WORKBOOK

Free 30-Day Plan to

Kickstart Your YouTube
Channel Growth
Get your YouTube channel up and running
to its full potential with this daily guide.
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WORKBOOK
YouTube Growth Tracker
Before you start your 30 Day YouTube Plan, make sure you’re able to
track your progress. Fill out column 1 the day before you start and fill
column 2 out the day after you’ve finished. Calculate each metric by
viewing your YouTube analytics in your YouTube Channel Dashboard.

Day 0 Day 31 % Growth

Subscriber count

Views

Watch time

Average view duration

Engagement Rate
Day 1: Lay the foundation 3

Start your 30-day YouTube Plan by establishing some benchmarks.

Take stock of where your YouTube channel currently stands. How many

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subscribers do you currently have? How does your average watch time
compare with view counts? How many comments, likes, and dislikes do your
videos get on average? Look for averages and the top performance records
to beat. Record your findings so you can measure your success.

How many subscribers do you have?

Average watch time vs. view counts

How many comments, likes and dislikes?

What is your top performance record to beat?

Day 2: Zero in on your goals 4

Think about where YouTube fits into your overall social media marketing
strategy. Then decide what you’d like to accomplish on the platform. For
instance, do you plan to increase awareness for your company, create an

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active community, or drive sales?

Once you’ve decided, make your goal concrete with the SMART framework:

Specific: Set a precise target, such as the number of subscribers you’d like to reach.

Measurable: Determine what metrics and tools you can use to track your success.

Attainable: Plan how you will achieve your goal.

Relevant: Tie your goal back to broader business objectives.

Timely: Set a deadline.

Day 3: Set up your brand account

Make sure you’ve set yourself up with a brand account. When you create
a YouTube channel, it defaults to your personal Google account. Using
a personal account for your company channel looks unprofessional and
limits your options. With a brand account, you can manage multiple
channels, authorize additional managers, and keep your personal details
private. When you set up your account, select Use a business or other
name. If you already have an account, check to see if it’s a brand account
under Account Information.

Tip: Need to switch an existing channel to a brand account? No problem.

Follow these steps.
Day 4: Understand your audience 5

Get to know your viewers a little better today. From the YouTube dashboard,
click on the Audience tab. From here you’ll be able to see age and gender

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breakdowns, top countries, and the top subtitle language your viewers use.
From this page you can also take a look at other videos your audience watched.
What do they have in common? Spend some time looking at comments left on
your videos and in the Community tab. Summarize your findings.

What are some of your audience’s common interests?

How does your YouTube audience compare to your other social audiences?

Who’s missing? What audience segments need the most growth?

Tip: New to YouTube? Learn about YouTube demographics to see who’s on the platform.

Day 5: Do some keyword research

Time to flex those keyword muscles. Jot down the first words that come to
mind to describe your company, products, or services. Plug these words into
YouTube’s and see what comes up. Take a look at Google Trends as well. This
will show you what people search for in relation to these terms. Check your
Traffic Sources to see what search words people are finding your content
with. As you do this, look for ways to refine your keyword list. Classify the
terms that are high competition and low competition opportunities.
 Day 6: Identify your competitors 6

Scope out your top competitors on YouTube. With more than 500 hours
of video uploaded every minute, it takes a little research and strategy to

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stand out from the crowd. Create a list of three to five competitors. Don’t
just focus on local business competitors. On YouTube you compete with
keywords and content, so see who ranks highest for the keywords you’ve
identified, too.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

One you’ve identified business and keyword competitors, conduct a SWOT

Use two columns for Content that you want
analysis. This rubric will help you hone in on:
special cases. to highlight differently,
your competitors? captions,
Strengths: What are you doing better than
list, or other
Weaknesses: Where are you falling behind
your competitors?
unique copy.

Opportunities: What angles, niches, or avenues Threats: What poses the biggest threat to your
can you pursue to set your brand apart? brand?

