Custom Channels

What Are Custom Channels?

Custom Channels allow you to create a new channel in Subscribr without linking to an existing YouTube channel. This is perfect if you:

  • Are planning a new YouTube channel but haven't created it yet
  • Want to experiment with different channel concepts before launching
  • Need to draft scripts for a channel that's still in development
  • Are creating content that might not be hosted on YouTube

Instead of analyzing an existing YouTube channel's content, Custom Channels let you define your target audience directly, giving you complete control over your channel's focus from day one.

When to Use Custom Channels

Custom Channels are especially valuable in these scenarios:

  1. New Creator Starting Out: You're planning your YouTube journey but haven't published any videos yet.
  2. Testing New Niches: You want to explore content ideas in a different niche before committing to it on your main channel.
  3. Client Work: You're creating scripts for clients who may not have existing YouTube channels or whose channels don't have enough content for proper analysis.
  4. Content Planning: You're in the strategic phase of developing a content plan before launching your channel publicly.
  5. Private Content: You're creating content that will be hosted on platforms other than YouTube.

Creating a Custom Channel

Here's how to set up a Custom Channel in Subscribr:

  1. Go to the Channels page in your Subscribr account
  2. Click the Add Channel button
  3. Select the Create Custom Channel option
  4. Enter your desired channel details:
    • Channel Name: What you want to call your channel
    • Channel Description: A brief description of your channel's content and purpose
    • Target Audience Description: Details about who will watch your content (this is crucial for creating an accurate audience avatar)

After submitting this information, Subscribr will:

  • Create your new Custom Channel
  • Generate an audience avatar based on your target audience description
  • Create a default Channel Voice to match your audience

The process typically takes just a few minutes. Once complete, you'll be able to create scripts using your new Custom Channel.

Managing Your Target Audience

The target audience description is one of the most important aspects of your Custom Channel. The more detail you provide, the better Subscribr can tailor your scripts to engage your specific viewers.

A good target audience description includes:

  • Demographics (age range, gender distribution, education level)
  • Interests and pain points
  • Content consumption habits
  • Knowledge level about your topic
  • Goals they want to achieve by watching your content

Example of a strong target audience description:

Tech enthusiasts aged 25-45 who are interested in AI tools for content creation. They have some technical knowledge but aren't developers. They're looking for ways to create content more efficiently without sacrificing quality. They value detailed explanations with practical examples they can implement immediately.

Pro Tip: You can edit your audience avatar later by going to your channel's Audience page, clicking the Actions button, and selecting "Edit Avatar". This allows you to refine your audience targeting as you learn more about your viewers.

Custom Channel Voice

Just like with YouTube-linked channels, your Custom Channel automatically gets a default Channel Voice that determines the writing style of your scripts. Since there's no existing content to analyze, this voice is created based on your audience description.

You can customize this voice by:

  1. Going to the Voice tab in your channel
  2. Clicking Edit Voice
  3. Using either:
    • Simple Mode: Provide feedback in a chat-like interface
    • Advanced Mode: Adjust specific dimensions like tone, complexity, and narrative techniques

Learn More: Check out our guide on Controlling Your Writing Style (Channel Voice) for more details on fine-tuning your Channel Voice.

Linking Your Custom Channel Later

If you eventually create a YouTube channel that corresponds to your Custom Channel, you can link them together:

  1. Go to your channel's Settings page
  2. Scroll down to the Channel Connection section
  3. Click Link Channel
  4. Enter your YouTube channel handle
  5. Choose whether to:
    • Keep your existing custom audience avatar
    • Generate a new audience avatar based on your YouTube channel

Note: Linking to a YouTube channel doesn't delete any of your existing scripts or settings.

Creating Scripts with Your Custom Channel

Once your Custom Channel is set up, you can create scripts just as you would with a YouTube-linked channel:

  1. Navigate to your Custom Channel
  2. Click Create Script
  3. Choose your desired format, topic, and length
  4. Follow the standard Subscribr script creation workflow

Without a YouTube channel to analyze, it's especially important to provide good research sources when creating scripts for your Custom Channel. Use the Research page in the script creation workflow to add relevant articles, videos, and text to ensure your scripts are accurate and detailed.

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