How do i grow my channel?

Especially for smaller channels, (in my opinion) it's going for topics that are talked about. Because you can't rely on subscribers yet to jump to your videos automatically. This of course doesn't fit all channels, some just do walkthroughs or compilations and stick to a game for months.

Nothing against, social media tips, tools or collaborating. But if the other collaborator doesn't have a gigantic subscriber base, the gain is mostly not noticeable and in my experience social media is in most cases a waste of time unless you really know what you're doing.

When a game gets released it's pretty much open season for everyone for a short time window and that's the chance to make a video that people are looking for and just a few videos on that topic exist. A week or two later, the same video would have a huge drop in views because everyone has their videos out.

A pretty good way to get a feel for what makes an interesting video is to check game forums and see what people are talking about there. Could be a glitch, an incredible hard end boss or a new patch with some cool new features. Try to make a video specifically on these topics and see if something catches on.

So all in all the most important things i would say are. Stay relevant, have a catchy thumbnail and a title that you think has the most interesting, searched after words in it. :smiley:

 

One of the biggest things (Which @randomChievos said) is to take advantage of new things. You will usually have a few days for a new game to grow extensively. If a new DLC or feature comes out for a game, make a video right when the news is released. This should jump up your views.

 

i started building a community. through a few of the servers im running

 

yea i know what you mean but ive gotten more from than than doing it. eveyr sub counts

 

Stream on Youtube

 

Being active on different forums and getting your name out there is the key.
Streaming like mentioned above is a good option to reach a wider audience.
Social media as you mentioned yourself is a good way to get around but it is more how you use it, you have to trigger people to watching your content. Making video's and ending them with a cliffhanger, promoting upcoming content.
Nowadays facebook is a big hype and a variety of groups or facebook pages can get you some idea's or even possible subs.