$ix Figures My First Year As A YouTuber? True Or False? You Decide…

Introduction to YouTube Journey

You’re about to discover what I’ve learned in my first year on being a YouTube YouTuber, I guess that’s what it’s called, a YouTube YouTuber. And I’m going to tell you the lessons I’ve learned, I’m going to show you the money that I’ve earned, and what that looks like for me as a business. Because I’ve been on YouTube for 16 years, but I didn’t start doing YouTube as a YouTuber until April of last year. And the lessons I’ve learned have been monumental, to the degree where we learned last month, $49,000 and change, just the money YouTube paid us to send us clients. So just let that sink in, because here we go.

Early YouTube Experience

So what have I learned? First thing I learned was, and first, in fact, I’m going to tell you the genesis of this whole thing. I got signed up on YouTube March 15, 2007, and I got signed up because my nephew saw a video on YouTube and he created like a reaction video to that video, and he got like 50,000 views in three days. I’m like, what is that? Then I started creating some videos, just putting some stuff out there. It didn’t, not my videos didn’t have titles, they didn’t have thumbnails, um, they didn’t have editing, they didn’t have production quality. I was just being a talking head. In fact, I have some videos, maybe not from 2007, but I got some videos from before 2010 on YouTube right now, I’m pretty sure, that you can go and watch, and they weren’t very good, but I was doing YouTube.

Meeting Daryl Eves and Learning about YouTube

Now, started March 15, 2007. I went to a mastermind in October of 2021, and there was a guy there, his name is Daryl Eves, um, and his name is spelled D-E-R-R-A-L, and last name is E-V-E-S. And Daryl wrote this book called “The YouTube Formula”, but I didn’t know he wrote a book called “The YouTube Formula”. He was just talking about YouTube, and he was, he was like the brain trust behind the film series “The Chosen”, and he was telling me about all this, he was telling everybody in the room about all the stuff that happens with that YouTube can do, and how this film series was the most successful crowdfunded film series in history. And I thought, huh, that’s interesting. But the thing that he said that got me was, he said, in the last couple of years, we’ve sold $29 million worth of swag alone, hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies, from a YouTube video. Um, I was so confused, I’m like, what are you talking about, bro?

And so he got done talking, and he gave us all these different stats on all these different YouTubers, and all this different stuff, and I’m like, that sounds amazing. And so I went to, um, Russell, because he was speaking at Russell’s Inner Circle. I went to Russell, said, “Russell, I need to talk to that guy.” He was backstage. “I need to talk to that guy. I got to give you some money.” So eventually, um, Russell worked out because he and Russell had a meeting, and then after that, he let me go back and talk to him. I said, “Do you have a coaching program?” He said, “Yes.” I said, “Um, can I pay you for it?” He said, “It’s fifteen thousand dollars.” I said, “Can I write you a check right now?” And I wrote him a check.

Now, I will say this, we hired him as our YouTube coach, it changed everything. The dude is a genius, and we’ve taken his YouTube course, I mean coaching program, and we’ve read his book, and everything that he teaches in the course, for the most part, is in the book. Like, if you read his book and you do what it says, your YouTube channel will be a success. Like, like I’m not endorsing him because he asked me to, he doesn’t even know I’m saying this right.

Leveraging YouTube for Income

I’m just telling you, if you want to make money from YouTube, get the “YouTube Formula” book, read it, do everything it says, even when you think you should do something different, and you’re going to get paid. Okay, now, having said that, he taught us a lot of things about thumbnails and titles and the YouTube algorithm, and how to use YouTube Studio and turning on monetization. Like, when we first turned on monetization in February of last year, um, Zach said, “I’m going to turn on monetization.” I said, “Okay.” He came back the next month, he said, “Well, we made $305 on YouTube.” I said, “For what? We didn’t do anything.” We literally had not even put up a new video since June or July of the previous year. “For what?” He said, “Because you have videos on YouTube.” Okay, like, I didn’t understand it, it didn’t make sense. The next month, he came to me, said, “We made $353 on YouTube.” Like, “What are you talking about? Made $353, don’t want, because we still haven’t put up any new videos.”

