20-MINUTE YOUTUBER MASTERCLASS (MRBEAST, MKBHD, AND MORE)
Speaker 2 :
This is some of the best Youtube advice that you need to hear enjoy phase one is you make something and you post it. That’s it. You just got to post something sometimes somewhere. And believe it or not, a lot of you guys haven’t even done phase one, which is why I have to outline it. Number two is that you post something. Consistently, you create a cadence or a calendar around. When you post, you find a platform that you like, ideally one that you’re probably already using, and you just post again after you posted once and you say, you know what, this was seven days apart. If I do this every seven days, I will now be consistent. For me, I just know that there’s one day a week that I do all my marketing stuff. What I do on that day changes, but it’s always marketing related. And the big rule with volume that I have is that there’s no such thing as too long, only too boring. The second rule that I have is quality over quantity, but quality, quantity wins. Over quality. In order to know what is quality, it usually takes reps to get good. And so you will probably do a lot in the beginning and it will probably suck comma and that’s OK because it is a requisite for getting good. You start by sucking and then you get better and then eventually you suck so little you’re actually good. If my goal is just to be famous, which I don’t want, then I would be all in on tik tok. But here’s a different way of thinking about it. When I’m going to search for the new iPhone comes out, where do I go look for that video? I go to youtube.com and I type in the YouTube. Search box. That is where I want to live for those people who are searching for that information. If that answer ever changes, if it’s like the new phone came out, let me go into tik tok and see what people are saying about the phone, then I guess that is when I’ll feel that pressure. But I think for the people who feel the pressure to be relevant or the pressure for the eyeballs or the fame or something like that, then you’ll feel the pressure. Because tik tok is a hundred % accomplishing that now. The most viewed piece of content I have ever made in 15 years is a 12 second tik of me unfolding the g wing. 35 million views. If I wanted the eyeballs, I’d be all over tik tok. But I’m trying to make valuable content for them. And so that’s still Youtube You know what? Absolutely yes. Yes, anyone. Yes, you can be a YouTube today. I actually read that the number one new job, the number one job a lot of young people want today, isn’t astronaut. It isn’t pro athlete. It is an actor or policeman anymore. It’s YouTube. Which is? Crazy to me, because in 2009 you know, starting this literally zero, people had this as a job. Nobody was making a living making videos on the Internet. But here’s what I’ll say. Turning YouTube into a job is kind of like sports, kind of like basketball. Take basketball, for example, right? It’s never been easier to play basketball, to pick up basketball for the first time. All you need is a ball and a hoop, basically. And you can go play. You can play in a park. You can play in your backyard, you can play in a league, in a gym somewhere. But that’s not doing it as a job. And it’s the same. It feels the same as with any creative endeavor, but especially with making videos and putting them on Youtube It’s never been easier to grab a camera, the one you have in your smartphone, to start making shooting videos, editing videos. All of that. The barrier for entry has never been lower. But like basketball, there’s a very small number of people relatively that have combined luck and timing and of course hard work and dedication and skill to be able to turn it into their job and doing it for a living. But it’s it feels almost like two different categories of the same activity. So my advice for people asking is always if you want to start doing Youtube Imagine it like basketball in the park. Like if you could have fun doing that every day and never making a dime off of it, you’re going to have a great time. It’s fun, but I wouldn’t set that expectation of turning that into a job. There’s a lot more that comes with actually deciding you want to be a YouTube instead of just signing up and getting right going from the from the get go. So something to keep in mind. So I’m going to be honest, I never in a million years thought that I’d be able to make a fulltime living on Youtube I didn’t start a channel because I thought it would be wildly successful. I started it because it was just something that I couldn’t not do. You know, like all inclusive vacations or half price apps at Applebee’s. Except YouTube doesn’t give you diarrhea all the time sometimes sometimes it does. My experience on YouTube in the very beginning was just like anybody else who’s getting started out with zero subscribers. Nobody watched my videos, and I had a really difficult time building traction. I think the hardest hurdle for me to overcome in the beginning was investing time and energy into videos when nobody was watching them, and eventually you’re going to have to do that. If you want to build a following, you need to actually put effort and energy into your videos to help them to stand out. But I resisted that for so long and instead made videos that were easy to make or quick to make, and I was really hesitant to put the twenty thirty hours a week. Into my videos that I currently do. The little one is get going and this is like your first three videos. Now if you’re starting completely from scratch and you have 0 experience, then a huge hurdle that holds people up from starting a Youtube channel is actually just not getting started with the thing in the 1st place. So what I’d be doing is I’d just be making three videos. Maybe they’re shorts, maybe they’re videos that don’t even edit. Maybe I’m just making them on my phone and speaking to the camera and uploading them to a new Youtube