I Monetised A YouTube Channel In Just 45 Days

Summary

This video script details a creator's journey to monetize a new YouTube channel from scratch, reaching 725,000 views in four months without leveraging any pre-existing audience. The success was achieved by following seven key rules: proving oneself without external validation, focusing on creating valuable content, allowing YouTube's algorithm to find the right audience, ensuring every upload offers clear value, making videos clickable with compelling titles and thumbnails, maintaining a consistent upload schedule, and creating content that genuinely resonates with viewers on an emotional level.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker monetized a new YouTube channel from zero subscribers to 725,000 long-form views in 4 months using only browse traffic.
• 🔒 They did not inform any pre-existing audience or use personal resources, ensuring the growth was organic and based on content quality.
• 📈 The channel's growth was achieved by following seven simple rules focused on creating value for the audience and optimizing content for YouTube's algorithm.
• 🙅‍♂️ Not revealing the channel to friends or family was crucial to avoid biased engagement metrics and to genuinely test the content's appeal to a broader audience.
• 🎯 The importance of creating content that provides clear value to viewers was emphasized, suggesting consistency in content theme to retain viewer interest.
• 📝 The speaker stressed the significance of crafting clickable titles and thumbnails that resonate with a wide audience and spark curiosity.
• 📊 Understanding the 'Total Audience Metric' (TAM) is key to creating titles and thumbnails that appeal to a broad audience without alienating potential viewers.
• ⏰ Consistent uploading is more valuable than sporadic high-quality releases, as it allows for continuous learning and improvement based on past content performance.
• 🎥 The first few seconds of a video are critical; they should reiterate the value proposition and engage the viewer, ensuring they stay for the content.
• 🗣️ The speaker advocates for a 'zero fluff' policy, urging creators to cut unnecessary parts that do not add value to the viewer's experience.
• 💌 To truly grow, content must evoke an emotional response from viewers, making them feel something that resonates with them and the content's theme.

Q & A

How many views did the YouTube channel achieve in the first month?

The YouTube channel achieved 177,000 views in the first month.

What was the total number of views in the second month for the channel?

In the second month, the channel had a total of 158,000 views.

How many long-form views did the channel have after four months?

After four months, the channel had 725,000 long-form views.

What is the significance of using browse traffic to grow a YouTube channel?

Using browse traffic, also known as getting viewers from the YouTube homepage, is considered the most powerful form of traffic because it indicates that the content is appealing enough for viewers to click and engage without any prior promotion or existing audience.

Why did the creator choose not to inform anyone about the new channel?

The creator chose not to inform anyone to prove the effectiveness of their strategies without relying on pre-existing audiences, to stay motivated by creating rather than views, and to avoid artificially inflating views and subscriptions with people who may not be genuinely interested in the content.

What are the three major reasons behind not promoting the channel to friends, family, or Discord servers?

The three major reasons are to prove the creator's success and strategies, to stay motivated by creating quality content rather than seeking views, and to prevent killing the channel's organic growth by not artificially inflating engagement with uninterested parties.

What is the actionable tip for allowing YouTube to find the right audience?

The actionable tip is to let YouTube do its job by not artificially inflating views or subscriptions and focusing on creating good content that will naturally attract the right audience.

What does the creator mean by 'good content' and how does it relate to viewer value?

The creator refers to 'good content' as content that consistently offers value to the viewer with every upload. It's about what the viewer can gain from the content, not what the creator can gain from the channel.

Why is it important to consider the total audience metric (TAM) when creating video titles and thumbnails?

Considering the total audience metric ensures that the video appeals to the largest possible audience interested in the topic, rather than alienating potential viewers by focusing on niche aspects or personal branding.

What are the three rules for making a video clickable?

The three rules for making a video clickable are: 1) Create a compelling title that resonates with the audience, 2) Design a thumbnail that is engaging and reflects the content, and 3) Ensure the total audience metric is considered to not unnecessarily limit the potential viewership.

How does the creator suggest structuring the first 15 seconds of a video to engage viewers?

