get a yes, but not asking guarantees you never will.

We recommend checking with people once a quarter or twice a year.

Power Tip: The more people you reach out to for collaboration, the higher the chances of getting a yes.

The best way to collaborate with a larger or more successful YouTuber is to approach them with an interview request.

Power Tip: One of the biggest mistakes we see people make when reaching out for collaborations is only focusing on themselves. Don’t do this. Instead, position the “ask” based on how you can add value to the other person, not what’s in it for you.

Smart influencers jump on trends by incorporating them into their content or doing product reviews and monetizing them through affiliate marketing.

Anytime a trend hits popular culture, ask yourself, “How can I capitalize on this trend while staying on brand?”

Don’t forget that speed matters when it comes to trends. As soon as you see the opportunity, act fast so you can get your content out before the wave crashes.

Bonus Tip: To see what videos are trending on YouTube just go to youtube.com/trending. Who knows, you might discover a trend that you can leverage in your own content.

any major cultural event creates an opportunity for YouTubers to create relevant content as interest rises.

A great tool for tent-pole strategizing is Google trends (trends.google.com). This tool shows, with precise specificity, when the interest and search traffic begins, accelerates, peaks, and diminishes for holidays, cultural events, and trends of any kind.

Plan your tent-pole strategy far in advance and have a strategic content calendar to jump on trends and tent-poles as early as possible.

We’ve never met a super successful influencer who didn’t have a team, whether that means a personal assistant, a cameraman, a talent manager, or a full-on production studio. Your team is whoever supports you in building your YouTube channel, especially when you have other priorities that divide your time.

One of the biggest mistakes creators make is not to communicate a compelling and unifying vision with those closest to them.

If you’ve accrued a little money, you can consider outsourcing services like graphic design or closed-captioning.

Closed-captioning, or subtitling, your videos makes them viewable to a wider audience around the world and ensures they rank in YouTube searches.

Where in your life can you buy yourself more time to focus on what’s most important? First, list the priorities for your channel,

Second, list the tasks that you tend to procrastinate in doing. Now, compare the two lists and note which tasks appear on both of them. Look at the tasks that are ranked the highest. That’s where you need to start your outsourcing.

Most people, when they start making a little money, spend it on things and experiences. While that is great, if you are serious about scaling your business and brand on YouTube, we recommend investing your extra money by leveraging the skills of others to do more work than you could do on your own.

We also believe in having a winning circle of friends and mentors who help encourage you along the way.

When it comes to surrounding yourself with mentors, there are three levels to consider. First, you have access to mentors through content.

Second, you can attend conferences and industry events, surrounding yourself with like-minded people and expert speakers who will help you level up in every area.

Third, you can invest in coaching.

you must be highly intentional about surrounding yourself with a support system for every level of your journey toward success.

Often, what makes a channel unique comes from the personal experiences in a creator’s life. What are the life experiences, personal or professional relationships, or areas of expertise you can use to make your YouTube channel different?

For your channel, you want to combine the best practices of successful YouTubers along with some unique qualities of your own.

The world needs you to be fully you, so combine your experiences and personality quirks into something creative on YouTube.

Many YouTubers get into a rut, creating only one form of content over and over. They forget that every time they approach YouTube, they’re approaching a blank canvas. The only limitation for what they create upon that canvas is their own creativity.