How to Get the First 1000 Followers on YouTube Faster

Published on 23.11.2025 by Chizoba T

Many creators make YouTube videos to monetize their content. However, when doing so, they realize that YouTube has challenging requirements they must meet before their channels can be monetized. To start earning ad revenue, their channels need at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the last year.

Alternatively, you need at least 10 million YouTube short views in the last 90 days. If you create content and only get a couple of opinions, you may wonder whether you will ever meet these requirements. The good news is that in this guide, we will show you how to gain your first 1,000 followers and monetize your content quickly.

Top Tips on Reaching 1000 YouTube Subscribers Fast

If you want to gain 1000 followers in a short period, consider using the following tips:

Focus on Evergreen Content

If you focus on trending content, it will be hard to sustain viewership unless you create thousands of videos every day. A good idea is to create evergreen content that remains fresh and relevant after it is posted. This often consists of different content formats such as tutorials, how-to guides, and informational videos.

If you create content that your viewers consistently search for in your niche, you can build a steady flow of subscribers and views. Examples of such topics include:  

  • Beginner makeup tips.
  • Best exercises during pregnancy.
  • How to make $1000 online.

These topics never go out of date and will continue to earn you money today, tomorrow, and for many years to come. 

Leverage the Analytics

If you already have some videos on your channel, leverage YouTube analytics to help it grow. You will notice that some of your videos perform better than others. While some will help you get views, others will help increase your subscribers, watch time, and revenue. You should figure out what works best for your goals, then focus on creating videos that deliver the best results.

When you review your analytics, you will see which videos are driving the most views and subscribers. However, study your data carefully without assuming these are the videos that are bringing in the most subscribers. You might be surprised that some of your short videos are the ones getting the most subscriptions. Take time to understand what each video is good at, and focus your time and effort on the videos that will help you achieve your goal faster. 

Understand the Most Popular Kind of Content

While you might be tempted to create YouTube videos on topics you are passionate about, you also need to consider whether they are of interest to others. No matter how good YouTube videos are, if people aren't interested in that topic, you will struggle to get views and subscribers. Therefore, focus on topics that people have an interest in, such as:

  • How-to and listicle videos.
  • Reaction videos.
  • Listicles.
  • Versus videos.

These types of videos are likely to gain high viewership, especially when you post consistently on YouTube. However, you also need to conduct a competitive analysis to determine the level of competition. Otherwise, if there are so many videos competing for the same viewership, your videos might struggle to get noticed.

Optimize Your Channel

Many YouTube viewers will look at a channel's page to form their first impression. Before they subscribe to your channel, your viewers will visit the channel page to learn what it's about. That means your channel page is a key factor affecting your subscriber growth. This also means you need to optimize your channel page using several ways, such as: 

  • A banner that tells what your channel is about.
  • Adding a featured video or playlist.
  • An about section that clearly tells what the channel is about.

When you do that, it becomes easier to grow your YouTube subscribers to 1000.

Use an Outstanding Thumbnail

Remember that the thumbnail is what will give your viewer a quick impression of the channel. Using a strong thumbnail can increase your click-through rate and, in turn, directly affect your subscriber count. Consider using the following tips for creating an outstanding thumbnail: 

  • Be intentional in your creation. Make sure you use high-contrast colors, express emotions, and bold fonts.
  • Use visual tension. You need to show your audience that they can expect something unexpected. Such an emotional gap can help increase your CTR.
  • Don't clutter. If you use too many elements in your thumbnail, you might confuse your viewers. On the other hand, simplicity will win.
  • Remain consistent. When viewers begin to recognize you, you will become familiar, leading to more visits. 
  • Use A/B testing. You don't have to keep guessing what will work, as YouTube now lets you A/B test your thumbnails. 

Strengthen Your Current Videos

You may have a lot of content on your channel page that will help you get more subscribers. Instead of creating new videos, you can focus on your current content. For instance, if you already have a video that your viewers love and it has many positive comments and high retention, it means people are interested in watching.

While the content is popular, the click-through rate is low because the thumbnail and title aren't very enticing. You can solve the problem by creating a better title and thumbnail for the video. If people already love the video, a higher CTR will lead to more views and subscribers, even without creating more videos. By strengthening your existing videos, you can increase your viewership and subscriber base without creating new content.

Offer a Reward for Subscription

Instead of asking people to subscribe, you can also offer a reward for doing so. It could be as simple as asking them to subscribe so you can make a special video or collaborate. This can also be a good strategy for making your channel subscription more enjoyable and interesting.

Use the Community Tab

If you have at least 500 subscribers, the community tab can be a good tool for growing your subscriber base. You can provide the community with additional content, such as behind-the-scenes insights, questions, and polls. However, ensure that the content is engaging, as this will be visible to both your subscribers and non-subscribers. You can check YouTube Analytics to see how many subscribers you're gaining from your community posts.

Optimize Your Video for Search Engines

YouTube is the second-largest search engine after Google, so you need to optimize your videos for search engines. You can do that by:

  • Using the right keywords in the video title, description, and YouTube tags. Consider the keywords your viewers are using to search for content in the search bar. Focus on long-tail keywords, as their competition levels can be lower. You can lead more on YouTube competitor analysis.
  • Use YouTube metadata. These include playlists, captions, and uploading the filename to provide the YouTube algorithm with more context about the video. 
  • Be consistent in posting. The YouTube algorithm usually looks at a channel's activity level to determine whether it's worth promoting. 

In Conclusion

Getting your first 1,000 YouTube subscribers is a significant step, as it can help open the door to monetization, but it can be tough, especially when you are a new creator on YouTube. Fortunately, by following the steps outlined in this guide, you can hasten your path to reaching your first 1000 YouTube subscribers.