Why I quit a YouTube channel with 370k subscribers

Summary

In this video, Ed from Film Booth discusses why he decided to leave his successful YouTube channel with 370,000 subscribers to pursue a more specialized approach. He highlights the rapid growth and changes on YouTube, emphasizing the need for creators to adapt and focus on niche audiences to make a significant impact. Ed explores the challenges faced by different types of channels and argues for the benefits of becoming a specialist to differentiate oneself and provide more targeted, valuable content. He also announces his new channel, Creator Booth, aimed at entrepreneurs and business owners.

Takeaways

• 😲 Every minute, 79 years of video is streamed on YouTube, almost double that of Netflix.
• 📈 The number of YouTube channels has exploded from 23 million in 2018 to 114 million.
• ❓ Creators should ask themselves if they're keeping up with YouTube's rapid changes and adapting their strategies accordingly.
• 📉 Focusing only on mass-appeal content means unique, critical problems for niche audiences often go unaddressed.
• 🧩 Different types of YouTube channels (gamers, tech, entrepreneurs, etc.) face unique challenges that require tailored strategies.
• 🎯 Targeting the crossover zone for mass appeal can lead to content that isn't specific enough to truly help niche audiences.
• 😕 Examples in videos that are too broad can confuse viewers whose situations are very different, leading to misinterpretation and ineffective action.
• 🔍 There's a significant opportunity for creators to specialize in solving specific, big problems for specific groups of people.
• 💡 Specializing can help creators differentiate themselves, build a more dedicated community, and grow more sustainably.
• 🚀 Transitioning to a specialist approach can be more impactful and generate more dedicated support, even with fewer views.

Q & A

What prompted Ed to quit his YouTube channel with 370,000 subscribers?

Ed decided to quit his channel because he believes there is a better way to make a bigger impact on the world by becoming a specialist in a specific niche rather than catering to a broad audience.

How has the number of YouTube channels changed since 2018?

The number of YouTube channels has increased dramatically from 23 million to 114 million since 2018.

What is the 'crossover zone' according to Ed, and why is it problematic?

The 'crossover zone' is the area where content appeals to the most people in a niche, aiming for big views. It is problematic because it neglects the unique, critical problems of specific viewer segments, leading to less impactful content.

Why does Ed believe becoming a specialist can be more beneficial?

Ed believes becoming a specialist can be more beneficial because it allows creators to address the specific, critical problems of a defined group, leading to more dedicated followers and potentially faster growth despite a smaller initial audience.

What are some challenges faced by different types of YouTube channels?

Challenges include dealing with trends and monetization for gamers, slow news periods and sponsor relationships for tech channels, niche volatility and copyright issues for faceless automation channels, and building credibility and converting views to leads for entrepreneurs.

What did Ed mean by 'pivoting' and how does it relate to his new strategy?

Pivoting refers to changing focus to specialize in a specific niche rather than a broad audience. Ed plans to pivot by focusing on creating content for entrepreneurs and business owners, which he believes he can help most effectively.

Why does Ed criticize the approach of making content that only targets the 'crossover zone'?

Ed criticizes this approach because it forces creators to produce generic content that doesn't address the unique needs of different viewer segments, leading to less meaningful and impactful videos.

How did the channel mentioned in the script grow from 0 to 300,000 subscribers in a year?

The channel grew by specializing in using flow state to become a high-performing individual, targeting a specific niche within the self-help category, which helped them stand out and attract a dedicated audience.

What is Ed's new channel, and what will it focus on?

Ed's new channel is called Creator Booth. It will focus on teaching entrepreneurs and business owners how to write and produce content, grow their YouTube channels, build email lists, create products and services, and turn their channels into businesses.

What advice does Ed offer to other YouTube creators based on his experience?

Ed advises other creators to consider specializing in a specific niche to address the critical needs of a defined audience, which can lead to more dedicated followers, faster growth, and greater impact, rather than trying to appeal to a broad, general audience.

