Once you hit 10,000 subscribers on your channel, you get to unlock YouTube stories. Similar to Instagram stories, YouTube stories are a mobile-only feature that allows you to share pictures and short videos on the go right from your phone camera. Stories only expire after 7 days, so it’s easy to keep your YouTube channel active constantly.
Stories are a great way to grow your audience and keep your fan engaged between your video uploads. Creators who post stories actively see their weekly subscriber growth rate boosted by 8.5%. Let the numbers do the talking, here’s why every creator must post YouTube stories.
1. Spread awareness
YouTube stories is a relatively new feature and many viewers might not know how to use it. For the first 3 months, announce that you will be posting exclusive content on stories and guide viewers how to access this feature in your videos.
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2. Expand your collaborations
Use the @mention feature to tag other YouTubers on your story. This is a great way to get attention from other creators and open up to collaborations.
3. Grow your fan base
Reply to comments from fans and tag them. This is a great way to cultivate loyalty and recognise your fans. You can feature a comment of the day, host Q&A sessions in your comment section and reply to these comments in your stories, and more.
4. Make a whole new series
Turn your stories into a series in itself. For example, you can post “inspirational quotes” every Monday, “sneak peek into your upcoming video” on Tuesdays, “call out your favourite YouTubers” on Wednesdays, “reply to fan comments” on Thursdays and so forth.
5. Experiment with different content
Stories have no impact on your discoverability on YouTube. This makes stories a safe place to experiment with new content ideas. Find out which ideas your fans engage with the most and then roll out these ideas on your YouTube channel.
6. Create a stronger impact
Build a buzz around your videos before you publish them. Make up exciting guessing games, treasure hunts and give clues to your upcoming videos. This sparks curiosity and builds velocity leading up to your video launch.
7. Build personal connections
According to a YouTube feedback survey, viewers prefer personal and value-adding content over promotional content. So don’t go overboard on promotions. Let your fans get up and close to you, and see what you’re like behind the camera.
8. Expose what you do behind the scenes
Fans love to see bloopers and understand the technicalities behind your shoots. Show your viewers how you shoot your videos, your failures, highpoints, and let them tag along on your journey.
Your fans will dominate your YouTube stories so make sure you repeatedly thank them and express your gratitude for their support. Being genuine will help you foster lasting relationships with your community and in turn lead to a strong surge in subscribers.
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