Big Mistakes Small YouTube Channels Keep Making! Part 2

The struggle of small YouTubers is real! Last week I shared Part 1 of this blog – BIG MISTAKES small channels keep making that hurt their growth! This week we will continue with 5 more mistakes that once correct, will help your channel grow faster and stronger!

#1 Small or New Channels Copy Video Styles of Big YouTubers

Have you ever landed on the YouTube homepage or trending page just to see a video titled,” I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS HAPPENED???!!!” or “SHE SAID YES!!” in all caps? Usually, it is a vlog by a big YouTuber with often millions of subscribers. When you look at the views it is often in the millions as well. So, a small YouTuber or new YouTuber might think, “if those types of titles and videos get views, then I should get lots of views on that type of video.” Then, I can get the attention of more people to watch my video. 

Actually, those types of titles and videos don’t translate well for smaller YouTubers. What many small channels don’t realize is that the first videos of many YouTubers wasn’t a click-bait vlog that got thousands or millions of views. Mr. Beast’s first 100 videos were just gaming videos and videos talking about other YouTubers and his baseball card collection. If those YouTubers were to make a video with the title “I can’t believe this happened!!” in their first month, it probably wouldn’t even get 1% of the views it’s getting currently. 

The reason those types of videos get so many views is that those YouTubers have built up a following and their audience has developed an interest in their personal life. As mentioned in mistake #1, it is recommended to start out with videos that offer educational value or entertainment value and avoid click-bait titles and vlogs.

#2 Bad Audio and Bad Lighting

When a new YouTuber starts out making videos. Usually, their last concern is about the audio or lighting. Their biggest concern is recording the video. However, once you start to learn how you can make your videos better, often you may come across information about improving your lighting and audio. 

Audio Quality

When it comes to audio, if you are recording with your phone, the audio may not be too low if you are sitting within a few feet of the camera. However, the phone may also pick up background noise like a rattling AC unit or noisy fan. The solution is to take note of the environmental sounds in the area you plan to record in and either turn off anything noisy or get a mic that can pick up just the sounds you speak. 

Type of mics 

To pick up just the sound of your voice, a lav mic or a small mic attached to your phone to record your voice will work. Often times, these types of mics are designed to pick up sound in one direction and avoid sounds from other parts of the room. If you want to ensure that your audience hears you well, invest in some type of external mic and that will really take your setup quality to the next level. 

Lighting

Now, you don’t have to necessarily invest in lights in the beginning. When you are just starting out, look for the place in your house or apartment that receives the most natural light. This will be somewhere with a big window or a lot of windows. Having the natural light shine on your face will add excellent lighting to the video. 

If you are making videos at night, consider investing in some lighting to bring light to your face and remove harsh shadows that an overhead light casts on your face. Also, another reason why special lighting is important is that certain lights in your house may cause “banding” on your video. Banding is when lines start to roll across your screen. A popular light many YouTubers start with is a ring light. Make sure it has a dimmer to be able to adjust the brightness. 

#3 Bad Thumbnails and Bad Titles

Many amazing videos aren’t getting the attention and views they should be. This is simply because the creator didn’t take the time to make an attention-grabbing thumbnail and/or used a title that really doesn’t help a potential viewer know what the video is about, and it doesn’t include any keywords.

Bad Thumbnails

In a previous blog, I wrote about different apps that you can use to improve your thumbnails and you can read that article here. It is recommended to take a quick picture before or after you record your video, that way you will have a custom thumbnail ready and you can add words or a title to the thumbnail before publishing. As the video is uploading, I usually take this time to work on the thumbnail. If you are very serious about making amazing looking thumbnails, consider using Adobe Photoshop. Taking a few courses on Adobe Photoshop will help you make more engaging thumbnails and be able to do even more than the average thumbnail app. 

Bad Titles

When it comes to coming up with a title for your video, think of what people might be searching for to find that video. If they don’t know you or your channel, you need to be very specific. New YouTubers might have a recipe for cookies but use a title like, “Cook with Carmen – Episode #5 My Favorite Cookie Recipe!” 

Now, this title may seem deceivingly specific because it says “Cook with Carmen” and “Episode 5,” but these are not very helpful keywords to put in the title. If nobody knows who Carmen is and that she is doing several cooking episodes, they won’t know to type that exact phrase in search.

A better title would be,” Peanut Butter Chocolate Kiss Cookies – My favorite recipe!” The first part of the title contains the specific name of the type of cookie that she will be making in the video. People will be searching for that exact cookie recipe.

Now the second part of the title is not a keyword, but adds a personal element to the video title and gives the message that this recipe is delicious! It is optional to include the channel name in the title or Episode number. If people see the video, they automatically see the channel name. The Episode number doesn’t really matter because it isn’t a keyword, but if you want to leave it in, that’s ok too.

So when it comes to titles, consider making the first part of the title specific and with keywords of whatever the video is about. The second part of the title can be more emotional or personal. However, best practices are always changing and this may change over time, so stay up to date with all the latest youtube best practices. 

#4 Not Engaging With Your Audience is a Big Mistake

This is one of the biggest mistakes small YouTubers make, not engaging with their audience! So many times I see small YouTubers getting views on their videos and people are starting to leave comments. However, the creator hasn’t responded to any of the comments. 

Engagement and the Algorithm

One of the most important stats in YouTube Analytics and for the algorithm is how strong the engagement is for a channel and video. Engagement is any type of action a viewer takes on the video. This may include leaving a message or a thumbs-up. Thumbs down equally count as engagement and don’t hurt your video. No bad engagement here it all counts as engagement!

If you are a small channel, you may not have but a handful of comments or maybe none. But it’s important to take the time to respond to every comment and give it a heart. Even if the comment is unfriendly, you can say something like, “Thank you for watching and commenting on my video, I appreciate it!” Believe it or not, on some occasions a person who left a rude comment was surprised I responded kindly and apologized. Then they mentioned how they didn’t think I would read the comment. Then I was able to actually start a conversation with the viewer.  Plus more interaction with every comment increases your video’s overall engagement rate, which is great!

YouTube is looking to grow communities between creators and their viewers, so look for ways to build that connection. The stronger connection individuals have with the creator, the more likely they are to watch and even purchase something from you in the future. The seeds of engagement you plant now will reap a big harvest as your channel grows!

#5 Not Promoting Your Videos

The last and final big mistake small YouTubers make is not promoting their videos! Most new and small YouTubers record a video, upload it, and just wait for millions of people to find their video. However, that is not what usually happens.

Published Videos

Most of the time, even after the video has been publicly published, it is still somewhat hidden. Many people don’t know you, they aren’t subscribed to your channel and even if they are, YouTube doesn’t even notify all your subscribers when you get a video. Only some of them, then based on how much they watch, determine whether or not they will share it with more subscribers and suggest it in search. 

Get Busy Sharing Your Video

So, to get your channel out there, you need to do a little more legwork. Start by sharing the video on all social media platforms. Make Instagram stories about your video and encourage people to go watch it. Share a clip of the most interesting parts on social media and direct people if they want to watch the rest, to go to your youtube channel. You have to be the best advocate for your channel that you can be!

Also, many small channels aren’t aware that they can promote their channel! Here at Sprizzy, we specialize in promoting channels big or small, new or experienced on Youtube. If you want to get your message out there to your ideal audience, Sprizzy can make that happen! By promoting your YouTube video, you put your video in front of the eyes of the people who are most likely to watch and subscribe.

As always, let us know in the comments, have you been making any of these mistakes? What helped you the most?