Outlines

00:00

📈 The Rapid Growth of YouTube

YouTube has seen an explosive growth, streaming 79 years of video content every minute, which is double that of Netflix. Since 2018, the number of YouTube channels has increased from 23 to 114 million. This rapid growth poses a significant challenge for creators, prompting them to question if their strategies are up-to-date. In this video, Ed, the creator of the Film Booth channel with 370,000 subscribers, shares why he quit his channel. He discusses how creators need to adapt to the changing platform, leveraging new strategies to achieve their goals. He also teases a strategy that grew a channel from 0 to 300,000 subscribers in 12 months.

05:02

🧩 Diverse Challenges for Different YouTube Niches

YouTube creators face unique challenges depending on their niche. Ed explains the specific issues for various types of channels: gamers must adapt to trending games, tech channels face slow periods without news, and AI-driven faceless channels need to constantly find new niches. He highlights that addressing the general crossover zone in content often neglects these unique challenges, leading to inadequate support for viewers' specific needs. This one-size-fits-all approach can cause confusion and misinterpretation, making it harder for viewers to apply advice relevantly to their situations.

10:03

🔍 Targeting Specific Audiences Effectively

Ed discusses the difficulty of catering to a wide range of expertise levels within a niche. Videos targeting general problems in the crossover zone often fail to address the specific needs of beginners, intermediates, and professionals. This broad approach can lead to content that is either too shallow for experts or too complex for novices. He argues for the importance of specialization, using the example of a self-help channel that grew quickly by focusing on flow state for high performance. Specializing allows creators to build a more dedicated audience, even if it means fewer overall views.

15:04

🚀 The Benefits of Specialization

Specializing in a specific niche can significantly differentiate a channel from its competitors. Ed emphasizes that specialization helps creators become known for solving particular problems, leading to a more loyal audience. He explains his decision to leave Film Booth and start Creator Booth, which will focus on helping entrepreneurs build businesses through YouTube. Specializing allows him to provide more impactful advice and build a community of viewers who genuinely benefit from his expertise. He plans to shift his content style to offer deeper dives and more specific advice, aiming for quality over quantity.

Keywords

💡YouTube

YouTube is a video-sharing platform where users can upload, share, and view videos. In the video script, the speaker discusses how the rapid growth and changes on YouTube are impacting content creators. The platform's expanding scale, with 114 million channels, presents both opportunities and challenges for creators.

💡Niche

A niche refers to a specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of content or product. In the video, the speaker highlights the importance of focusing on a specific niche to better serve a dedicated audience, rather than trying to appeal to a broad, general audience. This specialization can lead to more significant impact and growth within that niche.

💡Crossover Zone

The Crossover Zone is the area where different audience segments' interests overlap. The speaker explains that targeting this zone can attract more views, but it often leads to neglecting the unique needs of specific sub-audiences. The Crossover Zone content may appeal broadly but may not deeply address specific problems faced by various niche audiences.

💡Specialization

Specialization involves focusing on a narrow and specific area within a broader field. The speaker argues that by becoming a specialist in solving a particular problem for a specific group, content creators can differentiate themselves and provide more value. This approach can result in a more dedicated and engaged audience, even if it means targeting a smaller group initially.

💡Content Strategy

Content strategy refers to the planning, development, and management of content. In the script, the speaker emphasizes the need for creators to adapt their content strategy to keep up with YouTube's rapid changes. This includes deciding whether to stay broad or to specialize in order to maximize impact and growth.

💡Mass Market

The mass market refers to the broad audience that general content aims to reach. The video discusses the challenges of creating content that appeals to the mass market, such as balancing the depth of information to keep both beginners and more experienced viewers engaged. The speaker suggests that aiming for the mass market can lead to diluted content that doesn't fully address specific audience needs.

💡Growth

Growth in this context refers to the increase in subscribers, views, and overall audience engagement for a YouTube channel. The speaker reflects on his own channel's growth to 370,000 subscribers and discusses strategies for achieving such growth, including the importance of adapting to platform changes and considering specialization.

💡Monetization

Monetization is the process of earning revenue from content. The video mentions different monetization strategies for various types of channels, such as sponsorships, ad revenue, and selling products or services. The speaker highlights the need for creators to diversify their monetization strategies to sustain their channels through fluctuations in popularity.

