We just wrapped the YouTube breakthrough challenge, and it was EPIC.
I call it the “Breakthrough Challenge” because my goal is to guide the members to a MAJOR breakthrough each of the 5 days.
I also LOVED seeing posts in the community like this 👇
Participants were seeing the frameworks I teach working for them IN REAL TIME.
I also had TONS of messages in my inbox about how much better participants felt about their content strategy.
99% of people who take the post-challenge survey report they feel “very confident” their channel will grow with the tools they’ve learned
YouTube Success Isn’t About Luck. It’s About Mastering The Basics
Look. I will not sit here and tell you that YouTube is “easy”. It’s not. That’s why I love it. There is VERY little competition.
YouTube, like everything else, is about mastering the simple basics. There are only a FEW key things you need to understand to succeed on YouTube.
Just like weight loss requires simple basics of eating healthy, exercising, and good sleep. If we master these basics, that’s all we need.
Wax on Wax off, ya’ feel me?
99% of people ARE NOT WILLING to patiently master the simple basics of YouTube. And that is fabulous news for you. This means you have very little competition.
YouTube isn’t actually “saturated” with competition, because 99% of YouTube content is NOT getting watched.
Why? Because 99% of people who post to YouTube DO NOT master the simple basic. Once again….wax on, wax off.
Today, I’m going to help you to be in the 1% of creators who are posting things people WANT to watch.
Master the following, and you’ve got the foundations of a solid YouTube channel….
These are what we can call The Simple Basics of YouTube👇
#1 – Your Channel is FOR AND ABOUT THEM.
You are not the hero of your channel. Your audience member is the hero. You are the humble guide. (For a beautiful book about this concept, read Donald Miller’s StoryBrand).
I go in-depth about this in my trainings, but for today I want you to remember that people only want to watch YouTube videos that are about THEM. Not you.
Show your breakfast if it benefits THEM. If it doesn’t, leave it out.
Tell a story, and tie it into a CLEAR lesson for THEM. Avoid sharing a “mess” without a “message”.
Stop worrying about how you look, and start worrying about THEM.
Stop worrying about selling your stuff, and start worrying about if the content of the video is VERY HELPFUL TO THEM. (side note…this is the ultimate sales strategy 😎)
Every video is about helping, serving, and entertaining THEM.
There are millions of people posting to YouTube every day looking for validation. Looking to be liked. Looking to get views. Looking to sell something.
Nobody is watching these videos because…well…why would they 🤷♀️?
But your videos will be exceptional and WILL if you get obsessed with THEM and make the entire channel FOR AND ABOUT THEM.
#2 – Helpful Concepts With a Clear Benefit
Start collecting ideas every morning, and any time they come to mind. This is like panning for gold. As an online business owner, your ideas are your livelihood.
I’ve been “stocking the shelves” of my business every morning for 15 years by taking a few minutes to write down some ideas. Every couple of days, I then move them into my asana YouTube folder.
It takes just a few minutes each morning to jot things in a notebook. Then a few more minutes about once a week to ask, “which of these ideas would be most helpful to my hero this month?“
If you ever get stuck on what’s most helpful, go by feeling. Which videos give you a feeling of joy and excitement? Which have the most energy for you?
As you post, you’ll start to see what your hero finds most helpful.
You’ll begin to have a solid relationship with your audience, and a beautiful body of work and an increase in profits will blossom from your generosity.
#3 – Write and recite
Use the my unscripting template to write out your videos. Then take some time to recite them. Here’s the template 👇
✍️ UnscriptTemplate.pdf ✍️
One of the main reasons people feel so uncomfortable in front of the camera is because they haven’t PRACTICED and don’t RECITE.
Can I tell you a secret? About 90% of the videos you’ve enjoyed on my channel are written out and recited for a day or two before I film.
My cooking videos? I recited and practiced those.
My workout videos? I recited and practiced.
My business videos? You guessed it. I recited and practiced.
Can I tell you another secret? 99% of the public speakers you enjoy listening to practice too.
Most of us ARE NOT BORN knowing how to speak in front of a camera. But 99% of us CAN get good at it if we take a little time to practice before we turn the camera on 😌
Take some time to recite your videos OUT LOUD while you walk, shower, and run errands. Even just running through your opener OUT LOUD will make all the difference in the world.
This is a lifestyle habit of most teachers and leaders who do public speaking. I hope you make this part of your lifestyle too!
#4 – Keep your thumbnails simple
Simple thumbnails are good thumbnails. Good thumbnails are simple thumbnails.
The human eye CRAVES simplicity. The simpler and cleaner your thumbnails, the more clicks they will get.
I constantly get emails from well-meaning “graphic designers” trying to sell me a “Fix” for my super simple thumbnails….(which are a key element in my brand).
They send over-designed, over-stylized thumbnail concepts that just DO NOT work on youtube.
Simple simple simple will always outperform some overly styled “professionally designed” thumbnail.
One of the reasons I’ve been able to consistently run a thriving business all these years is because I keep my thumbnails SIMPLE.
#5 – Consistency. aka Take Care of this Living Entity
Another reason you have VERY LITTLE competition is because most people quit after not so long.
However, if you stay consistent and upload helpful content on a regular basis, your channel WILL grow. And so will your business.
Your YouTube channel is a living extension of YOU. The more life you breathe into it (on a consistent basis) the more it will thrive.
And it won’t take long for you to harvest some awesome fruit from your sincere work.
The grass is always green, the sky is always blue, and YouTube channels that follow these simple keys will always grow a loyal audience base.
💛,
Brenda
