As we’re ending up the first month of 2022, we want to share 16 questions that will help you grow your channel further in 2022.

These are some HARD questions that will expose areas of opportunities in your channel.

Let’s get into it.

1. Am I getting the results that I want from my channel?

It’s important to first recognize what results you want from your channel. So many creators that initially come to us want more views and subscribers and we always come back with… “well, how many do you want?”

We’re all for helping creators grow their channels, but this mentality of just wanting to grow ambiguously, you will never be satisfied and you’ll have nothing to celebrate because there is no goal you’re aiming to hit or no way to tell if you’re making a difference.

To answer this question, just make sure you first understand what specific results you want and that they’re measurable.

2. What results do I want?

So, how do you figure out what measurable results you want? What we usually ask our clients before we start working with them is:

What would a win look like to you?

If ONE thing changed by the end of the quarter, what would that one thing be that would move your channel or business forward?

That’s likely the result you should be striving for, whether that is more leads to your email list, more subscribers, more views, etc.

Figure out the ONE thing you actually want.

3. When I see other people get the results that I want, what are those results?

This is another way for you to help yourself narrow down what you ACTUALLY want.

4. What kind of person do I need and want to serve in order to get what I want?

With this question, you’re going to re-evaluate WHO you’re trying to reach. This is SO important because if you don’t know EXACTLY who you’re reaching… there’s no way you’re going to achieve the results you’re looking for.

Your viewer needs to feel like the content is EXACTLY for them. You can’t just go after views or all women or all men that are between 18-65.

You’ve got to know this person’s name, their wants, their desires, why they can’t have what they want, what would happen if they did finally get what they want, what kind of car they drive, what do they do for a living, etc. It needs to be really specific and you need to know this person as if they were your best friend.

(Hint: this person is often you from years ago before you had the knowledge you do now)

5. What does this person need from me?

The best way to figure this out is to first identify each problem that your target audience or customer has in each step of their journey and then identify how you, your brand, or business can solve each problem throughout their journey.

6. Does my current content align with what this person wants and needs from me?

As you go through the previous questions, use it as a measuring stick to evaluate if your current content is delivering on what your audience needs from you.

7. Does my current content align with what I want from my audience?

Are you JUST creating content that never calls your audience to your lead magnet, your email list, etc?

Are you making it easy for them to find you in the way you’re trying to reach them?

If not, how can you begin to make changes so that this happens?

If yes, keep doing what you’re doing! We’re just making sure this is measurable and that you are on the right track to perform well in 2022.

8. What are the differences between my content and the creators who get what I want?

What is your competition doing? Are they creating broader content? Are they niched down content? Do they have a different style of content? Are they more personable?

What are the gaps between what your content is vs. what your competition is doing who are performing like you want to perform?

What is the difference?

9. Do my titles and thumbnails “pop” (or stand out) as much as the creators who are getting the results that I want?

If you compared your thumbnails vs. your competition that is getting the results you want… whose does your eye gravitate to first?

(If you want to be subjective – ask people.)

10. Do my title and thumbnails stand out MORE than the creators who are getting results i want?

They need to at LEAST be up to par with your competition, but you also want to be different from your competition as well.

If you’re not there yet, there are SO many valuable videos and courses on how to use Photoshop, Canva, or design intriguing thumbnails.

We understand this is partially objective, but there are also basic design principles that are important to learn. Study other “successful” thumbnails to learn what is working for them and what’s not and apply those principles (without copying the thumbnails) on your own channel.

11. Do my title and thumbnails stand out from every other creator that could be on the viewer’s homepage?

We typically recommend targeting the viewer’s homepage vs. search as a source of traffic because some of our most valuable viewers come from here because they are naturally the person we’re looking to serve if they come from these traffic sources.

If we’re targeting the homepage, as creators, we are competing against not just the creators in our niche, but the ENTIRE homepage.

So, if your titles and thumbnails aren’t strong enough yet, it’s less likely you’ll be able to draw viewers from the homepage.

12. Is my style of content up to par with creators getting the results I want?

The best writers read the most and the best creators watch the most YouTube.

Most creators watch a lot of YouTube before they begin creating and stop or watch significantly less once they do. It’s so important to continue to learn from other creators — both in your niche and outside of it.

What are they doing? What stories are they telling? How are they shooting? Where are they creating emotional connections with their viewers? How are they providing value? How are they keeping you engaged to keep watching the entirety of their video?

We encourage our Video Labs students to literally write these things down in a notebook so they can take these lessons they learn and apply it to their own channels.

It’s usually when we discuss what they’re learning that they realize how much work and skill it really takes to be successful on YouTube.

13. Do I have the same variety of content as the creators who get what I want?

Is your competition making a larger variety of content that is getting them discovered? If so….

14. Do I even want to make the same variety of content?

If so, go for it!

If not, you might need to be okay with getting different results. You may just be more niched down – which is fine – but you’ll need to take that creator out of your comparison list.

15. Do I provide the same amount of opportunities for viewers to connect with my personal story?

Who are the creators you go back to again and again? Who do you feel the most connected to on YouTube?

Go to their videos and pay attention to how many times they share a personal experience (no matter how small the details).

Where can you throw in parts of your story in your content? Can you create more opportunities for this in your content?

16. Am I as vulnerable with my audience as the creators that get what I want?

Similar to the previous question, the majority of large creators always share something personal.

We’re not saying you have to disclose personal details you are uncomfortable with… but something that humanizes you and establishes a connection with your viewer.

What do you think? I know, I know… some of these are tough and will require sitting down with these and discussing them with your team or taking some time to journal your own thoughts or do some research… but I promise it’s SO worth it!

If you feel like you could use more help thinking through these questions, listen to the full podcast episode on these questions above.

You can always book a call with us too if you just need another human to roll ideas off of.

We’re so excited to support you in 2022! Let’s go!

Keep changing lives,

Tim