YouTube.
Video sharing site to some. Time wasting addiction to others.
It may seem like an innocent place to upload pranks, but the reality is, YouTube is a business. Some creators easily pass the six figure mark each year.
So what can you learn from the home of cat videos?
I’ll show you.
For almost two years I uploaded gaming videos to YouTube.
The gaming scene exploded around 2008, and people wanted to watch their favorite games online. I came in a few years later, but I still enjoyed rewards from that trend.
My channel reached 1200 subscribers at its peak. That’s nothing nowadays but back then it was respectable for a small channel.
My videos averaged around 500 views and many of them surpassed the thousand view mark—something little ol’ me never thought would be possible.
I was just a kid who liked gaming back then. And uploading those games to YouTube was the natural extension of my hobby.
I’ve since shut the channel down, but I’ll never forget the experience. I made friends. I made memories. And I also made money.
It was pennies really. But I guess being paid to play videogames wasn’t too bad of a deal.
I learned a lot from those days on YouTube. And I think anyone who wants to produce content online could use that knowledge.
That’s why I wrapped it all into 8 lessons right here.
#1 Go All In From the Start
You couldn’t record gameplay with an iPhone if you wanted viewers to take you seriously online.
Since I was going to upload gameplay from my Xbox, I had to buy a recording device before I could start my channel. I could have spent a few dollars on a cheap recorder, but I chose to go big at the start.
I bought the best capture device on the market. And it sold for around 200 bucks at the time.
You might think that purchase was crazy for such a small hobby. And looking back I might even agree with you. But that decision proved to be a great one. Even though my first few videos were awful, they were at least pretty to look at.
Anyone who made good looking videos could stand out back then. People were tired of watching potato-recorded gameplay.
Uploading content in HD showed that you were serious about producing. And now everyone invests in visual quality for that reason.
They know big investments aren’t a suggestion. They’re a requirement.
When I launched HFE, I already knew that fact. That’s why I added premium features from the start. Yes, they were big purchases, but you have to make investments like that to show your commitment to the craft.
Why should anyone give you a dime if you’re not willing to spend money on yourself?
Take a chance.
Make quality investments at the start so people know you’re the real deal.
#2 Build Before You Promote
My Youtube inbox is still full of messages promoting channels with 2 videos.
Apparently that’s called marketing.
Well I call that a scam.
I’ve never understood why people promote unfinished work.
During my days on the Tube, I focused on building my own channel before I even thought about promoting it. I uploaded videos for months before I sent them out for exposure. And I made sure my own work was worth watching before I got others to do the same.
By the time I did send them out, I already had a notable audience, a small network of friends, and 50+ videos on the channel.
And guess what? Those quiet months paid off.
When some popular channels accepted my guest videos, I gained hundreds of new viewers who found a channel full of content. I wasn’t some new guy with one or two videos in his library.
People respected work like that in the community. And it showed in their engagement levels I’ll talk about later.
If you have an idea that you want to bring into reality, work on actually doing that before you tell people what’s going on. There’s no point in capturing people’s interest if they find out nothing’s there later.
Always build before you promote. It won’t be glamorous at the start, but that’s better than disappointing people.
#3 Ask Now, Avoid Later
Finding like-minded people is crucial to avoiding problems down the road.
Back when I was making videos, I ran into plenty of creators who made similar content. And I reached out to those who genuinely enjoyed making videos and had subscriber counts close to mine.
I didn’t hear back from everyone, but soon I found people who were willing to work together. And we didn’t just form a partnership, we found a friend.
We played games together and collaborated in our videos. We all grew at a steady rate and gave each other feedback on our work. Nobody let their ego get involved and we formed an amazing bond because of that.
But of course, some creators had other ideas in mind.
I was treating Youtube as a hobby at the time. Yeah, I wanted to get more subscribers, but for the most part, I did it because I enjoyed watching gaming videos myself.
Other creators didn’t have that mentality though.
They saw YouTube as more than a hobby, and their actions reflected that. They knew there was money out there for serious producers.
I didn’t like working with those guys no matter how interesting they were. Arguments were inevitable with them.
I remember going back and forth with one creator who eventually grew his channel to over 500,000 subscribers.
I couldn’t stand the dude. To me he was arrogant, disloyal, and only concerned with himself.
