Last weekend I hit the milestone of 1000 subscribers on my YouTube channel. When I first started the channel in December 2018, I thought of 1000 subscribers as of this big goal I wanted to achieve.
I already wrote about my 10 tips for starting a YouTube channel, you might want to check that article out too.
In this article, I talk about how I feel now that I met this goal and what I believe was the reason I was able to reach it, so you can take away a few things and apply the same to your channel.
How Long Did It Take to Get 1000 Subscribers?
Some people let you believe that getting to 1000 subscribers is an easy task. Others that tried it themselves found the conclusion that it is rather hard to make 1000 random people around the world subscribe to your little, unknown channel.
I uploaded my first video on December 14th, 2018, and I reached my 1000th subscriber on March 28th, 2020. It took me 470 days or 1 year, 3 months, and 14 days to get from 0 to 1000 subscribers with my programming channel.
Most of my subscribers grew organically, meaning that people found the video by themselves and decided that I was worth their subscription. Because a subscription is free, it most likely is a bookmarking mechanism that tells me that my subscribers liked at least one video and want to know when I publish a new video.
How Many Videos Did I Publish?
I published 13 videos on my channel so far. It takes a lot of effort to create the type of content I produce. On the other hand, the results are above average for sure.
My best performing video has more than 13’000 views. Two videos have more than 10’000 views, and 10 videos have at least 1000 views. I believe those results are above average for a completely new channel from a person without an online following on other platforms.
The number of videos is my biggest deficit. I wish I were able to produce more content, but I also have to respect that I have a day job and other interests, including playing soccer or spending time with my friends and family. Last but not least, I also run this blog and write articles for it.
While my YouTube channel is very important to me, I don’t cut back on everything else. I’m in for the long run, and I don’t need to be the biggest channel in the shortest period.
How Many Views in Total?
During the lifetime of my channel, I got a little more than 55’000 views on my videos. On average, a video receives around 4000 views over a long period.
My latest video about How to Create a Blazor component got 700 views in 50 days. I’m currently around 250 views a day or 7500 views a month. It’s the metric I want to increase going forward.
Having more eyeballs on my videos means that my work matters and impacts more people. Also, the more views I get, the more money I could potentially earn once I get accepted into the YouTube partner program.
How Did I Make It Work?
I believe one of the most important reasons for why my channel got that much attention is that I consistently uploaded videos at the beginning. I put out my first seven videos all after 14 days between each video. After that, I had to slow down for various reasons. I believe this initial burst was the reason my channel got rolling.
Another thing that I did right from the beginning was to use good titles and thumbnails. The thumbnails are not perfect, but they are custom made and show some professionalism that makes users click.
I produce videos about topics that are searchable. I create content that people will find when they search for keywords. I do not need to create a group of people that will watch my videos, but I serve an existing audience that is looking for information on YouTube. I have to makes sure that my titles include the keywords people will enter when they search for information that my video covers.
While I currently don’t show my face in the videos, I made sure to edit the videos in a way that people don’t feel like wasting their time watching a video. I script my videos, and I record as many takes that are required to get a great result.
Also, I used a Rode Podcaster (premium USB microphone) from the beginning of my journey to make sure that the audio quality does not scare people away from my videos.
The combination of high-quality content (production-wise) mixed with searchable titles and clickable thumbnails seems to be the reason for my channel growth.
But Other Channels Grow Way Faster?!
Absolutely! While I value my results as an above-average success, I also see that other people (even in the same niche) have much more success than I have.
The reasons are different. Some people invest a lot more time into their channels. Maybe they have the luxury of not having to work a day job. Or they grind hard because they don’t have a job and need to make an income with their channel as fast as possible?
There are various reasons why some people might be more successful than I am with my channel. But guess what – it’s okay, and I’m fine with my results. I look up to people running successful channels, and I try to learn from them. But I don’t feel bad when I see their success.
When they can do it, I can do it too!
What’s the Next Goal?
After hitting the 1000 subscriber goal, I want to make sure that I hit the 4000 hours watch time requirement to become a YouTube partner. As a YouTube partner, you can add advertisements to your videos and make a few dollars off your YouTube channel.
At the current pace, I should hit that goal in July 2020, but I have a few video ideas in mind that may speed up this process and allow me to become YouTube partner in June or maybe even in May. We’ll see.
Am I Going to Produce the Same Content Forever?
I started my channel with a focus on searchable content about topics that require a lot of research. I won’t stop with it, and I’ll continue to produce high-quality information for .NET developers.
But I also want my channel to be open to other formats. Maybe I’ll start a show where I interview developers, or I regularly demonstrate the use of a library or tool.
One video that I wanted to make for a long time that I postponed again is the home office tour. I invested a lot of time and money into building it. It features a big (oversized) electronic standing desk, and I have a lot of fancy gear. If you read this and want me to show my setup, tweet at me.
Also, I want to document how my home office changes over time. So it is more than time to create that home office 2020 tour. It will come before the end of the year, I hope.
I don’t know what I want to do content-wise in the future, but I’m open to experimenting with different formats. I’d also appreciate feedback on my existing videos. Constructive feedback helps a lot to improve the quality and content of my channel.
Thank you
Last but not least, I want to thank everyone that supported me on my journey so far and continues to do so. I got so much help from other YouTubers, people on Twitter, friends, family, and everyone else who provides feedback or motivates me to continue.
If you are a reader or viewer, don’t hesitate to write me a message. You can do it either on Twitter, below this article, or comment on any of my YouTube videos.
Also, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I am planning on making a you tube video and I like the standard of your videos. What software did you use to make the videos.
Sorry for the late response. I use OBS for screen recording and Davinci Resolve 16. Both products are free to use.