Tip: Don’t let competitors serve ads on your videos. Set up preventative blocking
controls in AdSense.
Day 7: Track your mentions 7

If people are talking about your brand on YouTube, you should know about
it. Run a search for your brand name on YouTube and see what comes up.

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Search for common misspellings and popular products, too. What are people
saying? What sentiment are people using? Look in your competitor comment
sections, too. Is your brand mentioned there? Be sure to jump in when a
response is warranted. Customers appreciate when their feedback is heard.

Tip: If your company comes up a lot on YouTube, set up a stream on Hootsuite to track
mentions.

Day 8: Refresh your channel art

Keep your account looking fresh with art that pops. The main visual
elements of your channel include your icon and your banner. Most likely,
your icon will be your brand logo, and won’t change often. But there are
times that call for temporary logo variations, including Pride month or
Women’s Day that you can prepare for ahead of time.
As the first thing people see when they land on your channel, your banner
is prime real estate. Opt for a simple image with a clear focal point. Include
your brand name, slogan, or even channel schedule. Update your banner
periodically for special campaigns, seasons, or events. Remember to stay
consistent and on-brand.

Tip: Mobile accounts for 70% of YouTube watch time. But banner displays shrink on mobile.
Put essential information in your banner’s “safe zone” (i.e. within an area of 1,546 x 423 px).
Day 9: Add links to your banner 8

Hook up your channel banner with links to your social media sites and
website. You can add up to five links that will display in the lower right corner

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of the banner on desktop and in your channel description as well. If you’re
looking to boost subscribers, consider adding an auto-subscribe shortlink
here, too. Learn how to create one here.

Day 10: Refine your content strategy

Put your research to work for you. Take what you’ve learned about your
audience, keywords, and competitors and use it to develop a content plan.
Remember, audiences often come to YouTube to explore their interests and
learn something new.
Think about different formats, including tutorials, behind-the-scenes tours,
animated videos, interviews, webinars, live events, and webisodes. Pick a
few that feel like a good fit and try to develop a recurring series.

Tip: Need a little inspiration? Take a look at YouTube Culture & Trends to see what’s
taking off on the platform.

Congrats!
You’ve completed
your first 10 days.

1/3
Day 11: Master video best practices 9

What makes a good YouTube video? As an exercise, look back at your

YouTube history and rewatch a few relevant videos. What hooked you in?

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What kept you watching? What editing tricks did they use? Develop a list of
best practices and tips to reference.

Tips:
Develop a shot list
Plan to shoot some b-roll
Hook the audience in the first three seconds
Save the best for last to build anticipation
Create for viewers who watch with no sound

Tip: Need a little inspiration? Take a look at YouTube Culture & Trends to see what’s
taking off on the platform.

Day 12: Add some special effects to your

toolbox
Who said 30-Day plans were all work and no fun? Today’s the day to learn
some tricks of the editing trade. For starters, spend some time browsing
YouTube’s free Audio Library, which includes everything from ambient
inspirational tunes to applause sound effects.
Pick an editing platform that works within your budget and take some time
learning how to use it. Canva, iMovie, Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Premiere, and
many other tools offer free help and tutorials. Learn how to trim long pauses
and remove fillers like “ums” and “ahs” and cover your mistakes with jump
cuts. Master colour corrections, add text and logo overlays, and blur out
accidental product placements or unwanted logos.

Tip: YouTube is a great resource for editing tips and tricks as well. Take the Total
Beginner’s Guide to Editing from YouTube’s Creator Academy, or just search for tips
and tricks on the platform.
Day 13: Strengthen your titles and descriptions 10

Are you using your titles and descriptions to their full potential? Remember that
keyword research you did earlier? Here’s where it comes in handy. Front-load

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your title and descriptions with keywords. But keep it natural and accurate.
Limit your titles to 60 characters or less, and let your descriptions do the
explaining. Start with a summary, then add context. If your video is long,
include timestamps so viewers can jump to relevant sections. Don’t forget
to link to products mentioned, your social channels, and add hashtags.
Take some time to spruce up old descriptions, too, to improve the odds of
resurfacing existing content.

