- Okay, I'm not a dad but he is a dad.
And his channel just gained a million subscribers
in around about a week.
How?
- [Announcer] vidIQ.
- [Announcer] vidIQ.com.
- Let's be clear about one thing
this isn't an April Fool's joke.
And let's be clear about two things.
This isn't some weird hack or botting story.
The simple fact is the view counts
on the channel about page.
Can't keep up with the subscriber count.
And let's be clear about one more thing.
This channel is growing so fast
that by the time you watch this video
they'll probably have a million subscribers.
Hello, everyone.
I'm Rob and welcome back to vidIQ
the creator obsessed YouTube tool channel
and learned Academy that educates you
on your YouTube journey.
Subscribe to us so that we can help you grow your channel.
And with that being said (blows)
it's time for another case study.
So what's the channel about?
Let's start with the thumbnails.
There's nothing particularly special about them.
They don't pop out of the screen.
Or make you really want to click on them.
Even a decade ago, these thumbnails
would have been considered average at best.
Having said that they are very clear,
and very easy to understand,
and they don't have a single slice of text in them.
And for many new creators on YouTube
that's the first hurdle most stumble over.
Next up the titles and channel focus
the creator as a small channel
is targeting search driven titles.
A strategy we commend as this can be your first road
to discovery and channel growth.
But let's ask a simple question.
Do you really need to know how to change your oil one day?
Iron a shirt the next day, and then fix a shelf?
Now what tends to happen with these type
of educational, DIY, specific answer to specific question,
type of channels, is that the creator makes
dozens of videos and one in every 10.
Or one in every 20 will go semi-viral
but they'll never have that consistent run
of high a few videos.
And many of the viewers coming for a single video
to get a single answer to a single question.
And they may subscribe but they never watch
any of the other content.
But something fundamentally different is happening here.
This channel is operating as if it's a personality channel.
People are falling in love with the creator.
And that's what we need to investigate.
A couple of weeks ago the channel was performing well
relative to its size.
These are the types of numbers
many creators would be happy with
after just a month on YouTube.
But in the last week those numbers
have exploded exponentially.
And the really curious thing about all of this
is that the channel is getting as many subscribers
as it is views.
Now, quite frankly in the normal realms
of the YouTube platform this one to one ratio is impossible.
Not every single person who watches a video
is going to subscribe to that channel.
It's the sort of thing that raises a suspicious eyebrow.
There must be something externally influencing
these numbers, but what is it?
Let's investigate one of the videos how to shave your face
with 100,000 views the likes, to dislikes, engagement rate
seems about right one like for every 10 views is on point.
Common wise 640 seems a little low.
You would usually expect more.
However, this does go back to the nature of the content
its educational, giving an answer to a question
that's been searched for on YouTube.
And when people find that video
they get in, get the answer they want.
To be honest, they don't care about the creator
and they quickly leave.
However, when you read some of those comments
that have been left on the video
it makes you stand back for a second and think.
This is touching an emotional chord.
Take the story of this person whose parents divorced
and they lost contact with their father.
Because of this they lost out on a lot of these moments
of being taught skills they need as they grow up.
Another viewer's father passed away
before they can be taught how to shave their face.
And in these comments and ex boyfriend had to be shown
how to shave their face
because their father didn't like them.
It's at this point that you realize
that this isn't a anything DIY for anyone channel.
There is a common thread that connects
all of the content together.
Because when you have your first job interview
you might need to learn how to tie a tie or iron your shirt.
When you get your first car, you might need to learn
how to check the oil, check the tire pressure,
or change a tire.
And when you move out of your family home for the first time
yet, you might need to learn
how to hang a shelf or unblock a sink.
And if you are a young adult
and you haven't quite built up that confidence yet
or you're just too embarrassed to ask
which person are you most likely to turn to
for all of these things?
Your dad.
In the space of a generation
this rite of educational passage your father
and let's not forget the mums out there
pass on to their children has been replaced
by a search engine.
But this is what happens when the two work in unison.
