The simple formula for success on YouTube
How to YouTube #43
Before we dive in, a quick note that applications are still open for The $100k YouTuber programme (currently my favourite name for this, if you hate it then feel free to not let me know). Spots have been filling up, and we have a range of channels from 7,000 to 210,000 subscribers joining. I can’t wait to start running it. If you get more than 1,000 views per video on average, you can still apply to join here.
3 years ago, in February 2022, I made this viral video:
The signal from YouTube was clear. People want videos about consulting.
So, being the genius YouTube strategist I am, I made more videos about consulting.
What do Consultants do? - A beginner’s guide
How to Get a Consulting Job without Experience
Why I quit my consulting job
A week in my life after consulting
But there was a problem.
Other than the obvious fact that I’d quit my job and was no longer a consultant, I didn’t actually enjoy talking about consulting.
Even if I’d still been at the company, I wouldn’t really have wanted to talk about it.
It wasn’t why I started YouTube, and it didn’t light me up.
This is a common issue for YouTubers. And I’ve come up with a fancy name for the solution.
The Golden Overlap.
Here’s a stunning diagram I’ve drawn to illustrate it.
Videos you can sustainably make means videos you want to make, can afford to make, have the time to make, and will continue to have the energy to make.
When you put it like that, it’s a seriously high bar.
On the right, we have videos the audience wants to watch.
“But how do I know what the audience wants to watch?????”
It’s straightforward. Just look at views on your channel and on others. Search for patterns.
For some people the golden overlap is big, for some it’s small.
But this venn diagram is the formula for long term success on YouTube (it also applies to every platform).
Simple in theory, immensely challenging in practice.
If you only consider what you want to make, you risk putting time into things that never get seen. If Youtube is your hobby, then of course that’s fine.
But if you’re investing time and money to blow up your channel, or build a 6-figure business around it, it’s so draining when no one watches.
You have to think about the viewer.
But if you only make videos that the audience want to watch, then you risk creating a channel you hate and quickly burning out.
It’s a fine line. So, what’s the answer?
Well, this problem never goes away. It comes with the territory of being a YouTuber. Running Ali’s channel taught me that.
Over time, both you and your audience change.
Therefore, so does the channel.
The answer is constant experimentation and iteration. Ugh, boring, I know.
But this is a fundamental mindset for all YouTubers.
Experiment with the videos you make, and the results they get.
That means how you make the videos, when you make them, how much time you put into making them, what they’re about, the editing style, the packaging, the flow.
Then analyse the results. How much fun are you having and how many views do the videos get?
And then iterate.
A simple principle to follow is:
When stuff works, do more. When stuff isn’t working, experiment.
It’s ok, no need to pay me for that pearl of wisdom.
When I get to making more videos again, that’s the fundamental process I’ll be following.
Decisions that always get me closer to The Golden Overlap.
Have an epic week!
Tintin 🫡
P.s.
Nothing gets YouTubers in a muddle quite like scripting. And it plays a big role in figuring out both sides of your Golden Overlap.
How much to script? How long to spend scripting? Is it even important?
Of course, the answers are unique to you and your channel.
But if you want some help thinking about it, and a personal recommendation, this post I wrote last year might help.