Like, we started coaching with Daryl in January. Daryl said, “Turn on monetization,” because I had 40 videos out there. They didn’t have very many views, they weren’t very good, they were just there. He turned on monetization, we, our very first month, without doing, with zero attention or intention, just push the button, click a button, it’s on, they started sending us money then. So that was February, March, April 1st, 2022, we started creating YouTube videos.

YouTube Earnings Growth

Now, so April 2021, we made $1,400, it was $1,470 something dollars, we’re just gonna call it $1,400. I’d rather say less than more, okay? May of 20, uh, I said 2021, 2022. 2022. May 2022, they paid us, are you ready for this? And I’m telling you this for a reason, because how many of you would like to get paid from YouTube every month? They give you a direct deposit every month of hundreds or thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. Who would like that? Okay, cool. So, um, are you all okay that I’m talking about this? If yes, yeah? Okay, cool.

Okay, so we did, we did one video a week in April, one video a week, that’s what we were doing. We were doing one video a week, one vid per week in April. We stepped it up a little bit in May because we saw, we would, the only video we did was our Bible study. We were doing our Bible study anyway, we just turned the camera on. So that’s the clue number one, do something you’re going to do anyway and do it in front of a camera. Now, we should have already learned that from Rachel Ray, right? She’s like, “How many of y’all can cook?” So why are you not millionaires? Because you forgot to turn the camera on, right? Um, how many any homemakers in here who love to bake and love to sew, anybody like that? Well, okay, but if you’re watching on YouTube and you love to bake and you love to sew, why aren’t you a billionaire? See, we already learned that from Martha Stewart, turn the camera on. We learned, hey, you’re curious and like to ask questions, we learn from Oprah Winfrey what, turn the camera on. Like, this, I mean, we could call this video just turn the camera on. Like, do the stuff you’re gonna do anyway, turn the camera on. Like, you, you work on cars, great, turn the camera on. You’re a plumber, great, turn the camera on. You’re an electrician, great, turn the camera on. Like, whatever you’re doing anyway, especially if you’re doing something that already makes you money, turn a camera on, it’ll make you more money. How’s that? That’s, that’s pretty cool concept, right? Just turn the camera on. You, you sell insurance, you sell real estate, you sell financial services, you sell cars, turn the camera on.

Okay, I know I’m fussing at y’all a little bit because y’all was looking a little hard-headed at first. Okay, okay, turn the camera on. So, month number two, month number two, okay, so this, this is where our intentions start. This, like, we weren’t just doing YouTube now, we were doing YouTube with intention, right? YouTube, our intention started March, I mean, April of 2022, May 2022. They didn’t pay us $1,400, they paid us $15,000. And I said, “What?” I said, “What? What?” And then June 22, they paid us $27,000. Are y’all listening? Now, do I have anybody’s undivided attention? Okay, then, is if that ain’t bad enough, in July 22, they paid us $44,000. I’m ecstatic, but I’m confused. All I’m doing is, anyway, but what I do, I turned the camera on.

Learning from Mistakes

Now, in August, we made a mistake. See, I ain’t just gonna tell you about the good stuff. What did I do? We started, we started another channel for running ads to retarget people who had already watched our videos. So, retarget means, you ever watch something, you go to a website, you go to a website, and then all of a sudden, you start seeing ads for that website. The reason you’re seeing ads is because they retargeted you, right? They’re saying, if somebody comments or somebody watches x amount of time of this…

The Impact of Running Ads on Organic Traffic

We started buying ads on Google, and guess what happened? They started turning off our organic traffic. So, we went from $44,000 in August 2022, then it went down to $27,000 again, and then after that, it went down again, I think like $18,000. And then I found out that running ads on Google when you have organic growth is a mistake. But, and so we turned it off, but it was too late because it kept going down, and it got all the way down to where I think it was January of this year, it was $14,000. In January of 2023, $14,000, and then February was only $10,000. But then it started going back up again, like April of this year was $29,000, and then May of this year was $49,000. The whole thing, the whole, all of what I just said, even though I’m living it, like right now, and on the 22nd of every month, YouTube puts money in my account to the tune of thousands and tens of thousands of dollars, it doesn’t make sense. This sounds crazy to me. Now, if it sounds normal to you, then you’re way different than me, because it sounds crazy to me, and I’m living it.