💡Impact

Impact refers to the significant effect or influence content has on its audience. The speaker talks about aiming to make a bigger impact by specializing and providing more targeted, valuable content. By focusing on specific problems and audiences, creators can have a more profound and meaningful impact on their viewers.

💡Competition

Competition in the context of YouTube refers to the vast number of channels and creators vying for viewers' attention. The speaker discusses the intense competition within the platform, especially in the Crossover Zone, and suggests that specialization can help creators stand out and reduce direct competition by targeting less crowded niches.

Highlights

Every minute, 79 years of video gets streamed on YouTube, almost double Netflix.

Since 2018, the number of YouTube channels has exploded from 23 million to 114 million.

Creators should ask themselves if they are adapting to the rapid changes on YouTube.

The video discusses why the creator quit a channel with 370,000 subscribers.

The creator believes there's a better way to make a bigger impact on the world.

YouTube's growth niche has various sub-niches with unique problems.

Targeting common problems in the 'crossover zone' can get more views but misses critical unique issues.

Using irrelevant examples can confuse viewers and cause misinterpretation of advice.

Different expertise levels within niches (beginners, intermediates, professionals) require tailored content.

The creator highlights the benefit of becoming a specialist in solving specific problems for a defined audience.

A specialist approach can lead to a more dedicated community and faster financial returns.

Being a specialist differentiates you and can lead to significant impact despite lower views.

The creator is pivoting to focus on entrepreneurs and business owners on a new channel, Creator Booth.

Creator Booth will provide targeted content for building email lists, products, and turning channels into businesses.

The creator aims to make a greater impact rather than chasing fame or high view counts.