The creator suggests structuring the first 15 seconds to reiterate the value promised by the title and thumbnail, hook the viewer, and pay off the click without asking for likes or subscriptions, ensuring the viewer feels immediately engaged and that their time won't be wasted.

What is the 'zero fluff policy' mentioned in the script?

The 'zero fluff policy' refers to the practice of removing any unnecessary content or filler from a video that doesn't contribute to the value or engagement for the viewer, ensuring the video is concise and focused on the original value that attracted the viewer.

Why is consistent video uploading important for growth?

Consistent video uploading is important for growth because it allows creators to set and respect deadlines, which in turn enables them to learn from each upload and improve more quickly, rather than spending excessive time perfecting fewer videos.

How does the creator suggest making viewers feel something through the content?

The creator suggests making viewers feel something by being authentic and passionate about the content, focusing on topics that genuinely interest the creator, and evoking emotions through strong opinions and engaging storytelling.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Monetizing a New YouTube Channel with Organic Growth

The speaker details their journey of monetizing a new YouTube channel from zero subscribers to 725,000 long-form views in just four months, without leveraging any pre-existing audience or external help. They emphasize the importance of proving success independently and the value of organic growth. The speaker shares seven rules for achieving this, highlighting the significance of not seeking external views or subscribers to ensure genuine engagement and YouTube's algorithmic favorability. The focus is on creating content that provides value to viewers and allowing YouTube to naturally find and engage the right audience.

05:01

🎯 Crafting Clickable Content with High Viewer Engagement

This paragraph delves into the importance of creating clickable videos by focusing on three key elements: title, thumbnail, and total audience metric (TAM). The speaker stresses the need to understand the target audience and craft content that appeals to their interests and needs. They discuss the concept of click-through rate (CTR) and how it varies with different niches and videos, using examples to illustrate the importance of a large TAM. The speaker also advises on avoiding self-promotion in titles and thumbnails, and instead focusing on the value offered to viewers. The goal is to create a compelling first impression that hooks viewers and keeps them engaged throughout the video.

10:04

📈 Maximizing Viewer Retention and Consistent Content Release

The speaker emphasizes the importance of front-loading engagement in videos by reiterating the value proposition established by the title and thumbnail within the first few seconds of the video. They advocate for a 'zero fluff' policy, suggesting that creators should remove any unnecessary content that doesn't add value to the viewer experience. The speaker also discusses the benefits of consistent content release, arguing that it allows for faster learning and improvement compared to sporadic, perfection-focused uploads. They encourage creators to set and adhere to deadlines to maintain a regular upload schedule, which is crucial for growth and audience engagement.

15:06

🌟 Eliciting Emotional Responses to Strengthen Viewer Connection

In this final paragraph, the speaker discusses the power of evoking emotional responses from viewers to foster a strong connection and retention. They argue that creating content with passion and authenticity is key to making viewers feel something, which in turn encourages them to engage with the content and the channel. The speaker shares their personal experiences, highlighting how their passion for indie games and helping others has contributed to the success of their channel. They conclude by encouraging creators to identify topics they are genuinely passionate about to create content that resonates with viewers on an emotional level.

Keywords

💡Monetize

To monetize a YouTube channel means to generate income from it. In the context of the video, the creator successfully monetized a new YouTube channel from zero subscribers by following a set of rules. This term is central to the video's theme as it demonstrates the creator's ability to grow a channel and generate revenue without relying on pre-existing audiences or external support.

💡Subscribers

Subscribers are individuals who opt to receive updates when a YouTube channel uploads new content. The video discusses starting a channel with zero subscribers, emphasizing the challenge of growing an audience from scratch and the importance of creating content that attracts new viewers organically.

💡Long-form videos

Long-form videos are extended pieces of content, typically longer than the average YouTube video. The script mentions creating long-form videos as part of the strategy to grow the channel, suggesting that in-depth content can be more engaging and valuable to viewers, thus contributing to the channel's growth.