Setting Goals and Being Consistent

Okay, now, why did I show you all that? Because before I start telling you what I’ve learned, you have to care, you have to care enough to pay attention to it. And so, I am telling you, and by the way, I did not start out, so I did not start out with a goal of, “I’m gonna make ten thousand, twenty thousand, forty thousand a month on YouTube.” That was not a goal. I didn’t have a goal. I had zero, my monetary goal was not, I didn’t have one. I had an activity goal, I had an action goal. I did not have, I did not have an outcome goal, I had an objective goal. So what was my objective? My objective was to consistently do, at least when I started YouTube, this is my objective, to consistently record and post one video a week, one really, really good video a week, for 10 years, no less than 10 years. I don’t care if I make any money or not for 10 years. I don’t care if I get any subscribers or not for 10 years. I don’t care if we get any following or not for 10 years. I don’t care because I know that if I do it for 10 years consistently, if I’m not good, eventually I will be good. Let me go tracking. And I also know that it’s probably not going to take me 10 years to get good. Some of the skills that were necessary, I already had. I didn’t have all of them, but I had some of them. And I decided, I said, “This is what I’m going to do. I am going to make sure that I don’t overestimate what I can do in a year and underestimate what I can do in 10 years.” Because there’s nothing that I’ve done in my life, more than likely, cost me more money than overestimating what I can do in a year and underestimating what I could do in 10 years. And so, you do it for a year, and it doesn’t pay you what you thought you’d make, and then you stop doing it, and you don’t make out, you don’t like, stay in it for 10 years long enough to get good.

And so, like, I’m not telling you on YouTube right now, I’m not telling you, do a video a week. If, if all you can do, as far as a good video is concerned, do one video a month, but it’s good. Do one video a month, release it on the same day at the same time every month. Consistency. YouTube will reward you for consistency. So that’s the first thing I learned. I learned I’m going to be consistent. So here’s what I’m going to tell all of you, this is almost so foolproof, like I can’t imagine it not working for anybody. I can’t imagine what I’m about to tell you not working for anybody. Make a decision that you’re going to be consistently uploading a video to YouTube, at least once a month, better like once a week, but at least once a month, a really good video, that you’re going to do that for 10 years, regardless of outcome. And if you will stick to your guns, in 10 years, you’ll probably have at least a million subscribers. But here’s the, here’s the good part, the 10 years is going to go by whether you do it or not, so you might as well do it. How are y’all tracking? Wave at me if you’re tracking, wave back.

What YouTube Wants

Okay, so, so here’s what we want to do, here’s what we want to do. We want to decide that we’re going to do a YouTube video. Here’s what you have to have. So here’s what YouTube, I’m going to tell you, if you give YouTube what you, what they want, they will give you what you want. What does YouTube want? YouTube wants two things. They want people to click on videos, and they want people to watch those videos for a long time, so they can serve ads on those videos and charge the people who pay for ads. So if I help them do that, they’re going to help me get everything I want. See y’all tracking? So, so YouTube wants two things. They want clicks and they want watches. Not like Rolex watches, they want people watching. So clicks and watches, that’s what YouTube wants. You get them to…

Creating Effective Thumbnails and Titles for YouTube

When it comes to creating thumbnails for YouTube, there are several key elements to consider. Thumbnails are the first thing people see when they browse YouTube, so they play a crucial role in attracting viewers. Here are some insights and tips for creating effective thumbnails:

