YouTube Success: Do’s and Don’ts to Win Big

Do you want to have a successful YouTube channel? Pay attention.
When I first started out, I spent so much time trying to figure out how to do this YouTube thing. I have a family. I need to support people. How do I make enough money on YouTube? How do I do this full-time? Is it even feasible? How do I earn enough? I’m willing to work. I love to work. I love what I do. I’m ready to do what it takes to make my YouTube channel support me and earn enough money.

I got completely caught up in all of it: What should I do? How do I organize everything? I know so many others starting out with small channels struggle with the same questions. Here’s what I wanted to know: How do I get subscribers? You see these channels working hard and gaining 10, 20, 30 subscribers. How do I get 50k, 100k, 500k subscribers? That means I need viewers. How do I get people to watch my videos so I can get enough views for the algorithm to notice me?

At the time, it was daunting. There are so many people on YouTube, so many channels. And I thought: I’m just me. How will I get all these people? I hear about successful channels, videos with millions of views. That’s so rare. How does Kevin do it? How do I succeed? How do I get popular? How do I get viewers to come to my channel? I’m not trying to be famous, but my channel needs to be popular to attract viewers who subscribe, watch, and help the channel grow.

I remember tearing my hair out: How do I get paid promotions? I see YouTubers getting promotions, products to advertise, earning commissions. How do you really do that? Monetization: I think it’s 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours. How do you reach that if nobody watches your videos? No matter how many subscribers you have, if no one watches, you don’t get watch hours.

And then, how do I earn money? I have bills, a house, gear, a family to feed. How do I do this full-time?

You could spend thousands on courses showing how to become a full-time YouTuber, or watch videos of creators with millions of views. They all tell you what to do, but mostly it works for already established creators – not for beginners.

For beginners, these are not the right answers. You need to ask the right questions to get the right answers.

Wrong questions often asked:

• Make great thumbnails. Sure.
• Make great titles. Sure.
• Use keywords. Helps, but not enough.
• Use end screens and cards. Alone, it won’t grow your channel.
• Post one video a week. Good if you can, otherwise you’ll burn out.
• Collaborate. Sometimes works, often doesn’t for small channels.
• Understand the algorithm. Tips from big YouTubers don’t apply to beginners.

These tips aren’t wrong – they’re valid – but they alone don’t make you successful. After years, I realized the right question is simple:

“How do I make YouTube love me?”

If YouTube loves your channel:

• videos get promoted,
• more people watch,
• more subscribe,
• your channel grows,
• older videos get promoted,
• you monetize faster,
• you get paid promotions,
• companies pay you to advertise products.

In short, if YouTube loves you, you have everything you need to succeed. Your goal: Do whatever it takes to make YouTube love you. Everything else follows.

Tip: Tape a note: “Does this make YouTube love me?” at your workspace. Every time you film, edit, or script, check: Does this help YouTube love me?

If YouTube loves you, you win. Period.