Why Your New YouTube Channel Isn’t Getting Views (and What to Do About It)

I’m not getting views or subscribers on my YouTube channel that I created two weeks ago. I’ve uploaded 19 videos. Why is that? Is this normal?

That’s completely normal for a new channel. YouTube needs time to recognize your channel, test your videos with small audiences, and see how people react, whether they watch till the end, click your thumbnail, or skip right away.

Here are a few specific reasons why you’re not getting much traction yet:

• Your channel is still new, and the algorithm doesn’t have enough data to understand who your target audience is.
• Your titles, thumbnails, or topics might not be appealing enough or aren’t something people are searching for.
• Your watch time and retention rate are still low, so YouTube isn’t ready to recommend your videos widely.
• There’s heavy competition in your niche, so it takes time to stand out.
• You haven’t done much early promotion yet. Without sharing your videos on social media or in communities, it’s really hard to get organic views in the beginning.

Almost everyone who now has hundreds of thousands or even millions of subscribers once went through that exact phase of getting two or three views per video, sometimes just one, from themselves. So don’t panic. YouTube growth is a marathon, not a sprint.

Your Channel Is Still New

The first thing to understand is simple: nobody knows your channel exists. YouTube doesn’t automatically show your videos to people.

The algorithm needs time to study your content, gather performance data, and test whether people enjoy watching it, how long they stay, and whether they click on your thumbnails.

If the data is still small, YouTube won’t take the risk of recommending your videos widely. That’s why it’s perfectly normal to have low results at the start.

But on the other hand, you can’t just upload and hope the algorithm magically finds your audience. That old approach doesn’t work anymore.

Start Promoting

If you want people to know about your channel, you have to be proactive. Share your videos with friends, family, WhatsApp groups, Instagram, or communities that care about your topic. Sometimes, just doing that can give you your first 10 to 20 views, which helps the algorithm start testing your content with more people.

Now, let’s talk about your niche. This is where many beginners fail. For example, one day you make a fishing video, the next day it’s about drones, then you upload a dog vlog, and after that a mall vlog.

Variety sounds fun, but that only works once you already have a fanbase that cares about you. When your channel is new, no one cares about you yet. People come to YouTube for what they want to watch, not for who you are.

If your topics are all over the place, viewers won’t know what your channel is about. They won’t subscribe, and the algorithm won’t know who to recommend your videos to.

The solution is to pick one niche first.

If you love fishing, stick with it. Make videos about fishing techniques, the best gear, cool fishing spots, and bait tips. If you love drones, create all your content about drones.

Once you stay consistent in one niche for a few weeks, people will start recognizing you within that community.

You can also join YouTube creator groups in that same niche, comment on their videos, watch their content, and even collaborate. YouTube grows faster when you’re part of a community rather than trying to stand alone.

Improve Content Quality

Let’s talk about content quality. A lot of people rush to upload frequently just to look active, but they forget that quality always comes first. Videos that can keep people watching until the end have a much higher chance of being recommended.

So don’t chase quantity too early. Focus on improving quality. Use a camera with good lighting, make sure your audio is clear, edit your videos neatly, and most importantly, hook your viewers in the first 15 seconds. They need to know right away what benefit or entertainment they’ll get from your video.

Thumbnails and titles matter a lot too. If your thumbnail isn’t eye-catching, people won’t click, no matter how good the video is. Use high-contrast images, expressive faces, and short but strong text.

Don’t make your titles long or overly clickbait. Keep them around 50 to 70 characters, use relevant keywords, and give people a reason to click.

For example, instead of “I Went Fishing Today,” try “How to Catch Big Fish in a Hidden Lake!” Small differences like that can drastically boost your click-through rate (CTR).

You should also look at your YouTube Analytics. That’s where the real clues are. Check where your views come from, how long people watch, when they drop off, and how often your video appears in search or recommendations.

If a lot of people stop watching at the 20-second mark, maybe your intro is too long or not interesting enough. If your CTR is low, your title or thumbnail might not be appealing. Fix those issues and test again in your next upload.

For short-term strategy, treat your first month as a data-gathering phase. Don’t delete videos or give up too soon. Upload videos with slightly different styles, lengths, or titles, then see what performs best and double down on that. One high-quality video per week is far more effective than ten random uploads.

You can also boost your growth with Shorts. Many small channels grow faster through Shorts first, then their audience moves to their long-form content. Shorts can be your quick entry point since they use a different recommendation system and can go viral more easily. Just make sure your Shorts still fit your main niche, not random content.

Channel Branding

Don’t forget your channel branding. Set a clear banner, profile picture, description, and organized playlists. When people visit your channel, they should instantly understand what your content is about.

Something like, “Oh, this channel is all about modern fishing,” or “This is where I can learn drones from scratch.” Small touches like that help build trust and encourage people to subscribe.

If you want faster results, don’t rely only on the algorithm. Promote manually. Share your videos on forums, Facebook groups, Reddit, or hobby communities that fit your niche.

Don’t spam; join real discussions and share your video only when it adds value. You can also repurpose short clips from your videos for TikTok or Instagram Reels and direct people to your main YouTube channel. That’s a natural, organic way to grow your audience.

Don’t Take Shortcuts

Here’s something very important. Never use bots or automation tools like the ones some people recommend. Anything that automatically watches, likes, or comments on videos breaks YouTube’s rules.

It might give you fake views fast, but once YouTube detects unnatural activity, your entire channel can be deleted instantly. All your hard work will be gone. Avoid that completely.

Growing your YouTube channel the right way takes patience and constant improvement. Usually, within one or two months you’ll start to see some signs of progress, maybe one video hits 100 views, maybe you gain five new subscribers.

After that, the snowball effect begins. The algorithm starts trusting your content, viewers come back, and YouTube begins recommending you to more people. But that only happens if you keep learning from your data and improving your videos.

So focus on learning, experimenting, and adapting. The algorithm will follow once you consistently deliver value to your audience.

In the End

Yes, what you’re experiencing right now is totally normal. But you can turn this slow start into an opportunity. Use this time to build a strong foundation: a clear niche, better-quality videos, a supportive community, and a smart strategy.

Be patient, keep working hard, and keep improving. Your channel will grow, maybe not tomorrow, but it definitely will.