1. Brand Color: Choose a brand color for your thumbnails. This helps in making your videos easily recognizable to your audience without them having to read the title. Consistency in color and design helps in building a visual identity on the platform.
2. Face and Eye Contact: Your thumbnail should ideally show your face, from about the top of your shoulders to the top of your head. This inclusion of the face, especially the eyes, is crucial because people are naturally drawn to human eyes. If the words in the thumbnail are placed to one side, make sure you’re looking towards them, as people tend to follow the gaze of the eyes in the image.
3. Thumbnail Title: The title in your thumbnail is critical. It should be engaging and tailored to attract people who don’t know you, rather than just your existing subscribers. Since there are more people who don’t know who you are, the title should be designed to catch the attention of a casual scroller on YouTube.
4. Curiosity Element: Your thumbnail title should evoke curiosity. It’s important to create a sense of intrigue or interest that compels viewers to click on your video. This can be achieved through various methods, such as posing a question, hinting at a solution to a common problem, or teasing an interesting fact or story.
5. Experience in Communication: Drawing from decades of experience in communication, such as creating engaging sermon titles, the speaker emphasizes the importance of crafting titles that can capture attention and interest. This skill is not something learned from a book but developed through years of engaging with audiences.
6. Target Audience: Always remember that your thumbnails and titles are not just for your subscribers but for the wider YouTube audience. The majority of viewers will be people who have never encountered your content before. Therefore, designing your thumbnails and titles to appeal to this broader audience is key to expanding your reach.
7. Consistency and Strategy: The overall approach to thumbnails should be consistent and strategic. Each element, from the color scheme to the facial expression and title, should work together to create an engaging and clickable thumbnail.

In summary, effective thumbnails are a blend of visual appeal, strategic titling, and an understanding of the audience’s psychology. They should be designed not just for your current audience but to attract new viewers, leveraging curiosity and engagement to stand out in a crowded digital space.

Creating Curiosity and Contrast in Thumbnails

Utilizing Curiosity in Thumbnails

1. Question Words: A powerful technique for creating curiosity in thumbnails is using question words to make a statement. This approach prompts viewers to ask themselves a question, thereby increasing their interest in the video. For example, a video titled “Why Evil People Are Rich” isn’t asking a direct question but makes a statement that leads viewers to ponder the topic, sparking curiosity.
2. Suggestology: Another method is suggestology, where you begin a sentence in the thumbnail and intentionally leave the last word off, allowing viewers to fill in the blank. This technique engages the viewer’s mind and encourages them to click on the video to find out more.

Creating Contrast in Thumbnails

1. Polar Opposites: Contrast in thumbnails can be achieved by presenting polar opposites of a concept. For instance, in the title “Why Evil People Are Rich,” the contrast between ‘evil’ and its implied opposite ‘good,’ as well as ‘rich’ and its opposite ‘poor,’ is established. This contrast stimulates viewers’ thoughts about these opposing concepts without explicitly mentioning both sides.
2. Mental Gymnastics: The use of contrasting words in a thumbnail encourages viewers to engage in mental gymnastics, pondering various questions and scenarios related to the title. This mental engagement makes the thumbnail more compelling and increases the likelihood of viewers clicking on the video.

Importance of Thumbnails in Viewer Engagement

The speaker emphasizes the crucial role of thumbnails in attracting viewers. A well-crafted thumbnail not only satisfies YouTube’s requirement for clicks but also sets the stage for viewer engagement. By creating an environment that prompts viewers to ask themselves questions, the thumbnail effectively compels them to click on the video to seek answers.

Discovering Effective Engagement Strategies

The speaker shares a recent discovery about what makes certain videos perform better. By observing patterns in their best-performing videos, they identified a common element that significantly boosted viewer engagement. This element, which was initially overlooked, turned out to be a key factor in retaining viewer interest and engagement throughout the video.

In summary, creating effective thumbnails involves a strategic blend of curiosity and contrast. By using question words to make intriguing statements and presenting contrasting concepts, thumbnails can effectively capture viewers’ attention and prompt them to engage with the video. This approach not only meets YouTube’s criteria for clicks but also enhances overall viewer engagement.

