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Creating a Thriving Personal Brand w/ YouTube - A Journal & A Personal Guide.

Visionary96

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I'm trying my best to get some sort of course going, but I have to admit: things are getting quite overwhelming.

My biggest priority right now is getting this next video out... but my God is it a giant project that I can only reasonably expect to be out in the next 4-5 weeks, and I'm working pretty ungodly hours at the moment to do that, as well as keep up with important emails/messages that are being sent through.

I don't want to rush through the course either, whilst I aim to first make an MVP version of it, and gradually improve the course over time, I still want to make sure I'm teaching it properly and haven't just scrambled to put something together for the sake of a cash grab.

Right now, YT ad revenue is paying me ridiculous amounts of money, if I do say so myself - so I'm being a little patient with the course.

But I'll start recording lessons for it as soon as this next video is done.

Again, it's me completely on my own doing this at the moment, so it's definitely become a bit daunting over the last few weeks with what's been going on, but I'm going to get more to grips with the processes behind running this channel, and hopefully begin to outsource/hire others to help me and ease off the stress as time goes on.

Rather than addressing your viewers about the delays till the next video, why don't instead you release teasing screenshots on your Instagram/youtube stories leading up to the video? Hype them up until release. Get them talking to each other about what it could be about!
 
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Valier

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Rather than addressing your viewers about the delays till the next video, why don't instead you release teasing screenshots on your Instagram/youtube stories leading up to the video? Hype them up until release. Get them talking to each other about what it could be about!

Definitely going to be doing this!!

I already have the "teaser trailer" for this video ready, and I'm going to be utilising the YouTube Premiere feature to add some extra hype, but I'll be doing this closer to the release date!
 

mapster7

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“The toxic world of self-help” video was recently recommended to me on youtube. It certainly piqued my interest with over 400K views.

Come here and I find this thread haha

All the best!
 

SebastiaanVaz

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daftypunk

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Great videos man, just subscribed.
You said what everyone wanted to say, but didn't have the balls to.
 

Valier

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Tubs

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Ahahaha - yeah, I saw this!!

Really surreal when I watch someone else reacting to my stuff... before, I would watch other people react to my favourite YouTubers, and now I'm the person being reacted to...

Very strange feeling...

It all happened cause you did the research, made good content, figured out how to use the algorithm correctly, and kept up the work. Your videos are a productocracy, and now you've got raving fans.

Also congrats on 100K subs!
It's been really cool to watch all this unfold over the last few months, I was sub #35 haha. Keep up the good work.
 
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Valier

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It all happened cause you did the research, made good content, figured out how to use the algorithm correctly, and kept up the work. Your videos are a productocracy, and now you've got raving fans.

Also congrats on 100K subs!
It's been really cool to watch all this unfold over the last few months, I was sub #35 haha. Keep up the good work.

You legend, Tubs!

Aha, yeah - I remember when first starting this thread thinking "damn, looks like it's only Andy that's been reading any of these entries LMAO", and then you chimed in with the support and that gave me a little boost to continue posting.

Super grateful man... and I'm glad that you've seen this whole thing unfold as well :)
 

Bellsman

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It's none of our business...but youtube ad income is hard to estimate. Can you see a general metric....like x cents per view or x $ per subscriber. Or is it related to your kick a$$ viewer retention...which is probably Amazing!
 

Valier

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It's none of our business...but youtube ad income is hard to estimate. Can you see a general metric....like x cents per view or x $ per subscriber. Or is it related to your kick a$$ viewer retention...which is probably Amazing!

More than happy to share! - after all, I wanted to be as transparent as possible with this thread.

I'm going to be making a full post explaining how Ad Revenue works on YouTube soon, but for now I'll just break down my own stats.

Remember that these differ from channel to channel, depending on the niche of the videos you choose to create.

So, my average CPM (the amount of money I get per 1,000 views) is currently £13.66 (this can fluctuate here and there, but it's overall been around this figure).

Now, you only get paid per "monetised view", meaning when someone actually sees the ad (so if someone has ad block on, you don't get paid).

I've had about 1.2M "monetised playbacks" (in other words, 1.2 million people have seen ads on my videos), and this has given me an estimated revenue of £8,359.74.

And trust me... I'm very aware of how F*cking insane that figure is considering we've only been monetised for 11 days.

