How to Promote YouTube Channel Like an Expert for Free

YouTube is one of the most preferred marketing tools today. The video-sharing platform surpassed Facebook as the most visited site, opening up new avenues for YouTubers and video creators. 

Currently, over 23 million YouTube channels compete with each other for subscribers and viewers. Ranking your channel or making it popular is not an easy task, as most of you would know. That's why we thought of compiling the best ways to promote your YouTube channel free.

You can get your channel to appear in YouTube SERPs, and may even get a place in the related videos and recommendations. So what do you have to do?

Create an Attractive YouTube Channel

Spend time and effort to create a complete YouTube channel. If you are a business, it makes sense to create a YouTube brand account using your brand or company name. This will help you grow brand awareness and help your viewers to recognize your videos in an instant. 

Tips:

●    Upload a good channel icon (You can use your brand or company logo)
●    Include links to your website or social media accounts on YouTube channel banner
●    Create an intro video for your channel
●    Fill out all information accurately
●    Add applicable channel keywords
●    Allow permission for your channel to appear in other channel recommendations
●    Write a great channel description

Invest in YouTube SEO to Promote YouTube Channel Free

YouTube ranks your channels and videos based on a number of factors. The two most vital factors are-

●    Time spent watching a video
●    Overall time spent on YouTube

This means you need to attract the right viewers who are more likely to watch your video till the end. And you can do this by using the right keywords in your channel and videos. Now you must be wondering- how to find the right keywords?

You can try using-

●    Google Keyword Planner and similar tools
●    The Google search bar to discover most searched keywords
●    The YouTube search bar for suggestions on frequently searched keywords

We will now explore a few aspects you can optimize with keywords.

Promote YouTube Channel Free with the Right Keywords

After you identify the keywords, include them in your-

●    Video title
●    Video description
●    Video tags 

Tips:

●    Place the keyword in the beginning or within the first few words of the title
●    Use keywords 3 - 4 times in video and channel descriptions
●    You can include secondary or LSI keywords too

Don't Forget to Include Keywords in Video Script

YouTube can understand the content of your video by tracking what is being said. That means you should also include keywords in your scripts and speak them out during the video. This is also a good way of promoting your YouTube channel free.

Aim for Google SERP Ranking

YouTube videos have become a staple part of Google's SERPs. In fact, the search engine displays video results for a number of topics, like 'how-to' keywords. You already know how to find the most frequently searched keywords, so that won't be a problem.

After you find the keywords, use them on your videos and channels, wherever applicable.

Also, scroll down to the video results on Google and take note of the top videos. Try to find out-

●    The nature of content
●    The length of the videos
●    Titles, tags, and descriptions

Studying the above will give you an idea about the types of videos that Google favors. You can then proceed to create similar videos to rank on Google and get a steady stream of traffic to your channel.

Note: Video results change over time. So make sure the results have been stable for a while to actually generate traffic.

Create Attention-Grabbing Thumbnails

Let's say you get your videos to rank on Google SERPs. But what's the guarantee someone is going to click on it?

The responsibility of grabbing the attention of your viewers is on your shoulders. The best way to grab attention and advertise YouTube channel free is by creating an attention-grabbing thumbnail.

YouTube automatically selects a screenshot of your video and sets it up as the thumbnail. But the problem is, it may not be the best frame. YouTube may select a blurry shot or a frame where there is nothing but a building. Naturally, it doesn't look good, and viewers will likely click on other video results.

So create a good thumbnail that captures the essence or high points of the video. You can use free tools like Canva to create beautiful thumbnails. The technique also works for YouTube SERPs and encourages viewers to choose your video over others.

Few things to remember-

●    You can create your brand using thumbnails
●    Use similar color schemes, fonts, and details to create a sense of familiarity
●    Put something as the thumbnail that makes viewers click
●    A combination of 'must-click' title and appealing thumbnail is the best

YouTube Thumbnail Specifications

●    Use high-resolution images (at least 640p)
●    File size should be within 2 MB
●    16:9 is the best aspect ratio for various devices

Advertise YouTube Channel Free on Social Media

Social media platforms give you an easy way to advertise your YouTube channel free. You can share and promote music videos, product videos, walkthroughs, and more! Some social media platforms you can consider for free YouTube channel promotion include-

●    Facebook
●    Twitter
●    Instagram
●    Pinterest

If you already have some followers on social media, then you can direct traffic to your channel without any problem. Just share your videos and channel in your profile, groups, forums, and anywhere applicable. Just make sure the members in those groups or pages are the ideal audience for your videos.

