How I got 0-1000 subscribers in 5 months – small YouTuber support

On september 1st 2020 at 1 PM CET I released the first video on this channel.
On the 20th of february 2021 at half past 2 I reached 1000 subscribers with only 49 videos in the most competitive niche on YouTube

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There is no video on youtube better optimized for youtube than in the youtube advice niche.

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In this video I’ll reveal my secret techniques that I used to grow this YouTube channel 100% ORGANICALLY.

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Stick around until the end, because I’m also going to reveal how I use those keyword research tools, that you pay 10 bucks a month for, against you.

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If you are new, my name is dexxter clark from the netherlands, and I’ve been on youtube since 2010

Quality subscribers
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To be honest, the number of subscribers doesn’t say anything, because it doesn’t do anything for you in the algorithm.
But views and watch time do matter.

This is why my strategy is more focussed on getting views, making sure people like my content and watch more of my content and watch my content more often.
Because the indirect effect of that is: more viewers subscribe.

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I’d rather have less subscribers and more engaged subscribers, because that is the first thing the algorithm looks at when you release a video: should it promote the video further or not.
I will always say in videos: “if you like this content, subscribe”.

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Check out my video about how the youtube algorithm works if you haven’t seen it, the link is in the description.

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2 types of content
I have basically 2 types of content:
• content-to-get-subscribers and
• content-for-my-subscribers (regular content)

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content-to-get-subscribers is content that my subscribers are probably not interested in.
For example: how to come up with a youtube channel name.
Most of my subscribers have already a channel and a channel name.

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But starters are my target audience.
I make this content purely to convert viewers into subscribers.
You know crypto currency mining? This is subscriber mining!

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Content-for-my-scribers is everything else.
Like videos about: Why You can’t compare Click Through Rates, how the algorithm works, how to get videos on youtube home, how to fight declining views.
These videos have a higher chance of dying, because generally the competition is more fierce.

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This video is content for my subscribers, but you are welcome to subscribe IF you like the content.

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Sub notifications
Tied to quality subscribers and content-to-get-subscribers is the notifications I send to subscribers.
If I think that most subscribers are not interested in the video I release, I don’t send notifications.

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Like I explained in my algorithm video (link in the description), I do this, because the algorithm values the opinion of my subscribers more than ANY other viewer.
If my biggest fans (=subscribers) don’t react to my video, why should the algorithm promote it further?

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I will not send a notification for the video “how to upload a youtube video” because subscribers probably have uploaded videos already.
But I would send a notification for: “how often should I upload to YouTube”.

Vertellen dat dit het ene is om engaged audience te kweken dat reageert op video kliks en notificaties niet skippen.
Dat leidt tot het algoritme mijn furure videos beter promoten, wat leidt to meer views, wat leidt tot meer subscribes.

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beginners content
The most underserved content in every niche is the most “stupid” sounding beginners content.
People in every niche have to start somewhere and they start with the most basic questions and problems.

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The problem we have as experts is the “curse of knowledge”, we’ve been doing this for so long, we don’t know what it was like to be a beginner.
Nobody touches these topics and most creators go after the same super competitive topics.

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These beginners are your most loyal subscribers, because they don’t know anything, have the potential to consume every video and will be with you the longest.
This is the best investment you can do for your channel.

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deliberately choosing video topics.
I choose my video topics very carefully.
I look at: how can I get traffic to that video?
• Can I rank in YouTube search?
• Can I trigger the suggested algorithm/ youtube home?
• Can I get traffic via my website?

If I don’t know, I don’t make the video.
I never make videos for the sake of having new content, it is a waste of time.

I want videos that stick, not die down after its initial push.
I want to have views on a daily basis, that are alive for the next years to come.
Dead videos don’t get views and don’t get subscribers for the next years to come.
When you look at my YouTube analytics, I have a slew of videos that attracts views on a daily basis. There is a long tail of active videos that are generating me subscribers.

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If you don’t know how to trigger youtube home, a link to my video is in the description.

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Focus on search
I focus heavily on YouTube Search.
This channel too small right now to trigger suggested properly.
When I see in the first 24 hours that a video is picked up by YouTube search, I know that this video chance of surviving organically.

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I focus on search phrases that viewers actually search for.
If my video title is: “what I did yesterday”: nobody will search for “what did dexxter do yesterday”.
But people search for “how often should I upload to youtube”.

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I try to pick topics that have a high search volume and not a lot of competition.
It is a deliberate choice to not make the video “how to get more views on youtube”.
It’s is probably the most competitive search term in this niche.
I know I’m gonna get crushed by the Nick’s and the Cathrin’s.

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I probably never gonna make that video, because the minute I would rank number 1 for that topic, I have a target on my back.
I won’t stay number 1 for long, everyone is going try to beat me.
That is not the game I want to play, because it’s a hamster wheel.
I’m never gonna win, so why even try?
I’d rather stay under the radar.

Vertellen dat ik zoveel mogelijk views wil wat leidt tot subscribers.

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Keyword research tools
Most YouTube creators don’t know how to do manual keyword research, which is the basic skill for every creator.
B.t.w. the link to my manual keyword research tutorial is in the description.

