How to get your first 500 views

Your first year as a YouTuber is one of the hardest years you will experience. You'll record, edit and post content that you love but with no subscribers, few will see it.

The idea of creating something that you spent hours doing and then no one seeing can be incredibly disheartening. That alone is a big reason why some creators will quit within their first year. For anyone currently in that mindset, it's important to know that YouTube is a marathon and not a sprint. You'll need to create content for many months or even years before you start to see consistent success. However, today we're going to share some of the secrets to getting your first 500 views on an upload.

500 views from new trends

One of the best ways to get your first 500 views on an upload is to capitalize on a new trend. When a new trend starts to take off, search volume for the topic goes with it. Not only do people look for more videos about the trend, but they watch a lot of related videos. The sooner you can get your video out after a trend is taking off, the better you'll do on views. Some examples of past trends include the Cinnamon Challenge, the Ice Bucket Challenge, 100 Layers of ____, the Running Man, and PPAP. If you're early to create trendy content, your view count will likely benefit.

500 views from timely events

When major events happen, the desire for audiences to see related content goes way up. Timely events include Christmas, Halloween, New Years, Back to School, Valentines, Election Day, the Super Bowl, World Cup, etc. Basically, if you can create content around an event that everyone is talking about you have a good opportunity to get views from it. It's important that you release this kind of content near the event, but ideally before it. A good target is 14-3 days before an event.

500 views from unique content

If you can create unique content that the YouTube world has never seen before, you will get 500 views on an upload. Whenever someone has done something truly unique, the result has been massive growth in subscribers and views. While many people put out vlog content, Casey Neistat revolutionized the medium by doing something no one had done before. He took the typical self-shot video and adding flare, slick editing, solid music and more. Another example was Keemstar and Drama Alert, who created a medium by covering (and instigating) drama.

500 views from self promotion

The one amazing thing about the digital world is the amount of self-promotion you can do. With social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, along with sites like Reddit, it is easier to get the word out. That said, it's important to note that self-promotion is not the same as spamming or mass messaging. Self-promotion involves carefully targeting people and communities that will be interested in your content.

On Twitter, search for people who like similar content to your own. Then engage them in conversation. Finally, ask them to check out your content. The key is that you're building relationships first, promoting second. Facebook has groups that may be interested in your content. Instagram is great if you can put up a short 30-second teaser of your content with a link in your bio. Reddit can be tough as self-promo is generally looked down on, but if you select the perfect subreddit for your content you MIGHT find an audience.

500 views with evergreen content and patience

One of the final ways to hit 500 views is a combination of time and evergreen content. Evergreen content is a concept where the video you create has value today, a month from now, a year from now and even 5-years from now.

Basically, you're trying to create a video that will never be out of date. One of the best types of evergreen content are how-tos and tutorials. Both of these types of content are unlikely to change anytime soon (or ever). As such, their view value has long-term potential. Now, the downside of evergreen content is that it does not pick up views fast. So, if you want to hit 500 views you're going to need plenty of patience!