The Importance of the First 30 Seconds and Creating Conflict

Viewer Retention in the First 30 Seconds

The speaker highlights the significance of the first 30 seconds of a YouTube video in retaining viewers. They discovered that if 75% or more of viewers are still watching after the first 30 seconds, it greatly benefits the video’s performance. In their experience, having 70% of viewers still engaged at the 30-second mark is good, but achieving 75% is even better, as it indicates to the YouTube algorithm that the content is engaging. This insight led them to focus intensively on making the first 30 seconds of their videos as compelling as possible.

Creating Conflict in Thumbnails

1. Us vs. Them: The speaker discusses the use of conflict in thumbnails, such as portraying a struggle between opposing forces like good vs. evil or rich vs. poor. This not only creates contrast but also introduces an element of conflict, which can be more engaging for viewers.
2. Controversy: Another key element in thumbnails is controversy. The speaker advises being bold and standing firm in one’s beliefs, even if it might be polarizing. They emphasize that being unapologetically authentic is crucial, as trying to please everyone often leads to bland, unengaging content.
3. Handling Negative Comments: The speaker also touches on dealing with negative comments, suggesting that they can actually be beneficial by increasing engagement. They advise against engaging with haters directly, instead focusing on the positive impact of increased engagement, even from negative sources.

Video Titles vs. Thumbnail Titles

The speaker addresses the difference between video titles and thumbnail titles. They emphasize that these should not be the same, as it’s a missed opportunity to convey different aspects of the content. The thumbnail title should be designed to grab attention and spark curiosity, while the video title can provide more context or detail about the video’s content.

In summary, the first 30 seconds of a video are crucial for viewer retention, and creating an element of conflict or controversy in thumbnails can be effective in attracting viewers. Additionally, differentiating between video titles and thumbnail titles is important for maximizing engagement and interest.

Maximizing YouTube Video Titles and Understanding Video Assets

Enhancing Thumbnail Titles with Video Titles

The speaker emphasizes the importance of using the video title to clarify and intensify the thumbnail title. This approach enhances the curiosity, conflict, contrast, and controversy introduced in the thumbnail. For example, in their video titled “Why Evil People Are Rich,” the subtitle “Why God’s People Are Broke – Wake Up People” serves to clarify and intensify the message of the thumbnail title. This strategy ensures that the video title and thumbnail title work together to capture the viewer’s attention and interest.

The Concept of Videos as Attention Assets

The speaker introduces the idea of YouTube videos as “attention assets.” This concept likens videos to financial assets, where the interest and engagement they generate compound over time. Just like compound interest in finance, where interest is earned on both the principal and the accumulated interest, videos on YouTube accrue attention and interest from viewers over time. This compound interest in viewership means that the more a video is watched, the more attention it garners, enhancing its value as an asset.

Example of Video Performance and Revenue Generation

The speaker shares an example of a video titled “Destroyed by Distractions,” which performed well with 38,000 views. They highlight how the video title, “Don’t Let Your Distractions Destroy Your Destiny,” complements and expands upon the thumbnail title. This synergy between the thumbnail and video title is crucial for drawing viewers in and maintaining their interest.

The speaker also discusses the financial aspect of videos, sharing that a Bible study video they uploaded generated $554.51 in revenue. This example illustrates how a single video can become a significant source of income, reinforcing the concept of videos as assets.

The Impact of Consistent Video Uploads and Viewer Engagement

The speaker advises on the importance of consistent video uploads for long-term success on YouTube. They suggest uploading at least one high-quality video per month, emphasizing the value of consistency in building a loyal audience. The speaker assures that if this strategy is followed for an extended period, such as ten years, it can lead to a substantial following, possibly reaching a million subscribers.

In summary, the speaker’s insights highlight the importance of strategically crafting video and thumbnail titles to maximize viewer engagement. They also introduce the concept of YouTube videos as attention assets, emphasizing the long-term value and revenue potential of consistently producing quality content.

