I did Youtube for 7 Years and Failed Miserably
The world of social media is something to be desired. So desired in fact, that about 54% of people aged 13–38 said they would become an influencer if they had a chance. With a majority saying they would choose to specifically become “Youtube Influencers”. Which then begs the question:
What does it take to be an influencer in 2021?
While I can’t necessarily answer that question as I am no expert in being successful on Youtube, I can tell you how to fail at it. I started filming videos for Youtube over 7 years ago. When it was still known as the weird, quirky side of the internet. This was 2014, when Smosh was the most subscribed to channel on Youtube. (Crazy right?)
So, while my journey with Youtube has been long, it has been far from successful. I was just 13 years old when I started Youtube and now approaching 21 I can look back and see what made me fail so miserably. So, if you’re looking to become an influencer or step up your influencer game, then here are the top 5 things you can do to NOT fail at youtube.
#1. Don’t think minimal editing = less quality.
When I started my channel, I remember I used to take 20 minutes to edit a simple vlog or a tag, and at the time those were popular. People would just film their mundane life in their big, country style house making cookies or answering questions that their supporters might be wondering about them. And videos like that would get OVER A MILLION VIEWS (which at the time was a HUGE deal) so, you wanted to emulate that as much as you could. But every time I would look at my video, and then look at my favorite video of the same kind of content, I always thought to myself, “why does this video look so bad?.” Because I was so self-critical about myself, I used to force myself to sit at the computer for hours trying to color grade, which I did terribly. Insert more cuts, work on more fonts, and do anything I can to get it exactly like the videos I was watching. And while it was good practice to learn the ins and outs of editing software, it took up more time than it needed. The video was already good. Sometimes something simple with a few jokes, jump cuts, and zoom-ins is all it takes for a video to be successful. One fitting example of that is Emma Chamberlain.
Emma Chamberlain has over 10 million subscribers (about half the population of New York) and while youtubers like that are a lot more common than they used to be, it’s the type of content she creates that makes it so surprising. Emma just vlogs everything she does. Her in a car, cooking food, buying groceries, getting ready. These are all things that we do daily but when she does it, she is averaging 3 million views per video. So, what makes her content so special? Nothing.
Before Emma stans come for me, let me explain. What I mean is, she is just like us. She moves like us, emotes like us, lives like us. She is a regular person living a rich person’s life. And the editing is no grand scheme either. Using the same background music, occasional face tracking and zoom-ins, Emma is able to pump out content more often and the simple editing makes it that much more enjoyable. She can make you feel like you’re there with her, and not a performative video trying to entice you to watch. There is nothing wrong with aggressive editing and making eye-catching content if that is what you want to make, but there is beauty in simplicity. You want to feel like a real, authentic person to your viewers, not someone who is doing Youtube for fame or money. I always used to act like a person I wasn’t, and that authenticity (or lack of) was immediately detectable on screen.
And this leads into two more points:
#2: Don’t think you’ll learn how to do everything all at once & don’t get discouraged if it takes you a long time to get there.
I have gone through quite a few editing software during my time on youtube. Vegas Pro, iMovie, Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro X, and even Windows Movie maker, (remember that?) just to name a few. And I always got so frustrated that I could never master any of them. It felt almost impossible to get something exactly how I wanted it. And when I looked up youtube videos on how to do it, I realized it took much more time and commitment than I was willing to compromise. So, I would either half-ass a video or just not upload it at all. It made me apathetic at times, or made me feel inadequate and honestly was a lot of the reason I quit youtube so many times. It wasn’t until 2021 that I realized I won’t learn anything overnight. Which sounds ridiculous because I’ve lived about 21 years of life so I’ve had time to figure this out, but I was trucking behind a bit on that one. But still, that wasn’t the case for my youtube career. I did struggle and I finally realized that the fancy editing, the different camera angles, face tracking, perfect background music, transitions, and graphics (among other things) weren’t a one-time gig. They took time, and practice. It requires a lot of effort and I most certainly will not get my videos the way I want without putting in the work. Although I’ve had 7 years of editing under my belt, I never actually knew how to edit because I was just either too lazy or discouraged to learn, and that was very clear in the videos I’ve posted before.
#3: Don’t compare yourself to already established youtubers.
I know this might seem like an obvious one, but trust me, it needs to be said a lot more than you think. At this point I am convinced our brains are programmed to compare ourselves to people who share similar interests as us. I don’t know if that’s a true scientific fact but, it is a lot of our realities. So, try to switch your mentality to this:
Become inspired by the bigger youtubers, become driven by the smaller ones.
For example, every time I look at someone like Ali Abdaal, a content creator on Youtube, he inspires me to emulate the type of content that he creates because I love it so much.
