- How do you grow on YouTube
when you have no time and no money?
Now this is a very serious question
and I want to try to give a common sense
set of answers for people who are content creators
because I understand that a lot of people want to pursue
being a content creator, being a YouTuber,
but they're starting from position
where maybe they don't have the money
to invest into a lot of camera gear or editing software
or even a really good editing computer.
Or maybe you are somebody who is an adult who wants
to be a content creator, but you're working a full-time job,
maybe you have a family so you don't have
a lot of time to invest in this.
I want to give you some simple, really thoughtful advice
that I think can help you.
So let's jump into the video.
Hey everybody, this is Roberto Blake, helping you create
something awesome today.
Welcome back to the channel.
So today, we're talking about how you can be
a content creator and how you can grow on YouTube
without having a lot of time to put into it,
or a lot of money to spend on it and this is something
that actually takes me back to my early YouTube journey
because while I was in a position
where because I was working as a freelancer,
I had already invested in software
and somewhat decent, okayish hardware at the beginning
I really didn't have a lot of money
to start this with either and as far as time,
I had to work on my freelance clients
the majority of the time just to survive.
So it's not like I had 40 hours a week
to dedicate to making content on YouTube
and the simple nature of my early videos
really reflects that.
Even today, where I have a lot more freedom
and a lot more opportunity, the reality is that
most of my time is absorbed in my coaching business.
I do live trainings for 90 minutes on Tuesdays,
I do interviews usually on Wednesdays.
I actually do calls throughout the week
and then I do live Q&As with my coaching clients
and my group on Thursdays, so I don't really have
as much time as people think I do
to make all the content that I make
and that's why I stuck to simple formats
and there are lessons I can teach you
because my full-time job is being a business owner,
not being a YouTuber and so I had to find a way
to make that work and fit in my life
and I can tell you what you can do
if you have a rough schedule.
And also I still, it may not look like it, I'm still frugal.
I still love a bargain, so I'm gonna tell you
how to do some stuff on the cheap.
Now before I get super into that,
I want to ask you
a question of the day. (bell dings)
Normally, I do the question of the day at the end
of my videos, but I actually want to do it early
and ask you guys to comment on it because I want to see
if this gives some perspective.
I want to ask you, what do you think is holding you back
the most on YouTube?
So let me know in the comments section
and then stay tuned to the end of the video,
'cause I'm gonna answer that question for myself.
We might actually just start flipping
the question of the day like that sometimes.
So I think the biggest issue probably
in the YouTube community is expectations versus reality.
I want to make a dedicated video about that,
because I think the biggest thing that I see
working class content creators do, is compare themselves
to YouTubers who not only have 40 hours a week
and unlimited budgets to spend on their content,
but they also have the hours of teams sometimes of up
to 10 people working on their YouTube projects
and that is not your situation, so why are you comparing
your content to their content?
Now realistically, the answer is because the viewer
is doing that in your mind, but the thing is
you are fully capable of just making content
for people like you that don't necessarily relate
to the lifestyles of those big YouTubers
and they're gonna watch that thing, that spectacle
but they're also gonna watch something
that's much more grounded and much more close to home
so that they can talk to people like them
because if you're responding to everyone in your comments
then they're building a relationship with you
that they probably can't build with a big YouTuber
because most of those content creators just can't answer
their comments anymore or there's been enough bad comments
to where they've abandoned their comments section
which, that's fine if that's what people do,
but I just want you to understand
that there's a real difference
between watching a big YouTuber
for the spectacle, versus wanting to be part
of a community and I think that if you just take
expectations versus reality and you focus
on community, you can grow even if you're a small YouTuber
that doesn't have unlimited time and unlimited budget.
Now let's address the time constraint issue.
Interesting fact that a lot of you guys don't know
is that I actually have a scheduled time
Monday through Friday to work on content and to do
video editing, and I have those blocks of time
and that's pretty much it, unless I decide
to give my free period to also making content.
And so those are the windows of time that I have.
If I don't use those windows of time, I'm not gonna be able
to make content and a lot of times when I'm traveling
on the road, it's very hard to make content, too.
So I understand if you're saying "I don't have time
"to make this content" and what I would suggest
is a couple of things.
Let's make YouTube right size in your life.
First of all, do you have a schedule
and have you calendar blocked your schedule day today?
You will probably know what days you are working.
You probably have that schedule, so you know what time
you have that you can't make content.
Find all the areas in your life
that are dedicated to some other task
and also start putting kind of a time limit
on some of the things that you take time to do.
Have specific times of the day where you work
on those specific things and if you know there's a time
that would be optimal for you to film your videos
because it's more likely to be quiet,
maybe nobody's gonna be home, whatever the situation is
then I would start making that block of time
the priority for when you film your content
and then other times of the day that might be noisy,
you can use that to do other tasks.
You can use that for your research, for your SEO,
for doing your thumbnails, for responding to comments.
