Rising Creators Forum

I wanted to share how I’ve been growing my YouTube channel this year without paying for ads or using any weird “growth hacks.” It’s not perfect, and I’m still learning, but maybe it helps someone who’s stuck like I was a few months ago.

When I started, I had maybe 40 views total across 5 videos. It was rough. I almost deleted everything after the second week because nothing seemed to move. But I decided to treat it like a learning project. I stopped watching “how to blow up overnight” videos and instead tried to understand what people were actually doing when they did stay on my videos.

1. What the Algorithm Really Wants (From What I’ve Seen)

It’s not magic. YouTube just pushes videos people actually watch. The more people watch past the halfway mark, the more it thinks, “Hey, this must be good.”

When I looked at my retention chart, I saw most people leaving before 20 seconds. That hurt. So I started cutting the long intros and getting to the point quicker. I also stopped using clickbait titles that didn’t match the content, they get clicks but no watch time.

• Keep intros short
• Talk like you’re chatting, not reading a script
• Say what the video delivers right away

After a few uploads, my retention went from 30% to about 55%. That tiny change started bringing in new viewers through search.

Do you check your retention graph? What’s the biggest thing you learned from it?


2. Long Videos Still Matter

Everyone’s talking about Shorts, but here’s my take, long videos bring loyal viewers. I still make Shorts sometimes, but my 8–10 minute tutorials do way better long-term.

One video I made in January about simple editing tricks still gets daily views. It never went “viral,” but it keeps pulling traffic. That’s what I mean by organic growth. It’s slow, but it sticks.

How long are your videos usually? Do you think long form still works?

3. YouTube SEO (The Way I Actually Do It)

I don’t use any fancy tools. I just type my topic into the YouTube search bar and look at the autocomplete suggestions. Those are real things people are typing in.

Then I write a title that sounds like something I would click. For example, instead of “YouTube SEO 2025 Guide,” I’ll write “How I Got My First 1K Views Without Ads.”

I use the keyword once in the title, once in the description, and once while talking in the video. That’s it.

Do you bother with SEO tools, or just go by instinct like me?


4. Getting Comments Without Sounding Pushy

I used to say, “Don’t forget to like and subscribe!” at the end of every video. Felt forced. Nobody did it.
Now, I just ask something simple like “What part helped you most?” or “What do you want me to cover next time?”

Those little questions started getting replies. And the cool part is, when you reply back quickly, YouTube notices that the comment section is active. That’s a quiet little boost right there.

What kind of comments do you usually get? Do you reply to all of them?

5. Consistency (The Thing That Finally Worked)

I picked Friday evenings for uploads. It wasn’t based on data, I just had time then. But after a month or two, viewers started expecting it. I think that helped more than anything else.

It kept me accountable, and the algorithm seems to like consistency too. My first three months went like this:

• 0 → 3,000+ subscribers
• About 50k monthly views
• Finally hit my first $100 in AdSense

Not massive, but all real people. No bots, no promos.

How often do you upload, and what keeps you from burning out?

6. My Takeaway So Far

If you’re new, stop trying to be viral, just be helpful. YouTube still rewards genuine effort.
The videos that changed my channel weren’t the flashy ones; they were the ones where I honestly explained what worked for me.

So if you’re struggling right now, keep posting. Learn from each upload. It really does get easier.

Join the chat: What’s one simple thing that helped your channel grow recently?


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This was refreshing to read. Everyone online makes it sound like you need ads or paid marketing to grow your YouTube. I’ve been growing slow too but steady. I'm glad someone said it how it is.

Love your point about intros! I cut mine down to 10 seconds last month and my retention went up. It’s wild how small changes can make such a huge difference.