Fun fact: YouTube is the second-almost visited website in the world behind Google—YouTube's parent visitor.

Fun proffer: Your make should accept a presence there.

The opportunity to reach your audience on YouTube is massive. It'southward the near popular social platform among U.Southward. adults, and well-nigh 75% of Americans apply the social video site, compared to the 69% who employ Facebook.

More than half of those users visit YouTube every unmarried twenty-four hour period. Wouldn't information technology be nice if they took a wait at your content while they were there?

Luckily, creating a YouTube account isn't hard. Creating a successful YouTube aqueduct is a little more work… but don't worry, nosotros've got you covered in that location, besides.

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How to create a new YouTube channel in 5 unproblematic steps

Making a successful YouTube channel starts with making a YouTube channel. Here's how to build your account.

Pace 1: Create a Google account

If you utilise Gmail, Google Maps, or Google Play, you probably already have a Google business relationship… so skip ahead to the next step.

If you lot're starting from scratch, caput here to sign up for a new Google account.

create Google account page

The proper name and email accost won't exist publicly linked to your brand, and then don't worry nearly keeping those on-message. This is just your key to arrive the YouTube door.

Step two: Create a YouTube account

With your Google account, you're automatically prepare up with a personal YouTube account. Only to use YouTube for your business, you'll desire to prepare up a Brand Account.

Just go to your YouTube business relationship folio, click Create a Channel, and so enter a name for your Make Account. You're in!

When you create a YouTube Make Account, you tin requite multiple people admin access and customize the proper name and appearance to match your brand.

Another cool thing almost Brand Accounts: they permit you to access YouTube Analytics, which offers super helpful insight about who's watching your videos and what content is pop. (Learn more in our post on how to use YouTube for marketing.)

YouTube account page create a channel

create a Brand Account

Pace three: Customize your YouTube channel

Time to make this sweet new social media profile your own.

In your channel dashboard, click Customize channel. Go through the three tabs — Layout, Branding and Basic Info — to enter information that will aid optimize your channel for audience discovery.

channel customization layout branding and basic info

When filling out this information, utilize descriptive keywords that volition help your account appear in searches.

Keywords can include your channel's topics, your industry, questions your content can answer or products featured.

Under Branding, y'all'll accept the opportunity to upload your channel art and icons to requite your channel a unique look. I that, ideally, aligns with your overall brand and visually connects this YouTube account with your other social media platforms and spider web presence.

branding profile picture and banner image

Nosotros've got some templates for YouTube aqueduct art correct here to become yous started.

Step 4: Upload your first YouTube video

Well, this is heady. You're on the cusp of condign a YouTube content creator! I'm non crying, you're crying.

To put your first video out into the world, hitting the Create push in the top-correct corner and follow the instructions.

upload YouTube video

Step v: Brand your YouTube channel discoverable

Like the erstwhile saying goes: If you lot have amazing content on YouTube but nobody sees it… what's the point?

To get views and subscribers, you'll desire to optimize your channel and videos for discovery. We've got a consummate guide to promoting your YouTube channel if you desire to swoop in deep. In the meantime, here'south the 30-second rundown:

Optimize video titles

Employ concise, descriptive titles that include Google-friendly keywords. Titles are the first thing users see, but they also help the search engine empathise what your videos are about. So brand certain all your titles are punchy and intriguing, but also clear and include keywords.

Optimize your YouTube description

It's important to exist clear, concise and descriptive here, also. Brand certain to forepart-load your keywords and add links to other playlists.

Some other good trick to use in video descriptions? Create a "table of contents" with timestamps to aid viewers find what they're looking for.

For more specific tips, check out our complete guide to writing a winning YouTube description.

Add tags (in moderation)

While it tin can exist tempting to load up this section with clickbaity tags, make sure to only include tags that are relevant to your content. Be honest, and choose quality over quantity. The goal is to reach viewers who are actually interested in content like yours.

Tags also help YouTube's algorithm understand what your content is nearly. Make certain to add a category or ii to help the search engine put your videos in front of the correct audience.

Cross-promote

Add a link to your YouTube channel on your other social profiles, website and email signature to let your existing fans know you're starting a video empire.

Understand the algorithm

If you oasis't already, now is the time to familiarize yourself with the YouTube algorithm. This AI determines non but search results, but recommendations for the all-important "what's up next" sidebar, also.

9 tips for starting a YouTube channel

1. Utilize eye-catching channel art and thumbnails

Your aqueduct art and thumbnails are your billboards, and then make an impression!

An effective thumbnail is clear and authentic, and works in tandem with the video's title. Just information technology also needs to stand out.

eye-catching thumbnails

Thumbnails are the style viewers decide what to picket when they're skimming through search results. This ways yous don't just need to communicate what your video is about. You need to stand out from the contest, too.

And a lot of the contest is… loud.