But later I realized that we just had two different mindsets. Neither of us was wrong, we were just working with someone who had other goals in mind. It made sense for us to part ways.
If you want harmony in whatever you do, confirm that the people closest to you all have the same mission and vision first. You all need to be working towards the same goal and have the same picture of what’s to come.
Everyone thinks they’re friends at first so they overlook this point. Then they wonder why they run into conflict months, or even years later.
The mission and vision need to be the topic of the first conversation you have with a new partner. Ask them about that no matter how friendly they seem. If the two of you are clear on those points at the start, you won’t have to worry about much down the road.
It’s okay to have different personalities and styles of operation. You don’t even have to be the best of friends.
But the mission and the vision need to be the same, period.
#4 There Is No Secret
My time on Youtube taught me the secret to be successful at anything. And I’ve confirmed that secret multiple times since.
Funny thing is, it’s not a secret.
“Success” happens when you set a definite goal and commit time and focus towards reaching it. It’s working towards a mission and following the direction a vision provides.
I know that doesn’t sound magical but it’s true.
People call stuff like this common sense, but when it’s time to get to work, they don’t have the courage to try. It’s easy to sit back and say you know how without actually doing it.
Millions of people have great ideas. About 2% of those people follow through with them. People dream of finding work they love, yet they come home and watch Netflix in their free time.
When nothing’s changed years later, they’ll say that anyone who put in the work was just lucky. And their sentences will sound like this:
- “I could have done that if…”
- “If only I was born with…”
- “That would be easy if I had…”
It’s a sad story.
But the good news is, you always have a choice. Even though others may have advantages over you, there are no inequalities with time. You have the same 24 hours as everyone else.
You’re never guaranteed anything, but the choices you make will determine the position you’re in to succeed.
The people I saw grow on YouTube consistently put out great content. They had videos planned for weeks in advance and held themselves to a strict schedule. They all had a work ethic that other creators couldn’t match.
It didn’t matter what they felt like doing. They disciplined themselves to do it anyway. Their long term vision was more important than the trivial distractions in life.
That’s the attitude you need.
There’s not room to do everything you want. That’s why you prioritize.
But if that doesn’t sound appealing, then hey, there’s always Netflix.
#5 Choose People Over Numbers
Business isn’t just about numbers.
It’s building trust with people by serving their best interests. You build a good reputation when you focus on the needs of others.
When you do that, you get loyal customers. And when you have loyal customers, you get engagement.
People won’t just come back because of the value you provide. They’ll come back because of who you are.
I remember talking with other YouTubers who always stressed over the number of views and likes they got. They were angry because their subscriber count didn’t skyrocket like they planned.
They were pretty much saying the same thing in all our conversations: “Why can’t people recognize my greatness?”
These guys just didn’t get it…
- While they worried about numbers, they let comments from potential subscribers go unanswered.
- They didn’t take time to fix errors in their videos because they had an upload quota to meet.
- They didn’t re-watch their own videos to see if they enjoyed them.
Those guys wanted views because they were directly related to money in their pockets. They didn’t focus on their audience and their channels were wastelands because of it.
While I didn’t have the most popular channel, I did have amazing engagement from my subscribers. And most of that happened because I put their interests ahead of my own.
I answered comments, I made videos based off viewer questions, and I deleted boring videos that took me hours to make.
People noticed those efforts. And soon a nobody like me was averaging views and likes that rivaled channels with five times as many subscribers.
That’s why engagement is everything.
If you want an increase in numbers, do all you can for the people behind them.
#6 Originality Is Overrated
Everyone is copying somebody.
No one is so original that they can make post after post, or video after video without copying others.
I’m sure you’ve been told that copying is stealing, and stealing is wrong. But the two aren’t the same.
Your goal is to copy style and not content. Then use that style to get things rolling until you find a style of your own.
Youtube was full of people who did the same thing.
Prerecorded and edited gameplay dominated the gaming scene at first. Creators talked over their highlight games and uploaded them for their viewers. But after a while, popular Youtubers made live videos instead of those prerecorded ones.
They said they wanted a fresh change at the time, but it was really a move towards a better business model. Live videos were easier to make and they allowed creators to upload daily. That meant more views and more money each day.
A few months later, everyone was going live. But the ones who benefited the most made the same live videos and put a twist on it.