channel. I would create a channel, create maybe some channel art on Canva or something like that, and this is kind of like the first three dates that you go on someone. If you’re in the dating world, you know you’re kind of getting to know them. You’re seeing if you vibe. And in those three videos, I get some pretty good insight into how I feel about making videos. I’m going to be absolutely terrible at it because like with any skill, it takes ages to get good at the thing. But at least at the start, I’ve made some kind of effort in doing it. Like, for example, if you’re watching this right now and you haven’t yet started a Youtube channel, I suspect the thing that’s holding you back is probably overthinking. I suspect it’s probably overthinking about your niche. What the hell do I make videos about? Why would anyone watch my content? Will people at my job respond poorly to the fact I have a Youtube Now, all of that overthinking just gets in the way of people. That’s why level one is to get going and just make those first three videos. So essentially, yes, at the end of the day, if you boil it down, what YouTube wants is they want people to click on a video and they want to watch it. Like at its core, that’s what it is. Now you can like, draw little lines and go as deep as you want. And to how to get people to click and how to get people to watch. I mean, essentially, by studying the algorithm, you’ll learn that you’re more studying. Human psychology, right? What do humans wanna watch? What do they find enjoying? Not cuz. Anytime you say the word algorithm, just replace it with audience and it works perfectly. Like the algorithm didn’t like that video. No, the audience didn’t like that video, you know cuz literally that’s it. If people are clicking and watching then it gets promoted more and that’s all that’s literally all the algorithm does is reflect what the people want two eighty. And if you deny that, you just make terrible videos that are trying to find a scapegoat. Like, I mean, there’s a reason everyone loves YouTube and, you know, spends hours of every single day on it. So far in this video, I’ve talked a lot about finding the right idea, the right title, because that’s what I have a lot of data on. But that just gets people to click. There’s this whole other side, and people have tried to copy your thumbnail strategy, copy your title strategy. But you’re a master of audience retention as well, of keeping people on the video. I guess it’s delivering on the video, but how do you hold people for so long and what are other people doing that’s killing their retention? Oh gosh, where do you begin? I mean, we’ll start at the beginning. Essentially your title and thumbnail set expectations and at the very beginning of the video to minimize drop off. You want to. Assure them that those expectations are being met. You click on a video where you know of his, where it’s like tether is a scam, and then at the very beginning he starts talking about literally anything else, then you are like, oh, this is bull, this is what I clicked on. But if at the very start of the video you go, tether is a scam and I’m gonna teach you why, then it’s like, OK, you match the expectations. So at the very beginning, match the expectations. And then you want to exceed them. Do you want to assure people that what they clicked on is what they’re getting and then blow their mind and be like, but you’re also getting even more. That’s how you lower drop off which a lot of people sometimes it takes them like 20 seconds to really meet the expectations. And so you lose like that’s where you’re going to lose everyone, everyone’s video start like this and then it levels off. So you wanna reduce the amount of people that click off on the audience for I hope you’re popping up graphs while I’m saying this so it’s easier for people to visualize. Wanted to check in to make sure that you’re enjoying this video, and if you are, make sure you hit that subscribe button and let’s keep going. I would say nearly every client I currently work with or I’ve worked with over the last three years, I have said the word slow down to this Minecraft channel I work with Dom Minecraft. I think I showed you one of the intros before. Yeah, he would tell you first hand. You think that’s fast? You should have seen what he was doing before he started working with me. Like, I’ve been like, hey Tom, you’re an incredible editor, you’re incredible. He’s a really good YouTuber and he’s really driven to succeed with his channel. But nearly every time he shows me the intro, I’m like, why did you cut that so fast? That just like, you should have let me like, dwell on the point you just made. They’re like, one of my biggest pet peeves is when someone, like, sets up a really big storyline that’s going to happen in the video. So for example, he tries to achieve something, he can’t achieve it. So then he says, I’m going to come back and attempt this later. It’s just. Classic retention, it’s just like, yeah, we’re going to come back and achieve this later. It’s a classic storyline. What people who do it too fast will say is like, oh, I couldn’t get this or come back and do this later, back next thing. You know, where it’s like, I want to hear, like this is a struggle. I really want to achieve this. So I’m going to come back and do this later and see if I can get and like, actually give me a bit of time to process what you’ve actually said. Sometimes people just use such vast language and such fast editing that. You can’t process the important moments. I really wanted to think of you 2 differently. And I really wanted to figure out a way to make the videos we’re making not feel exploitative. Did not tell me you brought the graph. I brought the graph. Oh, my gosh, you brought the graph. You have this happening. I feel like I’m giving a Ted talk. Sir, give us a Ted talk. Ok, everyone. So and so thank you for doing this. So, Ryan, Tran’s Ted talk