Why YouTube Sub4Sub is BAD

If you're trying to get more YouTube subscribers, Sub4Sub is not the answer, in fact it is going to hurt your channel in the long term.

Many new YouTubers make the mistake of thinking this quick fix for growing your YouTube channel is a good idea. The fact is while it jumps your subscriber count, it doesn't increase your audience, since those people have no interest in watch your videos.

In fact many of them will simply unsubscribe a few days after you subscribe to them. Even if they don't unsubscribe to your YouTube channel there is no point in having them as subscribers if they aren't going to watch and engage with your content.

YouTube and its ranking metrics care a lot more about Watch Time, Engagement and Shares than they do subscribers. Sub4Sub just hurts your subscriber to view ratio and tells it your channel is irrelevant, making your content harder to find in search.

If you really want subscribers you need to work for them, there are no short cuts. Sub4Sub just tells people you don't think your content can earn their subscription, so you have to bribe them.

Young and New YouTubers think that it's just the "YouTube Elite" that look down on Sub4Sub, but be honest with yourself, why are you interested and excited about this? If your motive is just to get a high subscriber count? Or to make interesting content that people will actually like enough to come back for more?

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[BrannOgram]

This video is Gold. I agree 100%. It always annoys me how many people how many people ask me "can you shout me out??" and I have absolutely no idea who they are. Not only that, but people subscribe to me only because they want me to sub to them. Gave the video a thumbs up.

[MarkaNgamer]

I'm not even in that business and I know that sub4sub is stupid as hell.

[jordanbrown]

I would rather work hard for subscribers rather than do sub4sub because I believe Youtube is a platform to share videos and growth shows that people actually take interest in what you're doing or what you have to say.

[TalesofTim]

This is super informative and hopefully it makes at least a few of the Sub4Sub comments go away.

[bugoutbrothers]

You ever thought of giving away a free channel evaluation to celibate 25K subs?

[GabbieAX]

I'm so happy I never did sub4sub on my channel. Phew!

[MackMateCom]

Yea it’s sad seeing people with 800 subs only getting 40 views in 3 months its so obvious they’re doing sub 4 sub

[BrainSlamAnimatedScience]

I like your Attack on Titan desktop background :D

[Andru]

Saw this in the Famebit Facebook group - thanks for preaching the truth right here. Too many YouTubers don't know. I'm not subbed!

[Mfd]

My youtube pet peeves are jump cuts where they are literally moving all over the screen through out the entire video. Also there is one youtuber who I LOVE named TheThirdPew(check him out) who has a consistent tone in all of his videos where it comes across like he's ranting, even though he's not. If he relaxed his tone of voice, i would be able to enjoy it more. Thanks for this video, I have a channel with my friends and will start a personal toy reviews/craft/DIY channel soon and this was helpful!

[LivingWithTheGuzmans]

I just directed another YouTuber to your channel so he can understand this valuable info.

[Theplaceofplaces]

Glad I caught this when I just started out fresh on youtube, and was successfully able to avoid this. Thanks for the videos!

[LMaruchan]

Another tip: The reason some videos go viral (such as let's say...cat videos, for example) is because they are watched and shared, not because people subscribed. At least for the most part. Subscribers matter but only if they are ACTIVE subscribers. Those are the subs that will make Youtube analytics benefit your videos. Sub4Sub gives you pointless subs since those people normally won't watch your content to begin with. It sucks for people who do all that work on a video for nothing.

What works better is watching and commenting on videos similar to the ones you do because people are more likely to pay it forward. ESPECIALLY smaller channels. It's not a 100% full proof strategy but it's better than sub4sub.

Also Sub4Sub is against terms of service, apparently. (Yea, I didn't know that. XD ) The only people I can think of that benefit from this strategy are internet trolls who don't care about their channel but that's about it tbh.

[TheFabulousCentralOla]

Ive been saying this for a long time, but people just wont listen....

[BitsofRealPanther]

Wasn't "knowing is half the battle" from Sgt. Slaughter?

The problem with this whole system is that YouTube basically _picks_ which videos people get to see.*They should just make the system where the **_newest_** videos get listed **_first_** .*

[christellewehbe]

That was very useful information for me as a beginner here on Youtube

[choppadutch]

subbed just because how helpful this was thank you!!!! <3

[ChrisAwake]

Roberto, Thanks man for your videos - you answered loads of my questions!

[TransformersTalkRAW]

I was doing this for a little while, and just found out this was bad so I quit all those sub4sub groups. I had no idea it could actually hurt my channel in the long run. Thanks Roberto! I'll never do that again for sure!

[Phrenotopia]

Man! I was doing the same thing just to get to 100 subscribers! I feel really stupid about it! Thanks for your lucid explanation!