Discover Your Passion
Your first step toward YouTube success is finding something you're passionate about. Hmm, maybe it's a game you love, a story you're excited about, or a cause that gets you fired up. Every successful YouTube channel starts with a passion—a passion to create, to explore, to teach, or to show something to the world. That passion makes your work fun, it gives your work meaning, and it motivates you to build a channel that you truly care about.
Because if you're hoping to become a YouTube millionaire, you have to love your work, be proud of your content, and cherish your community. Otherwise, your channel is never going to get off the ground. After a while, you'll get tired, and your content will suffer. YouTube offers content creators a unique opportunity to transform their passions into a career. So, before you dream big about how much money you're going to make, just think about your interests. Pick something that gets you genuinely excited and use that passion to launch your YouTube career.
Carve Your Niche
Once you know what subjects you're passionate about, it's time to translate those passions into a budding YouTube channel. First off, think about all the ways you could turn your passions into content, and then ask yourself how that content will stand out from the crowd. YouTube is a massive social media platform with a huge network of content creators. There are hundreds and hundreds of hours of videos being uploaded every single minute, but most of those videos never see the light of day. That's why having a niche is so important. You have to take your passions and mold them into something new and exciting.
Now, I'm not saying you have to do something crazy. You don't have to reinvent what it means to create a video on YouTube, but you do need a niche to help you stand out. Whether it's a strong personality, a unique art style, or just mining information, your channel has to be known for something.
Satisfy Your Viewers
Many new content creators make the same mistake: they're so focused on the content they want to make that they don't think about their audience. They never stop to wonder who would watch their videos. Why would a complete stranger, with millions of videos to choose from, spend their time listening to you? I'll admit, this can be a tough question to answer, but if you're searching for your niche, it's absolutely essential.
A good niche doesn't just stand out; it stands out in a way that appeals to an audience. At the end of the day, viewers are the most important thing for growing a YouTube channel. They're the people that you, the content creator, are making videos for, and they decide whether your channel succeeds. Yes, it's important to create content the way you want, but ultimately, you don't make or break your channel—your viewers do.
So, when you're fleshing out your concept, just imagine what kind of people are going to click on your video. What are they like? What would they find interesting? What kind of content do they want to watch? When someone takes a risk and clicks on your video, they're hoping to find what they're looking for—maybe it's a laugh, maybe it's a thrill. Either way, the more you think about your audience, the more of their needs you can satisfy.
Research the Competition
Once you've refined your concept and your audience, it's time to check out the competition. See who you're up against and take a closer look at how channels like yours are doing on YouTube. After a bit of research, you might discover that people really don't like this kind of content as much as you thought. You were imagining something amazing, but in practice, it's a bit of a letdown. There are quite a few different explanations for this: the content might be slow or boring, or maybe your passions just have a very narrow following.
Either way, don't worry—this isn't a dead end. In fact, less crowded topics can be great opportunities for growth because you can learn from your competitors. Figure out what's not working for them, and then try something new. On the other hand, your niche might be a lot more crowded than you thought. There may be several huge channels and some stiff competition.
But once again, don't worry. Popular topics tend to have large communities who are always looking for a new spin on their favorite subject. Instead of researching what people are doing wrong, check out what other channels are doing right. Learn from their success, use their strategies and techniques to build a strong foundation for your own channel, and then, once you have a following of your own, go your own direction. Separate yourself from the competition and occupy a niche all on your own.
Stay Resourceful
In the early stages, you might look at the competition and think, "How could I ever keep up?" You see their high production value, the frequency of their uploads, and the quality of their content. You might feel intimidated, like you have to rise to meet their standards. But that's a big mistake. No matter how you slice it, your successful competition is going to have more resources than you. They're bigger, and they've been around longer, so they need expensive things like high-tech cameras or microphones to continue growing their channel.
But you don't need those same luxuries to find success. In fact, many channels have raked in millions of views on a tiny budget because they were resourceful and made use of what they had. So don't shell out thousands of dollars just to keep up. You may need that new equipment eventually, but sinking too much money into a new channel may hurt you in the long run.
Expand Your Platforms
Eventually, when your channel starts to grow, you'll have to expand off of YouTube. Many of the largest brands started with a simple YouTube channel and then flourished with their own blogs, websites, and social media profiles. Every additional platform opens up new possibilities for growth because these platforms reach all kinds of new viewers who never would have seen your videos otherwise.
There might be a huge community that's very interested in your content but just doesn't spend much time on YouTube. If they find your videos on another platform, you can send that new group of viewers straight to your channel. But viewership isn't the only reason to cross platforms. Expansion also allows you to develop your brand because once you find success, you shouldn't rely on just one platform to carry all of your content.
Instead, use different online resources to engage with the community, create your channel's personality, and unite your brand identity across the internet. For more tips, check out my website: readreviewtalk.com and my blog: readreviewtalk.com/blog/.
Improve Your Production
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Discover Your Passion |
| 2 | Carve Your Niche |
| 3 | Satisfy Your Viewers |
| 4 | Research the Competition |
| 5 | Stay Resourceful |
| 6 | Expand Your Platforms |
| 7 | Improve Your Production |
Let's say you've made some popular videos and you're starting to develop your brand. Does that mean the work is over? Not by a long shot. Like any successful business, YouTube requires constant improvement. You have to keep making progress, push the envelope, and search for new ways to better your channel. Why is that? Because YouTube revolves around engagement and entertainment.
If you sit back and do nothing, your content may get stale. People may feel like they've seen every one of your videos, so naturally, viewers will just stop watching, and your dream will slowly but surely sink down the drain. So what does progress look like on YouTube? How can you keep pushing your channel forward?
Aesthetics are a great example. Many YouTube channels publish amazing content, have a great message, and know how to entertain their viewers, but their style looks outdated. They don't have a logo or a color scheme, so people don't recognize them, and they don't get the popularity they deserve. Aesthetic improvements are just one way to improve your channel.
For more, go back to the beginning of this list. Start from step one and run through these seven steps again and again, checking off each box along the way. Make sure you're creating content that you're passionate about, that you're exploring your niche, and that you're satisfying the needs of your viewers. Then take some time to check in with the competition. Just like before, ask yourself what they're doing right or wrong because you might pick up some new tricks.
Next, polish your brand identity and strengthen your brand across multiple platforms. In the world of social media, there's always more you can do, so discover new avenues to show your content to the world. Finally, at the end of each cycle, make sure you're creating something that you're proud of. Because every time you rinse and repeat these seven steps, your channel will grow, change, and adapt.
You'll interact with new people, dive into new communities, and transform your identity as a business. But despite all of those changes, you should always be proud of what you've created. If you can do that, you're moving in the right direction and well on your way to becoming a YouTube millionaire.
