Figuring Out YouTube

[Cameraman]

I think he was more about not making content that gives dopamine hits to keep people engaged. Graham’s style is to be very calm and measured. He’s also got great delivery with very few filler words. I think he’s just leaning into that. Not everyone can pull it off though.

I notice he has cuts in his videos, and adds animated text. This is a good example (and relevant):

View: https://youtu.be/clf70-pBdSo

I’m with him about prioritising growing an email list over growing YouTube subscribers.


I’ve been thinking about whether I want to be on camera. It’s quicker to create but can take longer post-production to tidy up. But I’ve been doing this for a cohosted podcast weekly and it’s been fine.

A big consideration is legacy. If I’m talking to the camera then these are videos my kids can watch when they get older. Maybe even future generations. It’s like a way to put my knowledge and messages into a time capsule.

Thanks for sharing and yes, I see what you mean.

I do also agree with the approach of using YouTube and content to build your subscriber list. It's what I've done for years and it's worked well. That said, you do need to be careful to maintain the quality of your subscribers. You want to attract people who value what you want to say which is what I think he is doing in these videos.

 

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[Andy Black]

you do need to be careful to maintain the quality of your subscribers. You want to attract people who value what you want to say which is what I think he is doing in these videos.

Yes! Be you, and don't use tricks to get clicks, views or subscribers.

This springs to mind:

"Sales is a screening process." - Blaise Brosnan

 

[David Borodin]

I have some experience with Youtube before. I would love to share it with you. My experience is that you need to accomplish 2 things to get your video viral. For those who dont know this;


1.) Views in a short period of time (To accomplish this: Great Thumbnail and Title)
2.) A long watch time (Make things simple and interesting as possible)

When you accomplish this, Youtube will automatcly think that people like your videos, which will make Youtube recommend it to others.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But for those who have more experience then me about this topic, please feel free to send a message to me. I would love to learn more about this.

Thank you

 

[Andy Black]

I have some experience with Youtube before. I would love to share it with you. My experience is that you need to accomplish 2 things to get your video viral. For those who dont know this;


1.) Views in a short period of time (To accomplish this: Great Thumbnail and Title)
2.) A long watch time (Make things simple and interesting as possible)

When you accomplish this, Youtube will automatcly think that people like your videos, which will make Youtube recommend it to others.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But for those who have more experience then me about this topic, please feel free to send a message to me. I would love to learn more about this.

Thank you

Thanks for that summary.

Good thumbnail/title + Engaging content = High RPM for YouTube = They want to show our video more


Check out the first thread in here where James Jani breaks it down:

• EXECUTION - [Master List] YouTube Progress Threads

 

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[Andy Black]

1) I watched this last night and was gobsmacked at how much time and effort he put into creating a video title and thumbnail, and then the intro. It makes sense, but to date I've just knocked up a video and slapped a title on it just before I published. And I don't have any thumbnails either! Time to take this more seriously.

View: https://youtu.be/hjGVng44Dr4



2) I'm focusing on video and YouTube in particular.

Actions taken:

• Cancelled three paid course/community memberships I'm in. The $100/mth it's freed up isn't the point. I'm really surprised at how much mental bandwidth it's freed up too.
• Told my podcast cohost that I'm pausing the podcast for now.
• Changed my Twitter password to some garbled string of letters. I can always do a password reset if I want to login again, but this makes it a conscious decision to drop out of Twitter.
  
  
• I don't have to drop out of LinkedIn. I have to remind myself to login, check my inbox and connection requests. I can't wait to log out again.
• I'll keep Facebook as it's handy for the support groups for various bits of software I use, and I've family connections on Facebook.

3) I came back from a walk where I concluded I should redo the "You don't need to be an expert" video, to get a notification that someone had replied to it. So yeah, I'll redo that video.




4) I also created my first poll last week where 6 people responded and 5 said they prefer my Google Ads content and 1 said they prefer my NON Google Ads content.

I think I can create great Google Ads content, but also sprinkle in good sales, marketing, and business advice. After all, people will do better at Google Ads if they're better at sales, marketing, and business in general.

