Nathan Edwards • August 31, 2025
#10 How to Start a YouTube Channel and Grow Fast
Well, we’ll help you.
The first thing you need to understand is that this is not 2015 or 2016 anymore, when you could start a YouTube channel and get instant success. Today, it’s much harder. Now, either your content has to be extremely good and attention-grabbing, or you need to be ready to stay consistent for 2–4 years before you start making real money. In this guide, we’ll show you how to start a YouTube channel. But before that, you need to accept one thing — it’s going to be difficult. You’ll have to put in a lot of effort and stay patient. Back in 2015–2016, things were different. YouTube was still growing, and there was less competition. It wasn’t as crowded as it is today, which made it easier for creators to grow faster.
First, understand this
you can’t just start a YouTube channel today, upload videos, and expect to get an audience. It doesn’t work like that anymore. So how should you start? Yes, the first step is to create a YouTube channel. But in the beginning, that shouldn’t be your main focus. The real starting point should be Instagram. Why? Because Instagram can give you reach much faster than YouTube, especially through Reels. So first, you should focus on building an audience there. Start by choosing your niche — the area you want to create content in, like fitness, lifestyle, or anything else. Once you decide your niche, create an Instagram account and start posting reels consistently around that topic. Focus on growing on Instagram first. For example, after 2–3 months of posting consistently, if you start getting views and gain thousands of followers, that’s a good sign. At that point, you can move to YouTube. Create a YouTube Shorts channel and start posting short videos in the same niche. Keep your content similar so your audience understands what you’re about. At the same time, focus on building trust. Reply to comments, engage with your audience, and connect with them. Make people feel like they know you and value your content. This is your first step — build an audience, gain trust, and create a strong foundation before going all-in on YouTube.
Step 2: Start Your Main YouTube Channel
Now that you have created your Instagram page and YouTube Shorts channel, I’m assuming you’ve gained some experience. By now, you should understand how content creation works, how to engage with people, and what kind of content your audience likes. This is where the second step begins. Now you need to start your main YouTube channel based on your niche. One option is to start a vlogging channel where you show your daily life. Vlogging can work well if you are comfortable on camera and people enjoy watching you. But if you’re not into vlogging, you can simply create value-based videos in your niche — teach something, share tips, or give useful information. If you decide to start vlogging, begin casually. Don’t overthink it in the beginning. Next, promote your YouTube channel everywhere — on your Instagram reels, stories, highlights, and even other platforms like Snapchat if you use it. Let your audience know that you’re now on YouTube and invite them to watch your content. Some of your followers will start checking out your videos. But make sure your content is interesting — it should have a good hook so people actually want to watch it. Once people start watching your videos regularly, they will begin to connect with you. They will get used to your content and become interested in your daily life and what you share next. You don’t have to post every day, but try to upload at least 2–3 times a week to stay consistent and keep your audience engaged. Keep doing the same thing — connect with your audience on Instagram and bring them to YouTube. Over time, this will help you grow your channel. As your views increase and people watch your content longer, you can reach YouTube’s 4,000 hours of watch time and start monetizing your videos. This is your second step. Next comes the third step.
Step 3: Don’t Quit — Improve Smartly
Now you’ve started your YouTube channel and you’re getting some views, but not as much as you expected for the effort you’re putting in. You’re posting regularly, but the growth feels slow. At this point, it’s normal to feel demotivated and think about quitting. In fact, this is where around 95% of people give up. But you shouldn’t. Instead, here’s what you need to do. First, once you’ve uploaded around 20–30 videos, start analyzing your content. You’ll notice that some videos perform better than others. Pick your top 4–5 performing videos and study them. Ask yourself: Why did these videos work? What was different about them? Also, check the comments. See what people are saying, what they liked, and what they want more of. This will give you a clear idea of what your audience enjoys watching. Once you understand that, your next step is simple — create more content like that. Don’t just keep posting randomly. Focus on what is already working. Promote those videos again on Instagram, stories, and other platforms. At the same time, keep improving your content quality as your audience grows. As people start watching your videos more, YouTube will begin recommending your content to a wider audience. This is when you start getting more organic views. The key here is simple: Don’t quit, but don’t work blindly either. Work smart. If something isn’t working, stop doing it. If something is working, double down on it. Also, remember — competition is high. Thousands of creators are making similar content. So you need to stand out by bringing something unique, whether it’s your style, your ideas, or the value you provide. Keep learning, keep improving, and stay consistent. That’s how you grow.
Step 4: Grow Smart and Stay Consistent
Now you have a working YouTube channel. You’re among the small percentage of creators who actually made it through the hard early phase. At this stage, you may start getting brand deals. But you need to be careful — don’t overload your videos with too many promotions. Too many ads can hurt your views and reduce engagement. Keep brand promotions natural and minimal so your audience still enjoys your content. The next important thing is consistency. YouTube doesn’t favor creators who upload once and then disappear for months. You’re not a big creator yet where people will wait for your content. If your audience wants more from you, you need to keep posting regularly. Also, don’t quit your job too early. Treat YouTube as a second source of income in the beginning. Once your income becomes stable and consistent, then you can think about going full-time. When working with brands, promote them in a smart way that doesn’t affect your content quality. You can also use Instagram for promotions — like posting stories, doing collaborations, or simple shoutouts. The key is to balance content and monetization without losing your audience’s trust.
Summary
Starting a YouTube channel today is much harder than it was in 2015–2016. Back then, there was less competition, but now you either need very high-quality content or long-term consistency to succeed. The smart way to start is not by focusing only on YouTube. First, build your audience on Instagram using reels, because it offers faster reach. Once you gain followers and understand your niche, you can move to YouTube Shorts and start building trust with your audience. After that, you should launch your main YouTube channel. You can either create vlogs or value-based content depending on your strengths. Promote your videos across platforms and stay consistent so people start connecting with you. As you grow, don’t quit when views are low. Instead, analyze your top-performing videos, understand what works, and create more content around it. Focus on improving quality and working smart rather than just posting randomly. Once your channel starts performing, you may get brand deals. But keep promotions minimal and natural so they don’t affect your engagement. Stay consistent with uploads and don’t rely on YouTube as your main income too early. Overall, success on YouTube today requires patience, consistency, smart work, and building a strong connection with your audience.