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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for YouTube Channel Growth Specialist

💰 $60,000 - $120,000

MarketingContentGrowthSocial Media

🎯 Role Definition

The YouTube Channel Growth Specialist is responsible for end-to-end growth of one or more YouTube channels. This role creates and executes content strategies informed by platform signals and audience insights, optimizes metadata and creative assets for search and discovery, runs experiments to improve CTR and retention, and partners with creators, producers, and marketing teams to maximize reach and monetization. The specialist acts as the bridge between creative teams and analytics, translating performance data into editorial and distribution decisions that drive sustainable channel growth.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Social Media Manager with a focus on YouTube, Shorts, or long-form video
  • Video Content Strategist or Video Producer with experience optimizing for discovery
  • Digital Marketing Analyst with platform-specific video experience

Advancement To:

  • Senior YouTube Growth Manager / Head of YouTube
  • Director of Video Strategy or Head of Content Growth
  • Partner or Creator Partnerships Lead

Lateral Moves:

  • Content Marketing Manager
  • Creator Partnerships Manager
  • Platform Product or Analytics roles (YouTube-focused)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop and execute a comprehensive, data-driven growth strategy for YouTube channels, including goals for subscribers, monthly watch time, retention, and revenue; align strategy with brand objectives and monetization targets.
  • Conduct end-to-end content planning — topic ideation, format selection (long form, Shorts, livestreams), publishing cadence, and editorial calendar creation — to maximize audience retention and lifecycle engagement.
  • Optimize video metadata (titles, descriptions, tags, chapters), thumbnails, and end screens to improve search ranking, impressions to click-through rate (CTR), and overall discoverability across YouTube and Google Search.
  • Design and run A/B tests and experiments on thumbnails, titles, descriptions, upload times, and content formats to systematically increase CTR, average view duration (AVD), and audience retention; analyze results and implement learnings.
  • Monitor channel and video performance using YouTube Analytics, YouTube Studio, Google Analytics, and third-party tools (e.g., Tubebuddy, VidIQ, SocialBlade); produce weekly and monthly reports with actionable recommendations for content and distribution.
  • Build and maintain a hypothesis backlog and testing roadmap prioritizing experiments by expected impact and effort, ensuring iterative improvement to algorithmic signals and watch time metrics.
  • Collaborate with editors, producers, and creative teams to develop thumbnails and first-10-seconds hooks designed for audience retention and platform optimization; provide creative brief and performance-driven feedback.
  • Create Shorts strategy and repurposing workflows to feed long-form discovery and grow subscriber funnels; measure Shorts’ contribution to watch time and channel health.
  • Plan and execute cross-channel distribution and paid amplification strategies (YouTube Ads, social media promotion, influencer collaborations) to maximize reach and subscriber acquisition.
  • Manage creator and talent relationships by coaching on SEO best practices, retention techniques, brand alignment, and content optimization to drive consistent performance improvements across creator partners.
  • Lead audience research including cohort analysis, audience demographics, affinity reports, and comment analysis to identify content opportunities and underserved topics that increase watch time and subscribers.
  • Implement and optimize playlists, cards, and end screens to increase session duration and guide viewers through multi-video journeys that lift channel-level watch time.
  • Oversee monetization strategies including ad revenue optimization, sponsorship integrations, affiliate funnels, memberships, merch, and Super Chat/Live features; collaborate with sales and partnerships to package channel offerings.
  • Coordinate live-stream strategy and production workflows to drive real-time engagement, membership growth, and high-retention long-form sessions.
  • Maintain compliance with YouTube policies, copyright, and content guidelines; manage takedowns, content ID issues, and rights clearances with legal and operations teams.
  • Establish KPIs and dashboards for executive stakeholders, translating complex analytics into clear growth narratives and recommended investments or resource shifts.
  • Execute competitive benchmarking and trend scanning to identify rising formats, viral hooks, and platform changes (algorithm updates, policy shifts) to inform rapid content pivots.
  • Optimize production and publishing workflows using project management tools to ensure consistent output, fast iteration, and reduced time-to-publish for topical content.
  • Collaborate with product and engineering teams when relevant to advocate for feature changes, API needs, or analytics instrumentation that will improve channel growth measurement or distribution.
  • Create and maintain channel playbooks, best-practice guides, and onboarding materials for new creators and team members to scale repeatable growth processes.
  • Manage partnerships with external agencies, freelancers, and growth vendors, setting performance SLAs and ensuring creative and targeting alignment with channel goals.
  • Drive cross-functional campaigns with marketing, PR, and social teams to amplify launches, event-driven content, or series that require multi-channel support to maximize initial traction.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc performance and attribution analysis to help marketing and sales teams understand video ROI and conversion lift.
  • Contribute to the organization's content and platform strategy by sharing learnings from channel experiments and trend analysis.
  • Collaborate with data teams to translate analytics needs into tracking requirements and automated reporting.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies when working within an interdisciplinary content or growth squad.
  • Provide training sessions and workshops for internal teams on YouTube SEO, retention best practices, and Shorts optimization.
  • Assist in budgeting and forecasting for content production, paid promotion, and creator payments based on projected channel growth scenarios.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Deep knowledge of YouTube Studio and YouTube Analytics: watch time, impressions, CTR, average view duration, traffic sources, retention curves, and audience retention analysis.
  • YouTube SEO expertise: crafting high-converting titles, keyword-rich descriptions, tags, chapters, and maximizing video metadata for search and recommendations.
  • A/B testing and experimentation design for thumbnails, titles, descriptions, and formats, including statistical evaluation of test results.
  • Proficiency with analytics and reporting tools: Google Analytics, Looker/Data Studio (Looker Studio), Excel/Sheets (pivot tables, formulas), and experience with CSV/SQL for ad-hoc queries.
  • Familiarity with third-party YouTube tools: TubeBuddy, VidIQ, SocialBlade, or similar competitive and keyword research platforms.
  • Basic video production and editing literacy (Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or equivalent) to create practical feedback for editors and optimize workflows.
  • Experience managing paid YouTube campaigns (TrueView, In-Stream, Discovery Ads) and understanding of bidding, targeting, and creative testing for video ads.
  • Knowledge of Shorts ecosystem and vertical video best practices, including rapid repurposing workflows and metrics interpretation for short-form content.
  • Understanding of content delivery, metadata schema, content ID, copyright handling, and rights management processes.
  • Ability to build and maintain dashboards (Looker Studio, Tableau, or internal BI) and write regular performance narratives for stakeholders.