 

[Cameraman]

1) I watched this last night and was gobsmacked at how much time and effort he put into creating a video title and thumbnail, and then the intro. It makes sense, but to date I've just knocked up a video and slapped a title on it just before I published. And I don't have any thumbnails either! Time to take this more seriously.

View: https://youtu.be/hjGVng44Dr4



2) I'm focusing on video and YouTube in particular.

Actions taken:

• Cancelled three paid course/community memberships I'm in. The $100/mth it's freed up isn't the point. I'm really surprised at how much mental bandwidth it's freed up too.
• Told my podcast cohost that I'm pausing the podcast for now.
• Changed my Twitter password to some garbled string of letters. I can always do a password reset if I want to login again, but this makes it a conscious decision to drop out of Twitter.
  
  
• I don't have to drop out of LinkedIn. I have to remind myself to login, check my inbox and connection requests. I can't wait to log out again.
• I'll keep Facebook as it's handy for the support groups for various bits of software I use, and I've family connections on Facebook.

3) I came back from a walk where I concluded I should redo the "You don't need to be an expert" video, to get a notification that someone had replied to it. So yeah, I'll redo that video.

View attachment 40497


4) I also created my first poll last week where 6 people responded and 5 said they prefer my Google Ads content and 1 said they prefer my NON Google Ads content.

I think I can create great Google Ads content, but also sprinkle in good sales, marketing, and business advice. After all, people will do better at Google Ads if they're better at sales, marketing, and business in general.

View attachment 40498

I watched that video a few days ago as well. Although I always thought I spent quite a lot of time designing the thumbnail, title and intro it made me question my own approach. I'm now working on improving these for the next 6 months along with better B-roll, transitions and storyline.

I like to come up with these three points early on and then storyboard the video. It makes recording much easier. I also spend quite a lot of time researching what people are searching for on Google and YouTube to check the popularity and competition. I often have my videos featured in the top spot of Google search and around 30% of my views come from Google. It makes for valuable evergreen content so I can take breaks from time to time without hurting my income.

Having said that, I was invited to an "INSIDERS" session by YouTube recently. It was about the algorithm and how it decided what to promote. The point they stressed more than anything in the first 30 minutes was that videos need to be released to a regular schedule (weekly was mentioned a few times). I counted up and they mentioned 16 times that you need to keep to the schedule. Now that could have been a load of rubbish and YouTube trying to manipulate creator behaviour, but I don't think so.

I really admire what you're doing and don't know how you fit it all in.

 

[Andy Black]

I watched that video a few days ago as well. Although I always thought I spent quite a lot of time designing the thumbnail, title and intro it made me question my own approach. I'm now working on improving these for the next 6 months along with better B-roll, transitions and storyline.

I like to come up with these three points early on and then storyboard the video. It makes recording much easier.

That's a great process.

To date I've just winged it. I'm curious what I can produce when I focus on doing it well.

I also spend quite a lot of time researching what people are searching for on Google and YouTube to check the popularity and competition. I often have my videos featured in the top spot of Google search and around 30% of my views come from Google. It makes for valuable evergreen content so I can take breaks from time to time without hurting my income.

I'd much rather spend the time up front to create a video people actually want to watch, and create a video that's better than what's out there. With YouTube, a video can be up for years. I'm thinking they can be there for decades and my future generations.

Having said that, I was invited to an "INSIDERS" session by YouTube recently. It was about the algorithm and how it decided what to promote. The point they stressed more than anything in the first 30 minutes was that videos need to be released to a regular schedule (weekly was mentioned a few times). I counted up and they mentioned 16 times that you need to keep to the schedule. Now that could have been a load of rubbish and YouTube trying to manipulate creator behaviour, but I don't think so.

I've also heard a schedule is important. @Valier (James Jani) mentioned momentum in his thread too. Weekly seems a good cycle, but I'd rather publish when I'm ready and not to a schedule.

I really admire what you're doing and don't know how you fit it all in.