He has opened my eyes to a new creative direction on my youtube videos just by creating content for his channel. I have a completely new lighting setup, can write better scripts and organize my videos in a way that is still unique to me but is now more interesting and engaging to watch as a viewer. Overall, he has made the development of the creating and viewing experience stronger and more well-rounded. Because what he’s interested in creating, I also am interested in creating, and that helps inspire what my content will look like and feel like for me. But, at the end of the day, comparing our 2 numbers, him hovering at just below 2 million and myself at a whopping 209, there is no way I’ll be able to continue making content without psychological repercussions. It’ll attack my psyche, put me down, make me feel like the space was already taken up by one amazing creator, and there is no space for another. That may not be the story for everyone though, some people can be motivated by it but if I see I am making similar content or in the same realm and I am not growing to his caliber, then that can really knock me out of my game. On the flip side though, if I saw someone who makes similar content to myself and has something closer like 2,000 subscribers, that goal seems much more achievable. It shows that, even if just a little bit, you can grow making similar content. There is still an audience willing to watch the content that you make. Thus, driving me to continue making content and reach that goal. It triggers a “if you can do it, I can too” mentality. And if at the end of the day, you still tend to compare, which is a very valid and normal response, It’s okay. Cause at the end of the day, there’s no better competition than the people who want it as much as you, right? The people who already have it, won’t be too worried about the people far beneath them. Whether you view that as competition or not is up to you. But if you do, just make sure you are transforming that into a healthy, positive mindset to help you succeed and bring yourself up. You should never be bringing yourself or anyone else down in this process.
#4: Quality = Quantity. It’s never one over the other.
Have you ever heard of the phrase, “consistency is key”? Well, when it comes to youtube, THAT IS 1000% TRUE. The more consistent you are, the more you are willing to pump out content. The more content you pump out, the more likely you are to have a youtube video go viral. Thus, making you more successful. But, there’s a caveat to this concept. We’re not in 2014 anymore. People won’t watch just ANYTHING on the internet. There are just so many forms of content to watch now. This is where quality comes in. And quality takes 2 main forms when you’re creating content:
Equipment:
In terms of type of equipment, this doesn’t have to be expanded upon as much nowadays because there are so many videos on youtube showing what equipment to use to make your content great. Honestly, a good iPhone camera, a great lighting system, and clean audio already puts you 20 steps ahead of other youtubers in the same place as you. And while that may seem simple and with just a couple hundred bucks, you’ll be ready, there’s a bit more to it. It’s about using your equipment correctly that is so much more important; Something I didn’t even bother learning until recently. If you don’t utilize your equipment regardless of what equipment you have, people won’t be willing to watch more than 10 seconds of your video. Someone can spend $300 on a new Rode VideoMic Pro + but if they don’t know how to use it correctly, it might as well sound like a $20 amazon microphone. Visuals and audio matter way more than a lot of the “How to Grow on Youtube In 2021” videos say. Especially since a lot of them experienced massive growth when their video quality jumped. So, as helpful as they are trying to be, it is a bit unrealistic to listen to someone say this when they own a $2,000 camera. To clarify though, you don’t need expensive equipment to get started, you just need to know how to use what you got, and make it good enough. I have expensive equipment now but didn’t learn how to use it until 2.5 years after I bought it. Now, my video quality has jumped but I could’ve recreated a similar setting with just my iPhone and an attachable mic or lavalier mic. Transform simple equipment into something that works for you, something that is easy to achieve but also allow yourself to adapt and expand your use of your equipment continuously. There is always something new to learn.
The 2nd form -
Quality:
We already addressed quality in the first form, but this one is more conceptual and less technical. I am referring to “Quality of Content”. Meaning, what makes your quality of content more enjoyable to watch. Yes, that includes edits, and different angle shots, and nice background music but, I mean more what quality means to the audience. It’s focusing on what you make and/or transform as content that will make them come back every week. That means so much more than the technicalities of content creation. Quality is what makes the audience feel like you’re worth their time.
There’s only 24 hours in a day, and a lot of people don’t have time to waste. So, if a college student has an hour break in between classes, and they choose to go on youtube, your video has to be the one they want to click on AND keep watching. Of course, that includes a good thumbnail but, if the thumbnail says more than the actual video does, they’re probably not going to be inclined to click on your video the next time they have an hour break. So, making your videos boring, which I am severely guilty of, brings audience retention down. Causing youtube to not recommend your videos. Which in all honesty can be pretty discouraging, and in turn make your video quality even worse because you won’t give your all into your content creation anymore. Hopefully, it has the opposite effect and can help kick your videos into high gear, but it can also make you want to give up. So, if you create something that’s so good to watch off the bat, then you know your channel can only grow from there. And no, not every video will be the best video ever. But making sure those initial, important videos are amazing can help you build a consistent fanbase and make you feel more comfortable making those lesser quality videos down the line. Try to jump into the mindset of the audience, see what they like and don’t like, play around with it, see what sticks. From there, start navigating your channel in a way you feel will make it grow. You won’t always hit a home run, but try anyway, because you’re better off trying and failing than never trying at all.
And the last thing. And honestly, the most important thing.
#5: You will NOT grow your channel if you think you aren’t made for Youtube.
No matter how scary the things myself or other youtubers have mentioned before can be, EVERYONE is made for Youtube. Everyone is made to have a platform, because everyone always should have a seat at the table. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy, for anyone. A lot of things in life aren’t easy, especially when you want it really bad. And it can feel even harder in moments when you want it the most because you set your expectations so high. But regardless, the main thing to take from this is that it’s always your ball. It’s your choice whether you want to go up and try to hit it. You can bat 100 times. And for the first 99 they can all be strikes but, there might be a point when you finally hit that last 100th ball, that it can be a homerun. A HOMERUN. Nothing feels better than hitting a homerun. But, if you don’t bat, then you might always wonder “If I tried, would I ever have hit that home run?”, Maybe. Or maybe you could’ve hit it a lot sooner.