Soft Skills

  • Strong analytical mindset with the ability to turn quantitative data into clear creative and strategic recommendations.
  • Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills; comfortable presenting to executives, creators, and cross-functional partners.
  • Creative problem-solving and experimentation bias: comfortable iterating quickly and learning from failure.
  • Project management and prioritization skills with experience coordinating multiple productions and campaigns simultaneously.
  • Coaching and mentorship ability to help creators adopt platform best practices and improve on-camera performance.
  • Attention to detail for metadata optimization, upload processes, and brand safety compliance.
  • Collaboration and empathy to work with creative talent, editors, legal, and sales teams.
  • Adaptability and comfort with fast platform changes and shifting priorities.
  • Strategic thinking with a long-term view on channel portfolio health and audience lifecycle development.
  • Customer-centric orientation focused on delivering value to viewers through relevance and quality.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Digital Media, Film/Video Production, Business, Data Analytics, or related field; OR equivalent practical experience growing YouTube channels.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree with a focus on Digital Marketing, Media Studies, Data Analytics, or similar, supplemented by certifications in YouTube/Google Ads or analytics.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Digital Marketing
  • Media & Communications
  • Film, Video, or Broadcast Production
  • Data Science / Analytics
  • Business / Marketing Analytics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–6+ years of experience in YouTube/channel growth, video content strategy, or digital video marketing.

Preferred:

  • 3+ years specifically optimizing and scaling YouTube channels with demonstrable results (subscribers, watch time, views, revenue).
  • Experience working with creator talent or managing creator partnerships.
  • Track record of implementing experimentation frameworks and measurable improvements to CTR, retention, and session duration.
  • Proven experience with Shorts strategy, livestreams, and cross-platform amplification.
  • Experience managing budgets for content production and paid amplification, and collaborating with sales/monetization teams.
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