💡Browse traffic

Browse traffic refers to viewers who discover content through the YouTube homepage or recommendations, rather than through direct links or subscriptions. The video highlights the power of browse traffic, indicating that attracting viewers through YouTube's algorithm is a key strategy for growing a channel without relying on a pre-existing audience.

💡Click-through rate (CTR)

Click-through rate measures the number of times users click on a video relative to the number of times it is displayed. In the video, the creator discusses achieving a high CTR as a sign of creating clickable videos that attract viewers, which is crucial for growing a channel through browse traffic.

💡Total audience metric (TAM)

The total audience metric refers to the potential viewership for a video based on its appeal and relevance. The video script uses this concept to explain how broad a video's appeal should be to maximize its reach. For instance, a video titled for a specific game might have a smaller TAM than one that appeals to all gamers.

💡Engagement

Engagement in the context of YouTube refers to how viewers interact with a video, such as watching duration, liking, commenting, and sharing. The video emphasizes the importance of creating engaging content that keeps viewers watching, which is essential for improving a video's performance in YouTube's recommendation algorithm.

💡Retention rate

Retention rate measures how much of a video viewers watch before they stop. A high retention rate indicates that viewers find the content valuable and engaging. The script mentions that by focusing on the original value that attracted viewers, the creator was able to achieve a high retention rate, which is a key indicator of content success on YouTube.

💡Consistency

Consistency in content creation refers to regularly uploading videos. The video argues that consistent uploading allows creators to learn from each video and improve more quickly than if they sporadically upload. This concept is tied to the idea that regularity leads to growth and improvement on YouTube.

💡Passion

Passion in this context refers to the creator's genuine interest and enthusiasm for the subject matter of their videos. The video suggests that creating content out of passion, rather than just for the sake of growing a channel, leads to more authentic and engaging content that resonates with viewers.

Highlights

Monetized a new YouTube channel from zero subscribers to 725,000 long-form views in 4 months using only browse traffic.

Grew the channel without leveraging any pre-existing audience or external promotion.

Emphasized the importance of proving success through evidence, not just advice.

Highlighted the need for creators to be motivated by creating, not just by views or subscribers.

Argued that informing a pre-existing audience can negatively impact the channel's organic growth.

Stressed the importance of letting YouTube's algorithm find the right audience for the content.

Outlined the necessity of creating content that offers clear value to the viewer.

Discussed the concept of 'total audience metric' and its role in video discoverability.

Shared tips for creating clickable video titles and thumbnails that resonate with a wide audience.

Explained the significance of click-through rate (CTR) and its relation to video impressions.

Provided actionable advice on structuring video content to deliver on the promise made by the title and thumbnail.

Advocated for a 'zero fluff' policy to maintain viewer engagement and retention.

Highlighted the benefits of consistent video uploads for rapid learning and improvement.

Discussed the importance of creating content that elicits an emotional response from the audience.

Shared personal experiences to illustrate the impact of passion on content creation and viewer connection.

Offered actionable tips for designing thumbnails that attract viewers and align with the video's content.

Encouraged creators to focus on their passion and authenticity to create impactful content.