Any of those things, so really, figure out how to make
YouTube right size in your life by building out a schedule.
And if you want to know the tool that I'm using
to do my calendar blocking, 'cause I know a lot of you
have asked me about that when I post in the community tab,
I'm just using Google Calendar, but I color-coded
everything just to make it easier on myself.
The next thing I want to address is if you don't have
a lot of money.
I'm planning on doing a dedicated video on being a YouTuber
on a budget, but in the meantime, my friend Sara Dietschy
made a fantastic video about it, so I'm gonna link to that
in the info card and the description.
You should definitely check her out and subscribe.
She really is a creator's creator and I love all the stuff
that she does, but my answer, my short answer in this video
is to not look at the things you don't have
and again, this partly becomes the obsession
with watching big YouTubers and thinking
you either need fancy gear, like some of us have
or that you need to be able to throw money at your content
to make it good.
YouTube is very much a personality game,
which is why I will probably never be a top-tier YouTuber
because I don't have the most relatable or likable
personality in the world, but I appreciate those of you
who watch me anyway.
I really don't go in for the YouTube flexing game
and the lifestyle side of that stuff.
I want to watch content, usually from people
because of their personality, because I relate to them
because we serve similar interests and hobbies.
I love watching Star Wars YouTubers,
and a lot of times you can do all the content they do
on completely open-source gear.
Many of them don't even use cameras and show their faces.
It's all screen recorded base.
I mean I love watching that content.
It's what I binge watch on the weekend.
I actually like watching a few YouTube gamers
or game commentary, but only really for me
for nostalgic gaming, 'cause I like retro gaming more.
I'm not into the new stuff as much.
Sorry, just not, but I like that stuff.
I also like watching people who have a different ideas
and philosophies that I can relate to.
So I'm watching people more for their personality.
I obviously watch a lot of entrepreneur content
and so I think that you can either do things
that are very personality driven, or very topic driven
with almost no money pretty easily
just using free and open-source tools
like DaVinci Resolve, or VSDC, any number
of free open-source video editors
and streaming apps are available to you.
You don't need a lot of fancy stuff
and there are a lot of content creators
that still make content with their phone
or with a webcam and these things are relatively accessible
and affordable so there's nothing wrong
with making that content.
The main thing I would tell you is to prioritize
really good audio and so if you are looking
to invest in your audio, I do have some links
that could help you out in terms of better audio equipment
'cause that was the thing I really focused the most on
when it came to improving the quality of my content
I wanted you guys to have a better audio experience
especially since most of this is probably you listening me
to in the background, because I don't use a bunch
of fancy visual effects, you're watching me like you listen
to a podcast, so I might as well give you good audio, right?
And that actually brings me to another point.
Focus on the things that you have and that you can control
and also focus on the experience that your viewer
is going to have from interacting with your content.
That's everything from answering questions
and really being part of the community
and answering those comments, but it's also
a matter of really just focusing on things
like your on-camera presence, on focusing on your
on-camera confidence, your charisma, and I really think
that if you focus much more on the performance side
of your content, than the production side of your content
you'll find that people are resonating with that
and that they like you and that they're tuning in
for you, because you're not offering spectacle,
which is fine by the way, but if you're not there yet
you do the best you can with what you have
not what you don't.
Authenticity matters, and also I want to encourage you guys
to look at simplifying your videos
and simplifying your content.
No amount of fancy editing, no amount of B-roll,
no amount of graphics, no amount of anything
actually got me more views and more subscribers on YouTube.
It did let me raise the price of some brand deals,
but that really didn't help me grow the YouTube channel.
What has always been true and what has always worked
is by trying to reach people
who share my interest and want to do some of the things
that I'm doing, is just making the best title
that I can think of, the best thumbnail that I'm capable of
and then making the best video that I know how to make
in a simple and authentic way that fits my personality
and people either love it, or they hate it.
And they either subscribe and like the video,
which I hope you guys are doing, or they don't
and they dislike the video, which if you're gonna do that
go ahead and just tap that twice for me.
Yep, just double tap that dislike button.
Just remember that every big YouTuber was once
a small YouTuber instead of looking
at what they're doing now and comparing
what you're doing to somebody who has unlimited time,
and unlimited resources, go back to their humble beginnings.
Go back to those humble beginnings
where that person just first started on YouTube.
When I look at the original content from MrBeast
and MKBHD, I'm seeing kids who probably didn't have
a ton of free time.
They had what they had left after they were at school
and after they did homework to make videos
on the internet because they wanted to.
These are kids who make 100 videos to not even get
1000 subscribers and you're letting yourself
get discouraged because you're looking at these people
with massive, massive growth when it's not your situation.
If you look at content creators who have the same background
same circumstances, same amount of money,
same amount of time as you, at least even in the early part
of their career, you'll find that what they did
for that beginning of their career is probably getting
even less growth and traction than you're getting now.