They completed goals and challenges that the audience set. They recorded their outlandish (and mostly fake) reactions. And they turned Youtube into a funnel for livestreams on more profitable sites.
Those guys took a popular trend and made it personal. And thousands of subscribers flocked to them because of it.
They crafted their own identity by copying popular creators. They didn’t start from scratch because the blueprint was already there.
Why create a new system when you can tweak someone else’s to fit your personality? The innovator is far more versatile than the creator.
History proves the strength of innovation all the time:
- Blogging is nothing new. It’s just writing on the internet.
- Cars haven’t changed much over time. New parts are just added to the base frame.
- Consulting is a billion-dollar industry that formed from traditional teaching.
When you look around, there really is nothing new. Innovation is so natural that we don’t notice it. We just see what we like and make it our own.
Think about it.
When you see someone with clothes you like, do you buy the same outfit that person is wearing? No. You look for the same style but with different colors and materials that fit your personality.
Content “creation” works the same way.
Use the work of others as a roadmap before you veer off on your own.
#7 Do Your Own Thing
This is a big one.
If you’re doing business on the web, it’s best to produce your own stuff.
That was one thing I didn’t do.
Sure I edited the videos and voiced the commentaries, but I wasn’t a game developer. I didn’t make the games I uploaded.
That meant I had use a third party to monetize my videos. I couldn’t monetize directly because a copyright strike would have hit my channel.
I made pennies compared to what I could have made had I uploaded my own work.
That’s why pushing your own stuff is so important. It almost always leads to the highest profit.
But it’s not all about money either. When you create and sell your own product, you’ll form a greater connection to what you’re making.
Once I lost interest in the games I enjoyed before, I didn’t have a reason to keep uploading. All my production was dependent on someone else. And if I didn’t like what was given to me, that was it.
I lost the connection to my “product” and didn’t want to “sell” it anymore.
It’s easier to promote a product when you’ve put your own sweat and hours into it. Yes, it will make things harder, but the control you get from doing so is priceless.
Of course you should still experiment with products you haven’t made. They should just be secondary to your own.
Create something of your own first. Then reap the benefits later.
#8 Anyone Can Do This
This is the most important lesson I learned from YouTube.
Anyone can be a producer.
That’s why “You” is in YouTube.
People are always looking for more content to consume. They’re desperate to find a new voice, a new perspective.
Go outside and you’ll see nothing but people staring down at their phones. Most people in the US do nothing but consume, consume, consume. They’re hungry for that next big thing.
You might not think you have something to offer but you do. The market is never over-saturated. You know why?
Because there’s only one you.
No one has lived the same combination of experiences as you. No one has the same personality as you. And what’s simple to you is what others are struggling with.
You don’t have to be a genius to put your work out there. You just need to know enough to help others in your own way.
No one thinks they have to be a hall-of-famer to show a kid how to throw a football. So why do you need a Ph.D. to teach what you know? Why do you need an MBA to sell a product that worked for you?
You don’t need any of that.
Fear makes us think we need to know everything before we start. But you don’t need to be afraid.
When I started making videos, I was terrible. My voice trembled. I stuttered. And I couldn’t edit.
But I kept at it.
I wasn’t an expert who made videos that were an instant success. I became an expert by making those videos.
Now don’t get me wrong, you still need to know your stuff. You may not have a piece of paper that validates your knowledge, but you’ll need to know just as much, if not more than someone who does.
What separates this from schoolwork though, is that you’ll focus on something you’re passionate about. So you’ll want to learn more.
But you don’t need anything special to produce for others. All you need is an idea and a will. That’s it. Everything else you can learn, but those two things are what you need.
Remember, no online market is over-saturated.
People don’t buy overpriced coffee from Starbucks simply because they like the taste. They buy from Starbucks because they like the brand.
The same is true about YouTube or any other outlet. People don’t care if you produce the same thing as everyone else. They just want a new perspective that they like and trust.
That’s why you always have a chance.
Be that person people trust and you’re set. Be persistent in what you do and keep others’ best interests in mind.
That’s the formula to follow. And you might just be capable of doing that.
It’s On You
So now it’s your turn.
I took my little hobby and learned some valuable lessons you can use today. And if that younger version of myself could generate a following, imagine what you can do.
So set a definite goal and get after that thing right now.
Don’t be another zombie staring at your phone. Give them something to stare at instead.
-Drew
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