Interesting. I don't think I'm doing that much. I just write about it as I go along.

 

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[David Borodin]

That's a great process.

To date I've just winged it. I'm curious what I can produce when I focus on doing it well.


I'd much rather spend the time up front to create a video people actually want to watch, and create a video that's better than what's out there. With YouTube, a video can be up for years. I'm thinking they can be there for decades and my future generations.


I've also heard a schedule is important. @Valier (James Jani) mentioned momentum in his thread too. Weekly seems a good cycle, but I'd rather publish when I'm ready and not to a schedule.


Interesting. I don't think I'm doing that much. I just write about it as I go along.

Holy smokes!

Andy, I see you really put your time and energy to become better at this, great job!

I have a question I would love you to answer, Where did you find your partners you work with on Youtube?

 

[Andy Black]

Andy, I see you really put your time and energy to become better at this, great job!

Thanks. This is just me documenting figuring something out.

Documenting as I go is a habit from my IT days.

I need to start uploading videos though - that’s where the actual progress will be made.

Where did you find your partners you work with on Youtube?

I’m confused. What do you mean by “partners”?

 

[David Borodin]

I mean the group you are learning with. ( "I'm in a small group learning to grow our YouTube channels.")

Is your group, someone you found on the internet or somewhere else?

 

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[Andy Black]

I mean the group you are learning with. ( "I'm in a small group learning to grow our YouTube channels.")

Is your group, someone you found on the internet or somewhere else?

Ah, gotcha. That group coaching/training was only running for a short while. I was following someone (I can't remember where) and he wanted 10 people to go through a new programme he was creating about growing YouTube channels.

His strategies were good and I'll be trying them, but I didn't want to create the type of videos he proposed, and I didn't want to ask people to Like and subscribe etc.

He later polled the group and realised most of us weren't trying to grow a YouTube channel per se, but were more interested in generating leads and making sales.

 

[David Borodin]

Ah, gotcha. That group coaching/training was only running for a short while. I was following someone (I can't remember where) and he wanted 10 people to go through a new programme he was creating about growing YouTube channels.

His strategies were good and I'll be trying them, but I didn't want to create the type of videos he proposed, and I didn't want to ask people to Like and subscribe etc.

He later polled the group and realised most of us weren't trying to grow a YouTube channel per se, but were more interested in generating leads and making sales.

Great! Thanks for the fast reply!

Now

What do you think personally is the best?
A) Having a team to work together on a channel
or
B) Hosting alone/solo

I prefer A, but cant find anybody to work with.
I have some strategies to use when having a team.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BTW!
Speaking of asking to liking and subscribing, I have heard that it is a great way of getting some extra more subscribers when someone is watching your videos!
Because,
It is a greater chance that they subscribe by asking, then not.

 

[Andy Black]

What do you think personally is the best?
A) Having a team to work together on a channel
or
B) Hosting alone/solo

I prefer A, but cant find anybody to work with.
I have some strategies to use when having a team.

I prefer doing it alone at this stage.

I'd rather do the research, scripting, storyboarding, filming, editing, publishing, etc.

1. I enjoy it.
2. There's nothing like actually editing a video to make you realise you're stuttering or rambling. It helps me produce better when I do the editing.
3. I want to figure out a process that works for me before getting other people to implement that process.
4. I have a vision of applying this process to clients who may want to do video marketing (I do Google Ads for clients, so doing YouTube Ads isn't too big of a stretch).
5. I want to improve my skills in this area... from storywriting, to using b-roll, whiteboard animations, sound effects, etc.

Speaking of asking to liking and subscribing, I have heard that it is a great way of getting some extra more subscribers when someone is watching your videos!
Because,
It is a greater chance that they subscribe by asking, then not.

I also saw videos where people tested asking and not asking people to subscribe and it didn't make any difference.

Some suggest the best CTA at the end of a video is to tell people to watch another video that's related and point to the video card that will pop up.

