Bigger isn’t better. And broader isn’t better either. If you cast the widest net, you will catch the most fish, right? It sounds good, but we have found that if you talk to everyone, you connect with no one.

So many of the creators we work with are struggling with this. They can’t come up with content ideas, connect with their viewers, or keep their viewers coming back to their channel. And all of this is because their channels are way too generic. If you are in this boat, don’t worry. Today I will walk you through how to fix it.

Creator Spotlight

But first, I want to introduce you to Russ. On his channel, ​MANA Performance Golf,​ he talks about how to use physiotherapy to improve your golf game. His business started as a brick and mortar location, but then he decided to expand on YouTube to help reach more people and change more lives. After working with us, he realized that his branding was far less important than just drawing viewers in with his thumbnails, hook, etc. People don’t care who you are until they see how you are going to help them.

His advice to new creators is to play the long game. Each video is an opportunity to learn and improve. We 100% agree with that. If you are someone who would like some support in learning how to improve your channel and you don’t know where to start, we would love to hop into a quick ​15 min discovery call​ to just see what your needs are and talk about how we come alongside you and help.

The Power of Specificity

I say it all the time. “Optimize for people, not robots.” If you want to succeed on YouTube, you need that human connection. Those emotional connections will be so much stronger if that viewer feels like you are talking directly to them. If you understand their needs, their struggles, and who they are at their core, your viewers will not only “like and subscribe,” but be a die-hard fan for life.

And this is helpful for you as well. Knowing EXACTLY who you are talking to is going to allow you to have so much clarity around your channel and allow those content ideas to flow.

Who is your Content for?

So how do you get here? Well, you DON’T get here, by just looking at your demographics. Think about who you want to reach, not necessarily who is already watching. Who do you want to help? Look forward to your ideal audience who hasn’t even found you yet, not back to who happens to have stumbled onto your channel already.

When you’re trying to define your target audience, look past basic information you’d find on a police report: Male, 18-24, English speaking, etc. Dig deeper than that. What is their story? Building on the example of the 18-24 male, is this person in college? Are they taking classes? How much free time do they have? How much expendable income do they have? How does this affect your channel and how you help them in their life?

Often creators are trying to reach a past version of themselves. This information helped them, so they want to help others. If this is the case for you, it’s helpful because you already know so much of your viewer’s background. Dig into that. What did you want? What was it in your story that caused you to need this content? Don’t just think of what your audience wants, but why do they want it and why are you the person to help them get it?

Defining your Ideal Viewer

Make it personal! Give your ideal viewer a name. Let’s call him Bob. What does Bob like and dislike? What does he enjoy doing? In his life right now, what is his biggest struggle? What is driving him to look for your content? What is the emotional impact of your content on his life? Why does Bob need your content the way that you present it?

You need to dig below the surface. It needs to be further than, this person wants to know how to hang a picture. Really, they want to create a space that showcases memories for all their family to enjoy. It’s more than making money for your viewer. It’s the freedom to spend time with family and watch their kids grow.

Honing into your ideal viewer isn’t something that you do one time and you’re done. You can redefine your audience and pivot if needed. We reevaluate and redefine our audience every year to make sure we are really helping the audience that we want to help and meeting their needs effectively. I encourage you to do the same.

Affecting Your Content

So how does knowing this affect your content? Our job as content creators is to spark curiosity. That’s what we need to do to draw people in with our titles, thumbnails and hooks. So knowing this information is key to sparking that ideal viewer’s curiosity. What is intriguing to them? What will draw them in?

Also, try to use their language in the content of your video. You want them to think, “Oh man! This video is for me. They are talking directly to me!” This makes titling content easier. The job of your title isn’t to describe your video. It is to draw in your ideal viewer and using their language is a powerful tool to do that. Pitch the benefit/reward that your viewer wants to draw them in.

Value Proposition

Now that you know who your ideal viewer is and what they’re looking for, you need to communicate why your content is the place for them to find it. If a random person asked you why they should subscribe to your YouTube Channel, what would you say? Instead of saying “Subscribe to my YouTube channel because I….” Turn it around to say “Subscribe to my YouTube channel because you…” And follow it up with “so that what?” Here’s an example: Subscribe to my channel because you’ll get guitar tips. So that what? So that you can play the songs you always dreamed of playing. So that what? So that you can be a confident guitar player. So that what? So that you feel fulfilled with your musical abilities. Etc.

Your value propostion will allow you to stand out from the crowd. There are a million guitar channels, but packaging your material where this message comes across, will resinate with your viewers and connect with them emotionally in a way that the others don’t.

Communicating this to your Audience

The easiest way to do this is to look at your channel page. Put your value proposition into your channel trailer. Portray your value proposition in your channel banner. When a viewer goes to your channel page and sees that this channel is for me, that’s when they will subscribe.

This value prop can be shared in your branded intro and in your creeds as well. If you’re crafting a discoverable video, this viewer doesn’t know you. This is a really quick practical way to allow your viewer to have that emotional connection and realize this content is for them, specifically. The more you can organically work in your value proposition, the more emotional connections you will make.

Our only warning, is don’t fall into the trap of being a robot in your delivery of this. If every video begins and ends with the exact same wording in the exact same way, it begins to feel salesy and inauthentic. To avoid this, try to have variations and weave it into your content organically instead of forcing it into every video.

Just remember, by creating content that resonates deeply with your viewers you can foster a stronger sense of connection and loyalty. The more you know about your audience, the better your content will serve them and the faster your channel will grow.

Power Tip

If you have 20K Subs, you now have the ability to tag products and brands in your video as you talk about them. They can click and purchase directly from your video and you will receive a portion of those proceeds as well.

Keep changing lives!

Tim Schmoyer

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