You can also consider paid social media advertising if you are willing to spend some money!

Scatter Call to Actions Wherever You Can

YouTube viewers are familiar with call to actions. Most YouTubers ask their viewers to subscribe, like, and share their videos- a great way to promote YouTube channel for free!

You can ask your viewers to like your videos or hit the bell icon during the-

●    Video intro: Place your CTA within the first 3 -5 seconds of the video.
●    Video outro: Ask viewers to subscribe after the video ends. You can also link to your other videos and related content.

You can also appeal to your users to join your channel and like your videos in video descriptions.

Foster Collaboration with Other Channels 

Many YouTubers are joining hands to cross-promote their channels and bring in new viewers. You can collaborate with other creators and create videos together. This will enable you to take advantage of the viewers of your partner's channel, and vice versa.

Working with other creators can earn your channel social proof needed to persuade viewers to visit your channel. Just keep the following in mind-

●    Collaborate with a creator with a similar audience like yours
●    Try to create a mutually-benefiting relationship
●    Choose someone with the same level of influence
●    Create videos that provide value to the audience of both channels

Take Advantage of Video Series to Promote Your Channel

People tend to click on the next video if it's a part of a series. You can also increase your watch time and hope to get a better ranking in YouTube SERPs. Some think that producing a series is expensive, but you can shoot quality videos, even using an iPhone or GoPro. So you just need a good camera, and then nothing's stopping you!

You don't always have to think on the lines of Netflix when creating a series. Breaking a video into logical parts also works. People lose interest if a video is too long. So if you have a series, you can keep your viewers attracted for a longer duration. 

Let's say you are a vlogger and recently traveled to the mountainous country of Nepal. After editing and everything, you end up with one hour of video. You can easily create 4 episodes out of this one hour video and post on your channel.

Taking advantage of a series format is an easy way to promote my YouTube channel free.

How to Find an Appealing Topic for a Series

Most creators on YouTube follow a niche. So you should have an idea what resonates with your audience. You can also take the help of YouTube Analytics and look for hints. Just Googling keywords or searching on YouTube also helps, and we have already told you how to do that. You can use the same keyword research approach here too.

Tips:

●    Pick a popular niche or topic for most views and subscribers
●    Use YouTube Analytics or keyword research tools
●    Create a compelling script
●    Rehearse and shoot
●    Release sneak previews or trailers before launching the series to generate curiosity and viewer interest

Add Videos to Playlists for More Views

Adding your videos to a playlist can also increase your views. A video can appear on multiple playlists, helping you attract more viewers and increase your session time.

You can also add videos from other channels in your playlists. If a viewer follows your video to watch something, it ultimately increases the session length. That way, your videos can achieve a better ranking. 

Playlists also allow you to categorize your videos based on a topic or trend. When you have more videos, playlists help viewers navigate and discover your content. 

Tips:

●    Add your videos to relevant playlists
●    Add a video to at least 3 playlists
●    Use the end screen of your videos to direct viewers to related videos

Promote Videos on YouTube Stories and YouTube Community

YouTubers who have more than 10,000 subscribers can go for YouTube channel promotion free through stories. These small videos last for 7 days and can help you attract views and subscribers. You can promote your videos just like Instagram stories if you have the required number of subscribers. 

The YouTube Community tab is also great for YouTube channel advertising free. Selected creators can interact with their audience by uploading content and media to increase engagement rates. The YouTube community is big, and some of them may become subscribers of your channel. 

Come Up with Innovative Ways of Engagement

You should engage your subscribers from time to time through innovative ways. You can conduct a poll and ask viewers to leave their choice in the comments. You may also run contests and give some prize to the winners. 

For instance, if you are a painter, you can conduct a sketching contest. Create video inviting viewers, tell them what to do, and select the best entries- all on video. You can also create a playlist of the contest so that people don't have to search around. 

This will also increase views and also give you some more subscribers.

Wrapping Up

So how to promote your YouTube channel for free?

First, you should know what your audience likes and do a keyword research. Then follow our tips to make your channel one of the best that attracts hundreds and thousands of subscribers. You can also take the help of YouTube promotion services like Viboom to increase views and subscriptions authentically. 

You can promote your videos and get original views by using the Viboom network. The solution also lets you advertise your channel for a broader reach and more subscribers. You can use custom text and call to actions, share buttons, and write additional descriptions. So if you want to save the work and time for assured results, give Viboom a try!