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Most creators use keyword research tools like TubeBuddy.
Those tools guess numbers like search volume and are therefore often wrong, so I do manual research and compare the results of TubeBuddy.

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When “computer says no”, and my manual research says “yes”, I make the video.
Because I know Tubebuddy users trust the tool blindly, don’t check the results manually, so they won’t make a video.
When the competition looks in direction A, I look in direction B.

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[computer says no]

Vertellen dat ik minder competitie wil, zodat ik meer views kan krijgen wat leidt tot meer subscribers.

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Value to the viewer
With every piece of content I make, I ask myself: what is in it for the viewer?
What is the value to the viewer.
To thank my 1000 subscribers, I could have made a video “thank you for the 1000 subscribers, I’m very happy, I can sleep tonight, bla bla bla bla “, no one is interested, because it is only of value to the creator, not the viewer.
Instead I made THIS video, that tells my subscribers how they can do it too.

Wanneer videos geen value hebben, haken mensen snel af en zullen ze neit subscriben.

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Going 2 steps further than the competition
Make unique content, give viewers a reason to subscribe.
I see a lot of creators copying each other, especially in the YouTube advice niche.
I can sometimes literally follow the path of false information because I know who said it first and who copied it without testing.
I try to make videos that go 2 steps further than the competition.

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I made a video about “how often should you upload to YouTube” (link in the description)
If you look at the top videos in YouTube search about the topic:
1) A lot of them wander off topic in order to increase watch time.
From A-Z 10 minutes long I`m busy with the question at hand.
2) Not a lot show actual data/tests
3) No one shows 2 channels. The closest was 1 channel “I stopped uploading 30 days”. I show 60 days.
4) no one did the so many experiments with so many upload frequencies (3 times a week, daily, 5 times a day).
5) Almost nobody talks about momentum NOBODY! And that the THE WHOLE POINT of determining upload frequency. MOST MISSED THE WHOLE POINT!
This is what you get when everybody repeats

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My video is unique, therefore is a reason to watch and therefore has a reason to exist and Therefore a reason to subscibe.
Otherwise you make the same content as everybody else.
YouTube is full of copy cats and nothing that someone makes sticking out.

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I can see this in my YouTube Analytics that this method works, because the percentage of viewers that convert into subscribers is higher in these super unique, super insightful videos. - Ik spreek mezelf tegen met eerder – videos om subscribers te krijgen-

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My USP
Going 2 steps further is my Unique Selling Point.
This is why people subscribe to me, because they get REAL information.

If you don’t know why people should subscribe to you, how should your viewers know?

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Big youtuber mentality: goal
I Think big, I think 2 steps ahead.
Because I have an idea what kind of business i want to create.
I’m laser focused on my goal and I ONLY create content that supports that goal.

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Defining target audience
I have a clear defined target audience.
I know who my ideal customer is that buys my products, so I can make content for them.

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I target a somewhat older target audience the late Generation X, early millinials.
They are more patient, so I get longer watch time from them, I can grow quicker.
They have more money to spend on my coaching, books and courses.

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This I why I decided that my videos should have a slower pace to filter out all the late millenials.
Because I know that late millials get bored and click away and Generation X’s can’t stand fast paced edits.

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The mistake that I made on my DJ channel:
I started the channel to promote myself as a dj.
But, I started to make tutorials, which attracts fellow dj’s and music producers, not the managers that I want to work with.
I made tutorials for DJ’s and music producers, but those are 2 different audiences.

By the time I realized my mistake I was 3 years into the channel and I had been battling stagnating views for that reason for well over a year.
Don’t make the same mistake I did and waste 3 years.

Creating with a targeted audience means that a certain group of people is far more likely to consume my content, consume MORE of my content (which is good for my watch time) and far more likely to subscribe when content is made for them.
And far more likely to buy my products.

[misschien dat target audience verhaal helemaal schrappen,omdat mensen dat niet snappen]

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evergreen
I focus heavily on evergreen content.
Every video on the channel is made to be relevant in 5 years.
I never mention youtube milestones, because they change every single time.
I never mention dates.
I don’t make christmas or halloween themed videos.

With evergreen content I generate views and watchtime and subscribers whith content that is 5 years old.
With a channel with 200 evergreen videos I have 200 videos are generating me subscribers.
When we are 5 years in, we have 1000 videos that are generating me views and subscribers.
This strategy is a far more lucrative in the long run than the short run.

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Websites
The youtube advice niche is highly competitive.
There are no videos on youtube better optimized than in the youtube advice niche.

So I started a blog first to test the waters a bit.
Can I find enough topics to rank for?
A blog allows (compared to facebook, instagram, twitter, tiktok, clubhouse) evergreen.

I own my website.
I don’t own YouTube, facebook, instragram, tiktok, twitter, clubhouse.
If youtube pulls the plug I still have a website.

With a website I have a bigger net to catch fish.
Because I rank with my blog on Google.
On Blog posts I embed YouTube videos.
So when viewers search in google, they find my site with my YouTube video, that gets me a view and a subscribe.

