Do you feel like you’ve heard the same, regurgitated, YouTube advice after watching video after video titled something like “How to Get 1,000 Subscribers Fast”?

You’re doing everything and following all the advice from the experts, but you’re still not getting the results you want.

There may be advice you’ve heard that’s actually HOLDING YOU BACK from the results you want in your business and on YouTube. Here are the myths you want to avoid and how to shift your strategy instead.

  1. What you believe as a business (or brand) doesn’t matter. Stop trying to help everyone under the sun. Of course, you want more people to watch your videos, buy your products, etc. but if you try to reach everyone, you’ll end up reaching no one.
  2. It’s all about eyeballs. More exposure does not equal better results. Don’t chase the views, chase your ideal customer because if you’re getting a ton of views… but they’re all clicking off your video fast, it’s going to tank your channel.
  3. The instant success paradox. Creators often think they can come onto YouTube and become an instant success because they may have the budget for a nicer camera, editing, ads, etc. Here’s the thing though… no one cares about that. It’s all about connecting with your viewer on an emotional level.
  4. Views are the most important currency on YouTube. Watchtime is actually the “golden currency” on YouTube. The longer a viewer stays on your video, the more YouTube will promote your content. You don’t want views for the sake of views. You want views from your ideal audience that will watch the majority of your video because they’re the right person/the person it was made for.
  5. Production value is the key to success. Channels like Dad, How Do I? and Mr. Beast have proved that you can get started with a webcam or your phone and still be successful on YouTube. Emotional connection wins every time. Learning to be a good storyteller and connect with your audience on an emotional level is what will help you find success on YouTube.
  6. If it’s video, it has to live on YouTube. Businesses might have different reasons to have different videos – like documentaries, commercials, ads, etc. They don’t all have to be put up on YouTube. It might actually be hurting your channel.
  7. You should upload a bad video because you need to stay consistent. There are plenty of channels that upload great videos 1x a month and perform really well. Consistency is important, yes, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a daily vlogger. Quality definitely beats quantity on YouTube. You probably wouldn’t watch videos you don’t care about because that person posts more. Same rules apply.
  8. Throw up all your videos all at once (or as soon as you upload them). We actually recommend doing the opposite of this. When you pop up on someone’s subscription feed with 4 videos… it’s too much for your audience to absorb. They don’t like you that much. Spread it out and use that time to create and optimize your titles, thumbnails, and engage with your audience as they come out.
  9. A view is a view. A view that comes from an ad typically doesn’t perform nearly the same way as an organic view does. Not all views are created equal.
  10. Getting viewers to your website (or making a sale) is the goal of every video. YouTube is a business and it really wants viewers to stay on the platform. We love a good sales video and there’s nothing wrong with having your website in the description of every video, but the action step for each video should NOT be to take your viewer off the platform. This can hurt your channel.
  11. Tell them how great you are. So. many. brands. do. this. People DON’T care about you or your business. They care about how it can help them.
  12. You have to be cool to win on YouTube. You don’t have to be “cool”, you just have to be helpful.
  13. It costs a lot right away. You don’t need to have an ad budget, buy a new camera, or have a fancy studio to get started with YouTube. Mr. Beast just used his phone to film until he got to 200K subscribers. Use what you have and just get started!

For my full talk on these myths, listen to the podcast above.

Did you have any myths busted? Let me know!

Thanks for reading.

Keep changing lives,

Tim

Learn more about Dane Golden and VidTarget at https://vidtarget.io/

Schedule a YouTube channel consultation with us and let’s plan your next steps for growing your channel: https://videocreators.com/youtube-certified-consultant/