How TubeBuddy will help your YouTube channel grow for more subscribers and watch-time
Growing on YouTube can be frustrating, like digging the Grand Canyon with a teaspoon frustrating. I started my channel in 2015 as a way to host video summaries of blog posts for the blogs but didn’t give much thought to the platform by itself.
It was just too difficult and time-consuming to grow a channel.
I finally came over to the Dark Side in 2018 and decided to try growing my YouTube channel to be an asset instead of just a supporting player in my online business.
I started posting videos consistently December 25th, 2017…because us crazy entrepreneurs work Christmas, and the growth has been remarkable.
- Within six months, traffic from YouTube was in the top five sources for each of my four blogs.
- YouTube channel subscribers grew from 25 to 22,500 and I just had two consecutive days adding 600+ subs.
- I’ve collected over $4,200 in YouTube advertising and $4,600 in sponsorships in the last four months.
The fact is, I could not have done all this myself. It was a lot of hard work but there is one YouTube tool that has made all the difference – TubeBuddy.
What is TubeBuddy?
TubeBuddy is a research and planning tool for YouTube creators. The software connects directly to your YouTube account to give you real-time suggestions on videos, keywords, ranking and just about everything you need to grow.
By analyzing your channel and all the others on YouTube, TubeBuddy is able to tell you what works and what you can rank for to get the views that lead to subscriber growth.
Check out the full list of TubeBuddy features here
How Does TubeBuddy Help Grow a YouTube Channel?
Through its continuous data collection of the videos and channels on YouTube, the TubeBuddy app is able to guide your decisions on which video topics to target, how to get your videos seen by more people and how your channel compares against other related channels.
TubeBuddy does this by integrating seamlessly with your YouTube account. Features appear on relevant pages to add information and suggestions for improvement. For example, uploading a video, you’ll see suggestions for tags and a checklist of best practices important to the YouTube algorithm.
I won’t lie, there is a learning curve to getting the most out of the app. There are so many features that it can seem overwhelming at first and I’ve yet to use all the features in the Star plan. You’ll start by using a core group of features like the keyword suggestion and checklist while slowly learning how to use the full power of the software.
My Favorite TubeBuddy Features
I’ve yet to try out every feature on TubeBuddy but have used most of the ones available in the Pro level and many of the extra features in the Star level. There are a few of the features I consider an absolute must-use and still more that can really help boost your YouTube channel.
Tag Lists, Tag Explorer and Suggested Tags are an excellent way to find keywords with solid traffic and, more importantly, for which a channel like yours can rank. The keyword research tool will automatically appear in the right sidebar when you search YouTube and offers an inside look into the search volume and competition for that tag.
Better though is that the keyword tools help suggest related tags you might use that have lower competition and higher traffic. The power in this isn’t just for tagging your videos but for creating a video focused on that one keyword that will go viral.
Thumbnail Generator is an easy way to turn images from your video into a compelling thumbnail with text and graphic overlays that boosts clicks. You can even create a template you use on all thumbnails with logos and other graphics.
Playlist Actions is a great way to get the most out of your playlists by ordering videos for video engagement and subscriber growth. Playlists are one of the best tools for YouTube growth but so underappreciated by creators. These are your best chance at keeping people watching your videos and subscribing. TubeBuddy helps to make sure your best videos are seen first in playlists to hook viewers faster.
Canned Responses are a lifesaver when a video goes viral. This might not be a problem for many creators but when you’re spending an hour every day responding to comments, having a few pre-written responses will save you a lot of time and you won’t lose growth by ignoring comments.
Publish to Facebook makes sharing on the world’s largest social platform easy and a great way to leverage the billions of FB users for YouTube subscriber growth.
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My TubeBuddy Strategy for Growing on YouTube
I have a process for using TubeBuddy whenever I research and produce a new video. Sticking to the process closely enables me to create videos quickly and to make sure they have the highest probability of getting traffic that will translate to subscriber growth.
- I first use the keyword research tools to find those with high traffic but low competition. I’ll search for a few keyword ideas and note the ‘Optimization Strength’ which is a combination of the search volume and competition.
- I also not related searches and most used tags in these searches to start building a list of tags I’ll use for the video.
- I then click through the top five videos in a search and use TubeBuddy to note the tags the videos are using as well as how well they rank in each tag.
- TubeBuddy also shows you the best practices checklist for each video. If multiple videos ranking for a keyword are missing several of the best practices, that might mean you can rank fast if you check all the boxes with your video.
- Uploading a video, I’ll use the suggested tags to fill out my tag list and make sure I’m writing an SEO-rich description for YouTube and Google ranking. I also use the best practices checklist to make sure my video is competitive from the start.
- If I haven’t made a thumbnail yet, I’ll use the TubeBuddy thumbnail creator to get a still frame and overlay text and graphics.
- Once the video goes live, I use the Share Tracker feature to make sure I’m promoting it on as many social networks as possible.
- Finally, I publish to Facebook for both FB growth and to bring people over to YouTube for subscriber growth.
These are the basic features I use to create a new video but there are also quite a few TubeBuddy features I use to optimize and boost my channel. I don’t have a set process for using these, though I probably should, but instead just run through my favorite features once a month to make sure everything is running smoothly.
TubeBuddy vs VidIQ
If you’re serious about growing your YouTube channel, you need to take advantage of the third-party tools and software. While there are lots of SEO and Social Media tools for bloggers, there are really only two that make the grade for YouTube, TubeBuddy and VidIQ.
VidIQ is very similar to TubeBuddy in features and functionality. I’ve looked at VidIQ but have stuck with TubeBuddy because why switch to a different app for the same features?
Additionally, TubeBuddy has more features available under the free and Pro plan while you need the higher level plans in VidIQ to use the best ones. TubeBuddy is also the less expensive option, especially with its discount for channels under 1,000 subscribers.
I will say that I like the VidIQ channel on YouTube better though. They’ve done a great job at researching YouTube and getting out some great videos on how to grow your channel. Use TubeBuddy but watch the VidIQ channel for tips.
TubeBuddy Review Summary
TubeBuddy has been critical to the growth of my YouTube channel and I recommend it to anyone serious about making money on YouTube. The data and insight will help you create videos with the highest possibility of going viral and launching your channel fast.
I use the keyword features on TubeBuddy every time I create a new video and most of the features under the Pro plan each month to optimize my channel. I’ve upgraded to the Star plan recently to test a few of the features there but honestly, most creators will find everything they need under the Pro plan.
More than 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. That’s a lot of competition even considering the 1.3 billion people that use the platform regularly. It’s not enough to just produce quality videos. You need data and research to make sure you’re producing the RIGHT videos that will rank.
Try TubeBuddy free to see the features that will help grow your channel
TubeBuddy has the features and guidance to help you grow a YouTube channel fast to 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch-time. Real-time data and insight from millions of videos gives you the advantage you need to produce videos that will rank and earn you the subscribers you need.