If I knew all the mistakes that I'd make when I started my channel in 2006, I would have grown
my channel a lot quicker. If I started a new YouTube channel in 2023, I would avoid all the
mistakes that I'm going to share with you today. If you take action on these points,
your channel will grow a lot quicker. [music]
Not pursuing your passion. If you don't pursue a niche that you're passionate about,
you'll easily quit when the going gets tough. For example, when I first started my YouTube channel,
I just uploaded web design tutorials because I was a professional web designer. After a few years,
I lost interest in that niche and transitioned to video marketing
based upon the feedback of my customers. As a result, I changed my channel name from I Site
Build to Drost Video and never looked back. Let me ask you a question, what is the biggest mistake
you've made while growing your YouTube channel? Post your answer in the comments below. I'd love
to read them and I'm sure others would too. Not creating content people want to watch.
If you just upload content that you're interested in but not your audience,
you won't get many views and subscribers. Keep in mind that the algorithm follows the audience,
so you need to tap into the mind of your audience to create the right content for them. You can do
this by adding a poll to the Community tab, studying the recurring questions on your own
videos as well as your competitors' videos, or surveying your list, if you have an email list.
Try to build an audience profile of your ideal subscriber. What are their likes, wants, desires,
and burning questions? The more you know about your ideal subscriber, the easier it will be
to create the right content for them. Keep in mind, your first hundred videos that you upload
to your channel are not going to generate tons of views. Instead, focus on improving each new
video you upload by 1%. If you do this, your videos will improve and your channel will grow.
Not knowing how the YouTube algorithm works. One of the biggest mistakes new YouTubers make
is constantly uploading new videos without knowing how the YouTube algorithm works. As
I mentioned before, the YouTube algorithm follows the audience. If your audience really loves your
videos, YouTube will recommend your videos to more people. YouTube growth happens the fastest
when your videos are recommended on the right side of the watch page or on the YouTube home screen.
If you want to trigger the YouTube algorithm with your videos, you should focus on four things,
topic, title, thumbnail, and watch time. If you're stuck for video topic ideas,
use the Research tab in YouTube Analytics because it will show you the keyword phrases that people
are entering into the search engines to find your videos from your channel. Alternatively,
look at the top 10 videos that generated the most traffic from your channel, then make
more of those types of videos. If you're just starting out, look at the top 5 or 10 videos of
your competitors that are getting tons of traffic, then approach the topic from a different angle.
You can also download the free Chrome extension vidIQ to get three video topic ideas for free
each day on YouTube. The extension will give you great ideas for future video titles.
When you're creating a title on thumbnail, make sure they work together to win the click because
it's the first thing that viewers see in the search engines or on YouTube. If you're stuck
for thumbnail ideas, use the free templates that are included in the free image editor canva.com.
When you use a template, you can easily replace the elements with your own elements.
Watch time or audience retention refers to how long people are watching your video or watching
successive videos in a row. To improve your watch time, try to grab your audience's attention in the
first 30 seconds of your video. If you do that, it's more likely that they'll watch the rest of
the video. At the end of your video, recommend the next best video to watch so they'll watch more
than one video. Keep in mind that YouTube rewards creators that keeps viewers longer on the YouTube
platform. Therefore, I highly recommend linking to a video in a playlist. When a viewer begins
watching a video in a playlist, they'll be able to see all the related videos in that playlist,
which will help them to binge-watch more videos. Now that you know how
the YouTube algorithm works, you'll be able to make videos that trigger the algorithm.
Not publishing quality content. If you just focus on putting out videos because you want
to keep up a regular upload schedule, you'll probably sacrifice your content. For example,
for many years, I maintained a regular upload schedule of three videos a week,
two regular videos and one livestream. Even though this helped my channel grow,
I was often stressed to come up with new content and often sacrificed the quality of that content.
More important than maintaining a regular upload schedule is creating quality content
for your target audience. With that being said, it's also very important
to be consistent because your viewers can then expect when to receive new content. For example,
I schedule new content to be published on my channel every Tuesday so my viewers know what to
expect. This reminds and motivates them to keep on returning to my channel to find the new content.
Not creating content packets for different types of content. When you're creating content for your
audience, you want to separate it into different content buckets based upon the content that best
resonates with your target audience. For example, one of my content buckets is YouTube Monetization.
Another content bucket is YouTube Growth. When you create different content buckets for your channel,
you already know that these videos are going to do well with your audience. As your channel grows,
the number of content buckets will increase and it will be easier to categorize your content.
Not buying expensive gear. When I first started my YouTube channel, I just filmed my videos using
the iPhone 4s and the light coming from a window. These days, a high quality camera on your phone
is sufficient to record your videos. Recently I had to set up a new recording studio in a bedroom
because I'm staying with my daughter in Oklahoma. Currently, I'm using the Canon E50 on a tripod,
a blanket over the window, and one soft box right above the camera. I also brought my iMac computer
and placed a green light behind it to light up the wall hanging in the background. The
wall hanging is the same one as I used on my home office, which I've just brought with me.
As you can see, it's a simple and professional setup that looks good on
camera. If you just started a YouTube channel, I recommend doing the best with what you have,
even if it's just an iPhone and the light coming in from the window. Just focus on
creating quality content for your target audience. I also would not do this, comparing the growth
of my channel with my competitors channels. It will steal your joy and your motivation.
Avoid comparing the start of your YouTube journey with the YouTube journey of someone that's been
at it for several years. They've had much more experience and learnt from their mistakes. You
also will make many mistakes in the growth of your channel, but see them as stepping stones
to the success of your YouTube channel. Another mistake is not seeking help while
you're on your YouTube journey. Most of the time, you're working by yourself in your home office,
so it can get extremely lonely, therefore, I highly recommend joining an online community.
Click the link in the description to join my Facebook group Tube Video Boot Camp where you
can interact with over a thousand like-minded members, get feedback, and ask questions.
Another thing I would not do if I was starting a YouTube channel is let my channel get stagnant.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.
Instead of doing the same thing over and over again, experiment by trying different things.
For example, you could change your delivery style by telling a story, change your setup,
do collaborations, or do an interview. You can also make a video based upon a hot trend
in your niche. Trying new things breaks you out of the mold of doing the same thing over and over
again. When you focus on creating content that your target audience enjoys and you enjoy making,
you'll be successful on YouTube. Not building an email list that
you own. Building your business on YouTube is like renting a building because you don't own
it. If the purpose of your YouTube channel is to generate traffic, leads, and sales using video,
then I highly recommend building an email list that you own. If something happens to
your channel and you get suspended or terminated, you'll still have your email list. For example,
if your channel gets three strikes, your channel can be terminated by YouTube. When you're on an
email list of thousands of subscribers, you can notify your subscribers every time you upload a
new video. This drives a view velocity of a video in the first 24 to 48 hours and triggers the
algorithm to recommend your videos to more people. When you send a personal email reminding your
subscribers to watch a newly uploaded video, they're more likely to return to your channel.
Sending personal emails also helps build trust between you and them. Another benefit of building
email list is that you can recommend your own products and services or affiliate products and
services so you don't have to become a member of the YouTube Partner program to monetize your
channel. Watch this video on the screen right now on how to build an email list fast and for free.
The video will show you all the things you need to build an effective email list that you own.