Our latest session of just ended and it’s always a bittersweet time for me. I hate seeing the class go, but I love hearing about how much they learned and the results they are seeing on their channels.

I usually get my class together to share some of the “lightbulb” moments they had in the class in hopes that it can be a “lightbulb” moment for our readers and listeners.

Here are the 6 things they did to grow their YouTube channels.

  1. Identify your target audience. Most people have a general idea of who they’re making videos for. But one question I ask my students that always gets them thinking is ‘why should people care about your videos?’. How are your videos different than other videos in your niche? What value are you providing? If you’re not sure where to start, start with yourself. You’re likely already making videos based off your interests or what you wish you knew earlier.
  2. Identify your value proposition. This really goes hand in hand with your target audience. Who are you making videos for and why should they care about your videos? What’s the DEEPER meaning? Why does it matter if someone is healthier? Is it so that they live long enough to see their grandkids? What about a gaming channel? Is it to create a space of belonging for a kid being bullied? If you can identify this and make videos that bring value to your target audience, you’re winning at YouTube.
  3. Research. When you know who you’re making videos for, you’ll have a better idea of what videos to make. Use things like Facebook groups, YouTube search, and YouTube comments to get ideas for new videos. Notice what questions people are asking about your niche. Is there a video you could make in response to questions a lot of people have? Use this to experiment with new videos and see what performs well!
  4. Use story. A lot of our students with how-to channels really struggled with the concept of using story in their videos, but it’s so important, regardless of your niche, to use story. Stories are what connect us emotionally together. We dive into how to do this a little more in Video Labs, but .
  5. Pick ONE call to action. If you’ve watched YouTube at all, you’re probably used to hearing a creator say “don’t forget to like, subscribe, turn on the bell for notifications, and comment down below”. That’s like when someone is trying to give you directions somewhere when you know you’re just going to ignore it and use your GPS anyway. Don’t confuse people. Pick ONE call to action to give to your viewers so they know what a natural next step is to engage with your brand.
  6. Be a student of YouTube. One of the things that takes up the most time for our Video Labs students is when we make them study other channels and take notes. It ends up being really helpful for them to study different filming, editing, and storytelling styles. If you want to stay “fresh” on YouTube and find new inspiration or just get better, make sure you’re studying it and watching a lot of it (especially outside of your niche)!

Having any lightbulb moments yet? We’d love to hear about them!

Thanks for reading!

Keep changing lives,

Tim

REGISTER FOR VIDEO LABS: https://videocreators.com/video-labs/

CREATORS IN THIS EPISODE
– Dimitra’s Dishes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkGxxHdqlH3snkPaelh7VMg
– Hawthorn Law: https://www.youtube.com/hawthornlaw
– Go See Christy: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4XGWX6eheTisHo8UBsdOWA
– Ski PT: https://www.youtube.com/c/SkiPTCynthia
– Cooking with Kalisha: https://www.youtube.com/user/CookingWithKalisha