How to GROW a Gaming Channel in 2023

– Every gaming channel on YouTube has one major problem. How can they stand out and actually get people to give their videos a chance? Well, if you’re a gaming channel, there’s actually four things you can do to solve that problem. Mastering them can help you grow incredibly quickly in the increasingly competitive space

That is gaming on YouTube. Number one is confidence. And this could mean a few different things, and I promise that none of your interpretations are invalid. But one example of confidence could be the confidence that you are actually good at the game you’re trying to play. A lot of gaming creators struggle here

Because they see channels playing the game that they would like to play but at an incredibly high skill level. So say you would like to make a channel around your favorite MMO, and you see other channels have been playing it for quite a long time and you’re still kind of in the mid-game,

You’re learning the ropes yourself. That’s okay because nothing is stopping you from helping the players who are brand new to the scene. Take everything that you’ve learned so far to get to the point you are at in your game. You can help new players. Have the confidence to give beginners the advice

That got you to where you are at least. Over time, you’re gonna get better at this game. And as your skill level evolves, so will your content. But then you have certain games that focus more on design skills rather than combat skills. Take The Sims for example.

How are you supposed to stand out in a space where creators who have been around for years have mastered creating spectacular builds? Well, practice for one. Art is very subjective. And if you really feel like you’re missing something and you’re not quite at that skill level yet, then take some time to learn

How to design a little bit better every single day. I guarantee you though, a lack of design skill did not stop these players who are big now from getting started in the first place. And just like our MMO example, these Sims channels likely continue to improve as designers as time went on.

And as they improved, so did their videos. So when it comes to your confidence as a designer or at your skill level in the game you wanna play, I want you to internalize that you are indeed good enough and you can always continue to get better.

But we’re not even done on the subject of confidence because we haven’t even discussed being on mic or being on camera in your gaming videos. This, of course, also comes down to practice. Do not let this stop you from starting in the first place because I promise you

Nobody likes their first YouTube videos. Heck, I was an experienced YouTube creator when I started here at VidIQ, and I hate looking back at my old VidIQ videos. And one day I’ll probably hate these videos too. Start small, give yourself time, and understand that you are good enough

To start doing any of these things on your channel. The second thing you need as a creator is insight, specifically insight into exactly the kind of person you would like to have watching your videos in the first place. It may not seem this way at first, but you do not wanna make videos for just anybody.

There’s not a lot of crossover in fans of The Sims 4 and fans of Final Fantasy 14. There’s some, don’t get me wrong, but not enough to have consistent growth across your entire channel because even though they have some similarities, they are two completely different types of games.

So insights, let me give you an example. Let’s say Sims 4 is in fact your favorite type of game. Nice. We now have one insight about your ideal viewer because ideally The Sims 4 is also their favorite game. But what if you took this a step further and said, well, wait, no.

Not only is my ideal viewer someone who likes The Sims 4, they like The Sims 4, but they hate decorating. Instead, they’re much more interested in starting a new game, rolling up a new family, and challenging themself in all kinds of fun and interesting ways. If you’re a fan of The Sims,

You know it’s have the most money, make the most babies, that sort of thing. That alone is an entire YouTube channel, and it will give you a very clear place to start when you’re thinking of new video ideas day after day, week after week. And as this channel begins to grow and grow,

In the future you can consider other games that are kinda like The Sims 4, but they also allow the audience who plays that game to challenge themselves in all kinds of fun ways. Just like with confidence, it’s important to start small when it comes

To the type of person you would like watching your content. Patience is the third thing that gaming creators need, and I’m actually talking about two different types of patience. I’d first caution you to just be patient with yourself and the process that is YouTube.

Growth will start slow, and there is a lot to learn. Just know that your favorite gaming creators weren’t automatically good overnight, so give yourself time. The second type of patience though is going to be patience with regards to learning new YouTube skills. Just learning the skill of video editing

On its own is a whole entire thing. With thumbnails, it’s not just an eye for design you need but it’s also understanding thumbnail strategy as well. And again, this won’t be something you can just snap your fingers and learn in an afternoon. Whatever area you feel like needs the most work,

Dedicate some time to learning the necessary skills. The fourth thing, and I would say for gaming creators the most important thing for growing fast on YouTube these days is going to be diversification. It is critical that gaming channels learn to diversify their content. On YouTube alone,

You have the ability to post long form videos, live streams, and short vertical videos. I certainly don’t wanna burn you out, but you should be using as many of these features as possible, whatever makes sense for your channel. That’s because there are different types of viewers for different types of content.

And there’s a lot of crossover of course. For example, you might find that your shorts viewers might also not mind if you’re live, checking out one of your live streams. Your long form viewers who are watching shorts one day might stop scrolling if they hear your voice

And they see one of your funny clips pop up. But then also there’s viewers who just watch shorts and that’s it. They’ll also be viewers that only care to watch you live. So on YouTube, I would encourage you to develop a content strategy around all three different types of content.

Let’s say you just play one game in your channel, so your long form videos are about strategy, tips and tricks for getting better at the game. Your live streams are an opportunity for you to hang out with your audience and play the game yourself

As you continue to think of new strategies you can share and you get better at the game yourself live. And your YouTube shorts can just be the clips from your live streams that are especially funny or informative. All three of these different types of content distribute all around YouTube in their own way.

So figuring out the right way to leverage each one of these types of content is going to blow up your channel in terms of views and subscribers. By the way, if you feel like you’re just starting out on your YouTube gaming journey, then I want you to go to this video right here

Because we break down step by step how to actually start a gaming channel.