How to get your first 100 subscribers?

[Precious]

I launched my channel 3 weeks ago and I have 14 subscribers (mostly friends and family). getting to even 100 seems impossible right now

What's the strategy for getting those first 100 real subscribers when nobody knows you exist?

[Flaky]

Getting to 100 subs is the hardest milestone because you have zero social proof

here's exactly how i got my first 100 in 5 weeks:

strategy 1: reddit + forums (got me 40 subs)

• found subreddits related to my niche
• genuinely participated in discussions for a week first
• when relevant, shared my videos as helpful resources
• key: be helpful first, promote second

strategy 2: answer questions on quora/forums (got me 25 subs)

• searched for questions my videos answer
• wrote comprehensive text answers
• naturally mentioned "i made a video explaining this in detail" with link
• provided value even without the video link

strategy 3: engaged in youtube comments (got me 20 subs)

• found larger channels in my niche
• left thoughtful comments early on their new videos
• didn't promote myself, just added value
• people clicked my profile to see who i was

strategy 4: shared with existing networks (got me 15 subs)

• personal facebook, linkedin
• discord communities i'm part of
• email signature
• told people individually why they'd find it valuable

what doesn't work:

• sub4sub (fake engagement kills algorithm)
• spamming links everywhere
• buying subscribers
• "check out my channel" comments on other videos

your first 100 subscribers are earned one person at a time through genuine value

it's slow and manual. but these early subscribers are your most valuable ones

[Dre]

Let youtube search bring you subscribers

I got my first 200 subscribers without promoting on social media at all. pure youtube search traffic

youtube search optimization strategy:

step 1: keyword research

• find questions people search on youtube
• use youtube search autocomplete
• look for "how to" queries with low competition

step 2: make videos answering those exact questions

• title = the exact question
• thumbnail clearly shows what video is about
• deliver the answer clearly and quickly

step 3: optimize for search

• keyword in title
• keyword in description
• say keyword in first 30 seconds of video
• include timestamps

my first 5 videos:

• "how to meal prep for beginners on a budget" - 180 views, 12 subs
• "how to cook rice perfectly every time" - 420 views, 18 subs
• "easy breakfast meal prep for the week" - 1,200 views, 45 subs
• "how to meal prep without getting bored" - 680 views, 28 subs
• "5 ingredient meal prep recipes" - 2,100 views, 73 subs

total: 4,580 views, 176 subscribers in 6 weeks

why this works:

• people searching have intent - they want your content
• sustainable - videos keep getting views for months/years
• no need for existing audience or social media
• you're helping people solve actual problems

forget trying to promote on 10 platforms. make searchable content and let youtube do the work