Actionable Strategies to Grow Your Crochet YouTube Channel

You’ve set up your blog, your opt-in, your YouTube channel, and all your social media accounts. But now you want to grow the influence of your handmade business—in particular, you’d love to grow your crochet YouTube channel—and really start seeing profits from all your hard work! The bottom line is, you have to get yourself in front of more people. How do you do that? By borrowing other people’s audiences.

The next step is advanced marketing practices, which means getting yourself in front of as many eyes as you possibly can. That typically means borrowing other people’s audiences … Finding people who are looking for collaborations is a great idea.

– Pam Grice, the Crochetpreneur

How to Start and Grow Your Crochet YouTube Channel

Back in 2023, I chatted with Nichola Griffiths of Elimee Designs. We talked about collaboration opportunities, outreach, and how to grow your crochet YouTube channel in ways you may not have considered. As of today, Nichola’s crochet business is thriving and her YouTube channel is gaining views and subscribers every day! Read, listen, or watch below to learn how you can start a successful crochet YouTube channel of your own! 👇

Leverage Other People’s Audiences to Grow Your Crochet YouTube Channel

Whether you’re just starting out or have a few years under your belt, these collaboration and content strategies are crucial to gaining visibility and building a sustainable income from your crochet YouTube channel.

Laying Strong Foundations for Online Growth

Before diving into advanced tactics, you need to get the basics right:

✅ Have a Website with a Clear Opt-In: This is crucial for building your email list. Whether it’s a free pattern, cheat sheet, or resource, make sure your website encourages visitors to trade their email address for something valuable.

✅ Maintain a Consistent Blog and Social Media Presence: Share your patterns, insights, and progress across platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Consistency builds recognition and trust.

✅ Active YouTube Channel: Offering patterns, tutorials, or even lifestyle content helps build community and attract different types of crochet enthusiasts.

Once you have these pillars in place, you can focus on strategies that bring in larger and more targeted audiences. If you need help with laying the foundations, grab my Crochet Business Planner, which will help you put all the pieces in place. ⬇️

Collaboration: The Fast Track to Grow Your Crochet YouTube Channel

“Advanced marketing” lets you borrow other people’s audiences as you build your own. Here are top ways to start collaborating in the crochet community:

1. Blog Hops

Designers team up to feature one another’s content or patterns over a series of days/weeks. Each participant shares links across their platforms, tapping into each other’s audiences. Learn more about hosting a crochet blog hop here.

2. Link Parties

Think of these as online crochet festivals: everyone submits their work to a shared platform or theme. Participants then promote the roundup, driving traffic to all included creators.

3. Collaborative Crochet-Alongs (CALs) and Bundles

• In a collaborative CAL, designers join forces for themed projects where each designer contributes a piece or pattern.
• Bundle sales (free or paid) offer massive list-building opportunities.
• Free opt-in bundles often require only an email, driving explosive list growth.

4. Live Social Events

Take to Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or even TikTok to host joint Lives. Interview other makers, do cross-promotions, or Q&A sessions—these are highly engaging and introduce you to entirely new communities.

Should You Use Guest Posting to Grow Your Crochet YouTube Channel?

What about guest posting? Does it make sense to invite others for guest blog posts? Guest posting can be a lot of work for the guest, and unless you offer a significant benefit (like massive traffic), many creators will decline. Instead, focus on roundups:

How to Write an Effective Roundup Post

• Curate posts highlighting patterns from several designers.
• Ask designers for permission to include their work.
• In exchange, they’ll often promote your roundup to their audience.
• This creates backlinks, boosts SEO, and drives fresh traffic with far less work for your peers.

Maximizing Your YouTube Exposure to Grow Your Channel

If you feel like you’re putting out YouTube videos but not getting traction, you’re not alone! Here’s how to cut through the noise—based on my hands-on experience:

1. Use YouTube Premieres

Schedule your video to “Premiere” at a set time. Invite your community ahead of time—email them, post on social, and create anticipation. Premieres allow you to engage live in the chat, driving up instant views and signaling to YouTube’s algorithm that your content is engaging.

2. Double-Push Your Content

Send a “Reminder” email before the Premiere urging subscribers to click “notify me.” After the video goes live, follow up with a second email: “Missed the Premiere? Catch the replay!”

3. Incentivize Attendance

Offer a pattern giveaway or exclusive Q&A during Premieres to encourage viewers to show up live.

Practical Distribution Routine:

Announce the upcoming YouTube video on Instagram, your blog, Facebook, Pinterest, and your email list. Don’t worry about “over-marketing”—most followers need to see something several times before acting.

Striking the Balance: Free vs. Paid Content

Sharing free pattern walk-throughs or tutorials can be a great way to gain more YouTube traffic. But does offering this free content train your audience to expect everything for free? Simply, balance is key, and strategy wins. Try these strategies to help you achieve a balance:

• Reference successful creators, like Alysha Littlejohn, who mix free tutorials with live Q&As and paid patterns.
• Use YouTube to highlight new paid patterns—walk through the finished product, show modeling photos, and demo tricky stitches, but don’t give away the entire pattern unless it’s intended to be free.
• Experiment with a ratio (e.g., one free pattern video for every two paid pattern showcases).
• For paid patterns, offer exclusive demonstrations or support videos that add value without giving away the entire design.

And remember—you’re building relationships. When people see your expertise and personality, they’re far more likely to buy.

Consistency = Growth for Your YouTube Channel

Life is real. Many of us are juggling business with family, personal life, or even a full-time job—a reminder that consistency can be tough. These ideas can help you remain consistent, even when you’re running your business on the fringe of a busy life:

• Batch-create content while you have time, so you can publish regularly even during busy weeks.
• Use easy video edits for demoing tricky pattern sections.
• Recycle content: a blog post can inspire a YouTube video, which can become several social posts.
• Don’t let perfectionism slow you down—imperfect action always beats inaction.

Conclusion: Growth Is a Season—Here’s How to Make It Easier

The growth phase is really hard—but soon, things will get easier. You’ll build passive income, become known in the industry, and opportunities will start coming to you. By combining strong foundations with strategic collaborations, smart content distribution, and an experimental approach to free vs. paid content, you’ll set yourself up for long-term success in the ever-crafty world of crochet entrepreneurship.

Seize Your Next Steps:

• Join collaborative Facebook groups for makers.
• Start planning your next blog hop or roundup.
• Experiment with YouTube Premieres and cross-promotion.
• Draft a mix of free and paid content strategies.
• Most importantly—stick with it, and let progress compound.