Starting self help youtube channel. How do you grow an audience? (the right people)

[Richard Purdy]

Started my channel a year ago, getting back into it. I have 12 videos. It's got like 20 views per video which were all by me. I'm looking to grow a bit but I'm new to the game. How do these people organically get an audience? I'm looking for self help minded people. My videos are pretty captivating too but no one watches. 

Edited August 6, 2023 by Richard Purdy

[Buck Edwards]

Show

[Leo Gura]

You need to start by making videos on popular hot topics which get lots of attention. For example, you could do a video on some hot topic in the news from a self-help perspective, like Elon Musk or Trump or Andrew Tate, etc.

If you do obscure topics and titles you will get very little views.

Another way to break in is by doing interviews with well-known people. Their popularity can get you lots of views. Which is why interviews are such a common format.

Another way is to make short but very well produced videos with graphics and very distilled content. Such videos can get millions of views if they are professionally produced and slick looking.

It's hard to break in these days. You need to find a unique angle and  bring lots of value to stand out.

Edited August 6, 2023 by Leo Gura

[Thought Art]

Following Leo’s idea on popular topics you also need to develop an entertaining style. 
 

1. list out your 10 favourite YouTubers with styles you like and contemplate what about that style you want to add to your videos

2. Practice making videos in that style you like. 

3. Pay attention to both structure and content of successful videos and copy it, but also make it your own. 
 

4. Keep making videos!! 
 

5. find cheap courses on video editing, lighting, story telling, and even YouTube video creation and apply what you learn.

 

Edited August 6, 2023 by Thought Art

[Richard Purdy]

@Buck Edwards ?

[Richard Purdy]

@Leo Gura Yeah, everyone and their grandmother wants to be a youtuber. It's like trying to become a rapper.

It seems like you instantly got an audience like from straight out of a movie

Edited August 6, 2023 by Richard Purdy

[Ulax]

@Richard Purdy Hey dude,

I don't know the specifics re youtube, i.e. don't have personal experience in that domain.

However, I would recommend you approach the project with a mindset of engaging in deliberate practice. In terms of primarily analyzing the feedback you get on videos through things like statistics

24 minutes ago, Richard Purdy said:

@Leo Gura Yeah, everyone and their grandmother wants to be a youtuber. It's like trying to become a rapper.

Reason I bring this up is mainly because I see here a distinction that is useful to make. I would agree many want to become youtubers but how many are being strategic in how they approach the project? How many are analyzing the feedback on their videos thoroughly and adjusting accordingly? I think once you take that into account the size of the group shrinks. That said, I imagine there will still be many.

[Buck Edwards]

1 hour ago, Richard Purdy said:

@Buck Edwards ?

Show your channel

[LSD-Rumi]

@Richard Purdy Connect to your local community, make workshops. These can provide you with essential first push for your channel.

Use tiktok and reels. Make some catchy shorts that will make people want to watch your youtube channel.

 

[StarStruck]

Use google statistics to see what is hot. Being a YouTuber is no different than a business: supply the kind of videos that is in demand. 

[Leo Gura]

7 hours ago, Richard Purdy said:

It seems like you instantly got an audience like from straight out of a movie

It only seems that way. That's not the reality of it.

Keep in mind that I started YT 10 years ago, in another era. Competition is a lot higher now. Markets get saturated so you gotta look for fresh new trends, not just copy stuff from 10 years ago. All of business is about staying on the cutting edge of the field. You have to innovate and offer new things. You have to be creative.

Edited August 6, 2023 by Leo Gura

[LSD-Rumi]

@Leo Gura Leo do you regret anything in the way you operated actualized.org? would you have done something differently?

[undeather]

This is the one I guess? 

Richard Purdy - YouTube

Quick feedback: 
1) You need to invest in better audio/video equipment.The audio in particular is absolutely terrible. There is so much self-help content out there - if you really want to grow your channel, this is an absolute must have.

2) You have zero on-screen charisma. Nobody will watch your videos and think: "Damn, that's how I want to be. Let's follow this guys advice, he sounds legit.". 

You need to work on the basics: Presentation skills, story-telling, body-language, tonality etc..

That's nothing unusual - I remember my first attempts in recording self-help content and it looked very similar!
You can do it!

Edited August 6, 2023 by undeather

[Recursoinominado]

Not an expert but i am planning to build a channel myself and doing research.

What i am seeing getting most views right now even for begginers is doing reaction videos on popular topics (like andrew tate, elon musk) or simply doing an video about them with their faces on the thumbnail and a clickbait tittle (i know, not high conscious but you gotta play the game).

It is like borrowing someone's else fame to attract views.

[Raze]

Record a podcast interviewing self help authors to draw in their audiences and take clips and turn them into YouTube shorts and tiktoks

[Thought Art]

You can play the views game or the value game. You can do both as you think about your long term strategy. 
 

I am growing my Qigong YouTube channel. It’s always going to be niche but it’s part of my marketing and community building. I just finished my first year. I have about 288 subscribers and have seen most of my growth in the past 3 months. It seems to be picking up speed. I am getting lots of comments, shares and likes. I am seeing regular students watching, and commenting on new Qigong routines and community posts. 
 

I have regular traffic the last few months of about 150 views per 48 hrs. My last few videos have seen a large boost in views and engagement which feels nice. In the beginning I got hardly any views and to get 300 in a day feels great especially because I made my videos to help people, not to get views. 

Even though my views are small, that’s fine. That’s because I am focused on being a creator, not a competitor. I am focused on offering authentic value and engaging with my small audience. I am improving my product each week that I make a video, research Qigong more, etc. 
 

I am growing my audience, building my skills, taking care of my self, studying, and trying to find a long term balance that will ultimately result in my success.

I am now building out a back end; funnels, news letters, online course, email lists, website, online products. The trick is to get the course sales to be largely automated in the long run. 
 

I see YouTube as a powerful tool for engaging and connecting with my audience/ students. I don’t see it as a main source of income in itself. But, because my brand and offer is movement based I focus on marketing and building my core audience through lots of free value. 

I often feel great joy and love as I think about my slow building Qigong business/ online school. I find it very beautiful. It’s joy only a life purpose level effort can create.

I am building one of the best online Qigong schools in the world I think. 

Edited August 6, 2023 by Thought Art

[Leo Gura]

6 hours ago, LSD-Rumi said:

@Leo Gura Leo do you regret anything in the way you operated actualized.org? would you have done something differently?

Of course in retrospect I could have done things better. It was a long learning curve because no one teaches you how to run such a thing. You learn through making mistakes.

[LSD-Rumi]

9 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Of course in retrospect I could have done things better. It was a long learning curve because no one teaches you how to run such a thing. You learn through making mistakes.

I see. I have a specific thing in mind if you don't mind asking. Would you have hidden your more advanced content behind a paywall?

[Leo Gura]

1 hour ago, LSD-Rumi said:

Would you have hidden your more advanced content behind a paywall?

I generally don't like doing that.

There are many ways I could have maximized my profits. But I didn't want to waste my time doing such things.

[LSD-Rumi]

47 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

I generally don't like doing that.

There are many ways I could have maximized my profits. But I didn't want to waste my time doing such things.

Not just for money, but to protect yourself from being canceled which obviously happened to you.