There’s nothing quite like the excitement of watching your YouTube channel grow. And chances are you’re curious to know exactly who your wonderful audience is. But frustratingly, it's actually quite tricky to see your subscribers on YouTube, which is why we've made this guide to show you where to look.
After all, if you have a solid idea of who your viewers are, you can tailor your content to what they like. It’s why Marques Brownlee knows he doesn’t need to dumb down his tech reviews, and Guga Foods can be confident his audience loves outlandish food experiments. The end result is content that better resonates with your audience, which will help your channel grow further too.
Without any further ado, here’s how to see your subscribers on Youtube, so you can get to know your viewers better and find out what makes them tick. Be sure to read to the end as we’ll give you tips on how to make videos that'll keep them coming back.
- Why do YouTube subscribers matter?
- Can you see everyone who subscribes to your channel?
- See your YouTube subscribers on desktop
- Check your YouTube subscribers on mobile
- How knowing who subscribes can boost your channel
Why does it matter who your YouTube subscribers are?
Every successful YouTuber will tell you that growing your audience is important. But the very best creators take this one step further by learning everything they can about their audience. This simple research can spark inspiration for new videos and give you invaluable insights into what people enjoy about your channel.
Why does this matter? Well, use audience insights wisely and you can seriously boost the engagement of your YouTube channel. And if you keep people watching longer too, the YouTube algorithm will see that your content resonates with viewers.
When that happens, you’ll find your video appearing across YouTube’s feeds, giving your content loads more views. That continuous cycle of growth all starts with finding out about the people that felt compelled to follow your channel!
Why you can’t see everyone who subscribes to your YouTube channel
Be warned that it isn’t possible to see absolutely every person who subscribes to your channel. This is because YouTube gives its users the option to keep their information private. When you follow the steps below, you’ll only ever see the details of people who’ve chosen for their information to be publicly available.
See your YouTube subscribers on desktop
If you want to see which individuals follow your channel, you’ll need to check YouTube Studio on desktop. Follow these steps to find out more about the people who’ve subscribed to your content:
1. Log in to YouTube Studio on desktop: Start by signing into your YouTube account on your computer and navigating to YouTube Studio.
2. Open the 'Dashboard' tab: On the left-hand panel, click on 'Dashboard' to see a snapshot of your channel’s performance and latest videos.
3. Visit the 'Recent Subscribers' panel: Scroll down your Channel Dashboard to find the 'Recent Subscribers' section. This shows you a list of subscribers who have made their subscriptions public. You can sort your followers by date or the number of subscribers they have. These options are great for checking your latest followers, or seeing if any big channels have taken notice of your content!
4. Explore your subscribers: Under the same tab, you can see each subscriber's name, profile picture, and the date they subscribed. It might be too time-consuming to search through your full list, but you have the option to view subscribers over different time periods. We’d recommend checking on a monthly basis so you can regularly spot channels you might want to subscribe to, or even approach for a collaboration.
A lot of creators would find it easier to explore their subscribers if they could export their subscriber data, but YouTube doesn’t give you the option. And don’t believe third party tools that claim to give you this information - they can’t access it either!
See your YouTube subscribers on mobile
Unfortunately, you can't see your subscribers on mobile like you can on desktop, but you can find your subscriber count in the YouTube Studio app - available on both Android and iOS. This is handy if you want a quick overview of how your audience is growing.
1. Open YouTube Studio app: After launching the app, tap on the 'Menu' icon.
2. Check on your dashboard: This should open up automatically when you open the app, or you can tap on ‘Dashboard’ from anywhere in YouTube Studio.
3. View your total subscribers: Your subscriber count appears right at the top of the dashboard, next to your channel’s profile picture.
How can knowing your subscribers help your channel?
It might sound obvious, but the people who subscribe to your channel are the ones who are likely to enjoy your content the most. Understanding who they are and what they’re interested in will give you invaluable pointers on how to improve your channel.
Here, we take a look at how to find the best insights. Just remember, you won’t be able to see all of your subscribers, only the ones that have chosen to be visible!
Find inspiration for new videos 💡
You can never have too many ideas for new content! There’s likely to be crossover between the videos you make, and what your subscribers share on their own channels. Have a browse of your subscribers’ uploads and see if there are topics you could explore in your content. The point isn’t to copy the content your subscribers are uploading, but to see if it can inspire new video ideas.
Build a loyal audience by tailoring videos to their interests 😍
By snooping around your subscribers’ channels, you’ll get a solid picture of what they’re interested in. You might start to notice common themes from the content your subscribers upload that can help inform your own videos.
Maybe there’s a specific part of your niche that resonates with your audience, like a gaming channel that focuses on role-playing games or a beauty channel that gives tutorials. Or there could be certain formats that are especially popular among your subscribers, whether that’s short form content, or types of video you haven’t necessarily tried before.
By using these insights from your audience to inform your own content, you’re more likely to make videos they enjoy. Do that and you’ll have an engaged audience of fans in no time.
Seek out collaborations to boost your audience 🤝
Collaborations with other people in your niche are a guaranteed win-win for both creators. They give you exposure to another audience who are interested in the type of content you create.
Take for example when Uncle Roger learnt cowboy cooking from CowboyKentRollins, and returned the favor by sharing an egg fried rice recipe. Both cooks will have gained subscribers by tapping into each other’s audiences. Take a look at your subscribers and see which creators might get involved in mutually-beneficial collaborations.
Learn what your viewers watch by checking YouTube Analytics
As you can see, knowing who your subscribers are can offer invaluable pointers to elevate your content. But YouTube Studio also offers you a goldmine of insights about their behavior you can dig into. Head to the ‘Audience’ tab in the Analytics section of YouTube Studio to learn even more about your most avid viewers.
Channels your audience watches 📺
YouTube helpfully rounds up other channels your audience is loving. That means you’ve got a list of similar creators to explore, without having to go searching for them. Take a deep dive for inspiration, or consider reaching out to make a collaboration!
What your audience watches ❤️
Get an even better idea of exactly the type of video your audience loves with a selection of videos they’ve watched in the past week. YouTube helpfully orders the content by the most popular amongst your subscribers. See what you can learn from the videos they watch the most, whether it’s particular formats they enjoy or specific topics they watch more.
Formats your viewers watch on YouTube 🤳
Take a look at how your subscribers watch content on YouTube to see if there are new formats you could try. You might find your audience are particularly keen on short form clips, or perhaps they prefer live streams.
Consider how your content might translate to those types of video and see if there’s an opportunity to experiment. This can be a great way of broadening your content and giving your channel a better chance of being discovered by more people.
Get to know your subscribers better and spark inspiration for new content
There’s a reason the best YouTubers consistently look at who subscribes to their channel. It shines a light on who typically enjoys your content. But what’s more important are the insights you can gain from checking out their channels.
So head to YouTube Studio on desktop and take a look at your subscribers. Understand what your viewers enjoy the most and you’ll be able to create content that resonates with them better. Once you’re doing that regularly, you’ll turn passive subscribers into an engaged and loyal fanbase.
It all boils down to getting to know your viewers better. And it’s just one way YouTube Studio can help grow your channel. For more invaluable tips on how to use this awesome free tool to boost your audience, check out our guide to YouTube Studio.
