Seeing no growth in your YouTube channel? Puzzled why nobody is subscribing to your channel? And the view numbers don't seem to be increasing?
If you have published a handful of videos or have put out tens of hundreds of videos and still struggle with gaining new subscribers and the view counts stay low and you are stuck, wondering if you should continue, then bookmark this article.
Learn the 9 reasons why your channel is not growing and what you can do to rectify this situation and get your channel on the growth trajectory.
Understanding the YouTube algorithm
YouTube wants to keep viewers on the platform as long as possible - if given a choice, that's probably 24/7.
They want viewers to binge watch and move on from one video to the next, from one channel to another.
I mean, it's great for them because more viewers means more opportunities to run ads to show them and that also means they can offer advertisers more options to run advertising campaigns.
Now you know what YouTube is looking for, let's diagnose of what could be wrong with your channel.
Inconsistent video creation
Building a successful YouTube channel requires commitment.
Commitment with a capital "C".
Regularly publishing high-quality videos is crucial for attracting and retaining viewers.
What do I mean by "regular"?
It does not mean you have to jump onto the wave of daily uploads as it can lead to burnout, especially for beginners.
At the start, our goal is consistency.
Uploading at least once a week is ideal for new channels with minimal viewership (think under 500 views).
Long breaks between uploads (weeks or months) reset your momentum and force you to rebuild when you finally post again.
Viewers crave fresh content and will unsubscribe if they lose interest due to long gaps between videos. If video production feels overwhelming, consider creating shorter videos (3-5 minutes) to build momentum before tackling longer projects.
However, if you are not prepared to commit, don't even bother to start.
If you keep starting and stopping, your channel will have no chance to grow at all.
Be committed.
Draw out a plan that involves deciding on your topic ideas, outlining your content, recording, editing (if needed), publish date and promotion schedule.
And stick to it.
Not having a niche
I highly recommend any channel that has less than 10,000 subscribers to have a proper niche.
That means when you introduce your channel, there is a main theme around the videos you produce. Because that helps the algorithm to promote your videos to specific groups of viewers if you have a umbrella topic.
Typically viewers who are keen in one video under that umbrella topic, they are more likely to subscribe and watch more of the same content!
If your channel talks about anything under the sun, it will be extremely difficult for YouTube to figure out who would be most interested in your videos.
If it's challenging to figure it out, your videos would less likely be promoted to new viewers on the platform. Because YouTube wants viewers to stay as long as possible on the channel, so they are always recommending new content to keep them logged in.
If YouTube deems that your videos have a lower chance to intrigue new viewers, obviously your videos would be less promoted.
What does it mean by having a niche?
For example, you have a productivity channel - so everything on your channel relates to sharing how to be effective in what you do, how to manage time or how to organize your time or specifically your life to achieve the goals you want.
Or for instance, you are a migrant who have moved to a new country and you discover new interesting things in the new country and you compare the cultural difference. YouTube would likely promote your channel to people who are interested in cultural differences or who have moved countries.
So what does it mean by not having a niche?
If your channel talks about taking walks in nature this week, discussing about a book you've read next week and sharing about your dating life in the week after next, it's going to be a pretty long journey for your channel.
The topics are not related to one another at all, it's going to be pretty difficult to sell and promote your channel.
Identify the niche of your channel - the one theme - and create content around them.
This poses the highest chance of promoting your channel and growing your viewership.
Poor audio quality
Once you've addressed the niche and consistency issues, the next thing I want to focus on is ensuring the quality of the video.
One of the most important elements of an engaging video is having high quality audio that enables viewers to hear your content clearly without distractions nor disturbances. The lower the quality of the audio, this decreases the understandability of the content.
Viewers would struggle with comprehending the conveyed message, leading to viewer frustration and disinterest.
You don't need the best audio equipment for your videos when you are starting out. But a clear basic microphone like a lavalier microphone can be connected to your iPhone to provide that basic audio quality.
Record in a quiet room instead of the outdoors unless you are in a outdoor area without external environmental loud noises.
In general, it's easier to manage the audio quality when you are indoors unless you have gained sufficient audio editing skills to ensure the recordings stay audible.
Video titles without keyword research
Keyword research is one of my primary strategy that I employed when starting out with my channel. The competition was very strong and videos I created never stood a chance against the established big players in the field.
The only one that helped me steadily grew towards the 1000-mark was my keyword research.
I used TubeBuddy to locate the gap in the market - topics where people were actively searching for but the number of videos created was minimal to zero.
It's all about supply and demand. If there was a demand in a topic that nobody was supplying, then I would create that video.
This meant looking for keywords that had huge volume and low competition. The keywords was either a phrase or a question that was frequently googled for and when I looked at the search results, there was no video content that really answered the question.
Without keyword research, it's an uphill climb to get any videos ranking on YouTube search results, minimizing the chances to gain any new subscribers.
