When you’re first getting started on YouTube, the road ahead may seem overwhelming. A lot of successful creators have been grinding for years, and you might be afraid it’s too late for you. However, you don’t need to worry, because there are several things you can do to establish a strong foundation for a successful career.

Here are a few things you should do to boost your success as a brand-new creator.

Define your niche early on.

Though creators used to be able to grow immense audiences with broad lifestyle content, niche channels are more effective for growing in the current YouTube climate. By focusing on a specific topic, you can create more unique, nuanced videos unlike anything else your viewers can find online.

While you may feel inclined to experiment with different kinds of content in the beginning, you should hold off until your channel is more established. Once viewers know you as the creator who makes a specific kind of video, you’ll be able to take a little more creative leeway. For now, concentrate on growing your audience within a specific niche.

Establish an upload schedule and stick to it.

Whenever a viewer subscribes to a new channel, they’ll likely go to its videos page and watch previous uploads. As a young channel, you might not have a lot of videos for them to watch yet. If there’s too wide a gap between uploads, then they might not want to waste their time.

Therefore, you should establish an upload schedule that you can reasonably upload. Put it in your channel description and on your banner art. Include it in your videos and their descriptions as well. The most important thing, however, is that you actually stick to your upload schedule. Additionally, communicate with your audience when you need to miss an upload.

Learn how to find and utilize the right SEO keywords.

Search Engine Optimization can help you get more views by boosting your place in the search results. It’s especially helpful for evergreen content, leading potential viewers looking for the information in your videos to your channel before they find other sources. SEO is based on keywords, which are search terms users input to find your content.

To find the right keywords for your content, start by looking at channels within your niche. Make a list of common words that appear in their video titles and descriptions. Next, add any words that are closely related to your content, such as brands your review or games you play frequently.

Then, to test the potential effectiveness of your keywords, you need to measure their search volume, which you can do with Google Trends. To learn more about keyword research, check out this post.

Engage with your audience as much as possible in the early stages.

While your channel is still relatively small, you have the unique opportunity to connect with your audience more directly than bigger creators do. You don’t have millions of people clamoring for your attention online yet, so you can engage with a higher percentage of your fans.

Like and reply to as many YouTube comments as possible. Follow back especially supportive fans on social media. Answer their DMs or join their group chats. You can also watch their Instagram stories, like their posts, or duet their TikToks. The more you engage with them, the closer they’ll feel to you. Then, your community will become stronger, establishing the foundation of a wonderful and dedicated fan base around your channel.

As a brand-new creator, you should focus on consistency and community engagement. Stick to your niche and upload schedule, and engage with your audience on social media.