The Subscribe Button Evolution: What's Working NOW on YouTube

We are all, of course, authors here first and foremost, but that doesn’t change the fact that every day we are also viewers.

And when you, as a viewer, watch a blogger’s video, don’t you also get annoyed by all those “subscribe to the channel, like the video, leave a comment, hit the bell icon,” and other nonsense?

Annoying, isn’t it?

So why do you do the same thing yourself?..

And don’t get us wrong: we’re not saying you should stop asking your audience for anything at all. On the contrary—you absolutely should ask.

You just need to do it at the right time and in a reasonable amount

Otherwise, viewers will start dropping off, retention will get weaker, and the number of likes, subscriptions, or comments—no matter how much you want it—will not increase.

And here’s how you can help yourself with this issue and start motivating viewers to take action instead of pushing them away:

• Don’t put a call to action at the beginning of the video

You haven’t even managed to immerse the viewer in the topic and atmosphere of the video, yet you’re already asking for something. It looks like being asked to rate a dish five stars before you’ve even tasted it.

• Leave the end of the video for just one type of call to action

All you need for successful promotion on YouTube is for the viewer to get engaged with your content and want to keep watching more and more. That’s why the only effective call to action at the end of a video is a recommendation to watch something else on your channel.

• One call to action at a time

As soon as there’s a choice between several actions (even if it’s just two), the viewer has to get distracted from watching the video, think, and make a decision. But no one will actually do that, so the majority will simply ignore your requests and won’t follow through on any of them.

• Every call to action should be justified

Share something useful — suggest subscribing to the channel. Made a great joke — a like for that wouldn’t hurt. Asked a question — let’s discuss it in the comments. And so on.

It should never be a plea like, “Subscribe, it will really help me grow,” or a command, because who are we to give orders to viewers?

On YouTube, there are plenty of other creators who also want to gather like-minded people around them. And the best way to do that is not by calling everyone indiscriminately just to hit 50k subscribers by your birthday—that’s a dead-end path.

The best way is to create a clear image of your channel and yourself as a creator so that people have no doubts about why they are subscribing, commenting, or becoming supporters.

As for subscriptions supposedly helping content perform on YouTube, here’s the truth: the number of subscribers has long ceased to guarantee that people will actually watch your videos.

If you don’t build a strong connection with your viewers, earn their trust, grow as a creator, and make them feel emotions — they’ll just linger on your channel as dead weight, dragging you down.

Of course, doing all this is much harder than simply asking. But please, learn to engage with your audience, make your calls to action a part of your content, not an alien insert. And one day, you’ll thank yourself for it.