Tip: Avoid clickbait. People will stop watching your video when they realize your title
isn’t accurate. That leads to low watch time and poor retention.
Day 14: Punch up thumbnails 11

Punch up your thumbnails with custom content. YouTube automatically

generates thumbnails for your videos. But leaving it up to an algorithm is a

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missed opportunity to package your video. Your thumbnail is the billboard
for your video—if it doesn’t stand out or sell your content, people will skip it.

Create a list of thumbnail do’s and don’t’s. We’ve started one off for you:

DO brainstorm ideas before recording your video

DON’T use an irrelevant or misleading image
DO make sure thumbnails look good scaled small or large
DON’T use low-res images, go as high quality as possible
DO entice viewers with “after” shots rather than before
DON’T pick an image that’s incompatible with your title
DO feature faces—they tend to engage audiences
DON’T use an image that fails the contrast test

Tip: Have a new logo or branding? Update the thumbnails of preexisting videos for a
consistent look across your channel.
Day 15: Deal some YouTube Cards 12

Getting someone to watch your YouTube video is half the work. Now keep
their attention with cards, end screens, and watermarks. Deploy these

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interactive elements to drive specific actions, and keep people tuned in to
your videos.

Here’s a breakdown of how they work:

Cards: Add up to five video, channel, playlist or link CTAs throughout your video.
End screens: Clickable CTAs that you can add to the last five to 20 seconds of your video.
Watermarks: Subscribe buttons that are visible only to non-subscribers.

Tip: This post covers how to add these elements. But don’t over clutter your video with
them. Go back to the goals you jotted down on Day 2 and make sure each element you
add helps you work toward them.

Day 16: Get into an upload rhythm

Kick things into full swing with an upload schedule. Create an internal
rhythm with a content calendar so you can plan ahead and coordinate
production with your team. Plan to publish on a regular schedule. Before
choosing a publication time, check YouTube Analytics to see what day and
time your audience is online. Once you have a schedule, share it with your
audience. Viewers are more inclined to subscribe or revisit if you give them
a reason to keep coming back for more.

List the top three times and days your audience is online according to your
YouTube Analytics.

Tip: Schedule videos like clockwork with Hootsuite. If you want people to tune-in to
your videos, make sure they show up on time.
Day 17: Stretch your reach with captions 13

and subtitles

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Time to stretch and reach more viewers with captions and translations. Did
you know that only 33% of YouTube’s most popular videos are in English?
On average, more than two-thirds of a channel’s views come from outside
the country it was published in. You may already know the predominant
languages your customers speak. But to be sure, check the Audience tab of
YouTube Analytics to see top country and top closed captioning language.

Captions make your videos accessible to non-native speakers, viewers with

hearing impairments, and people watching with sound off. Try YouTube’s
automatic captions, but be sure to edit the transcript for errors. Once you
have a transcript, enable crowdsourced translations or have a translator
provide professional subtitles.

Day 18: Channel intrigue with a trailer

Build excitement with a channel trailer. These trailers auto-play for non-
subscribers, so use them to introduce your brand and preview what they
can expect to see on your channel. Your best video practices list from Day
11 applies here, too. Aim to hook viewers in the first few seconds. You can
create a new video or a compilation reel of highlights of your published
videos. Whatever you choose, make sure to show and tell. Don’t just tell
viewers to expect mouth-watering cooking tutorials. Make their mouths
water with appetizing teasers.

Ideas for channel trailer

Tip: Don’t forget to close the trailer by asking viewers to subscribe for more.
Day 19: Add sections and playlists 14

Keep the momentum going with sections and playlists. Sections are an
important way to organize videos into groups and brand your channel. You can

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add up to 10 to showcase formats, topics, series, and more. Treat each section
head and description as a branding and SEO opportunity. Customize the layout
by choosing between vertical lists and horizontal rows.
Playlists let viewers watch your channel on cruise control. These lists
autoplay videos one after the other, which means they’re primed for YouTube-
style binge-watching. Sort videos for maximum flow. Put series in order, or
organize how-to’s and tutorials so that they build off each other or increase
in difficulty as they go. Combine your most-viewed videos with new posts to
boost exposure.