From what I've seen the "estimated revenue" figure that YouTube gives me is fairly accurate and usually what you end up getting at the end of the month, but when I know for sure, I'll make a post about it.

So yeah, it's all about views. Subscribers are nothing but a vanity metric.

Hope that helps!
 
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Itsmeantonios

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Whoa. I didn't know you were on this forum. Your two videos, the one about money and the one about fake gurus were what made me pick up Unscripted and Fastlane and now here I am just starting to figure out my own Fastlane after just having finished reading both books back to back.

I don't know why your videos were recommended to me because I don't think I typically watch that kind of stuff, but I'm glad they were. Best of luck with your youtube channel. I'm not sure what it was about those videos but you just seemed so genuine to me for some reason, or that you were talking about stuff that I always felt was true but just didn't know it.
 

fastlanedoll

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Check out this site: www.socialblade.com

You can type in a YouTuber's name & see approximate revenue. Their range given is pretty wide, but would you say it's accurate at all?

Does amount paid vary with the country the youtuber is IN or just the country from ppl watching?

You are the most inspirational poster ive seen on here yet.

19 yrs old.. Already unscripted , and making more than what most adults make person month over their life time- amazing!! :D
 

Valier

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Whoa. I didn't know you were on this forum. Your two videos, the one about money and the one about fake gurus were what made me pick up Unscripted and Fastlane and now here I am just starting to figure out my own Fastlane after just having finished reading both books back to back.

I don't know why your videos were recommended to me because I don't think I typically watch that kind of stuff, but I'm glad they were. Best of luck with your youtube channel. I'm not sure what it was about those videos but you just seemed so genuine to me for some reason, or that you were talking about stuff that I always felt was true but just didn't know it.

Oh man, that's amazing to hear!!! :D

I'm glad you've started your journey through MJ's books - I remember coming across this forum for the firrst time (after reading TMF and Unscripted back to back as well) and going through some of the GOLD threads. You should definitely read up on them, and once you've done enough reading, go take some action! ;)

Very excited for you, friend
 
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Valier

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Check out this site: www.socialblade.com

You can type in a YouTuber's name & see approximate revenue. Their range given is pretty wide, but would you say it's accurate at all?

Does amount paid vary with the country the youtuber is IN or just the country from ppl watching?

You are the most inspirational poster ive seen on here yet.

19 yrs old.. Already unscripted , and making more than what most adults make person month over their life time- amazing!! :D

Ah, yes - I'm familiar with socialblade!

I can confidently say that social blade's estimates on a channel's earnings are VERY inaccurate (at least on my part). I don't know what calculations they're making to get their figures, but the earnings of every channel vary so much that it's damn near impossible to accurately predict how much they earn.

And I'm pretty sure that the amount paid varies with the country the people are watching from, not what country the user is in (although I may have to double check on that one!).

And I'm so glad to have been an inspiration to you - not in a million could I have imagined to be in this position right now so soon, and we're only getting started :D
 

MJ DeMarco

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So, my average CPM (the amount of money I get per 1,000 views) is currently £13.66

This seems ridiculously high, where are you finding this number?
 

Valier

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MJ DeMarco

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Itsmeantonios

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Oh man, that's amazing to hear!!! :D

I'm glad you've started your journey through MJ's books - I remember coming across this forum for the firrst time (after reading TMF and Unscripted back to back as well) and going through some of the GOLD threads. You should definitely read up on them, and once you've done enough reading, go take some action! ;)

Very excited for you, friend

Thanks! I just wish I knew about something that laid out these seemingly glaring obvious truths back when I was your age.

I'm in my mid 30s now. I could have been living my dream already! I guess all I can do is look ahead and do my absolute best to create my rightful future!

When I saw your channel I thought it was incredible that you had so much engagement and so many views for such a new channel. You must have just really hit a string with your subject matter and pulled everyone in. Good for you!
 

Andy Black

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I remember when first starting this thread thinking "damn, looks like it's only Andy that's been reading any of these entries LMAO"
I take full credit then!

(Joking of course.)


I like seeing people in motion and helping with a bit of support.
 
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daftypunk

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Ah, yes - I'm familiar with socialblade!

