I got a Google+ account and YouTube channel at the beginning of 2014. At the onset of 2015, I started my YouTube career, and now, a year later, I've produced over 100 videos across several different series, including a news talk show, a podcast, and a personal vlog.
It's been an insane amount of work, and I have over 8,000 views and 66 subscribers to show for it so far. I really do think this is great, especially since the primary reason for doing this is an intrinsic desire to make video content, because it's a fun process. But for some, including the more critical version of myself, a double-digit subscriber count and thousands of views spread throughout my entire channel is not enough, especially compared to my peers who garnered thousands of subscribers with fewer videos and shorter form content.
When I look at YouTube, I see two broad categories of content creators. There are those who fit the mainstream bill of being personable and showing the audience around their lives. For these examples, think Tyler Oakley or Good Mythical Morning. The other category tries to fit a more definitive niche. These could include let’s players, movie reviewers, and certain comedians like Smosh or PewDiePie. These channels can get just as much attention, if not more views, than others of the former category.
For both types of YouTube content (and believe me, there are infinite subdivisions of these), it can be difficult to become popular in the beginning weeks, months, and even years of having a channel. Depending on search algorithms, keywords and tags, and social networking skills, your channel could take off with a little extra luck, but it could also lay in obscurity, despite your best efforts to accomplish otherwise.
Therefore, I find it better to come to peace with the viewers and fans that I have instead of wishing time away to a future where I have a more-viewed channel. The most important thing to keep in mind if you want to get into the YouTube game, of course, is to make sure the work is fun, and that the content you produce is worthwhile.
Other ideas that might help you gain traction on one of the largest user-generated content platforms on the Internet include diversifying your online portfolio by producing different types of videos and collaborating with other artists online. These factors in your channel planning are also especially important if you would rather rely on producing substantially informative, as well as entertaining, content instead of making BuzzFeed-esque clickbait that doesn't have a lot of depth.
What we make and what we watch is subjective to the billions who frequent YouTube every day, so it's most important to do it for yourself with the hopes of making it big before you actually do.
If you want to check out my YouTube channel and its various programming: Eric’s Life, Voices of Eagles, Nintendo Versus and more, you can visit my channel link here.