Tip: Create a playlist with videos from other creators that advocate for your brand or
offer positive testimonials.
Day 20: Prompt engagement 15

Take your relationship with your viewers to the next level. A good way to
boost engagement on your videos is with prompts. Ask viewers to share

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their thoughts or answer a question in the comments below your video. Pin a
comment to the top of the comment feed with a similar prompt. When users
do comment, heart your favourite comments and reply quickly. This will
show other viewers that you’re present and available to respond to them.

Tip: Set up Hootsuite streams to keep tabs on comments on all your videos and
channels and reply efficiently.

Congrats!
You’ve completed
your next 10 days.

2/3
Day 21: Moderate the discussion 16

More comments requires more moderation. After all, not everyone

comments with the best intentions. Enable YouTube to hold potentially

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offensive comments for review. You can also block certain words, comments
with links, and hide comments from specific users across your channels.

Hootsuite YouTube Moderate streams allow you to approve, delete and reply
to comments as they come in from one central dashboard. This makes it a lot
easier for you to keep the conversation on all your videos positive and active.

Bonus activity: Respond to three recent comments on your YouTube videos

Day 22: Get active in the Community tab

Accounts with more than 1,000 subscribers have access to a community
tab. This is a good forum to connect with your audience outside of videos.
Subscribers can opt-in to receive notifications every time you post, or see
your post in their Home or Subscriptions feeds. Posts can include polls, GIFs,
text, images, and videos and people can like, dislike, and comment on them
just like they can in other feeds.

Use this space to share special announcements, poll your audience, share
teasers and exclusive content, or shout-out partners, creators, and fans with
@ mentions.

Tip: Link to your community tab in end screens and other call-to-actions so that your
audience knows about it.
Day 23: Cross-promote your channel 17

With three weeks of YouTube optimization under your belt, it’s time to show
off a little. Let your other audiences know about your YouTube channel.

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Share your channel in social posts or in your newsletter. Add a YouTube
icon to your website, email signature, Instagram link, and wherever else
you can reach potential subscribers. Kickstart subscriptions with a link that
automatically prompts users to subscribe when they click on it.

Here’s how to create one:

1. Find your channel ID or Custom URL. From your channel page, you’ll find it here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/[ChannelID]. For example, Hootsuite’s is: Hootsuite.

2. Paste your ID here: www.youtube.com/user/[ChannelID]?sub_confirmation=1.

Tip: After promoting your account, check your Traffic Sources in YouTube Analytics to
see which channels are referring the most traffic.

Day 24: Find your most popular videos

Check in with what’s clicking. Visit YouTube Analytics to see what videos are
gaining the most views and engagement from your audience. Select the multi-
line version of your watch time report to see which video is on top. Then have
a look at views, watch time, subscribers, and impressions. Create groups to
compare similar videos and see if you can spot any trends or anomalies.

Drill down on the videos that are achieving your goals. If one video in
particular drove a high number of subscriptions, try to understand why. Was
it a call-to-action in the video? A watermark or card? Find out and plan to
replicate what works moving forward.

Bonus Points: Download the Channelview Insights app from the Hootsuite App Directory
to easily measure subscriber growth, analyze engagement levels, and pinpoint traffic
sources within your Hootsuite dashboard.
Day 25: Up your watch time 18

It’s time to raise the retention bar. It’s important to track how many viewers
are making it to the end of your videos. Otherwise why put all that work into

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production and end cards? Plus, the YouTube algorithm prioritizes videos
that have higher watch times. Why? The lower the watch time, the more
likely the video’s title and thumbnail didn’t live up expectations.

