YouTubers have found a way to break out into the world by creating videos that trend. But how does a smaller channel with niche appeal find their way into the trending lists? All it takes is some effort, creativity and the right video to do the job.

Some of the best videos that come across my way are the ones I’ve seen through the trending lists. Understanding what is popular and what is trending is a great way to connect with what the world is watching. No matter how big or small your channel is, the hope to one day trend is on every creator’s mind. A simple video like “keyboard cat” can go viral and be trending almost immediately, but with over 300 hours of video being uploaded every minute, how can you stand out? How does one go from a small channel to an overnight success?

Be relevant and easy to find.

The first thing you’ll want to do is to start building you channel with videos that you think will get an audience — videos you know will get attention and compel people to return to your channel. This doesn’t mean creating videos on topics that don’t interest you; your passions may not have mainstream appeal, but focusing your videos on the things you care about will keep niche audiences coming back for more. Instead, think about ways to tie your interests into topics that are already in the cultural zeitgeist.

Once you have a compelling topic, you’ll want to optimize the title of your video with the right keywords. Be descriptive but concise with what you title your video. Another thing is to tag your video correctly. Tags are essential to getting viewers, but there is such a thing as too many. Only use keywords that accurately describe what your video is about.

Build a strong initial view count.

It’s unlikely that the first video you upload will break into trending. Instead, focus on consistency and provide subscribers to your channel with plenty of videos to watch. The more subscribers a channel accumulates, the more likely it is that your videos will be seen by people outside of that subscriber-base. By updating frequently and having a consistent schedule, audiences know when to tune in for new content. Loyal viewers will fall into a habit of returning to your channel every week to view original content. With a strong base viewership from your subscribers, it’s more likely that your video will make it out to a wider audience.

Creating playlists to autoplay is another strategy to get your videos more views; it keeps people sticking to your channel for extended viewing sessions, boosting watch time on your channel and therefore gaining favor with YouTube’s trending algorithm. If you have a few videos on the same subject, it may be worthwhile to put them together in a playlist.

Engaging with your audience outside of YouTube is another way to get strong initial view counts for new uploads and get yourself trending. Most of the successful channels have external communities either on a web forum, a website, social media or a chat server. Once you upload your new video, post a link to it on other platforms where you are active. That post may be clicked and shared outside your following, thus allowing your video to reach even more potential viewers.

The only way to get people to share your video is to have a video worth sharing. The strength of the content in your video is what will get shares, and people tend to share what they feel emotion towards, something relatable. Certain emotions tend to share better such as awe, excitement and amusement. Keep sharability in mind as you design your content strategy.

Don’t give up.

The most important thing is to find your niche. By focusing your channel on a specific idea and style of content, you will bring in repeated viewers. Don’t expect to start trending right away. There is an art to YouTube, and once you settle and build your channel, you never know what might happen.

Just keep uploading videos and engaging with the audience, and sooner or later, you might see your channel on the trending list.

Get YouTuber.