So you’ve decided to start a YouTube channel. You’ve found a great channel name and brainstormed a long list of awesome video ideas. You’ve even uploaded your first video. You’re ready to start your career as a content creator, but the only thing that’s missing is your audience.

Every creator starts with the same number of views: zero. But have no fear! Here’s how to grow a channel with zero views.

Moving forward, focus within a specific niche.

When “YouTuber” first became a viable career, many creators built their platforms by making videos about whatever they wanted. However, now, the platform is a lot more saturated, but a lot of career YouTubers have been able to build lucrative platforms by focusing within a specific niche.

When you create niche content, all of your videos will fall under the same category. A more specific niche can help narrow your video ideas, enabling you to rise to the top of the search results for certain keywords. You can also build a dedicated audience whose interests closely align with your content. A more unique niche can also attract more viewers because of how much it stands out from other channels.Narrow your niche down from the wider content genre you started in.

Add specific keywords to your video titles and descriptions.

Once you determine your niche, you can start determining which keywords will help more viewers find your channel. Keywords are the main component of Search Engine Optimization, which works to boost your place in the search engine results. When your videos appear higher in the YouTube search results, viewers who search for those keywords will find your videos more easily.

The right keywords will vary from niche to niche. However, you can start by looking at channels similar to your own. Read their video titles and descriptions and make a list of any words or phrases that appear frequently. Then, try searching these terms on YouTube. If videos similar to your niche pop up, then you’ve found good keywords.

Putting the right keywords in your video titles and descriptions can help you rank higher in the search results. 

Utilize the resources you already have to improve your video quality.

One of the biggest factors that can turn a potential viewer away is the quality of a video. Even if you have the most interesting video idea with the most effective title ever, viewers won’t be likely to stick around for long if the video is poorly shot. Bad audio or poor camera quality can also negatively impact your viewership.

However, you don’t need an expensive camera or professional lights to create a high-quality video. On many smartphones, you can go into the camera settings and change the video quality to 4K. The only equipment you need to buy is a cheap external mic, which can easily be ordered online.

You can learn a lot about professional filming techniques from various YouTube tutorials. Look for video shooting tutorials specific to the model of phone you have. Research editing techniques and audio recording tutorials as well.

Promote your content to your current followers.

If you’re starting a YouTube channel, you probably have other social media accounts as well. Most anyone with social media already has somewhat of an audience, whether it’s fifteen followers or fifteen million. The people who have already followed or friended you can be your first viewers, too.

Share your first few videos on Facebook and Twitter. Post your channel link in your Twitter and Instagram bios. Post snippets of your videos on your Instagram story, your Snapchat story, and your TikTok. You could even post your video thumbnails to Instagram with the link in the caption.

Don’t just share your content and expect your friends and family to subscribe, though. Engage with anyone who offers you support. Subscribe to friends’ channels and comment on their videos. You might even incorporate friends or family members into videos, encouraging them to share the videos that feature them on their own social media platforms. 

To grow a channel with zero views, start with what you have. Utilize your resources to improve your video quality, and promote your content to the friends and followers you already have.