begins. Now this is like, this is basically the framework we developed. It’s redemptive work versus exploitative work. And if you look at the what, how, why, you’re basically seeing that the what of exploitative work, which is in my opinion the idea of like retention hacking. Like not making a good video, just doing something that’s good enough for people to click on it and then hopefully making an experience that’s good enough to where they watch the whole thing. So you make money, goal is numbers, views, money, redemptive work. The difference is what we build is we create for restoration. The whole goal of the video is different. It’s not for. Rewards profit. It’s for restoration in the consumer. And so the ideas have totally shifted from how do I strive, how do I like it? Control and it’s such a loving like it’s almost like a maternal approach to work. It was just so beautiful to me. And finally the why this is like the coolest to me exploited a version of doing anything we win by force. Doesn’t matter what it takes. Doesn’t matter who hurt gets hurt in the process. And so to me that’s just like a level of even treating your team right and even like treating the people around you right that help you make what you make because. Redempted version of that is we serve for the greater good. The idea of like being able to serve for the greater good is so much more empowering than trying to win by force. It seems like all of us rather than exactly me or this group exactly yeah. And it’s such a crazy picture. Like it’s like this picture of just like holding weapons to get what you want versus arms open. I really encourage anyone who feels like they’re like what they’re creating or what they’re doing is like exploitative and doesn’t feel right. So just like try to shift the exact, the exact same product, like shift how you do it and you can actually achieve the same thing in a much more loving way. It’s really changed my life. And even just like from a career perspective and even like people I work with, it’s just so fun and. I feel like I could do forever. When I think of this, like whenever it was exploitative, I feel like, OK, maybe a few more months. When you’re operating out of fear, yeah, when you’re operating and trying to get what you want, forcing it to make it happen, there’s. This huge part of your brain that’s just dedicated to the worries and stress and anxiety and how am I going to make this happen? How am I going to make what I don’t want happen not happen, but now you’re you can go with the flow a lot more and just know that your mission is there already being accomplished. It’s like less outcome dependent too, because you’re not worried about the audience validating it. Like when you give a gift, it’s just a gift you’re not worried about. Like, is this going to give me enough energy back to be able to create the next video? And so I feel like I was burning out for years and years.
Speaker 3 :
Now, throughout this research period, the second question that I would ask myself is what am I good at and what am I genuinely interested in? Now, if you were someone who’s using Youtube because you have a business and you want to get more customers, you likely already know the direction that you want to take your channel. Whereas for someone like me, when I started my Youtube journey, I didn’t have a business. I didn’t care about getting customers. I wanted to do Youtube for fun, and more importantly, I wanted to be an influencer. I wanted to grow my subscriber rate. That was my initial objective of why I wanted. To start Youtube because I knew I wanted to be a you tuber. I wasn’t 100 % clear on what videos I should be creating. And looking back, I think it’s really important to find topics that you’re genuinely interested in because You Tube is hard. There are going to be times where your patience is tested. There’s going to be times where you might feel like you want to give up. But if you are someone who’s doing Youtube and you’re sharing topics that you’re genuinely interested in, that’s going to give you a competitive edge over someone who wants to do You Tube just for the sake of doing you. And is trying to copy and paste what other people are doing now. Of course I don’t want you to overthink this too much because overtime you are going to evolve as a creator. For example, when I started my channel I was genuinely interested in helping people quit the nine of five. And this is a topic that I could talk endlessly about four years ago. But as I grew in age and experience in maturity, my interests also shifted and you can see my channel shifting along with my interests as well. But All in all. I ersonally think that if you want to create longevity for yourself on this platform, it’s going to be really important that you find a reason outside of getting subscribers and outside of making money if you want to stand the test of time. Now, if you were someone who was uncertain on how you can answer this question of what am I good at or what am I genuinely interested in? I highly recommend that you ask your friends and family for an objective opinion. One thing that I like to do is I like to ask people what they believe my strengths are or what they believe is something that comes extremely easy to me, that doesn’t come easy to them. That’s how I found my niche about social media. I didn’t realize how good I was about social media until people told me. And a lot of times when you’re genuinely good at. Something or you’re genuinely passionate about something. It seems really easy. And when something comes easy, it’s easy for us to discount that and think that it’s not worth starting a channel about. Because we think that, oh, if it’s easy, anyone can do it. But the truth is that your secret sauce is in the things that come easy to you. Because there are plenty of things that you’re really good at that other people aren’t good at, and that is going to be the secret sauce of your.