Evaluate what everyone else is doing, and try to swerve. For instance, cull a singled-out color palette, or get full-on minimalist to stand out in a sea of neon colors and Bear on font.

Experiment with our channel art templates here.

two. Cull the perfect channel icon

A channel icon is like a logo for your YouTube presence. It should match your make and complement your channel banner.

When picking an icon, follow YouTube's recommended paradigm dimensions to avert any stretching. Preview your channel on multiple devices to bank check everything looks good.

YouTuber J.J. McCullough uses a drawing caricature of himself as his logo to represent both his art and his personality.

J.J. McCullough cartoon caricature channel icon

iii. Create playlists

Organizing and creating video playlists on YouTube is the all-time fashion to keep your viewer on your page.

Not only do YouTube playlists organize your related content in one neat-and-tidy list, they as well auto-play. Once one video ends, the next begins… and so on. This minimizes the chances that a viewer will motility on to another channel.

Financial counsellor Max Mitchell, for instance, adds all of his TFSA videos to one playlist, so viewers tin can only sit back and learn about taxation-free savings accounts for hours on cease.

Max Mitchell TFSA essentials playlist

4. Create a channel trailer

When someone first comes across your aqueduct, a channel trailer is a fashion for them to get a sneak peek at your content. Amend brand information technology count.

Just similar the Hollywood hotshots get you lot hooked to see Avengers: Tokyo Migrate, you tin can requite your audience a gustation that leaves them wanting more than.

Presume the viewer is a perfect stranger, then introduce yourself and tell them exactly why they should subscribe. Keep it short, sweet and snappy: permit 'em know what your content is like and when they can expect new uploads, like Yoga with Adriene does on her channel.

5. Create swell content, consistently

This is going to audio very obvious, but we're going to say it anyway: Viewers want to sentry skilful videos.

Simply what makes a good YouTube video is a little different than, say, what makes a video that would wind a foreign film festival.

According to Search Engine Journal, successful YouTube videos have attention-grabbing intros and great branding, background music, and clear audio.

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Get the free guide right at present!

Calls to action are important likewise. Whether your goal is to drive your audition to your website, increment your subscriber count or spark a chat in the comments, the right CTA tin aid make that happen.

Like with all social media content, there'due south no perfect formula for a successful YouTube video. Some brands thrive with slick, highly produced content, while others gain traction by being raw, unfiltered and authentic.

Vanity Off-white's YouTube aqueduct is an inspiring one. It goes beyond what you might read in the mag's profiles and features videos of actors sharing everything they do in a day or taking a prevarication detector test.

Explore some ideas of engaging content from other social media platforms to inspire your experimentation.

half-dozen. Schedule your videos

Requite your videos the best chance to get in large by posting them at the right fourth dimension: when people are online and ready to watch them.

Your aqueduct analytics volition tell yous if there's a mean solar day of the week or specific fourth dimension that tends to go high viewership or appointment.

Once you've got that intel, you can publish regularly inside this time frame, with the assist of scheduling tools similar Hootsuite.

Learn more than nearly how to schedule YouTube videos.

seven. Understand your audience

It'southward hard to make compelling content if you don't know who you're making it for, so brand sure you've got a skilful sense of your audience persona before you swoop in.

Who are they? What do they like? (Why won't they call me?!)

In one case y'all've got a few videos nether your belt, see whether or not y'all're hitting the mark past diving into your YouTube Analytics. Common cold hard numbers volition tell you if, how and when your work of art is making an touch on.

channel analytics overivew

viii. Experiment with YouTube advertizement

If y'all're non getting the reach yous want with good ol' fashioned organic content, information technology might be fourth dimension to toss a few bucks behind a promo campaign.

YouTube ads are available in these four categories:

  • Skippable in-stream ads
  • Not-skippable in-stream ads (including bumper ads)
  • Video discovery ads (formerly known equally in-display ads)
  • Non-video ads (i.eastward., overlays and banners)

For more info on YouTube'due south ad formats and how to use them, cheque out our detailed guide to YouTube advertizement.

9. Ask viewers to subscribe

When someone subscribes to your channel (and hits that bell button), they get an alert when you put a new video out into the globe — so growing your subscriber base is the best mode to boost your organic attain.

There's a reason why "Don't forget to subscribe" is the sign-off of option for YouTubers big and pocket-size.

Of course, growing your subscriber count is easier said than done. For that reason, we take a full guide on how to get more YouTube subscribers.

Once you lot hitting 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours within the year, you'll be able to register as a YouTube partner and monetize your channel. Learn more about YouTube'southward Partner Programme here.

channel monetization YouTube partner program

This is just the tip of the iceberg for creating a successful YouTube channel. If you lot're interested in learning more than, check out our weblog post about how to get more than views on YouTube, 23 smart ways to promote your YouTube aqueduct, and how to become a YouTube marketing master.

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