Leveraging YouTube for Monetization and Passive Income

The Power of a Single Video

The speaker shares a remarkable example of how one video can significantly impact monetization on YouTube. They discuss a specific video that gained 31,000 subscribers and generated $12,053.14 in revenue in just 21 days. This example illustrates the potential of a single, well-crafted video to provide ongoing passive income. The speaker emphasizes that once a video is created, it continues to generate revenue indefinitely, highlighting the appeal of YouTube as a source of passive income.

Creating Titles for Maximum Impact

The speaker advises on the importance of creating compelling titles for videos. They suggest that the title should add clarification and intensify the thumbnail title to draw viewers in. The speaker also mentions their plan to create a course on producing valuable YouTube content, priced at $150,000, with additional coaching and exclusive experiences like trips on private jets and yachts. This course aims to teach the intricacies of successful YouTube content creation.

Recommended Videos for Learning and Modeling

The speaker provides a list of their videos for viewers to watch and learn from. They emphasize not just listening to what is said in these videos but also observing how they are presented. The speaker lists several videos with significant viewership, each with at least 200,000 views, and encourages taking notes on both the content and the delivery method. The videos mentioned include:

1. “How They Programmed You to Be Poor” (Thumbnail title for “The Poverty Programming Trap”)
2. “How Rich People Think About Money”

These videos serve as examples for viewers to understand and model the techniques used for successful YouTube content creation.

Encouraging Active Learning and Application

The speaker encourages viewers to actively engage with the content, not just passively consume it. They suggest turning the camera on and documenting everyday activities, such as reading a book or commuting to work, and turning these moments into engaging YouTube content. The speaker stresses the importance of using these opportunities to create videos that reflect personal experiences and insights.

In summary, the speaker highlights the potential of YouTube as a platform for generating passive income through well-crafted videos. They emphasize the importance of creating engaging titles and thumbnails and provide examples of successful videos for viewers to learn from. The speaker encourages active participation and application of these techniques to create compelling YouTube content.

Analyzing Top Performing Videos for YouTube Success

Top Recorded Videos

The speaker shares a list of their top seven recorded videos, highlighting their titles, views, and upload dates. This list provides insight into the types of titles and content that have been successful on their channel:

1. “Rich People Do This With Money”: A 12-minute video with 542,000 views, uploaded a year ago.
2. “How to Get Rich”: Garnered 555,000 views, uploaded 10 months ago.
3. “No Limits”: Has 378,000 views, uploaded one month ago.
4. “The Secret to Selling Without Selling”: A 12-minute video with 293,000 views, uploaded a year ago.
5. “It’s Easy for You to Get Rich”: This video, which the speaker feels embarrassed about due to a noticed issue, has 264,000 views and was uploaded 11 months ago.
6. “Selling Made Simple: How to Sell Anything to Anyone”: Despite having no thumbnail, this 8-year-old video has achieved 206,000 views.

Top Live Videos

The speaker also shares the top seven most-watched live videos on their channel, showcasing the range of topics and their respective viewership:

1. “Why Evil People Are Rich”: 2.6 million views, from one year ago.
2. “Why People Are Poor”: 325,000 views, from one year ago.
3. “From Broke to 12 Million”: An interview with Keenan, 261,000 views, from 11 months ago.
4. “Big Bank Small Houses”: With Marvin Mitchell, 236,000 views, from 11 months ago.
5. “Why a Rich Man Can’t Enter Heaven”: Discussing the biblical concept of the eye of the needle, 186,000 views, from a year ago.
6. “How the Law of Attraction Really Works”: 187,000 views, from 10 months ago.
7. “God Doesn’t Care About Success”: 177,000 views, from 11 months ago. The speaker clarifies that this title reflects a common saying, not their personal belief.

Conclusion and Advice for YouTube Creators

The speaker concludes by encouraging viewers to actively use their cameras and create content. They emphasize the importance of turning the camera on and capturing moments that can be transformed into engaging YouTube videos. This advice is aimed at helping viewers improve their YouTube channels and achieve success through consistent content creation.