14 (real) ways to get free YouTube subscribers fast in 2025

If you want to grow your channel organically, getting free YouTube subscribers is critical. Subscribers come with benefits you can cash in on, such as qualifying for the YouTube Partner Program and earning ad revenue.

But beyond making money on YouTube, subscribers bump up your play counts, watch time, and engagement. These are all important signals to the YouTube algorithm and an indication that something you’re doing is working.

Find out how to get YouTube subscribers (for free!) using legitimate strategies and expert-backed tips to grow your channel.

How to get free subscribers on YouTube: 14 full-proof ways

If you’re just starting out, look at our guide to creating a YouTube channel. You should have your channel’s basics in place before diving into the tips below.

These practices are the best way to grow your YouTube channel with organic subscribers. But don’t tackle them all at once. Try one of these tips for each new video you post, or implement one or two a week.

1. Ask viewers to subscribe

It doesn’t get much easier than this.

Sometimes, your audience just needs to be reminded.

Though, does asking for the subscription seem too salesy? It can be if you ask too soon or too often. But a quick reminder to subscribe at the end of your video makes it easier for fans to keep up with your work.

Remember to demonstrate why your channel is worth subscribing to. Ask for the subscription only after you’ve provided new and useful information or made viewers laugh.

2. Interact with your audience and build community

If you form relationships with your viewers, they’re more likely to want to keep watching your work. Respond to comments. Follow their channels back. Form a community of peers and promote each other.

Source: from tree to sea

Also, once you’re plugged in, your comments section will start to see some action, potentially providing you with feedback and ideas for your next video.

You can take advantage of this action by managing your YouTube presence using Hootsuite. Not only can you upload and schedule videos, but you can also add comment streams to your dashboard. That makes it easy to review, reply, and/or moderate comments on all your videos from one place.

3. Publish on your channel consistently

The unwritten rule of publishing on YouTube is one video a week to start, increasing to 3-4 per week as your channel grows.

Carey Yazeed, a creator who started posting regularly on YouTube in January 2025 using a similar method, and increased her number of subscribers by 4,000 in just two months.

“Before January 2025 I had 1.2K followers, but I didn’t have enough watch hours to monetize my channel, so that’s when I started to be consistent,” she recalls.

“The first video I shared got 48,761 views, which gave me the watch hours I needed to start monetizing my channel, and my subscriber count began to grow. I posted three more videos that did okay, and another one that has generated over 118,197 views. I now have 5.4K subscribers.”

The theory is that more videos = more watch time from viewers. However, prioritizing quantity over quality has drawbacks.

If your goal is to convert viewers to subscribers, you need to focus on quality first and consistency next. And, only once you have a solid reputation, then you focus on quantity.

If you upload videos consistently, then people know that more good content is coming, and they’re more likely to tap subscribe.

To keep up with a consistent schedule, use a social media management platform (like Hootsuite!) to schedule your videos on YouTube for publishing later.

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4. Maximize watch time

Watch time is the total amount of time viewers spend watching your videos.

If you want to gain more subscribers, it’s essential to increase your watch time.

Not only does watch time let the algorithm know that people are enjoying your videos, but the longer someone is watching your video the more likely they’ll subscribe.

Playlists are a great way to increase your YouTube channel’s watch time. Like a Netflix series, a YouTube playlist autoplays a set of videos in a set order. The viewer doesn’t have to actively click the next video. They just sit back and let the content play.

Think of each playlist as its own mini-channel or ongoing series. If someone watches a few videos in a row and enjoys them all, they’ve got plenty of reasons to subscribe for more. Hooking people in with a compelling series is a powerful answer to how to get free YouTube subscribers.

Source: Epicurious

5. Encourage viewers to watch another video

There’s a good chance that someone who a) found your video and b) watches the whole thing is likely to enjoy the rest of your content.

They just need to be nudged in the right direction so they know where to find it.

To keep viewers engaged and increase the chances they’ll subscribe, promote a relevant video they should watch next.

This method has helped Nicole Thelin, YouTube Creator and Founder of Top Tier Digital Academy, grow her channel from 50,000 subscribers to over 180,000 organically.

“Instead of asking for subscribers, I just refer them to another video I made,” says Thelin. “After they’ve watched two or three videos, they know what to do next: smash that subscribe button and come back for more, because now they love the content.”

Hyping your next video and explaining why it’s not to be missed is the most organic way to encourage people to tap subscribe.

Of course, this requires having a good handle on your YouTube content and knowing which ones to recommend next.

6. Bring audiences from other channels to YouTube

This means cross-promoting on X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and your website. Basically, wherever you have an existing community.

This can be as simple as encouraging people to check out your YouTube channel in your Instagram bio. Or adding a video feed to your home page.