It depends on your goal. In the video I recently linked to by Graham Cochrane he says he's not optimising for likes and subscribers, but for email signups that he can then communicate with regularly off the platform. So he talks about a lead magnet and where people can sign up to it.


===========

Damn. I just noticed I started this thread two years ago. I didn't make much progress.

I'm kicking myself I went down the Twitter rabbit-hole earlier this year (progress thread: Figuring Out Twitter). I logged in one day then got sucked into some great conversations and met great people - one became a cohost on a podcast I've just put on pause (progress thread: Let's Chat Sales).

FOCUS ANDY !!

 

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[Andy Black]

I've also heard a schedule is important. @Valier (James Jani) mentioned momentum in his thread too. Weekly seems a good cycle, but I'd rather publish when I'm ready and not to a schedule.

Coming back to this.

This video is how I think about posting/publishing. This topic caused friction with my podcast cohost who wants to publish every week come hell or high water. I'm like, "Meh, post when we're ready. No-one is waiting for our next podcast, and we're building a catalogue that's supposed to last forever."

View: https://youtu.be/B1HlH6vZGO8

 

[David Borodin]

Thanks agian!

Here is some advice, I would want you to NEVER forget.

NEVER change the topic of your channel. Here is a short story:

You get a million view on a video about "Video editing".
The very next week you see that posting memes, gives a lot of views, SO you start to do the same thing.

Your subscribers get confused and wonder: "Why is he changing the topic?"
Eventually the subscribers start to unsubscribe and stop watching your videos.
In the end, you killed you fanbase, and barly got any views on the "Memes videos", and game over.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I did something simular to this, and trust me
IT IS NOT WORTH IT.

And agian, NEVER change the topic of your channel.

 

[Andy Black]

Thanks agian!

Here is some advice, I would want you to NEVER forget.

NEVER change the topic of your channel. Here is a short story:

You get a million view on a video about "Video editing".
The very next week you see that posting memes, gives a lot of views, SO you start to do the same thing.

Your subscribers get confused and wonder: "Why is he changing the topic?"
Eventually the subscribers start to unsubscribe and stop watching your videos.
In the end, you killed you fanbase, and barly got any views on the "Memes videos", and game over.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I did something simular to this, and trust me
IT IS NOT WORTH IT.

And agian, NEVER change the topic of your channel.

Thanks. I’ll bear this in mind, but I also believe in never say never. I’m sure there’s examples of people who successfully changed the topic of their channel. For me it’s a moot point as I’ve been so inactive and not intentional enough with posting to date.

 

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[David Borodin]

Thanks. I’ll bear this in mind, but I also believe in never say never. I’m sure there’s examples of people who successfully changed the topic of their channel. For me it’s a moot point as I’ve been so inactive and not intentional enough with posting to date.

The thing is, is that when you get your first "big" views, it is recommended to not change the topic.
The better way is to create videos simular to it.

(Have you seen a famous youtuber changing the topic all the time? I dont think so)

I personally chased views all my Youtube career, I always changed the topic because I thought, "it will give me more views!"
I was only thinking about what was best for myself, not for my fanbase.
I treated them like shit, made shit videos (just to post fast as possible).
My channel eventually was like a toilet on tacobell (BS).

Just like MJ pointed out, "Treat your custemers like the boss, not yourself"
In fact, Youtube and Business are very alike.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am thinking about going back to youtube, but I really want meet people who have a great experience with it, and have the same goal as me as well. So we can grow together.

 

[Andy Black]

I am thinking about going back to youtube, but I really want meet people who have a great experience with it, and have the same goal as me as well. So we can grow together.

Reply and support folks in the active threads in the list below.

And create your own progress thread and tag me to add it to the list.

• EXECUTION - [Master List] YouTube Progress Threads

Youtube and Business are very alike.

Yeah, treat YouTube as a business.

 

[Andy Black]

I personally chased views all my Youtube career, I always changed the topic because I thought, "it will give me more views!"

This is where the Mother Theresa quote in my signature keeps me on the straight and narrow.

 

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[Andy Black]

Whoa!