Speaker 1 :
Channel this summer like during in June, like June 1st. I was just like, I hated my school. I hated my social life. And I was like, this sucks. I’ve always wanted to start a Youtube because, like, what kid doesn’t? I don’t know. I really wanted to start a Youtube So I was like, all right, let’s do this. So I made it like, look, book. Oh, God. Lord tell me I made-up OK yeah, I seen it. I’m so glad. Don’t ever look. I watched. I’m not kidding first.
Speaker 3 :
Video on your channel i.
Speaker 2 :
Watched it. Let’s pull it up right now. Actually, let’s watch it together. It’s so cringe, but I’m leaving it for like to show my growth. I’m leaving it to show my growth. I tried to be like some sort of like I was.
Speaker 3 :
Trying to be a.
Speaker 1 :
Lifestyle, you doer, you know? That’s what everyone does in the beginning, is that they copy what everyone else is doing. What’s doing well right now, like with girls, anyways, beauty stuff. I’m not that type, but I was like, you know what? I’m just going to do it anyway. So like for the first maybe 20 videos, no, 10 was like doing these weird like girly videos and I am so not like that and it was so hard for me and it was like mentally hard cuz I’m like this is so not sustainable for me. I will definitely run out of ideas in like 5 minutes. No one watched me. I mean it took me so long in the beginning like it was like I wasn’t gaining any subscribers, but I was posting every single day. I was worried.
Speaker 3 :
Every day every and.
Speaker 1 :
You were still in high school? At this point it was summer, OK, and I just did not care. I’m like, well, I want to do well at this and I’m gonna. I don’t no one was watching my videos. I was literally getting 5 views per video and I was like remoting. No, I no one on my social media knew about it. No one. I didn’t. No one knew I had it. I didn’t tell anyone until I literally had like 5K And I was like very secretive about it. I didn’t hang out with anyone over the summer. I literally made these stupid videos in the beginning. Then who filmed them? Me but my dad also helped my dad because my dad’s like, you know, he has like a nice camera. He’s like an artist. He like, knows about like, composition and shit. He takes some of my photos too. And so, like, he really, and he was like, you need to do something creative because you’re literally. You’re literally I was so in. I was in such a bad mental place and I because I had nothing. I was like my life is so boring. Like I’m so bored. And so I was like, I need and I was just dwelling on like everything else. I needed a distraction. Youtube did that for me, as corny as it is. And so I kind of like started to figure out like that, like the videos I would do, where was like my personality and like me just like doing whatever and like being random, like when that kind of started like snowballing not like subscriber wise, but like with me, like I was coming up with a bunch of ideas and it just snowballed because when you’re doing something that’s like your own, like it was my, at that point, it was uncharted territory kind of. And so then I like made a vlog about like getting a fidget spinner and it was like my first vlog ever and it was so fun for me and I was like, I’m never going back to that old beauty shit. So then I kind of like made normal like, or the video is kind of like what I’m making now. And then I made that. And that was like it took about, I think it took about a month to get my first 100 Subs.
Speaker 3 :
Ok. And this was like a year ago or what?
Speaker 1 :
Oh no. This was like 5 months ago in June what? Yeah, it was really. It was this has been this is so insane. It just went from like. So it was like this summer this thing started. By the time school started I had about one hundred k i made this car vlog. Basically was my first car vlog in this video got like hundred thousand views how? Like how it just took off. Like it’s just something about it. Maybe the way I tagged it, maybe the fact that it was like my first time driving alone. That was the video. It was my first time driving alone, and it was like I just got my license and so.
Speaker 3 :
You just got your oh, yeah, I guess you’re 16. Yeah, so I just five months ago you just got your license. That’s crazy.
Speaker 1 :
And I’m still driving. I’m driving everywhere. I’m like, that’s my thing. That was really fun for me, and I like that. And so I kind of incorporated that into my videos now i love doing. That’s my favorite thing. I love driving blogs.
Speaker 1 :
It took me 7 years to hit 1000000 subscribers. It took one year to hit 2000000 eight months to hit 3000000 six months to hit 4000000 and then three months to hit 5000000 So that there’s definitely been a sort of you know a curve hockey stick. Yeah but I think people, they kind of misplace where that comes from. I think people have this idea that if you’re big on YouTube you’ll just keep getting bigger on YouTube. But I think what actually happens is that you’re big on YouTube because you’re starting to understand what works. And therefore, you get bigger because you’re implementing what works. So have you heard the saying that, like, create what you want to create and your passion will show through and people will find you? Okay because I’ve heard it a lot, and I actually strongly disagree with it because I think it makes the creators think that, like, they’re the prize, they’re the customer, when actually it’s the viewers, and it’s a privilege to be able to create for them. But you can’t be complacent about that. They’re not going to come to you just because I’m making stuff I like making. There’s too many people who are doing that for that to be the case. So you have to really respect people’s time and really deliver value to them.