Posting a teaser of your latest video is another great way to draw people to your YouTube channel from other social accounts. Instagram Stories are ideally suited to this since you can offer a trailer or teaser of your video and point people there with a simple Swipe Up link.

If you tease videos on a regular schedule, people will start to anticipate your content. Once they’re anticipating your work, they’re primed to subscribe.

Pro tip: A social media scheduling tool like Hootsuite makes cross-promoting much easier. And we have a full guide to creating a social media content calendar.

7. Experiment with Shorts

If you want to get in front of new subscribers, experiment with Shorts.

Shorts is the fastest-growing content format, racking in 70 billion daily views worldwide.

Not only does it have a massive built-in audience, but the YouTube Shorts algorithm is a little different (and more favorable to small channels!) from the platform’s standard ranking system.

The Shorts algorithm based on user engagement, watch history, and content trends. And great news for beginners and new channels: The algorithm tests Shorts with small audiences first.

Simply put, you don’t need to have a large subscriber base to get your Shorts seen.

For Annie Paripally, the Creator behind the channel The Spectacular Girl, Shorts has helped her grow her channel organically.

“Through experimenting, what I learned is YouTube Shorts is where the algorithm is at,” says Paripally.

“I posted around 30 Shorts over 90 days, many of which were repurposed TikToks, and they helped me gain traction. I also tested trending sounds with minimal text, using just two hashtags and no description.”

You can use Shorts to promote a long-form video by sharing a clip of it and encouraging viewers to visit your channel to watch the full video.

8. Do your keyword research for titles, descriptions, and hashtags

Your video titles, descriptions, script, and hashtags can all benefit from keyword research. The more optimized your content is for YouTube SEO, the greater chance you’ll be found by interested viewers.

In the example below, you’ll see the longtail keyword outlined in red. Note how it shows up twice in the title and the description. It’s also in the on-screen text which may not directly impact SEO, but it does let viewers know immediately that the video will address the search term.

Source: Maya Lee

Not only will keyword research help you rank on YouTube’s algorithm, but it can also inform your content strategy. When you know what people are searching for, you know what kind of videos they want to see.

SEO tools like Google Keyword Planner can help you identify the words and phrases people use to find the information you’re providing. Your goal is to find topics in a sweet spot: lower competition scores but higher search volume.

This lets you avoid making videos that no one is searching for. Or videos with titles no one can find.

It will also help you avoid creating content on a highly competitive topic before you’re ready.

If you need help figuring out where to start with your keyword research, think about what kinds of search phrases you would use to search for content within your industry.

Use YouTube’s search bar suggestions to see related search terms, too.

9. Create effective channel branding

Channel branding is an important way to let viewers know who you are and what they can expect from your channel.

Start with your YouTube banner. This section welcomes everyone who clicks on your channel page, AKA potential subscribers.

Maybe they just watched a video and are looking for more. Make sure they know where they are and why they should stick around.

Your banner needs to be clean, on-brand, compelling, and — this is the fussy part — optimized for all devices. For instance, you don’t want important details covered up by your social media buttons.

Here’s the Hootsuite Labs banner:

It’s also important to optimize your channel description.

This text appears on the About page of your channel on YouTube. You have up to 1,000 characters to describe your channel and let viewers know why they should subscribe.

Psst: We’ve got a full blog post on how to write effective YouTube descriptions to get you started.

10. Spend time on thumbnails

A thumbnail is a 1280 x 720px still image that acts as a cover for your video. Think of it as a mini movie poster. It’s your first, best chance to persuade someone to click on your video.

We’re not talking about getting YouTube views today (we’ve got a different post for that), so why bring this up here? Consistent, professional custom thumbnails are another component of your channel branding. They can help tell new viewers more about who you are as a video content creator and give them more of a reason to subscribe.

Aim for consistent branding in all your thumbnails. Use the same font, the same color palette, or even the same frame composition.

11. Partner up with other YouTubers

This goes all the way back to Tip #2: Build community. Use your connections to find other YouTube creators to collaborate with so you can leverage each other’s audiences.

After all, your audience trusts your recommendations, and their audiences trust theirs.

Once you start to grow your subscriber count, you might find that your followers suggest potential collaborations. Until then, explore YouTube yourself to look for potential collaborators in your field. If you see someone who looks promising, reach out.

Shopify often uses its platform to uplift small businesses, like Hannah Perry. This helps to solidify Shopify’s brand reputation as a helper of small businesses and may attract other small business owners to subscribe to their channel.

12. Verify your Google account

By default, all YouTube users can upload videos that are up to 15 minutes long. You’ll need to verify your account if you want to create content longer than that.

