Hey YouTubers,
About 18 months ago I posted this video on my personal channel.
It did alright to start with, but today the view graph looks like this.
Now things aren’t flying here, but when I made this video I was trying to make something useful around the time of job applications. It did not occur to me that almost 2 years later it’d be continuing to get more and more views, paying me a life-changing ~$1.50 per day.
And this is the most popular video on my channel.
Slower, but still going.
When you’re in the early stages of YouTube, it’s extremely hard to think long term. You’re putting in so much effort because everything is new and challenging, and you want quick results to justify it.
But every video you make is like building a little house 🏠
You toil away making it a nice place to live, and once it’s finished you can rent it out forever.
So a mindset shift that’s really helpful to think about is that every video you create is an ‘asset’.
The goal is not for the asset to get views immediately, but the goal is to create as many high quality assets as you can.
The more assets you have, the more they can work for you in the background for years to come. Even if they’re not picking up loads of views, every video serves as an opportunity for a viewer to find you or deepen their relationship with you.
This is especially helpful if all your content is similar because it makes it easier to binge. And so when you do get a viral video, there’s lots of older content for those new viewers to enjoy.
Extending your timeline for success isn’t easy, and one newsletter from me isn’t going to change your whole view on this. But the more you can zoom out and realise your actions today will benefit you in a year’s time, the more likely you are to keep going.
Every bit of work you put into YouTube can help your future self (assuming YouTube doesn’t crash and burn, in which case we’re all finished).
Have a great week making videos!
Tintin 🧑💻
P.s. I’ve stopped posting on my personal channel (for now) because I didn’t find making videos about consulting interesting, and other than that I had no unfair advantage. Over time, I wanted to lean into more YouTube related content (like with this newsletter) because that’s what I learned most about through my job. It’s been a lot easier and more fun helping people in an area where a) I want to help and b) more people want help.
🧑🎨 The YouTube Tin
Here are a few more ways I can help you progress:
🍿 My YouTube Channel: Join a whopping 600 other subscribers following my YouTube channel where I share unfiltered content about how to build a YouTube based business (I’m currently pausing uploads whilst working on another project).
🐦 I also write on X posting more tips and behind the scenes content.
☕️ Popular How to YouTube Posts
To be read with love, care and retention.
The best analogy I've heard about this is that every channel is a library, so a new video is a book in that library. It might not be rented out today, but over time, your collection of books will be worth reading.