Marques did 100 videos to get like 74 subscribers.
MrBeast, Jimmy Donaldson did 100 videos
to get less than 1000 subscribers, he got 789 subscribers
I think that's the number, 789, 784, something like that.
So again, making 100 videos to not even get
a thousand subscribers
You know what, PewDiePie did 100 videos
and didn't even get 10,000 subscribers, he got 2,500.
Everyone talks about how the best time to start on YouTube
was back in the day.
"Back in the day it was easier
"to be a YouTube content creator."
No it wasn't, the struggle of making a good video,
having the time to make it, having the money to buy the gear
is always basically the same struggle at the beginning
of your YouTube journey for most people.
In fact, I did a dedicated video if you are feeling
demotivated as a content creator that I think you guys
should watch, I'm gonna like to it in the info card
and the description.
The video is called Make 100 Crappy Videos
Like PewDiePie and MrBeast
and it's very real to me because
the biggest content creators on this platform
are the people who stayed persistent,
the people who learned how to fit YouTube
properly into their life.
Some became more obsessed with it than others
and that's a factor.
Single-mindedness can definitely be a positive
or a negative, just depending on your personality.
The main thing is just to find a way to make content
that someone like you would want to watch
and find a way to put your audience first
while making content that you're satisfied with
and again, don't set unreasonable expectations for yourself.
Now if you're a content creator who actually struggles
with time specifically, I want to talk to you
about our sponsor today which is TubeBuddy.
You guys have probably heard me talk about TubeBuddy before,
but a lot of you are focused on the SEO tools from TubeBuddy
and while that's great, I think what makes TubeBuddy
the best tool for YouTube content creators
is its productivity suite.
The way that I like to use TubeBuddy
is that it just saves me a ton of time
doing tasks that would be a pain otherwise.
The primary example is I do a lot of affiliate links,
I can use the find and replace feature
and fix 200 different videos having the right link
going to the right place that makes me money
and so TubeBuddy is something that I actually use
to save me time, that'll put me in a position
to focus on things that will make me more money
and I think that is something that can help you
as a YouTube content creator.
If you want the free version of TubeBuddy,
you can download it 100% free if you go to
tubebuddy.com/awesome, that's my affiliate link
and if you want to buy TubeBuddy because it would be
a good investment for your YouTube channel,
you can use the discount code robertosbuddy
and they will give you 20% off.
Go ahead and check out TubeBuddy, if you want
the link is in the description down below.
Also probably in the info card up here.
So I want to answer my own question of the day real quick.
My question of the day to you is
what is holding you back as a YouTube content creator?
So if I have to answer that question for myself,
what is holding me back as a YouTube content creator?
Well at my level, a lot of people have the expectation
that I should be shooting to get a gold play button
and one million subscribers, a lot of my friends
have had that milestone.
Some of my coaching clients even had that milestone
so people are kind of waiting and expecting me
to be pursuing that.
And while I won't say it's like I have zero interest
in a gold play button, my big priority
is that I kind of want to get back
to some of the roots of my content.
I have several other new projects and new channels
that I want to start.
I have a few that I'm actually a partner in
and it's a hard way for me because
I can't make content that I'm not
fully emotionally committed to.
It's very difficult for me, it's always been that way
as an artist, as a creative person there are plenty
of things that I can do that will make me more successful,
make me more money, make my life easier,
but I just have a real barrier where until or unless
I have a breakthrough where I can actually focus
on something and feel emotionally committed
and passionate about it, it's very hard for me
to do something even if I know it will work,
even if I know I'm good at it, even if I know
it makes me money, if I'm not passionate enough about it,
it's almost impossible for me to do it well.
And that's just me, that's just my issue.
I don't know if that is relatable in any way
to anybody, but it's why I also say
that tactics and strategies are not the thing
that will make you successful, self-awareness
and figuring out what it is that you are passionate about
that people also will accept from you
and will make you money, but you're also genuinely good at
and have some talent or skill level at.
If you find the right combination of this,
then you can be successful and your hard work
and effort will pay off.
But if any of these things are lacking,
you might find yourself miserable regardless
of the results you produce.
So I don't want to get a gold play button
making content that I don't necessarily care about
just because it works, or make content so much
because it's growing that I start to hate that content
and struggle to make it, and then feel stuck
'cause I've seen that happen to so many of my friends,
so many other content creators, people I look up to
and it's just not for me to do that
for the sake of doing it and feeling like I'm successful
because I have a trophy, because I have a gold play button.
So that's my answer to the question of the day,
but I'm really looking forward to reading yours
in the comments section and responding to a lot of you.
Like this video if you like it, don't forget to subscribe,
check out the other awesome stuff here on the channel.
Remember, resources for everything I talked about
linked in the description down below.
As always you guys, thanks so very much for watching
and don't forget, go out there
and create something awesome today.
Take care.
(mellow hip hop beat)