I can confidently say that social blade's estimates on a channel's earnings are VERY inaccurate (at least on my part). I don't know what calculations they're making to get their figures, but the earnings of every channel vary so much that it's damn near impossible to accurately predict how much they earn.

And I'm pretty sure that the amount paid varies with the country the people are watching from, not what country the user is in (although I may have to double check on that one!).

And I'm so glad to have been an inspiration to you - not in a million could I have imagined to be in this position right now so soon, and we're only getting started :D

Idk if its wrong, but f****** hell dude 4K subscribers everyday and 6.5-104K $ annual earnings?

Who would have thought you did start earning so much in just 4 months? Nonetheless its yet another example of 'assumption being the mother of all f****'.
Kudos on 100K.
 

FirstLawMotion

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Let's get this started with a basic introduction.

Hi, I'm James. 19 y/o from the UK, chose not to go university since there wasn't any subject I wanted to study that would suit my direction in life. The big goal is to be semi-retired by 30, but that's okay if I don't get there, I'm focusing on the process and journey above all else.

I recently started up my new business which if you are a FLF INSIDERS, you can find my thread here:

So then, what's this about a personal brand & a YouTube channel?
I came to a realisation that I wish I had come to a few years back: a personal brand is an incredibly powerful thing. Especially in business, and especially if you are trying to go fastlane.

With just 100 loyal fans you can do so much to promote your other side hustles, and/or monetise that audience.

This realisation drove me to conclude that I wanted to start building up my own personal brand - right now, with no hesitation, and do my absolute best to get this thing up and running because let's all be clear here: the odds are not in my favour. There are so many channels out there, that it's damn near impossible to be seen amongst the crowd...
or is it?

A Guide as well as Documentation

The purpose of this thread is to not only document my process and journey, but also provide a guide for what is working/isn't working and how you can learn from whatever mistakes I make.

Provide value above all else, as always.

Keeping it Honest and Real
Like in my INSIDERS thread, I want to be entirely transparent with everyone and keep it as real & as honest as I can.

If one day I decide to just quit the whole thing I will document it on here. I'm in this till I either succeed, pivot, or quit, and you'll have a clear picture on where this process will take me, and where I may have gone wrong/gone right.

What's Been Done So Far...
I already have my channel up and running, and as a matter of fact, you can check out my first video here:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg6CGNoynDI


How the First Video Went.
Keeping up with the theme of transparency: I was very nervous when recording and releasing this video.

I've done a lot of acting throughout my childhood - teenage years, and making this video was more nerve wrecking to me than any audition that I've done in the past. But this is the first barrier that people will face if you're trying to make it on this platform: THE FEAR OF POSTING YOUR FIRST VIDEO.

Once I posted that video, I felt a slight sense of relief. I sent a few messages out to some close friends who I had told I was starting this channel up, and they went on to watch it. And a few of them shared the video on their Instagram stories.

Let me be clear here: I was too nervous to post this video on my social media. That's why I just DM'd some friends, in the hopes that I can land maybe 80 views on the video to get me started off.

But once some of these friends posted it to their story something amazing happened: other people started sharing it on their story. Some of these people were friends, but there were also some that I hadn't spoken to or seen in a while that shared it. I even had some really kind messages about how they found the video really helpful and well done.

I really didn't think it was a great video at first. I thought it was bad, and kinda boring because the nerves really stopped me from bringing the energy to the screen that I usually could do with acting. My only intention was to post the first video no matter how nervous I felt about it.

After I felt that positive feedback, I finally made the leap and posted it to my own socials. In total the video sits at around 260 views, 32 likes, and 8 comments. I was more than impressed by that as a debut video - I genuinely didn't think it would surpass 100. I earned about 35 subscribers in total from that video, and a few new followers on my Instagram.

The Goals.
My goal isn't really to be 'internet famous' or anything like that. It's simply to get a personal brand started up, have my name put out there, share some genuine advice from someone who is passionate about entrepreneurship, and self development (no 'woo-woo' selling my $1500+ course shit), and see where it goes.

If you're looking for some specific targeted goals, here's my main objective for the year:
Reach 1,000 subscribers by 2021.

That's all. For now. The reason why I say this is that the subscriber count is really just a vanity metric. I'm more interested in improving things like watch time, and Click-Through-Rate (CTR) - y'know, the metrics that actually count. But until I have some data from my own videos to work off, I can't set those targets as of right now.

