No One Is Watching

The 4 P’s content creators must master to thrive on YouTube.

Let’s say you’ve started a YouTube channel for a couple of months or even a few years now, and your videos aren’t getting many views. You don’t understand why people aren’t watching, and you’re tired of putting out so much effort with little reward.

If any of this rings true for you, then you might be one step away from leaving the YouTube platform altogether. I wouldn’t blame you, and I found myself in a similar state of mind in the past.

However, I implore you to consider why you started your channel. Are you making videos to teach, entertain, or inform? Or do you create content for fame, money, or to grow your business?

Your purpose matters more than you think. It’ll keep you going during low moments and work as your compass once you have momentum.

I’ll allow you to contemplate your purpose in making content.

In the meantime, look at the four P’s content creators must master to thrive on YouTube:

1. Perspective

There’s a learning curve to YouTube. To not consider this would be a mistake. Few people gain millions of views and hundreds of thousands of subscribers their first year.

Nonetheless, there are always outliers, but on average, it takes content creators years to build their following and community.

Realizing and accepting your channel may not be an outlier is critical in shaping your perspective. If you embrace challenging yet rewarding work, YouTube is a great place to learn and grow as a content creator.

During your channel’s early days, you should also work on your perspective in other areas. Filmmaking style, content, and voice are all areas you should cultivate a signature point of view.

Perhaps, you want to make talking head videos or long-form cinematic travel content. Honing in on your preferred filmmaking style is a way to set your content apart from other creators.

The type of content you create is another essential factor in building your community and sharing your perspective. Do you want to talk about beekeeping, skateboarding, or candle making?

Maybe you want to record pranks, short films, or music videos.

Deciding what kinds of videos you’re going to make and focusing on a few specific topics will help your growing audience understand what they expect from you as a creator.

How you decide to deliver the messaging in your videos will shape your voice on YouTube. Are you quirky, funny, or a straight shooter? I’ve found using your most authentic voice and displaying your natural personality to work best on YouTube.

Audiences can feel disingenuous performances, and it’s a lot to perform in every video unless, of course, you’re making skits.

Ali Abdaal made the best video I’ve seen on growth on YouTube. Today, he has a large following, but in the video below, he offers his perspective on what it took to reach one million subscribers.

Take the pressure off yourself. Consider your first one hundred videos practice. During this time, figure out your video style, content topics, and voice.

2. Practice

“Practice creates confidence. Confidence empowers you.” — Simone Biles.

I think it’s helpful if YouTube creators think of their first 100 video uploads as practice. There’s no simulation I’ve found for making YouTube videos other than doing so. As I said earlier, the learning curve is legitimate on this platform.

I didn’t own a camera to record myself when I first started. Instead, I used my iPhone 6 to create videos. I felt inspired by the director Steven Soderbergh, as he made feature films using an iPhone.

I look back on my early videos and cringe. I made all kinds of mistakes; bad lighting, terrible audio, lackluster editing, and awkward on-camera body language. I embodied a newbie.

To date, I’ve taken down one video from my early days. The sound was too awful to stand, and the content suffered as well as the viewers. However, I keep the rest available because it’s vital to see where you started versus where you are today.

The more you do something, the better you’ll become. Making good videos comes down to practice.

In the beginning, it may take you seven days to produce one video from start to finish. As you progress and figure out your workflow, you could get this down to a 48-hour turnaround from concept to upload.

If you’re someone who talks to the camera in videos and it feels stiff, then the more time you spend in front of the lens, the more you’ll relax.

I speak from experience. I had to learn to pretend I was talking with a friend when I addressed the camera. It’s worked wonders on my nerves.

3. Patience

“Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself.” ― Francis de Sales.

Uploading videos consistently and not seeing the results you want can take a toll on your confidence. It’s common to turn negative thoughts on yourself or project them on YouTube. After all, you’re putting a lot of effort into creating content.

Being told to have patience may not be what you want to hear, but it’s a truth you need to accept. Otherwise, you’ll quit before you’ve given yourself a chance to succeed.

The work you put into your craft will reflect in your videos, and the recognition will come.

Whenever I feel impatient with myself or my video performances, I distract myself. My favorite forms of distraction include travel, beach days, hanging out with friends, reading books, or playing racquetball.

Often our patience runs thin when we’re too focused on ourselves or our circumstances. Whatever you can do to get out of your head, do that.

4. Perseverance

“Every champion was once a contender who refused to give up.” — Rocky Balboa.

In boxing, fighters will often bite down on their mouthpiece when taking on heavy punishment in the corner and have to fight their way out. This technique helps ensure they don’t get caught with their mouth open, resulting in a knockout.

As far as I’ve seen, there’s no way around hard work and consistency for growth on YouTube. If you want people to watch your videos and subscribe to your channel, you’ll have to put in the time and effort to build a community.

There’s no path to success without perseverance. If you don’t have this trait in your arsenal, you’ll fall short of your goals.

From my years on YouTube, perseverance separates creators who will find success and those who won’t.

So, bite down on the proverbial mouthpiece and get to work.

BONUS

Purpose

I’m sure you saw this one coming. So, have you figured out your purpose for making YouTube videos?

If you know and understand your motivation for being on YouTube, the rest of the four P’s won’t seem difficult. You don’t have to tell anyone else what your purpose is. As long as you know, you’re good to go.

Your purpose can change with time, and thus your approach to YouTube will transition as well.

In the past, when I’ve thought about not making videos anymore, I’ve had to revisit my purpose for being a content creator. An annual check-in with yourself is an excellent practice to ensure you’re on course and pursuing what matters most to you.

Whatever your purpose, keep it close and allow it to guide your decisions when creating.

No one is watching your videos. Correction: No one is watching your videos yet.

It’s this slight wording shift that embodies the mindset you’ll need as a YouTube creator to find success. When in doubt, remember the four P’s all content creators must master:

Perspective

Practice

Patience

Perseverance

*Purpose

You’re just getting started anyway. Implement these P’s and benefit from a winning mindset.