Transcripts

do you want to know something crazy

every minute 79 years of video gets

streamed on YouTube now that's almost

double Netflix but not only that since

2018 the amount of channels has exploded

from 23 to 114 million now this has

caused pretty big problem and really I

think it means every Creator right now

should be asking themselves this

question if YouTube is changing this

fast am I actually keeping up with it

what that means is are you following

advice that's now potentially outdated

and holding you back or are you adapting

to take advantage of this new scale to

hit your own personal goals because I

think the rules have changed so in this

video I'm going to show you why I quit

my Channel with 370,000 subscribers

because I believe there's now a better

way to do things that will make a bigger

impact on the world I'm going to show

you the massive problem of YouTube

That's triggered this decision and I'm

going to help you work out if you should

pivot too using a strategy That Grew

this channel from 0 to 300,000

subscribers in 12 months before I unpack

the direction I'm going to be going in

for those of you who have been watching

me for years who actually might care but

first if you've not met me before who

the heck while I'm Ed and the channel

That I decided to leave behind right now

hit 370,000 subscribers generated tens

of millions of views it was called film

booth and over the years I became known

for quirky videos that show people how

to grow YouTube channels in kind of a

different way to the old search method

that everyone used to teach now this

channel started to pick up quite a lot

of traction and as a result I started to

work with lots of YouTube creators and

over the years I've helped to generate

them hundreds of millions of views and

tens of millions of dollars and that's

pretty much what I spend every second of

my day doing right now so now you know

who I am let me show you the list of

problems that have developed on YouTube

over the the coming years that cause me

to abandon that channel and it might

make you question your own strategy too

so film booth just like your channel has

a niche which in this case is growing

YouTube channels then inside that Niche

there's different viewers with different

types of problems each ring you can see

on the map on screen right now

represents one of them this ring is

Gamers and they're wanting to learn how

to grow a gaming channel now a unique

but potentially critical problem they

have to deal with is the ups and downs

of games trending what that means is a

new game can come out and explode they

can make videos about it and their

Channel explode too and then that game

becomes old and popularity vanishes and

that creators screwed so they have to

learn how to Pivot to find a new Niche

but also they should know how to plan

ahead to protect themselves from it

right as well as know how to monetize in

different ways so they can survive these

potentially life shattering situations

that one day might arise then there's

the tech channels so these guys are

really dependent on news in the months

where it's slow their views drop a lot

so if they want to survive they need to

learn how to deal with that they also

need to know well how do they work with

sponsors how to navigate the lines of

getting paid to review something that

they don't really think it's that great

and make a living so they don't go broke

then there's faceless automation

channels and with AI wow these things

are breeding like rabbits but they have

their own set of problems too for

example a niche can explode in

popularity and vanish so they always

need to be on the lookout for new niches

which they can monetize and replace that

lost income and they need to know a lot

about the legal side of youtubeers they

come up against quite a lot of copyright

issues and and then there's the

entrepreneurs and these guys just want

to build a following to grow a business

so they need to learn how to build

credibility fast using content how to

launch products how to write sales copy

how to build teams and how to turn views

into leads as well as how to build a

channel in a way that allows them to run

a business at the same time but that's

just the start because we also have

vloggers car channels makeup channels

entertainment channels lifestyle

channels people who sit on the floor at

the end of their bed talking to the

camera channels Educators short form

channels VR tubers live streamers

podcasts meditation channels rain noise

channels music channels and people who

haven't even started yet channels

I could go on forever but I would run

out of breath and die now you might be

thinking that's one heck of a messy

chart head on Earth are you trying to

show us let me just deify this massive

issue I have viewers have my Niche has

in abundance and maybe you do too so at

some point no matter which of these

Rings viewers are they all have the same

problem that overlaps which is this area

here I call it the crossover Zone what

that means is if you want to get big

views what do you do well you make

content that appeals to those problems

that way you can get the attention of

more people and longer watch time

because everyone is interested in them

and then you get more views can you see

the issue with this though firstly only

ever targeting this area means all of

these unique problems around here the

critical ones for millions of people

never get covered and due to YouTube's

unique video ranking system us creators

have nervous breakdowns when we see

anything below a two out of 10 so we all

live in fear of targeting problems

outside of this Zone and we go back to

making what will get us our next one out

of 10 instead what that means is

particularly in my Niche viewers will

never get the help they need in the

areas most critical for their own

success what they just get is stuff that

relates to the most people over and over

again but that's just the start the

second problem is another big one so

even when you talk about things that

relate to everyone in this area you need

to give them examples to help them

understand the more general information

right and what that means is on film

booth for example I might have used Mr

Beast to make a point about getting lots

of clicks because loads of people know

who he is but then you get comments like

this I don't know how this applies to a

knitting Channel now the thing is what

you will have said does apply it sits in

the crossover Zone it has to but it's

incredibly hard for viewers to apply

knowledge when all the examples you were

giving just feel so far removed from

their own situation I mean how could

someone relate Mr Beast knitting you