Someone just shared this with me:

• Synthesia - AI Video Generation Platform

One of the kids had a go:

Your AI video

Click to watch the AI video "Your AI video" generated with Synthesia STUDIO.

share.synthesia.io

 

[David Borodin]

Whoa!

Someone just shared this with me:

• Synthesia - AI Video Generation Platform

One of the kids had a go:

Your AI video

Click to watch the AI video "Your AI video" generated with Synthesia STUDIO.

share.synthesia.io

Jesus Christ!

The future is really moving.

 

[Andy Black]

A forum member asked how I was progressing with YouTube.

My reply:

To date I've used YouTube to host videos that I embed in the forum and share with folks via after I've chatted with them. I know I can do so much more with it.

I really like Paddy Galloway's whiteboard videos (and the content is amazing too). I'd like to do similar videos about Google Ads, and some of my more popular posts in the forum (e.g. NOTABLE! - What if you already know enough?).

My banner image is even inspired by Paddy's:

I'm just figuring out Videoscribe (here maybe) which I'll likely purchase soon. It's what Paddy uses, and he has a short course on Skillshare that shows how he uses it to make videos.


Here's Paddy's latest video:

View: https://youtu.be/c5-3gotpgz8

 

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[Andy Black]

Worth checking out:

• Lumen5 | Exclusive Offer from AppSumo

 

[Andy Black]

Recorded a quick screenshare for my team and course members this morning, then figured I'd shove it on YouTube.

I should have recorded with Camtasia so I could highlight the mouse, have more control over what part of the screen I captured, and be able to zoom and pan a bit (someone said the numbers were too small to read). The sound seems a bit odd too, but it's fit for purpose.

I'll add a thumbnail later.

View: https://youtu.be/7mVaDhPWpVU

 

[Andy Black]

Another deal on appsumo:

Wave.video | Exclusive Offer from AppSumo

 

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[Andy Black]

I thought this was a fascinating video by a guy who looks excruciatingly young:

View: https://youtu.be/PQ4DC7C46Po

 

[woken]

I thought this was a fascinating video by a guy who looks excruciatingly young:

View: https://youtu.be/PQ4DC7C46Po

Really inspiring and feels achievable.

I’d love to pick youtube as a hobby for a faceless channel.

My main issue is that I have an accent(not native) and It won’t be self sustainable to hire voice over actors.
For the face part, I can make a lip-sync avatar and have it in the corner of the videos.

Also, to give myself the best chances would mean to make at least 50 videos in advance.
That way, when I don’t see my channel with 1M views after 2 days I will get discouraged to make more videos but I’ll still have the remaining 49 to post

That being said, this would be treated as a hobby.

The only downside I can see is not being able to adapt to audience requirements in time because the videos are done already.

 

[Cameraman]

I thought this was a fascinating video by a guy who looks excruciatingly young:

View: https://youtu.be/PQ4DC7C46Po

It was a good video with lots of ideas. And yes, he makes me feel old. I also thought he needed more furniture to cut down the echo. Thanks for sharing this Andy.

 

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[Andy Black]

Really inspiring and feels achievable.

I’d love to pick youtube as a hobby for a faceless channel.

My main issue is that I have an accent(not native) and It won’t be self sustainable to hire voice over actors.
For the face part, I can make a lip-sync avatar and have it in the corner of the videos.

Also, to give myself the best chances would mean to make at least 50 videos in advance.
That way, when I don’t see my channel with 1M views after 2 days I will get discouraged to make more videos but I’ll still have the remaining 49 to post

That being said, this would be treated as a hobby.

The only downside I can see is not being able to adapt to audience requirements in time because the videos are done already.

Don’t do 50 in advance! Create a channel and start pumping out videos. Catch mistakes early.

Also, why not get a bot to read the transcript?

View: https://youtu.be/pMaEHFHXNQw

 

[woken]

Also, why not get a bot to read the transcript?

View: https://youtu.be/pMaEHFHXNQw

You can’t get monetised with whiteboard + robot voice. You need a real voice