Why content alone will not get you a million YouTube subscribers

I came across a channel a few days ago while searching for new videos to watch on YouTube after a long day at work. I clicked on their most recent video and had to force myself to watch it past the first minute because of eardrum-wrecking background noises. 
 
Nonetheless, I finished watching the video because the content was unique. What I noticed later is that videos of good quality content have been regularly uploaded in that channel for many years, but it only has a few thousand subscribers. 
 
The only reason I could find for the low subscriber count on a channel that delivers such rich content on a regular basis is the background noises. I spoke with some of my friends who followed this channel, and they all had the same complaint.
 
I believe that everyone will agree with me on one point: getting someone to subscribe to your channel even after uploading low-quality videos like these would require a miracle of the magnitude that would enable Kangana Ranaut to speak like a normal human being—something none of us are likely to witness in our lifetime.

With the rapid growth of YouTube users over the years, it has become a platform for people all over the world to earn a living. Although the idea of making this a full-time commitment was unthinkable even a decade ago, the situation in Bangladesh has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years. 

Our country has seen some excellent content creators over the years who have made a name for themselves through YouTube, defying the odds and challenging the long-held belief in our country that 'either you are a doctor, engineer, or lawyer, or you are a failure.' These people are making more than enough money to support themselves and their families through their dedication and ingenuity and every day, their success inspires and encourages more people to follow in their footsteps.

So, in this article, I share a non-exhaustive list of "dos and don'ts" for those who are struggling to earn subscribers on their channel, as well as those who are thinking about starting one in the future.
 
Communicate with your audience 

First and foremost, you should interact with your audience as much as possible, not only on YouTube but also on other social media platforms. Do not be shy about asking your followers on other social media platforms to visit and subscribe to your YouTube channel.
 
Ishfaque Kamal, former content creator at Daekho believes that "Building a friendly relationship with your viewers is of utmost importance to make them subscribe to your channel. What I can say from personal experience is that if you communicate with someone, he then talks about you often with his/her friends and consequently you get many potential subscribers in your channel through that one person." 

"You can interact with them in a number of ways, such as replying to their comments, asking questions, holding contests, and so on," he added. 
 
Playlists can be more beneficial than you think 

Secondly, you should consider creating playlists. In this regard, Lamia Moktar Linda, who runs the channel 'Makeup Maniac By Linda' said that "the best part of a playlist is how they line up your best contents in one place which motivates people to click on the subscribe button."
 
Aim for quantity while maintaining quality 

Thirdly, you should aim to release videos regularly. However, Linda's advice here is that "you should never compromise your quality while increasing the quantity. People will only subscribe if you can assure them that they will get great videos from you regularly."
 
Unity is strength

Fourthly, you should collaborate with other content creators as regular collaboration with the right people can work wonders for your YouTube channel. In this regard, Ishfaque has said that "The audience of the person with whom you are collaborating trusts him in the same way that your audience trusts you. So, if he/she asks his/her audience to subscribe to your channel, your long-cherished dream of seeing exponential growth in the number of subscribers and viewers might just become a reality in no time."
 
Create a chain 

Another way that you can use to gain subscribers is to give your audience the chance to watch numerous videos from your channel one after another in one sitting. You can promote another video at the end of one, forming a chain that will make them stay on your channel for quite some time. As they will keep knowing more about your content with every video that they watch, the chances of them subscribing to your channel will increase by the minute. 
 
Also, as Ishfaque and Linda both have noted, "in your videos, tell your audience what you're working on next. You have to create a hype for your next video, build suspense and make it clear why they should not miss it to keep them hooked." 
 
Put a good description, channel trailer, channel art, and channel icon 

Furthermore, having a good description, channel trailer, channel art, and channel icon are extremely important, despite the fact that many people overlook these. Tafannum Faizah, a food blogger who has recently risen to prominence, said "If your description and trailer do not tell the audience much about yourself and your channel, and your channel art and channel icon are not captivating enough, it is unlikely that anyone will watch the contents you have uploaded to see if these are worthwhile."
 
Create "real" thumbnails that work

Likewise, many visitors will decide whether to click on a specific video on your channel or scroll past it based on the thumbnails. As Linda has rightly stated "contrary to popular belief, creating a professional thumbnail is far from easy. There are several important issues at play, such as using the appropriate size, visually appealing photographs as the background, appropriate fonts for the text headings, and so on." 
 
Another important point with regard to thumbnails has been raised by Ishfaque. He is of the opinion that "With all of your thumbnails, you should stick to a single theme. Too much variation in this regard (for example, overuse of colours) can have an impact on the visual appeal of your channel, just as too many cooks spoil the broth."
 
Again, because of how many people I have seen take this route to gain subscribers, it is worth mentioning at this point that you must not use false thumbnails. Tafannum believes that "It irritates viewers, and instead of subscribing, they may never return to your channel."