YouTube… is this where we all should be? 🤔
Sharing YouTube tips and my 2025 marketing strategy 🦋
This Week’s Focus: YouTube 📺
Here’s my teeny channel that I have def neglected… that said I have helped clients to;
monetize a channel (non-profit)
getting close to monetization on another (voice experts)
building another from scratch (jazz pianist)
The following is what I have learned from watching and listening to others AND watching what happens with the actions I take on client accounts.
The biggest current takeaways?
🦋 Personal brand is REALLY how you sell things.
🦋 Using the app on your phone (I KNOW 😬 ) helps A LOT
🦋 Going live (or seeming to be live) is KEY.
What kinda doesn’t seem to matter?
NOT your posting schedule
Staying in a “niche”
Number of subscribers
Super fancy editing
What DOES matter?
Being yourself (I know, I know, corny but true and loads easier)
Using the description and channel brand info to the ABSOLUTE MAX
VERY good audio - then VERY good lighting - THEN very good content
Use your passions and life experience to fuel your content, that makes it so much easier to be “for realz”.
Rick Beato (one of my fave YouTubers) just said “YouTube is CRUSHING traditional media”. Check out these crazy stats 😳 on SocialBlade…. Yeah, I know. #justsayin.
Let’s go and get a piece of this delicious pie. 🥧
Here’s how you can do this:
Simple Set Up: Make it super easy to make a video ANY time ANY day.
Minimum Tech: Use a mic and a smartphone or camera, natural lighting or use a ring or box light to keep production simple but effective.
Thumbnails Do Matter: Focus on creating eye-catching, simple thumbnails that pass the “glance” and “shrink” tests. LESS text, please!
On-Camera: Practice, practice, practice! Build confidence on camera by dedicating time to rehearse and explore training programs if needed.
Getting started basics
1. Create a Gmail Account: You need this to start your YouTube channel.
2. Brand Your Channel: Customize your channel with branding, links, and a trailer. DO NOT OVERTHINK. None of this is static you can (and should) always update and tweak.
3. Use Analytics: Track performance, identify what works, and optimize your videos.
4. Content Creation Tools: Descript, Canva, ChatGPT, LinkTw.in are your best friends for scaling content.
5. Monetize & Manage: Once you hit 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours, you will meet the monetization requirements. Use YouTube Studio for managing uploads, comments, analytics and engagement.
Optimize your Channel for Growth
Keyword Research: Use tools like YouTube Suggest and TubeBuddy to find untapped video keywords. Use them in the description and SAY them.
Watch Time Focus: Create longer, engaging content optimized for increased watch time. 10-20 mins is a sweet spot but don’t limit yourself.
SEO Strategy: Use keyword-rich titles, detailed descriptions, and relevant tags for better visibility.
Playlists: Use them strategically to boost watch session time and promote your content.
Promote Effectively: Turn those viewers into subscribers! Don’t always do an intro, stop constantly asking for follows and subscribes. Create Shorts from your long-form videos and link them!
Practical Tips from Successful Creators I Watch
Stop Focusing Your “Niche”: SRSLY, this one makes me crazy. Don’t force yourself into a niche. Instead, let your passions guide your content. It’s easier to talk about your passions AND allows for creativity.
Launch & Learn: STOP WAITING! (I am yelling at myself lovingly too)! Start creating videos and improve along the way. It’s great to make lots of videos when your channel is smaller. Less pressure to be “great”.
Editing & Music: Free tools like DaVinci Resolve and Epidemic Sound can help enhance video production. I think Descript is the absolute bees knees and use it for nearly all of my video editing. Capcut is in 2nd place since I can use it on my iPhone 15 Pro Max when on the go.
YouTube Growth Strategy
Shorts vs. Long-Form: My experience shows that creating shorts from long form video and then linking that to each other works extremely well. Shorts can increase visibility. Both formats have their pros and cons—find the right balance for your content.
Community Engagement: Just like any platform engagement is key. Ask questions and use pinned comments to build that engagement with your audience. Answer replies in a timely fashion (doesn’t have to be right away and NO NEED to address trolls).
Mindset
YouTube isn’t just about subscriber counts; it’s a business tool. Treat it as such. Consistency, patience, and value-driven content are all keys to YouTube success. And courage and heart, friends. Loads and loads of it.
YouTube growth is a journey and one you need to enjoy. Stay consistent, invest in yourself, and remember to focus on building authentic connections with your audience.
My 2025 marketing strategy:
Write my stuff on Substack and Medium
Do a video podcast about it AND/OR interview someone about it
Post it on pod channels and YouTube
Create shorts and post on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook
Continue this pattern and reach 1000s of people and make recurring revenue on YouTube
OK THAT’S ENOUGH!
If you have more specific questions about YouTube ask away! This is by NO means comprehensive but it can definitely getcha going.
I’m with you,
Karen
PS… if you need one-to-one help with your socials, book me for a strategy session here!