You’re probably already making the most of YouTube to grow your audience, promote your brand, or just find and watch some fresh, new videos from your favorite creators. But have you checked your messages? If you’re not interacting with your content and comments, chances are your audience isn’t either.
Checking your messages can help you understand what people like about your videos, root out problematic content and negative comments, and spot potential collaborations from other YouTubers that could help you grow your audience and brand. Let’s take a look at the 5-step Guide to Checking Your YouTube Messages and see how you can get started.
Step 1: Use YouTube analytics
The first thing you’ll want to do is check the stats for your channel using YouTube analytics. This will let you know which content is performing best and also help you spot any issues with your content.
You can access these stats by clicking on your channel icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen and then selecting “Analytics.” This data can be especially helpful if you have a newer channel and don’t know much about your audience yet. You’ll also be able to see how many people are subscribed to your channel, the source of your views, how many subscribers you have, and how much time people spend watching your videos.
Step 2: Reach out to influencers in your niche
If you’re looking for a partner for a specific project or just want to grow your network of creators, reach out to your target influencers and let them know you’re interested in collaborating.
You can find creators by searching for people who are relevant to your niche, looking at your top creators list, or by browsing through the profiles of the people you like the most. Once you find someone you’d like to work with, reach out with a simple message that lets the creator know you’re interested in collaborating in some way.
If you can, include some details about your channel or the type of content you make so the creator knows a little bit about you. You can also let the creator know if you’d like to co-host an episode or do a sponsored or editorial post for them.
You can also send these messages publicly so that anyone can see them and reach out to the creator you like best. This can get you in front of creators who might not have thought of collaborating with a smaller channel otherwise.
Step 3: Ask your fans for feedback
It’s important to remember that while YouTube is a video sharing platform, it’s also a social media channel where you can interact with your fans on multiple levels.
One of the best ways to get feedback on your channel and build your community is to conduct surveys. You can find a bunch of survey tools to help you with this on YouTube’s survey page.
You can also ask for feedback in one-on-one conversations or on social media. Let your fans know that you’d love to hear what they like or don’t like about your videos, and how you can make them even better.
You can also polls or ask your fans to vote on certain topics where you want their feedback or opinion on a wide range of topics so you can get a more in-depth look at what types of things are important to your community.
Step 4: Watch what your competitors are posting
Another way to get insight into what your fans like about your channel is to watch what your competitors are posting.
While you should be focusing on creating and posting your own content, watching what your competitors are posting can also help you find more inspiration and find new ways to expand your brand and engage your audience.
Not only will watching what your competitors are posting help you spot potential opportunities, but it will also help you grow your audience and find new ways to engage with your fans. You may be inspired by something you see in another creator’s video or find something new in the videos of your top creators.
Step 5: Form partnerships with other YouTubers
If you have a large enough following, you may be able to team up with another creator to promote each other’s content and grow your brands together.
When you’re looking for potential partnerships, try to find people in your niche who already have a large following and are likely to be interested in working with you.
You can use the Biz Dev Network’s Creator Contacts tool to help you find people in your niche.
You can also use the Creator Contacts tool to find potential partners who you can form a partnership with.
With so many people creating content these days, you’re bound to run into someone else who has similar interests and similar goals as you.
Step 6: Stay in touch with your audience
One of the best ways to keep your fans engaged and coming back for more is to stay in touch with them.
You can do this by sending hand-written notes, cards, or postcards to your fans and keeping in touch with them through social media and email. You can also stay in touch with your fans by arranging meetups, hosting Q&A’s, and sending gifts from the brands you love.
You can also keep your community engaged by hosting a giveaway or giveaway campaign.
A giveaway is when you offer your fans a chance to win something by entering a contest or voting.
Hosting a giveaway can be a great way to give your fans something to look forward to and to encourage interaction.
Making the most of your YouTube messages
Now that you know how to check your messages, let’s take a look at how you can make the most of your message exchanges.
Keep your messages short and sweet – The more time you spend writing out your messages, the less time you’ll have to create new content, reach out to new creators, and build your channel. Keep your messages focused on your goals and audience – Your main goal when messaging your fans should be to find out what they want out of the channel and what they enjoy about your content. Make your messages relatable – No matter who you’re messaging, try to make your messages as relatable as possible. Be honest and humble – You want your fans to trust you and feel comfortable opening up to you; don’t let your ego come into play. Be direct and respectful – Try to avoid sugar-coating your messages or being disrespectful.
Final thoughts
As you can see, checking your YouTube messages is essential if you want to grow your channel and engage with your audience.
You can use these tips to get started and reap the benefits of interacting with your fans.
Remember, you have the opportunity to build a strong connection with your fans. Take advantage of the opportunity and build a relationship with them by sending them handwritten cards and staying in touch with them through social media and email.
