YouTube has been around for a while, and it’s become as much a part of our lives as the radio or TV for past generations. But over the past few years, YouTube has not only grown to become the world’s second largest search engine (a monumental achievement), but has also skyrocketed far past every other social media platform, second only to Facebook in terms of total social media market share.
What accounts for this rapid growth? The user-generated content on YouTube has improved tremendously over the years. The level of production quality and user engagement rivals even venerable cable television channels.
This rapid growth has also created opportunities for enterprising women to create their own brands, sell products, share information, and do virtually anything within their creative capacity to entertain, delight, and inspire their audience.
Winning Through Organic Growth
The top women of YouTube are building their audience organically through high-quality video content.
This means that the majority of subscribers who land on these channels opt-in without being directly influenced. They didn’t see an advertisement on TV or in magazines and then decide to check out the channel, but rather discovered these channels via YouTube search, suggestions, or some other form of organic recommendation (like a video link shared by a friend).
There’s no easy trick to gaining this kind of visibility. It takes hard work to produce regular video content that is relevant and of relatively high production value. However, there are a few hallmarks that every successful channel has.
Hyper-Relevance
When creating content for your channel you must be hyper-relevant to your audience. This might seem obvious, but it’s more complicated than you think.
Some of the YouTube channels with the highest number of subscribers are vlogs. So it seems as though the vlogger is the star and the main draw. This is partly true, but the vlogger is also creating content that is relevant to the viewer; things the viewer wants to see.
Likewise, informational channels also pick relevant topics like fitness, healthy cooking, fashion and accessories, productivity tips for business, parenting, and home life. These are the things that millions of women want to learn more about, and they are willing to spend hours absorbing content that they can apply to their own lives. They hope to find answers to their questions.
In the SEO world, this is called “answering the query.” Most of the world now uses YouTube as a way to search for answers. If your video answers a query sufficiently, you will be rewarded with subscriptions.
Video Equipment and Tech
There is much to be said about video cameras, lighting equipment, and editing software. There are complete tutorials online you should watch in order to make the best decision about what kind of equipment you’ll need for your channel.
For the purposes of this article, it’s worth mentioning briefly how important proper video production skills can be when it comes to promoting your channel. If someone clicks on your video and the lighting is bad or the audio is tinny, echoey, or virtually inaudible, they will leap off your video instantly.
The good news is it’s never been easier to get a camera, some basic lighting equipment and record high definition video. Editing is a totally different art that requires hours of practice in order to gain mastery. But master it you must. You’ll notice how the channels with the massive subscriber counts use selective cutting to splice together the most engaging, humorous, or insightful bits of video rather than playing out a long uncut shot.
Regular Engagement
Engagement is an important metric when it comes to YouTube. Make sure to regularly ask your audience for feedback on your work. Don’t be afraid to ask for a comment.
Comments on your videos are important indicators that your content is of high quality and people are interested in participating.
But there’s more to it than simply asking for comments. Make sure to select content opportunities that are likely to encourage engagement. For example, a video about how to make a French press coffee might encourage users to contribute their own tips and tricks.
The oft-mentioned “bell icon” is another important indicator of engagement. When a user subscribes to your channel they have opt-in options with regard to how they want to be notified of new content. If a user clicks the bell icon for your channel and wishes to be notified of new content, this means your content is of high value to them and they don’t want to miss any new videos.
Conversions (Not Just Ads)
Ask yourself, what kind of conversion are you trying to make through your channel? Are you trying to link your viewers with a product, like a course? Or a free booklet? What action do you want a user to take once they’ve discovered you?
Pushing a conversion is not a requirement for your channel. Some of the channels covered in this article do not have a direct conversion but are merely developing a brand and creating solid content.
Your goals will vary, but you have options. If you have a product you’re trying to promote, just make sure it’s visible to your users.
Optimize the YouTube Landing Page
Once you’ve decided what kinds of conversions you want to make on your site, the next step is to optimize the landing page.
YouTube gives you a default landing page for your channel. Yours will be the same as everyone else’s, with few options for creative expression. You basically have a hero image, an optional channel trailer video to introduce yourself to your viewers, and a text area where you can put some content.
Optimizing the landing page means using this area to make a good first impression on your viewer and, if it’s part of your strategy, give them a call to action (CTA).
The Unifying Theme: Creation
The unifying theme that runs through all of these ladies’ channels is creation, not only in the sense of motherhood, but also in the sense of creating the world, creating the best version of yourself, and making it all beautiful.
When crafting content for your site, keep the focus on creativity and beauty, publish regularly, and your channel will soon skyrocket.
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