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I hit 1,000 subscribers on YouTube this past week, and I wanted to share what’s been working while it’s all still fresh. If you’re sitting at 12 subscribers, or 87, or 312, I know exactly how you feel. A thousand can seem so far away, especially when every new subscriber feels like a huge win.
If you’re new here, hi! I’m Danielle, founder of The Wanderlover. I help creators build profitable online businesses so they can work from anywhere in the world, and lately I’ve been documenting my YouTube journey in real time. If you’d like to follow along, subscribe to my channel for new videos every Monday.
One thing I love about YouTube is that a video you posted months or even years ago can show up in someone’s recommendations today. Every video you publish gives people another way to find your channel. An older video might suddenly take off and push you past 1,000, or you might get there a few subscribers at a time.
If I had to start over tomorrow with zero subscribers, here’s exactly what I’d do.
1. Decide you’re getting to 1,000 subscribers
This might sound a little cheesy, but I really believe it. When you catch yourself asking, “Can I get to 1,000 subscribers?” try asking, “How am I going to get there?” Once you decide it’s happening, you start looking for things you can actually do to move forward.
Study creators in your niche. Look at the titles and thumbnails they use, and pay attention to which videos took off. Then think about how you’d make your own version of a topic that’s already resonating with viewers.
And keep uploading. I think a lot of creators stop way too early, before they’ve had enough time to learn what works for their channel.
2. Publish consistently and batch your videos
I know everyone says to be consistent, but the reason it matters to me is simple. Every upload gives you another chance to get better.
I recommend publishing one long-form video a week and turning it into two or three Shorts. You’ve already done the hard part by filming the full video, so get as much mileage out of it as you can.
If you can, batch your filming too. I’ll usually sit down and record multiple videos in one afternoon because it’s so much easier to stay in that creative flow once I’ve started.
And please give yourself permission to hit publish before everything feels perfect. I’ve posted videos I could’ve kept tweaking forever, and I was the only one who noticed the little things I wanted to change.
3. Learn YouTube SEO
One of the biggest mistakes I see creators make is filming a video before thinking about how anyone would find it. Before I film almost anything, I ask myself, “Would someone actually type this into YouTube?”
That’s where TubeBuddy has been really helpful for me. I use it to research keywords, compare titles, and get a sense of whether a topic is too competitive.
People come to YouTube looking for answers. When you make a video that answers a question someone is already searching for, you give them a better chance of finding you.
4. Spend more time on your thumbnails
You can make a great video, but people have to click on it to see it. I like designing my thumbnail before I even start editing because it forces me to ask, “What would make someone stop scrolling?”
I keep it simple with a clear emotion, easy-to-read text, and high contrast. And if a thumbnail is underperforming, I’m happy to try a different one. I’ve swapped thumbnails after publishing, and sometimes it’s made a huge difference.
5. Give viewers more of what they already love
Open your YouTube analytics and look at your top-performing videos. What made those videos work? Could you make a follow-up, create a beginner version, or update one for this year?
It’s easy to get caught up in coming up with brand-new ideas every week. Some of your best ideas are already there in the videos your audience keeps watching. Pay attention to what people are responding to, and let that guide what you make next.
6. Reply to every comment
Especially in the beginning, if someone takes the time to leave a comment, reply. It’s a simple way to build a community, and honestly, it’s one of my favorite parts of YouTube.
I see some of the same names on every video now, and I genuinely look forward to hearing from them. Those viewers can become some of your biggest supporters. Take the time to get to know them.
7. Improve one thing with every upload
Pick one thing to work on each time you upload. Maybe you write a stronger hook, improve your audio, make a thumbnail that gets more clicks, or tighten up your editing.
Trying to fix everything at once can make every video feel like a huge project. Focus on getting a little better each week. After a year of doing that, I think you’ll be surprised by how far you’ve come.
What I’d focus on if I were starting from zero
If I were working toward my first 1,000 YouTube subscribers again, I’d focus on showing up consistently, learning from each upload, and sticking with it long enough for those small improvements to add up.
I’d love to know how many subscribers you have right now. Leave your number in the comments so you can come back to this post someday and celebrate how far you’ve come.
And if you’re building a travel-focused YouTube channel and want to work with hotels, tourism boards, and travel brands, check out my Travel Influencer Handbook. It walks you through how I turned content creation into a full-time career and shares what I learned along the way so you can save yourself some trial and error.
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