My aim is to post once a week. Although it may be once every two weeks every so often. Truth is, I'm balancing three things here: the channel is one thing, the full time job is another, and my other side hustle which I've been working super hard on is the third. Ideally, the latter two are working hand-in-hand, but that doesn't deviate from the fact that my full time job as an estate agent has some ungodly hours that can really eat into free time.

But again, all will be documented here.

Conclusion
That's about it for now.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me them.

And most importantly: ALL feedback is appreciated, the good, the bad, the ugly. All of it.

Have a wonderful weekend folks
Great work!
 

alexander444

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I was watching your videos and subbed cuz I agreed with what your saying and the production quality is fantastic. Had no idea you were on this forum, great work man! I'm sure your channel will go much further if you've had this much success in this short amount of time.
 
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Putt

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1000 subscribers by 2021 was your initial goal. Look where you are now! Not only has this been exciting to read so far purely to celebrate your success but also for the many gold nuggets you have dropped along the way.
 

Mario~

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Congratulations! You've been a great student of how YouTube works and I'm glad the algorithm caught up. The content is high quality and very likely to cause the "binge-watch" effect which is one of the main triggers for viral growth on the platform.

I run a 130k+ channel and have built a pretty successful business around it among other things. Happy to share some thoughts with you and help out a young entrepreneur who's in it for the right reasons. Just gave you a follow on IG, my username is mariotomich

Cheers!
-M
 

Mario~

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@Mario~ , please kindly share your progress too (if its OK)- thanks! :)

That's a very broad question and I definitely don't want to hijack this thread.

Having been on YouTube since 2015 I've seen changes to what the algorithm prefers.

What @Valier is doing seems to be the way to go in 2019/2020.

YouTube's algorithm is optimizing to keep users on the platform as long as possible and improve overall user experience.

Things like the subscriber count matter a lot less these days compared to in the past.

Browse features traffic (specifically Home) is the main metric you want to be looking at for viral growth. Another one people mention is the Suggested video traffic. Based on my data Browse/Home is king.

Most of those views will come from non-subscribers. YouTube decided to show your video after a series of split tests that measure average watch time and all forms of engagement as well as session ends (if people leave to different websites or stay on YouTube). I believe @Valier proposed a hypothesis about split testing earlier in the thread. It does match my own research.

High quality engaging videos can also resurface and go viral weeks/months after being published which is great news for new creators. Another thing that's great these days is new analytics data. You can really learn a lot about your audience and what works.

There's a lot more competition on YouTube than ever before but I would say it's still my #1 platform recommendation for personal branding and business as your content has potential to go viral and you could have a decent size audience within months.

-M
 

Valier

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That's a very broad question and I definitely don't want to hijack this thread.

Having been on YouTube since 2015 I've seen changes to what the algorithm prefers.

What @Valier is doing seems to be the way to go in 2019/2020.

YouTube's algorithm is optimizing to keep users on the platform as long as possible and improve overall user experience.

Things like the subscriber count matter a lot less these days compared to in the past.

Browse features traffic (specifically Home) is the main metric you want to be looking at for viral growth. Another one people mention is the Suggested video traffic. Based on my data Browse/Home is king.

Most of those views will come from non-subscribers. YouTube decided to show your video after a series of split tests that measure average watch time and all forms of engagement as well as session ends (if people leave to different websites or stay on YouTube). I believe @Valier proposed a hypothesis about split testing earlier in the thread. It does match my own research.

High quality engaging videos can also resurface and go viral weeks/months after being published which is great news for new creators. Another thing that's great these days is new analytics data. You can really learn a lot about your audience and what works.

There's a lot more competition on YouTube than ever before but I would say it's still my #1 platform recommendation for personal branding and business as your content has potential to go viral and you could have a decent size audience within months.

-M

Interesting stuff!!

Thank you for sharing, Mario - it's definitely good to hear from the perspective of someone who's been in the "YouTube game" for longer.

And I can certainly agree with you. YouTube can be such a powerful tool for branding, and you never know what could happen. My Fake Guru video took off months after it was posted, and that sealed the deal on the rest of the channel.

Also, I shot you a message on Instagram!
 

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