This is a very tactical action step to ensure you create videos that have the highest chances to rank on search results.
Not promoting your videos outside YouTube
Before YouTube actively suggests your videos to new viewers, you've to provide social proof that your videos are worthy to be watched.
As a relatively new channel - anything less than 1,000 subscribers - for sure, you need to put in loads of marketing work to promote every new video that you've painstakenly created.
Similar to when you were actively marketing your first video to get views, this is the same process you continue doing each time you put out a new video.
When promoting your videos, I refer to promoting outside of the YouTube platform. It could be sending an email to your email list, promoting your videos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest etc.
You have to promote your videos outside of YouTube and drive interested viewers to your videos. The more viewers you send to YouTube that clocks up more views, the more likely YouTube will promote your videos to new viewers.
Not getting to the point
In your title, you've made a promise about the topic you want to deliver but you don't live up to the promise. This is bad.
There is a well-known term for this. It's called clickbait.
You ramble on and on and go offtrack.
You don't want this to happen.
The best way to grow your channel is to provide value whether it is in the form of information, inspiration or entertainment - you need to live up to your promise.
If you struggle with your words while recording, I highly recommend you to write out bullet points beforehand so you can prompt yourself during the recording and ensure you stay on point.
Your videos are boring and non-informative
The attention of viewers today is pretty short. They are looking for dopamine hits.
What you say in this minute should be a teaser of what's to be expected in the next.
Avoid dry presentations of information.
Instead, try to transform your content by incorporating storytelling, humor, or personal anecdotes.
Visuals like overlays, flowcharts, or short clips can also be powerful tools to grab attention and illustrate your points.
Thumbnails are simply not compelling
Your video thumbnail is like a mini billboard for your content. It's the first impression viewers have, so it needs to be eye-catching and informative.
Everytime someone discovers your video in YouTube search results or on the homepage, the first thing that gets noticed is the thumbnail!
An intriguing compelling thumbnail make them want to click on it and find out more.
On the other hand, a blurry, pixelated, or generic thumbnail might lead viewers to believe your video is boring. Instead, create clear, high-quality thumbnails that use bright colors, bold text, and relevant imagery that accurately reflects your video content.
In the past, it was difficult to create an attractive custom thumbnail as only designers or someone with an eye for design had the skills to do that. These days, there is no reason why your thumbnail has to be lack-lustre.
There are plenty of online templates that you can get your hands on.
Canva is one of my go-to tools where you can easily tap into their templates selection, custom your own colors and upload a picture of yours to produce an appealing thumbnail.
If you have a tool like Tubebuddy, you can even carry out A/B testing if you have another template option that could garner more click-throughs.
Poor video quality
In the age of smartphones with high-quality cameras, the concept of "poor video quality" has evolved.
If you're a fan of Hollywood movies, your perception of video quality might be skewed towards professional standards. However, for aspiring YouTubers, this shouldn't be a concern.
Before reaching 1000 subscribers, there's no need to invest in expensive camera equipment.
Unless your channel focuses on videography tips or premium branding, Hollywood-level production isn't necessary.
Your smartphone's camera is more than sufficient for creating engaging content.
To ensure good video quality:
- Use natural light: Record during daylight or near a window with lights on.
- Stabilize your shot: Avoid shaky hands by using a tripod or stable surface.
- Frame yourself properly: For talking head videos, position yourself in the center or along the two-thirds line of the frame.
- Avoid dark environments: Ensure adequate lighting for clear visibility.
Remember, content quality trumps video quality for new creators.
Focus on delivering value to your audience, and your smartphone camera will serve you well until you're ready to upgrade.
Those are the 9 reasons why your channel is not growing and I've given you some good actionable tips on how to rectify this situation and get your channel on the growth trajectory.
How to ensure your channel grows slow and steady (even if you don't have a video production team)
Growing a YouTube channel is not rocket science; it's more like the race between the tortoise and the hare—and you're the tortoise. The key to steady growth lies in two fundamental factors: creating value and maintaining consistency.
Here's a step-by-step guide to achieve slow but steady growth:
1. Choose your niche and conduct thorough research to identify content gaps.
2. Plan your video titles and outlines carefully.
3. If you're not naturally eloquent, prepare bullet points to cover in your video.
4. Establish a weekly schedule for:
- Recording videos
- Editing (if necessary)
- Create an attractive scroll-stopping thumbnail
- Publishing content
- Promoting your videos
5. Repeat this process consistently every week.
Remember, success on YouTube doesn't happen overnight. It's about persistence and continuous improvement. By focusing on valuable content and maintaining a consistent publishing schedule, you'll build a solid foundation for your channel's growth—even without a professional production team.
Stay committed to your plan, and over time, you'll see your channel steadily attract more viewers and subscribers.
The key is to keep moving forward, one video at a time.
You'll eventually get there.
