May 18, 2016

How to get shoutouts on YouTube

how to get shoutouts on youtube
In this article, we’ll be telling you how to get shoutouts on YouTube. Before we begin properly, we’ll start by giving you our definition of what constitutes a shoutout.

What is a shoutout on YouTube?

Shoutouts on YouTube are seen most commonly at the end of videos and take the form of one content creator linking to the channel of another who makes similar content, but did not work on the video. If they did work on the video, then the creators are collaborators– but the relationship works similarly, so this article can still help you. We have a full article on collabs on YouTube if that’s what you’re looking for, though.

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Shoutouts can take a few other forms, too. Shoutouts can be done in social media posts on Twitter/Facebook, or through liking/favoriting certain videos and making those lists publicly available for viewers of the channel. Stretching the definition slightly, a shoutout can also take the form of someone being credited for video-related work without necessarily being a collaborator- this includes people who contribute thumbnails, music and art to a project but don’t take an active role in video production. Anything more extreme than those and you’re entering into collaboration territory, though it’s perfectly fine for the line between the two to blur in your dealings with other YouTubers. Before we start telling you how to get shoutouts on YouTube, you may also want to know why they’re so important.

Why is it important?

Shoutouts and collaborations on YouTube are directly linked to growing a channel’s popularity on YouTube. Very few popular channels at the top of the game nowadays got there on their own- and a lot of the ones just below them got where they are thanks to help from the top dogs. Liking, favoriting and sharing another person’s video or channel gives them traffic, which in turn leads to new subscribers and potentially a chain of new viewers if the videos really impress. Here’s a scenario: you create an in-depth review of a movie you really like. Another, more popular channel sees this review while they’re working on their own video related to this movie, and they decide they like your video so much that they choose to link to yours at the end of their own video. This drives their viewerbase to yours, and if they like your content, chances are their viewers will, too.
Shoutouts on YouTube are important for small channels that want to become big, and big channels that want to become bigger.
Think of your channel as a small float in the midst of a large pool. Think of that pool on the edge of an endless, expansive ocean: that ocean is YouTube and the Internet, constantly expanding. Your goal should be growth, too.

[call_to_action color=”blue” button_text=”Go to GRIN” button_url=”https://market.grinapps.com?utm_campaign=how-shoutouts-youtube-post&utm_medium=blog-post&utm_source=grin-website”] Are you a YouTuber? Check out Grin & meet YouTubers to exchange Shoutouts, Collabs & MORE!

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How to get shoutouts on YouTube

STEP 1: Create Content

If you want to know how to get shoutouts on YouTube, you need to know how to run your channel. First and foremost: create content! Your channel getting a shoutout doesn’t matter if you don’t have a decent backlog of videos for new viewers to browse through (which is what leads to subscribers), and if these videos aren’t of sufficient quality. It’s extremely important for you to maintain a consistent, high level of quality with your videos- even if you’re clearly improving over time, you want to have a decently-sized backlog that viewers can take a look at when browsing your channel for more videos they might enjoy. Another way how to get shoutouts on YouTube would be to operate in a niche. If you’re interested in something you don’t see a lot of, you should absolutely make and run a YouTube channel about it, just so you’re creating original content. Even if you’re dealing with something that a lot of people cover, you can still find a way to set yourself apart: make sure your work has a unique voice. The more high-quality and original something is, the more likely it is to be shouted out. The more niche a fanbase, the more devoted they are, and the more effective cross-promotion becomes. Don’t just ask yourself how to get shoutouts YouTube: ask yourself what you’re doing to deserve them.

STEP 2: Meet Other Creators

Once you’ve built a respectable backlog of quality content, it’s time for you to start looking for creators who can give you shoutouts. Don’t immediately jump to big dreams like a spot from Pewds or Smosh or whoever- instead, start looking for content creators that make content similar to yours. An incredibly simple way to go about this is just to start running YouTube searches: use titles and tags similar to your own to find the most popular content being made in those searches, and take a look around. How are other content creators approaching their content? What can you learn from them? Do you enjoy their unique voice? Would they appreciate yours? These are all questions you need to ask yourself before you reach out to other content creators on YouTube. The best way how to get shoutouts on YouTube is through fellow content creators: and the best way to appeal to fellow content creators is by making content they would enjoy, too. Another way to meet content creators on YouTube is through our App, Grin. Using Grin, you can meet content creators like you who want to grow their channels and establish their brand.

STEP 3: Establish Communication and Build Your Relationship

Once you’ve found the creators you want to work with, you need to reach out to them. There are various platforms to do this with: direct messaging on YouTube, DMs and tweets on Twitter, or even comments on Facebook pages/direct emails. It’s good not to open with “HEY CHECK OUT MY CHANNEL” or “pls give shoutout”- instead, send them something refreshing. Creators like to know how their content makes people feel, or receiving insights about their content from their viewers that they may not have thought of themselves. Try to make your communication meaningful. Once you’ve established a line of communication, then you can start bringing up the idea of you two working together or promoting each other. Chances are, as soon as you get some attention, they’ll silently end up browsing your YouTube channel to take a look at your content. If they do this on their own and like it, congratulations: you’ve figured out exactly how to get shoutouts on YouTube, and you didn’t even have to ask them to take the first step! It’s also important to talk necessary business at this point in the proceedings. How will you be boosting each other’s content? Who’s doing what? Make sure to have this discussion when the questions come up, so neither of you are blindsided by unexpected actions or deceived by false expectations.

STEP 4: Cross-Promote and Create a Network

Once you’ve learned how to get shoutouts on YouTube and you’re well on your way to expanding your content creation to new heights, it’s time for you two to cross-promote. Cross-promotions are fairly effective, especially with related videos released in parallel. Once cross-promotion is successful, you should also look at building a network: there’s no reason to stop with just you and one other content creator. Start looking for other creators and help them learn how to get shoutouts on YouTube and grow their channel. Ideally, you’ll end up giving your viewers a large web of related, high-quality content, while all content creators taking part can enjoy the benefits of sharing their audiences.

Other Possibilities

Taking the steps above can pave the way or result in full-on collaboration, which is a huge deal on YouTube. Outright collaborations, though, require a lot more work to be effective (video editing, recording, etc), so keep that in mind before trying anything on a larger scale. Whether you just want to learn how to get shoutouts on YouTube or you want a collaboration, it’s important not to play the lone wolf on YouTube. A lone wolf on YouTube won’t ever build their channel by themselves- YouTube is a community of creators, plural, who do a lot to help each other grow. For more tips on growing your YouTube channel, check out our blog. [call_to_action color=”blue” button_text=”Go to Grin” button_url=”https://market.grinapps.com?utm_campaign=how-shoutouts-youtube-post&utm_medium=blog-post&utm_source=grin-website”] Are you a YouTuber? Check out Grin to meet YouTubers to exchange Shoutouts, Collabs & MORE! [/call_to_action]