Transcripts

I monetized a brand new YouTube channel

from zero subscribers in just six long

form videos across 44 days I ended month

one with 177,000 views month two total

at 158,000 views and as of writing this

video right now 4 months in I have

725,000 long form views spread across 14

uploads I did all of this without

telling a single person or pre-existing

audience about the channel completely

faceless and I did it entirely using

browse traffic AKA I got viewers from

the YouTube homepage to click my video

which is the most powerful form of

traffic and no I didn't use my resources

to hire anyone I did every single part

of these videos alone I came up with the

ideas filmed edited scripted made

thumbnails all of it by myself I did

this by following seven simple rules and

I'm going to break these rules down for

you today counter on screen let's go

straight away rule one I need to admit

that I didn't tell anyone or any

pre-existing audiences about this

channel for my own benefit and you

shouldn't tell anyone about your your

channel for the same reason or risk

really holding yourself back and hurting

the channel the first of three major

reasons is that I had to prove to myself

and to you guys who watch this education

content that I'm not like other

Educators I am not sitting here telling

you how to grow without any evidence of

success outside of this channel the same

as when I taught you how to make shorts

I showed you that I had 26 million short

views the same as when I showed you how

to grow on Twitch I had 150 average

viewers and now I'm telling you how to

grow a brand new YouTube channel and

I've monetized it in just six videos the

second second major reason I didn't tell

anyone is I had to prove to myself I was

motivated by creating not by desperately

wanting views or wanting Subs anyone can

beg family friends Discord servers and

pre-existing audiences to go and

subscribe to their new project and then

well release videos it's so much more

impressive to have nobody absolutely

zero attention on the channel and still

consistently upload weekly the third and

most important reason if I had told

anyone if I had told you guys here or

friends family other streamers Discord

servers I would have completely killed

build the channel before it even started

you see you guys are new creators your

one goal watching this video is to learn

how to create better content if I told

you right now go subscribe to that

channel and then linked it you would go

there subscribe or you would go over

there and see the videos but you

wouldn't engage with them naturally you

wouldn't next time you see one on the

homepage click it which would mean it

would have a low click-through rate and

those who did click it wouldn't watch it

for long because they subscribed not out

of actual interest in the content but

simply out of a feeling of I have to

support this person which makes YouTube

say hey even this guy's core audience

doesn't like the videos it's a bad video

this exact same thing is happening to

you when you ask for follow subs or

promote your videos to friends families

or random Discord servers if you didn't

tell a single soul and all you did was

upload a well packaged and engaging

video which I'll cover what I did to do

that soon then YouTube needs to read the

title the description the metad DAT of

the video and then test that video to

audiences from that test it learns who

likes the video and will re recommend

that video to more people like that

person if you get desperate and try to

skip this step you will just hurt

yourself actionable tip time let YouTube

do its job let YouTube find your

audience don't be desperate don't try to

inflate your subs or views with people

who don't care about your content just

focus on making good content and Let the

Right audience find it well what the

hell does that mean what is good content

well good content starts entirely with

your idea you've likely heard this a

thousand times but it isn't just in

relation to one video need to step away

from what you can gain as a Creator what

value you're going to get from the

channel and think about what value you

can offer a viewer consistently with

every upload dank pods does headphone

reviews in the same simple honest and

fast style every upload coffeezilla

exposes scams and the Dark Side of

Internet influences with every single

upload and I decided I would do short

funny but in-depth game reviews every

single upload out of these three

examples the value of each is incredibly

clear viewers get recommendations for

headphones viewers learn how to spot and

avoid scams viewers get good game

recommendations what is also clear is

that none of these three examples are

going to stray from their value none of

us are going to upload a vlog of us in

Japan one week a random Mouse unboxing

the next or some barely edited stream

highlight of us playing Roblox you've

got to remove your ego and realize that

as unknown creators nobody cares about

you or me when someone is scrolling

through YouTube home they need to click

the video because it offers them value

I'll cover how I did that in a second so

stay tuned but I want to to make this

really clear I am not saying to only

ever do one thing I'm not saying Niche

down and never try new things I'm saying

to think of an audience think of viewers

and what do they need what do they want

and what you can give them if they watch

your video of you unboxing a new mouse

and giving First Impressions and then go

to your channel and try to watch more

content like that but find it's full of

unedited gameplay and stream highlights