can't when examples don't relate to

viewers this can cause a lot of

confusion and people can misinterpret

your information and then they act on

what they thought it meant and then this

could mean your videos potenti cause

more harm than good and in film booths

niche in particular the YouTube growth

Niche it's a huge problem because I'm

constantly hearing from people saying I

did what I saw in this video and they

did the exact opposite of what they

should have done because the example

given to follow was not relevant to them

in the first place so it's not really

their fault now the irony of all of this

is the video you're watching right now

could actually cause the same problem

too so please keep that in mind whilst

you continue to watch which brings us to

the third big problem so each of these

Rings actually has has more Rings within

it it gets even Messier we have the

beginners we have the intermediates we

have the professionals what that means

is if you want to keep all of these

types of creators and all of these

expertise levels clicking and watching

to get big views you have to make videos

that Target common problems in the

crossover area we know that but then you

have to present that information in a

way that all of them can easily

understand but how do you keep a

beginner and a pro happy that are in two

totally different Rings well if you want

big views you can't go too deep because

the mass Market is beginners and they'll

leave because they don't understand and

they feel overwhelmed and that will mean

your video struggles and then you can't

go to light because the intermediate

could get bored so what you have to do

is remove anything that overwhelms or

bores the mass Market in your Niche and

when you try to appeal to as many people

as possible this happens why is a

channel called a Diary of a CEO making a

video about why have gotten bigger well

you know why because it's Mass Market

crossover Zone content now the good news

is I've nearly stopped listing the

problems so let's just get this next one

out of the way problem number four is

that there are 114 million Channel on

YouTube now and guess what they all want

views of course they do and guess where

they all aim here so there's even more

competition for the crossover Zone in

most niches now and that's only going to

increase as the younger Generations are

all wanting to become creators that get

views okay so hopefully you can

understand the big problems YouTube

currently has now let's look at why

pivoting to become a specialist that

only focuses on one of these Rings

within your Niche can overcome all of

these issues and actually help more

people in a way that's more impactful

and this channel here used it to go from

zero to 300,000 subscribers in a year

because even though it sounds like

you're shrinking your audience it could

actually mean you get more views still

so let me explain so the self-help Niche

on YouTube is massive I would say

there's thousands of problem rings in it

there's relationships motivation General

happiness productivity and many many

many more there's also a gigantic amount

of creators trying to break into it

right now thing is they all do the same

thing make videos that focus on the

crossover zone so they cover really big

topics like how to get out of a rout how

to focus how to become driven how to be

happy what that means is they compete

against a massive amount of creators all

doing the same thing as well as some of

the most experienced YouTubers in the

game who have years of practice and are

teamworking with them meaning

competition for Impressions is insane

but this channel well they grew from 0

to 300,000 subscribers in a year with 25

videos because instead of aiming here

they aimed here and they set themselves

up as a specialist in using flow state

to become a high performing individual

which sounds kind of unusual right but

they're probably going to hit a million

subscribers in the next 18 months as a

result of this now I have to state to

ran he is an expert in the topic and

I've met him and I've worked with his

team and he's an absolute genius which

of course helps but despite that the

important thing to take notice of here

is they didn't stay into making money

videos or business growth or made videos

like how to be happy to chase more views

because that looks like the biggest

opportunity but also if you watch one of

their videos they're not written for the

mass Market either they intentionally

try to put off the wrong people with the

way they write their Scripts so that

they can make more of an impact with the

right ones also their videos are pretty

long sometimes so his channel is only

really for people who want to take high

performance more seriously what that

means is he tells stories that the

viewers he really wants to help relate

to and that delivers quality

life-changing information to a smaller

group of people and as a result they

leave comments like this so even though

he's one ring in the self-help Niche

that group of people and specific

problem are huge and because he's stuck

to focusing more on impact with the

right people than Mass views with the

general audience in the niche is paying

off only four videos from 25 in his

first year haven't hit 100,000 this is

almost unheard of in the education space

especially for a new channel and this is

why becoming a specialist in solving a

big problem for a specific group of

people is potentially a massive

opportunity for you right now because

YouTube has become so big these outer

rings are too and they could be a gold

mine for you because there's less

competition fighting for them but

actually what's so appealing about

specializing is this if you really want

to grow a following you have to find a

way way to differentiate to all of the

other people in your Niche it is

absolutely critical no matter which

strategy you take and that's very hard

because well how can you instantly come

across as different well one way to do

that is just to be a specialist that way

you can become associated with something

so people say oh it's the person who

gets married couples back together oh

that's the person who teaches people to

run the 100 meters 10 seconds faster oh

that's the person who helps people learn

Spanish in 30 days when you specialize

you differentiate and that is a

GameChanger the thing is pivoting to

only serve one of these rings in my

Niche is the right decision for me and

it's why I've decided just to leave film

Booth right now because that audience is

just too mixed I can't help Gamers and I

can't help business people and I can't

help vloggers at the same time in a way

