How to Get People to Subscribe by Asking the Right Way

The following is a step-by-step tutorial on how to get more subscribers by asking the right way. People are more likely to do something if you give them a bit of a nudge, and that includes subscribing to your YouTube channel.

There are people who think that if people like their videos they'll subscribe, so they shouldn't bother people by asking. This is, simply put, wrong. When people are browsing YouTube their minds are on what video they want to watch next, not whether or not they want to subscribe – unless you remind them.

What is a 'Call To Action'?

A More Effective Way of Asking for Subscribers

Step 1: How to Hook the Viewer

Step 2: Get to The Point Quickly

Step 3: Create a Moment - Make Subscribing Part of the Experience

What is a 'Call To Action'?

It has become the norm for YouTubers to ask viewers to subscribe in their sign-offs. A typical CTA ('call to action') goes something like this:

"Thanks for watching. If you liked this video, make sure to subscribe for more!"

That's great. At the end of a video is a good place to ask people to subscribe, but is it the best and only place you should be reminding them? If you take a peek at your analytics and you might find that most of your viewers aren't watching to the ends of your videos (people have short attention spans).

A More Effective Way of Asking For Subscribers

Collins Key is one YouTuber who has mastered asking for subscribers early on, and given that he has over 7 million subscribers himself I'd say it's working out. Check out the technique in this video collab with Brooklyn and Bailey:

Step 1: How to Hook The Viewer

As you can see, the video starts with a 'flash forward' to one of the twins saying the heater is on fire and then a reminder of what's going to happen later – the heater catching fire – is written in the top left of the screen so it stays on the viewers' mind. This is one way in which the viewer is immediately hooked.

Step 2: Get to The Point Quickly

Shortly after, while still in the first 30 seconds of the video, Collins gets right to the point and introduces the Twin Telepathy Challenge promised in the title of the video. The hook with the heater catching fire is effective, but it's not essential. It happens to suit Collins' style, and it happens to have happened. Getting to the main point of the video quickly – usually in the first 15 seconds, not the first 30 (it's in the first 15 seconds that most viewers click away) – is vital. People click on videos for a reason, and if they don't see a sign of that payoff quickly they'll leave.

Step 3: Create A Moment - Make Subscribing Part of the Experience

It's only after hooking the viewer in and reiterating the promise of the title that Collins asks viewers to subscribe. The really clever thing about how he asks is that he carves out time in the video for the viewer to comply with his request. He gives 5 seconds and does a countdown.

Collins Key has been one of the fastest-growing channels on YouTube. He does not implement this strategy in every video, but it's not a stretch to think it's had something to do with his success. Instead of simply asking you to subscribe at the end of the video, he creates a part of the video early on – before people who don't watch until the end will have clicked away – where you feel as if you're 'supposed to' subscribe.

That's how you can get more YouTube subscribers by asking the right way - let us know if you have your own tactics!