they're going to be dissatisfied let

down disappointed and leave so

actionable tip consider what topic you

think you can bring value to people with

despite yourself nobody cares about your

basic Let's Plays your Vlogs or your

personality driven content yet they need

value so ask yourself why would someone

care about this upload now once you have

your value for example like I did with

quick funny in-depth game reviews we

need to actually make them clickable

there are three rules I use to make a

video clickable and if I follow them

correctly I've been managing to get

between 10 to 15% CTR and you're

probably thinking wow is that that good

my tiny Dead channel gets that why

aren't I growing everybody gets CTR

incredibly wrong they set specific

numbers as a goal overall but every

Niche and every video is actually

different in your head a big CTR is good

but my biggest video on this channel has

over 3 million views and a 2.3%

click-through rate theoretically 2.3% is

a terrible click-through rate but it's

also my best video so why is the CTR so

bad well plain and simply it has 82.5 5

million impressions aka the video has

been shown

82.5 million times to potential viewers

which of these three ctrs would you want

on your video 100 views out of 1,000

Impressions AKA a 10% CTR 10 views of 30

Impressions AKA a 33% CTR or 3 million

views of 82.5 million impressions AKA a

2.3% CTR it's a pretty simple answer the

3 million views obviously so why did it

still do so well well that brings us to

the three rules of title thumbnail and

Tam this video had a very large t or

total audience metric the title is 32

easy tips to grow from zero viewers on

Twitch the total audience of this video

is every single twitch streamer trying

to grow they desire easy tips they can

achieve today they want a lot of them

and most importantly they want no

barrier for entry which is why zero

viewers is key if I draw a series of

circles you can see the outside one is

the largest audience and that is all

streamers if the title had been how to

get twitch partner suddenly you lose a

huge section of your audience who don't

care about that yet that's too hard

that's too far away you go from Millions

to a few thousand people who are

interested it's a smaller Circle when we

create a video idea title and thumbnail

we need to consider our Tam and avoid

unnecessarily cutting off huge sections

of our our potential audience two of my

favorite examples of this is when I

covered the steel series Alias and steel

series sonar release I could have titled

it steel series Alias review but nobody

knows what the Alias was and why it

mattered to them so instead I titled it

steel series just solved streamer audio

for free suddenly we go from this tiny

Niche circle of people interested in

this unknown microphone to appealing to

almost every streamer and then also

raising a question of how did they solve

it how is it free if it's so good and

the viewer needs to click to find out

that video got 100,000 views if we look

at the gaming Niche call me Kevin does

something really powerful with his games

because he often plays things nobody

knows about if nobody knows about it he

isn't going to put the game in the title

because that would lower the Tam so

instead he writes the best free steam

game takes place entirely on your

desktop what he has done there is make

his Tam every single steam user every

gamer who wants good games every gamer

on a budget and he has raised so many

questions why is it good how is it free

how does it take place in your desktop

and that's right users then need to

click it to answer these questions this

is a creator with 3.5 million

subscribers and a decade of experience

who isn't using his face to sell his

content because he knows he can reach a

larger Audience by focusing on all steam

users rather than just call me Kevin

fans so why are you putting your face in

your thumbnails why are you focusing on

your personality when even the largest

creators aren't doing that so actionable

tip time when creating ideas for videos

you need to remove your ego and yourself

from your titles thumbnails and ideas

think like your viewers think like your

audience and think about your total

audience metric do people want to click

on let's play haes 2 episode 69 of

course not I don't know you I don't know

if you're good at haes I don't even know

if you're going to be a fun person to

watch and most importantly I haven't

seen the other 68 episodes but I would

probably click on the most anticipated

sequel in gaming is here because I don't

need to know who who you are I don't

need to know what haes is I just need to

be a gamer interested in seeing what the

most anticipated sequel actually is and

when I do click your intro needs to

perfectly reiterate and pay off what

your title and thumbnail said it needs

to hook and engage me promise me you're

not wasting my time if I click a video

called the state of indie horror games

where the thumbnail shows me the most

recognizable horror mascot and the word

boring then you better instantly address

that which is what Stella J does once

part time in August 2014 Five Nights at

Freddy's and PT are released 4 days

apart AAA Studios kind of do their own

thing but this would Mark the beginning

of two very distinct categories in the

indie horror scene mascot horror and

good horror this branch is so boring

those 15 seconds set up the entire

premise of the video they reiterate the

title and they make a statement that

you're either going to 100% agree with

or 100% disagree with either way by the

15sec Mark you are completely engaged