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Mailing list
again, I don’t own youtube. If youtube pulls the plug, I have a mailing list
I own my mailing list.

I have subscribers that aren’t on my mailing list and subscribers on my mailinglist that aren’t subscribed to youtube.
But there is a big cross over, because my email subscribers is a warm audience that likes my content and is very likely to subscribe.

Have you ever looked at how many viewers react to the bell notifications?
My mailing list generates me more views that the bell notification.

The link to that video is in the description.
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Pairs of videos
I’m making videos that are closely related.
This way I can trigger YouTube suggested and YouTube Home.

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• I’m making follow up videos to popular videos.
• I’m planning small video series of 2 or 3 videos.

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In videos, end screens, pinned comments and video description I refer to other videos on the channel.

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If one of those videos blows up, it will take the rest with of those videos and probably the whole channel with it.
My subscriber count will explode too.
It is a long term strategy, but if we lay the ground work now, it is far more likely to happen sooner.
One tide floats all boats.

If you’d like me to make a video about that, let me know in the comments.

Respond to comments
I answer to every single comment, because engagement helps in the algorithm.
I even respond to sub4sub comments very politely, although the commenters are extremely rude.

What I don’t understand is, people pay me pretty hefty fees for my coaching sesssions.
You can get that advice for free in the comments.
In 1 or 2 years, this channel is so big, I physically can’t do it anymore.
Almost nobody does it.
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Paying attention to my YouTube analytics
YouTube analytics is my religion.
• Especially the Audience Retention graph
• the accidental rankings.
• Videos that convert subscribers

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I analyze the audience retention graph of every video after I’ve published it.
For example:
I’ve noticed a higher drop off at the beginning of a video than on my gaming and DJ channel.
So, I’ve experimented with different intros: shorter intros, telling a story, no intros.
ll performed bad, while the audience retention was really good in the re-release.
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For example:
I’ve analyzed which videos convert well into subscribers.
I know better why viewers subscribe and I know better how what kind of content I need to make to live up to their expectation.
And I know what kind of content I need to make in order to get even more subscribers

Better videos leads to more promotion, which leads to more views, which leads to more subscribers.

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The accidental rankings are gold.
You know that you sometimes rank for search terms you didn’t target?
Those are amazing video ideas, because I rank for those search terms already.
So the chances are pretty high when I make a video about that topic, that I will rank for that even better.

When you rank, you have a higher chance of getting views and therefore subscribers.
I’ve made my duds on this channel, even with all my experiences.Every audience is different, there is no way to know if certain content works without trying it.

I work ahead
I work ahead.
I know what my next 10 or 15 videos are going to be.

Because I make thoughtful and information-intensive videos, I often have 5 scripts open that I’m currently working on.
Every time I get a small idea, I add it to the script.

This way, I never run out of ideas and never have the problem that I don’t know what video to make next.

I failed a lot
I don’t see mistakes as mistakes, because I learn from them.
I made a lot of mistakes, but I always analyze for myself what I’ve could have done better.

Because I failed a lot, I learned a lot.
I sometimes see youtube creators grow so fast, that they don’t know the formula that lead to that success.
The problem is, when you hit a plateau or something goes wrong, you don’t have the skills and knowledge to fix it.

We all know Mr. Beast.
I admire his gut feeling when it comes to what makes people watch his videos.
But I don’t envy his business senses.
I see him and him proud telling that he spends all his money the minute he makes it.
That is not a sustainable long term strategy.
There is no room for error.
When things go wrong, they go wrong fast.
For example: he runs out of good ideas, he gets a burnout, ….
And you’ve employed your mom and your friends… which you can’t pay anymore
That is a big burden

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Learn from comments
Your viewers are also your biggest critics and most of them are not shy to share that in the comments.
I learned that I’m often so busy with being hurt about a comment, that I miss the valuable hint that lies behind the comment.
I learned to translate that a bit.

For example, I got a snarky comment:
• “you talk too much”, which is code language for: “I’m bored”
I started to speed up the flow of the video in the edit and I use more b-roll now
• “you have only 500 subscribers, who are you to tell me about youtube’ ,
wich is code language for: “dexx, you should spend more time on establishing authority to gain trust”.
So I say now ”I’ve been on youtube since 2010” in future videos.

I learn to make better videos, so I can better serve my audience.
This leads to more viewer satisfaction, better watch time, more promotion by the algorithm, more views and thus more subscribers.

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And this video was an idea from one of my subscribers, thanks Betty’s Simple Kitchen

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Rewatch old videos
After a couple of some months I rewatch old material and try to asses:
• is this good information? If I would make this video again, would I do it the same way?
• what could I have done better?
• Am I bored? how could I’ve prevented that?

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After a couple of months, you are more detached from the material then when you are making it, you will see your mistakes quicker.
I learned a lot this way, also from the videos on this channel.

Again, I want to make better videos, better viewer satisfaction, more watch time, more promotion, more views, more subscribes.

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Dexxter Clark
Music Producer / YouTuber

How I got 0-1000 subscribers in 5 months – small YouTuber support

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