The Tweet That Changed This YouTuber

It’s about far more than offering consumer advice

I’ve known for a while that the best YouTubers are capable of providing far more than informative videos for their audiences.

They’re an escape. Every time one of their videos drops, it paints a smile on someone’s face — it gives that person a reason to switch off from whatever troubles they’re facing.

I’ve experienced this on both sides of the fence, and I have found it both comforting and humbling.

I started my YouTube channel not only to build a business but to help people. However, I had no idea how much my ramblings were helping some of my viewers.

The tweet that changed everything

In September last year, I received the following tweet from someone who had found my videos on YouTube:

“ I have to tell you, man: something about you and your videos has really helped my mental health. They are comfortable, relaxing, warm videos and I really see myself in your use case and views. Thanks, man.”

After humbly thanking the author of the tweet, I promptly filed it in Day One for safekeeping. It was a pivotal moment for my channel and burgeoning career as a YouTuber.

I still refer to it regularly, whenever I’m finding the going tough, or struggling to chill out after a particularly irritating encounter with a troll.

I make videos about laptops, headphones, and tech accessories. It really isn’t life or death; I’m simply helping people spend the right money on the right stuff. But, clearly, my approach is doing a little more than that for some people.

This wasn’t the intention at all when I started the channel, but it’s quite a feeling when you hear that your videos are going beyond consumer advice.

My go-to YouTubers

It took me a while to realise that I also use YouTube as a form of therapy.

There are a couple of YouTubers in particular who I turn to at the end of the day to help myself wind down, or rid my mind of any potentially stressful future scenarios. Even though it was their skills and advice that originally drew me in, the reason I can’t help but watch every video they make relates to a far deeper, more personal need.

The first creator/saviour is Thomas Heaton, a landscape photographer from the UK.

I’ve been following Heaton for several years now, and I’ve watched his channel grow from tens to hundreds of thousands of subscribers. He’s one of the best storytellers I’ve found on the platform and provides brilliantly simple advice for anyone who is remotely interested in photography.

But there’s something about his videos that I find eminently relaxing. The pace, cinematography, music, and reassuring spectacle of a guy grappling with the realities of being a landscape photographer are endlessly therapeutic.

I sleep better after watching Heaton’s videos (that’s meant as a massive compliment, Thomas!), and they never fail to make me feel better about this beautiful planet. Please do go check him out — even if you’re not a photographer!

My second go-to YouTuber is a recent addition to my subscription list: Rick Beato.

What a guy.

Music has always played a huge role in my life, and it remains my number one escape above all other activities. So, to find a guy who is so knowledgeable, talented, and engaging when breaking down some of the best songs ever written, was quite something.

Beato is the ultimate muso. He’s old enough to have gained many years of experience both in front of and behind the boards, yet somehow maintains an incredibly open mind about modern music. His run-downs of the latest Spotify charts (where he listens to each song and immediately picks up the chord progressions and melodies on his guitar) are among my favourite videos on YouTube.

Beato’s channel is the polar opposite of Heaton’s. It’s loud, occasionally bombastic, and chock-full of interviews with the music industry’s greatest talents. But there’s something about the pacing, Beato’s personality, and his enviable musicianship that impacts me in the exact same way as Heaton’s videos.

I can’t get enough of these two, and they never fail to chill me the hell out.

How to become an escape for your audience

There’s no exact science to this, I’m afraid, and you certainly can’t mimic the YouTubers whom you find therapeutic.

You need to do the opposite.

Thomas Heaton and Rick Beato probably won’t impact others in the same way they impact me. It’s an incredibly personal thing for both the creator and subscriber, but it’s all down to one thing: originality.

If the tweet I revealed at the start of this blog post says anything, it’s that if I can create a channel that’s capable of aiding someone’s mental health, so can you.

Just as with anything success-related on YouTube, those at the forefront of it aren’t trying to be anyone else. That’s the secret sauce — you. Forget THE ALGORITHM.

It doesn’t matter what niche you’re in, the experience you have, or the approach you take to making videos — if you do nothing more than simply be yourself and follow your own nose as a creator, you’ll end up doing an awful lot more than educating people, I promise.

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Originally published at https://markellisreviews.com on February 2, 2022.