there is no hi welcome back to my

channel no big title singers no asking

for subs or begging for likes just some

great music a fantastic script and

subtitles perfectly done so that you're

constantly engaged and reading the

content it looks intense and dramatic or

over edited but it isn't it's addressing

your click before slowing down and

covering the topic through the rest of

the video it's front loing engagement

actionable tip make sure your title your

thumbnail and your Tam are structured so

that you know who your audience is what

value you're giving them and why they

clicking then make sure the first 5 15

and 30 seconds of your video reiterate

that value and pay off that click and

please give your audience value and

don't ask for Value from them by begging

for likes and Subs early this heavily

leans into my zero fluff policy when

you're watching a video back reading a

script or even simply recording ask

yourself does does this matter does this

help the viewers gain value am I

stretching the length of a video for no

reason by doing this if the answer is

yes then you should cut that section if

you line up your video or script and

mark the timeline as point A B C D and F

and then ask yourself if a viewer is

watching do they need the information

they gain from point B to understand or

enjoy Point C or can a viewer go from

point A to point C without missing

anything without having any issues for

the rest of the video if they can then

point B isn't needed when I did this I

found my videos became much shorter

punchier and ended up always being

around the 7 Minute Mark and you know

what my retention rate climbed to 50 or

60% because viewers weren't getting bugs

down in crap that didn't matter I had

stayed on Focus to the original value

the reason they clicked and that meant

they stayed with me as long as possible

actionable tip remove your ego and stop

leaving stuff in because you like the

sound of your own voice don't ask for

Value don't expect viewers to watch you

because you worked hard cut the crap

that doesn't appeal to the reason they

clicked and don't get distracted going

on random tangents next arguably this

will cause a lot of debate but it's

pretty simple you need to release

consistently this isn't because the

YouTube algorithm or whatever will be

nicer to you it's not even because

audiences have the memory of a goldfish

and forget you exist if you only upload

once a month this is entirely because if

you can set a deadline and stick to it

if you make and release an entire video

every week you'll be able to look back

at every upload and ask okay what worked

what didn't work and you will improve so

much faster if you upload 52 videos in a

year where you are able to improve just

a little bit every upload instead of

uploading six videos in a year where you

spent months polishing endlessly for

them to be perfect in your eyes

actionable tip set a deadline and stick

to it the enemy of creativity of success

of YouTube is perfection I hate the term

good enough because people use it to

justify laziness but if you've put in

hard work effort and your heart into

your titles thumbnails and videos but

respect your deadline and say this has

to go out today and you'll always end up

going further than someone who is

constantly pushing a deadline back just

to polish the card a tiny bit more and

now for the most important step of the

entire video if you want to grow you

need to make the viewers your audience

actually feel something a running Trend

through all of these steps if you go

back through is focusing on your

audience and how they feel when Stella

J's video is titled the state of indie

horror games and Freddy Fazbear is there

with the word boring you are damn right

the audience is going to feel something

and click when they click his video he

says mascot horror is boring you're damn

right they're going to feel something

and keep watching when they listen to

his just ification without pausing to

beg for subs or likes when he cracks

jokes they're going to either agree

disagree laugh not laugh but either way

when they make it to the end they have

an impression left on them they are a

different person I've had a lot of

Failed YouTube channels and I've

realized almost all of them failed at

this step I wanted to grow on YouTube

because I wanted to be a YouTuber not

because I was passionate but this

channel stream scheme was successful

because I'm authentic with you I am

passionate about sharing my experience

and helping others grow a little too

much honestly seeing people struggle

me up emotionally and on the new

channel I'm also passionate I'm

passionate about indie games I could

talk about them for hours I have strong

opinions about what is good bad what

genres are overhyped what trends need to

die off and when I talk about those

things it lets viewers feel something

actionable tip you're going to likely

struggle if you're uploading for the

sake of it or uploading content you

don't care about if you aren't

passionate about this if you're not

excited every time you sit down to

create well then you need to go back to

step two and start thinking of ideas ask

yourself what what do you care about

what can you talk about argue about have

opinions on and defend for years to come

once you have that answer you'll be able

to make content that makes viewers feel

something click here to learn more about

how I design thumbnails and here to

become a member of the channel for just

$1 no sponsors no fluff no hassle see

you next week really pleased do become a

member of the channel see you guys next

week bye