that really impacts them so I have to

pick one of them to go all in on but

should you do the same well recently

Alex hosi came out and he said he's

going to do something very similar now

Alex he went really wide in the business

age always kind of surprised me that he

made videos about what he ate what he

was really doing was aiming here on the

chart trying to grow the biggest

audience possible so what that meant was

his thumbnail designs were for Mass

Market his editing was for Mass Market

the content depth Mass Market but now

he's come out and he said he's going

more specialist too so that he can drive

more value to a smaller group of people

which he knows will drop his views so if

one of the most successful Educators in

the world is doing this you should too

right well I actually have a problem

with what he's doing and with what I'm

telling you to do and we can't really

ignore this because Alex's goal was to

generate as many eyeballs as possible to

cast a white net so he could filter out

people to invest it so he went wide and

made Mass Market business content edited

were faster paced to try and keep more

people entertained with less detailed

info then that worked and it meant he

got the fame to achieve his result so

you could argue that actually he got it

right to start and becoming more

specialist is a luxury he can now afford

because he's internet famous and he's

built his personal brand and I'm doing

the same thing on a smaller scale

broader to more specialist so the thing

that bugs me is if we both started off

as specialist would either of us got got

anywhere well I actually think it would

have been easier but with a slightly

different outcome so let me explain so

forget the subscriber count that would

probably be lower but what happens is

and I see this every day if you go to

town helping a specific group of people

solve a specific big problem you end up

with a way more dedicated community of

fans and those fans actually want to

support you and buy your products and

services that means the money comes in

way faster with way less views and

subscribers and then that money can be

used to help Outsource editing design or

other tasks that will grow your channel

but it also frees up your time to put

into making even better or even more

content when what happens is you create

a flywheel that speeds up results

everywhere when you stay more generalist

you're more likely to get no or very

slow traction because you compete

against the biggest creators and the

masses for Impressions which means you

differentiate less have less growth

leads motivation less income and you

have to use a lot more of your time

trying to go and it's ultimately why the

majority of people feel like they can't

get any kind of real payoff and that

it's all too much hard work and they

quit whereas a specialist Works smarter

not harder and wins quicker at the

sacrifice of Fame in the widest area of

their niche of course you can always go

wide later once you've learned YouTube

and made money and grown a following and

dominated your space but if you're like

kosi or me and you're taking the

opposite approach you might want to ask

yourself do I even need to bother so to

help you work out if you should become a

specialist and how this all works I'm

going to put on a free live workshop for

those of you who want to take this path

with me or even just consider it or just

come and laugh at me there's a sign up

link below I'll email out the details to

all of you you and if you're watching

this way in the future and you missed it

just fill that out and I'll send you the

recording but before you go and do that

you might want to wait just to see what

I'm going to specialize in because it's

only going to be useful to a smaller

amount of people so I'm going to leave

film boo on its own just where it is

seems a little bit crazy just leaving a

channel that's been so long to build

sitting there on its own but you know

what if I am going to show people how to

become a specialist I need a smaller

channel right it's like it's not fair

I'm cheating I know it doesn't quite

work like that but yeah film bre is

going to be I'm just going to leave film

Booth as it is I want I want to take

some I want to take some risks I want to

try something new and I don't really

want to pump loads of new videos on that

channel either to cover up all the old

content because I'm very proud of it and

and I know a lot of you guys really

enjoyed it too so I just want to keep

that there but from now on the channel

that you're watching right now which is

called Creator Booth is going to serve

people that I understand the best the

people I can help the best I know their

problems I had their problems I solved

their problems they're people I've been

working with for years I hang around

with them every day my entire network is

full of them I am them so it doesn't

make any sense not to go all in on them

so this channel is going to teach people

how to write and produce content in a

way that relates to them a lot so they

can understand it far better it is going

to cover growth tricks still but it's

also going to show them how to build

email lists and products and services

and turn their channel into a business

so if you are an entrepreneur or a

business owner that wants to make

products and services and build a

business and amazing lifestyle this

channel is for you uh I won't be

covering sponsorship I won't be covering

my ad Revenue I won't be covering

anything that applies to the

entertainment channels because it would

be a disservice because it's just not my

expertise and it would also mean it

would be a disservice the people I can

really help when my expertise have spent

years working on L so I'm going to

dramatically decrease My Views but

really I didn't get into this for fame I

got into it because I wanted to make

impact and this is the best way to do it

so the sty of video might change

slightly too I'm still going to do fun

storytelling stuff but there'll be more

deep Dives longer content more scaled

back content and stuff that goes into

more specific problems most people

probably won't be interested in but the

ones that do will hopefully have

life-changing experiences so everyone

else look thank you so much for the

years of support if you're watching this

it's been a fantastic ride and I really

do appreciate every single one of you

and if you would like to start learning

about how to grow business on YouTube

then check out these videos right here

and I'll see some of you guys on the

live workshop and by the way if you're

like his eye looks a bit weird I used an

oven for the first time in a year and

had an onion related Curry incident