(bright music)
A simple value proposition that you get in seconds,
that has the potential to touch every father
and every son and daughter in the entire world.
That's a lot of people with a common story
and a shared belief.
But it still doesn't explain
why this channel has gone viral.
- I came from a fractured home.
And so my goal in life was to raise good adults.
And so then when I got to early 50s
I felt like I'd already kind of done that
if I could pass some of what I've learned.
To help people and it's definitely resonating.
I'm getting such amazing comments from people.
- Let's be honest about this
Rob Kenny just seems like a cool dude.
And you can certainly see the resemblance
and he appears to have an honest, genuine,
selfless mission and who can't fall in love with that?
And this is the result.
New story, after a Reddit share,
after Facebook post, after a new story.
In a world of great uncertainty right now
this is the feel good story of positivity and family.
Everyone needs to hear.
And this is as far as I got into making this video
before the Dad, how do I channel
hit this monumental landmark.
And remember this time lapse
is of the abbreviated sub counts.
That's 1,000 new subscribers every minute or two
right up to 1 million.
(bell chimes)
So welcome to the 1 million subscriber club Rob
a 49 day journey into YouTube legend.
Here in vidIQ we often talk about the power of thumbnails
and the importance of watch time
and the intricacies of metadata.
But the Dad, how do I channel has smashed through
all of this, ignoring the YouTube algorithm so to speak
and focusing on the audience.
A value proposition that connects so many people
to this wonderful thing.
This is the channel's viral moments
but it's not going to last forever.
So what do they need to do to ensure sustainability
over the long term?
Let's be honest, those thumbnails need to improve
the competition for the type of content
the channel wants to rank for is extremely competitive.
And over the long run as interest in the channel itself
and its story begin to wane.
The videos themselves have to sell themselves
and right now they probably don't.
It's the same story with the content too.
No channel should have so many subscribers
yet relatively speaking so little views.
It does feel a little bit like many people are
falling in love with the viral story,
supporting the channel with a subscription,
but not actually watching any of the content.
The somewhat cold and heartless analysis
of many of the videos is man presses record,
shows you how to do something, presses stop,
uploads to YouTube, publish.
It's functional, it does the job concisely.
But so do millions of other channels on YouTube.
This is an unusual situation for a creator
to find themselves in because of this viral exposure,
the audience already knows who Rob is
and the value proposition of his channel
before they watch any of his content.
And if the content remains somewhat dry
the audience is soon gonna move on
to something more exciting.
So what Rob needs to do is take more of that story
and that value proposition into the videos
which I think he's starting to do.
- Okay, so I get a call from my daughter the other day
and she says, "Dad, my toilet won't stop running."
And I thought for a second.
It can't be that fast.
Why don't you catch it?
- You can't beat a good dad joke (claps).
Also, this must be the first time in YouTube history
a video on fixing a running toilet has started trending.
Nice work.
Rob if you ever watch this video
please do take all of this as constructive criticism.
You've already got twice as many subscribers as we've got
in the space of a week.
Well done.
We as YouTube nerds are fascinated
by these analytical case studies
especially when they include a human element.
That smash all preconceived notions
about the YouTube algorithm into smithereens.
YouTube continue to tell us to stop worrying
about those zeros and ones, and worry about your audience.
And I'll tell you what
they're starting to make a believer out of me.
This is just another one of those YouTube success stories
at the beginning of every year
I always say a creator is going to start their channel,
and by the end of that year,
they will have 1 million subscribers.
Remember, Jennelle and her van life in 2019?
This is Rob and his dad channel in 2020
with 1 million subscribers
and we're not even halfway through the year.
What I will be interested in seeing
is the continued momentum for this channel
in three to six months time.
So don't be surprised if you see
a follow up case study on this story.
Nothing Rob, there's just one more thing I would like to do.
(bell rings)
The kids are gonna love that.
And you know what?
I've just had a thought.
(keyboard clacking)
Yep, not taken.
I smell an opportunity.
(upbeat music)