Since longer videos give you more options for the kinds of content you can create — and increase watch time — this is an essential step for anyone who wants to build a professional channel and grow their subscriber count.

Once you verify your account, you can upload videos up to 256GB or 12 hours long.

13. Pay attention to your data

You can gain valuable insights from your data. Notably, you can learn where your target audience was when they subscribed to your channel through your YouTube analytics. These insights can show you where your YouTube strategy is strong.

Besides the data behind where viewers subscribe and your traffic sources, you will also want to pay attention to which videos are gaining the most views, especially from your existing subscribers. This will show you the content people are coming and staying for.

14. Use YouTube’s built-in subscription tools in your videos

The platform overlords know you’re wondering how to increase your number of subscribers on YouTube. That’s why YouTube offers several built-in clickable tools to help you convert video watchers to channel subscribers.

This is a still image at the end of your video where you can remind people to subscribe or insert another call to action before YouTube’s algorithm moves them to the next video. You can add an end screen to any video during the upload process as long as the video is more than 25 seconds long.

In this end screen from a video from travel creators Sam and Victor, viewers can subscribe to the channel (on the left) or continue watching related videos (on the right).

Source: Sam and Victor

3 things NOT to do to gain YouTube subscribers

Look, we understand the urge to cut corners with YouTube subscribers. We won’t shame you for wanting a wider audience — everyone does!

But we will burst your bubble: it ain’t gonna work. Do you think the video creators behind the world’s best YouTube channels are spending their time and money on shady growth schemes? Nope.

They’re too busy making quality videos and counting their money after using the growth strategies we shared above.

Here are three things you should avoid doing at all costs.

1. Pay for subscribers

YouTube does not like it when people try to cheat their way to the top. It says so right in the Terms of Service. If YouTube catches you paying for subscribers, they will suspend or terminate your account. That means all of your hard work goes down the drain.

Even if you don’t get caught, buying YouTube subscribers still isn’t a good idea. They’ll either be bots or people who were financially motivated to subscribe. That will skew your metrics since they’re not actually interested in your content.

Instead, focus on getting real subscribers by creating high-quality content, engaging with your audience, and posting consistently.

2. Engage with “free” YouTube subscription services

Nothing is really free. As the saying goes, if you’re not paying for the product, you are the product. With that in mind, let’s examine how “free” YouTube subscriber services work.

You earn your “free” subscribers by subscribing to and liking other channels, as instructed by the service. Most ask you to subscribe to 20 channels and like a certain number of YouTube videos. In return, 10 channels will subscribe to yours.

Essentially, you’re hiring yourself out as a one-person clickfarm. It works kind of like Instagram engagement pods — and, believe us, it’s not the answer to how to get subs on YouTube.

3. Be spammy

No one likes a Spam Lord. Excessively posting repetitive content that tries to convince people to subscribe to your channel will have the opposite effect.

On a similar note, asking viewers to subscribe *too* many times can also deter them. A good rule of thumb is to stick to just one “subscribe to my channel” mention per video.

Focus on creating valuable, high-quality content that viewers actually want to watch.

3 expert tips to gain free YouTube subscribers in 2025

If you want to experience organic channel growth, it’s a good idea to follow tried and true playbooks. Here are a few tips from content creators who have built their audiences from scratch.

1. Repurpose content

You know the saying: Work smarter, not harder.

Instead of creating YouTube videos from scratch, repurpose content from other social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels — especially if they’ve already performed well.

“TikToks and Reels can find new life on Shorts,” says Paripally. “But be sure to remove any watermarks and, if possible, redo the text.”

2. Include a CTA (but keep it short)

“One thing I’ve noticed is that you should never use more than one call to action,” says Thelin.

“People get confused, so when you start asking them to subscribe, and hit the bell for notifications, and watch another video and so on, it gets overwhelming.”

Instead, Thelin suggests keeping your CTA clear and concise. Not only is a short CTA easy to focus on but it’s also more actionable.

“That’s why I ask people to watch another video as my call to action,” she says. “It boosts my immediate revenue, signals great things to the algorithm, and leads to subscriber growth naturally without annoying my audience.”

3. Experiment and adjust

Everything from your thumbnails to your video titles helps with discoverability, retention, and subscriptions.

Pay close attention to your videos that get more views or engagement than others. Analyze everything from the thumbnail design to the title to identify what worked well.

“If people aren’t watching or subscribing to your videos, maybe it’s the topic, your title, or your thumbnail,” says Yazeed. “I started to really focus on my thumbnails; what colors stood out and what pictures of myself would be more engaging as it relates to the topic of my video.”

Grow your YouTube channel and audience faster with Hootsuite. It’s simple to manage and schedule YouTube videos as well as quickly publish your videos to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter—all from one dashboard. Try it free today.

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