Growing a channel or platform is a time-consuming gamble, and going viral is never guaranteed. However, having honest conversations about your motives, goals, and reasons behind creating content can help you grow your online presence organically. With the right approach and a keen eye on upcoming trends, you’ll gain the algorithmic traction you deserve.

Luckily, there are a few things you can do to help you gain organic traffic to your channel or platform. That’s why I’m sharing the top five things every content creator needs to do to grow their channel in 2023. Read on to learn more!

A niche is not just a topic or an audience. It’s your passion, your expertise, and your unique voice. A niche makes you stand out from the crowd and connect with your viewers.

But how do you choose a niche? First, don’t just chase the trends or copy what others are doing. Instead, find something that matches your values and vision and sparks joy in you. This will help you create content that’s authentic and engaging.

Choosing a niche can also boost your reputation and influence in your field. When you stick to a specific niche, you become the go-to person for that topic. This can help you attract more loyal fans who love what you do and increase your opportunities to work with brands and other creators in the same niche.

You have an endless list of niches to choose from. Many people choose to stay in the beauty and wellness niche, while others may come up with something entirely unique or specific. Vlogs and motivational strategies are also pretty popular among Gen Z users.

When you’re passionate about your niche, you can just create content that makes you happy and expresses your personality. This can help you enjoy the process of creating content and avoid burnout. It can also help you attract viewers who appreciate your style and vibe and share your passion for your niche.

However, it’s important to not hide within niche. Some people find that they stop growing after a while because they’ve exhausted their niche topic. This leads to stagnation. To avoid this, try picking a broad niche. For example, if you love Dungeons and Dragons, consider making your niche tabletop gaming, or just gaming in general, instead of just Dungeons & Dragons.

If you’re not sure how to beyond your niche, don’t be afraid to try new things and explore new topics that interest you. Expanding your niche can help you grow as a creator, attract new audiences, and keep your content fresh and exciting.

As a content creator, you want to keep getting better at what you do. You want to create content that looks amazing, and that keeps your audience hooked. So, how do you invest in yourself and your knowledge?

Investing in good equipment, software, and training is a great start that can help you improve your skills and create high-quality content. You don’t need the most expensive equipment on the market, but you should invest in some extra things like a microphone and lighting; both of which significantly enhance the quality of your videos.

You can find a variety of microphones and ring lights for under $10 on Amazon or adjacent retailers. Again, you don’t need to go all out! What matters most is YOU and the content you make.

Also, video editing software like CapCut, Splice, and other free apps can help you create seamless and polished content without a huge learning curve and relentless subscription costs (looking at you, Adobe).

Aside from equipment and software, you’ll want to learn more about making yourself discoverable. This means ensuring that your content can be easily found by people who are interested in your niche.

One way to do this is by learning about search engine optimization (SEO) and keyword research. SEO means optimizing your content for search engines like Google and YouTube. Following SEO best practices can increase the chances of your content appearing higher in search results and getting more clicks and views. Keyword research is finding out what words and phrases people use to search for topics related to their niche. Using keywords in your titles, descriptions, tags, and content can make your content more relevant and appealing to your potential audience.

The keywords you should use vary and change, so you’ll want to use a keyword research tool to help you pinpoint the keywords that are trending and will boost your content effectively.

I recommend following other creators who spark your interest and motivate you to expand your niche. The more your creativity is fueled, the more likely you’ll create content you love.

Establishing a brand is one of the most important things you can do as a content creator to grow your channel in 2023.

A brand isn’t just a logo or a consistent color scheme. It’s your unique identity and personality as a creator. It’s what makes you different, and people want to watch your content.

How do you create a brand? By being consistent and interactive.

Use the same branding elements across all your platforms, like logos, colors, fonts, thumbnails, intros/outros, etc. This creates a unified and recognizable look that sets you apart from other creators and helps you attract trusting followers.

But don’t just stop there. Talk to your audience regularly. Reply to their comments, create polls, and ask for their opinions. This helps you get to know them better and find out what they like and need. This enables you to create content that grows with your audience and improve your platform over time.

And don’t forget to collaborate with other creators and brands. This is a great way to increase your exposure and reach new audiences. When you collaborate with others, you get to show off your brand to their fans and vice versa. This helps you gain new viewers and build relationships with others in your niche.

At this point, you may be wondering, “But Tricia, what’s the difference between a brand and a niche? Aren’t they the same?”

The difference is that a brand is a unique identity that reflects your values, vision, and style. The purpose of a brand is to create a recognizable look and build a loyal fanbase.

While a niche helps a content creator focus their content on a specific topic or audience, a brand enables you to create a unique identity and personality that resonates with your audience. A niche is about the content, while a brand is about the creator. Essentially, you need to balance the two to create content that reaches your target audience’s feed.

If you want to grow your channel via monetization, consider adding gated content. Gated content is exclusive or premium content that requires a subscription or payment to access, such as behind-the-scenes videos, podcasts, newsletters, consultations, and more.

For example, if your niche is centered around wellness, consider creating a wellness-focused newsletter encouraging readers to connect with you while you inform them.

Platforms like Patreon and Substack make it really easy for creators to offer exclusive content to followers. It can also help you generate a steady revenue stream and give your fans access to unique content they can’t find anywhere else.

Keep in mind that the gated content strategy is most effective when you have at least 10,000 followers and have a well-established niche and brand. If you don’t, just keep growing your platform and you’ll be able to fully gain the benefits of gated content!

But remember, offering gated content should supplement your existing free content, not a replacement. You should continue to provide high-quality free content to your audience while using gated content strategically to reward your most loyal fans. You should also only make gated content if you’re an expert on the topic.

When done right, offering gated content can help you build a stronger connection with your audience, increase revenue, and create a sense of exclusivity that can set you apart from other creators.

Live streaming can be intimidating — especially for new creators. Platforms like YouTube Live, Twitch, Instagram Live, and Facebook Live make it easy to live stream a variety of content, like product reviews, Q&A sessions, and GRWM videos.

Live streaming is a fantastic way to build a stronger connection with your audience. It allows you to answer questions in real-time, showcase your personality and authenticity, and even give your viewers a behind-the-scenes look at your life. Plus, it’s a great way to attract new viewers who may not have discovered your channel otherwise.

For example, an excellent live stream for me would be a makeup tutorial where I walk my viewers through a specific look step-by-step. I can answer their questions, provide tips and tricks, and even give product recommendations. It’s a fun and engaging way to showcase my skills and interact with my audience.

Keep in mind that not all platforms offer live streaming, or they may only offer the option under certain stipulations. For example, TikTok only allows you to go live once you hit over 1,000 followers.

Remember, growing a channel takes time, effort, and dedication. You won’t gain an audience overnight. You may not even grow one within a year — and that’s okay! But by implementing these strategies, you’ll be well on your way to building a loyal fanbase, generating revenue, and creating enjoyable and memorable content.

So, whether you’re a beauty content creator, a gamer, a lifestyle vlogger, or anything in between, use these tips to grow your channel and showcase your unique perspective on your niche.

In the end, the key to success is to stay true to yourself, create content that you’re passionate about, and connect with your audience. Don’t forget about your own happiness, and make sure you create content you’re proud of, regardless of views and engagement.