Check your Absolute Audience Retention report. Here you’ll see a chart with a
trendline that will show you the viewership drop-off of your videos. It’s normal
for attention to wane and gradually decline. If you see a big drop right away,
you may need a stronger hook or a more accurate title and thumbnail. Look for
other sharp drops to try to pinpoint why viewers may be checking out.

Note any sharp drops in your YouTube videos and their time stamps here. Then
brainstorm why you think the drop off may have occurred.

Tip: On average, subscribers watch two times more channel content than non-
subscribers. If your watch time is low, look for more ways to promote subscriptions.

Day 26: Look for discovery opportunities

How are people finding you? Have a look at the keywords people are using to
land on your videos. Are they the same as terms as the ones you jotted down
on Day 5? If not, add them to your list, metadata, and look for ways to build
them into your content.

Check your suggested videos report to find out what videos from other
channels are leading viewers to your content. Then have a look at the top
referring playlists. Learn from how other YouTube viewers categorize your
content or similar content. Consider collaborating or engaging with these
accounts in order to expand your community and increase visibility.
Day 27: Partner with a creator 19

YouTube influencers hold a lot of sway on the platform, especially when it

comes to product recommendations. According to research by Google, 90%

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of people say they discover new products and brands on YouTube. In fact,
after googling a product, 55% of people visit YouTube to learn more about it.
A creator collab lends trust and relatability to this part of the consumer journey.

Look for influencers that are already in your audience. Filter your video
comments by subscriber count to find high profile accounts that already
engage with your channel. Or research popular creators with tools like
Fourstarzz Influencer Recommendation Engine.

Creator Name

Creator Name

Creator Name

Day 28: Try YouTube ads

Up the stakes with YouTube ads. If you have the budget, an effective ad
campaign can be a fast-track to achieving your goal, whether it’s growing
your audience or increasing conversions and sales. Viewers are three times
more likely to watch online video ads over traditional TV commercials.

Think about what audience you would like to target, and then pick a format
and create a promotional plan crafted to connect with them.

YouTube ads are available in these four formats:

Skippable in-stream ads
Non-skippable in-stream ads (including bumper ads)
Video discovery ads (formerly known as in-display ads)
Non-video ads (i.e., overlays and banners)

Tip: This post covers everything you need to know about YouTube ads.
Day 29: Host a YouTube Event 20

Ready to start streaming? Plan a live event that viewers won’t want to miss.
A must-see YouTube livestream gives non-subscribers a reason to hit that

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subscribe button and subscribers a reason to turn on channel notifications.
For a successful event, promote it on and off YouTube. Create a Facebook
event and spread the word across social media to rev up attendance and
reach new audiences.

Not sure what to do live? Take tutorials to the next level with a live
masterclass. Invite a special guest or creator for an exclusive interview.
Give your viewers the chance to have their questions answered live with
the live chat tool. Create a virtual hangout or club.

YouTube event ideas

Tip: If you’re not comfortable with going live, stage a YouTube event with a Premiere. Premieres
feature all the trappings of an event, including chat, but with pre-recorded productions.
Day 30: Try out YouTube Stories 21

Select YouTube accounts can now create YouTube Stories, a mobile-only

format much like Instagram Stories and originally Snapchat’s Snaps, except

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they last seven days instead of 24 hours. Stories can be created from the
camera roll or with the camera tool. Features include filters, editing tools, and
stickers—including video stickers. Want to reply to a comment with a story?
That’s an option, too.

If your account has access, take advantage of your head start. Otherwise, start
developing a content plan for the format. Consider shooting some behind-the-
scenes stories to tease an upcoming video while you shoot it. Or think about
how you might repurpose Instagram Story content for YouTube audiences.

Start exploring how you can use YouTube stories to promote views and
subscriptions.

YouTube Stories ideas

Congrats!
You’ve completed the
30-Day YouTube Plan.
Track your success: Compare your stats against
the benchmarks set on Day 1. Then, try a 30-day
free trial of Hootsuite.

Complete!
Get Started