How to Grow a YouTube Channel From Nothing in 2024
Ali Abdaal・48 minutes read
Successful YouTuber Izzy Cely grew her channel effortlessly, sharing advice on overcoming fears and channel growth. With a focus on personal development and health, she transformed her life through YouTube, emphasizing serving viewers over metrics.
Insights
- Izzy Cely, a successful YouTuber, transitioned her channel into a full-time income source, surpassing her doctor's salary through AdSense revenue.
- Strategic planning, treating YouTube as a business, and focusing on providing value over metrics are key to success, with personal development, language learning, and health as Izzy's channel themes.
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Recent questions
How did Izzy Cely grow her YouTube channel?
Izzy Cely grew her YouTube channel with minimal videos and effort, focusing on personal development, language learning, and health topics. She joined the Part-Time YouTuber Academy to enhance her channel and leveraged her expertise in Mandarin learning for a successful video. Expertise and personal experience are crucial for educational content success on YouTube, as seen in Izzy's Mandarin video. Experimenting with different content types and treating the channel like a business with strategic planning led to her significant growth.
What advice did Izzy Cely give to new YouTubers?
Izzy Cely advised new YouTubers to address fears like impostor syndrome and emotional struggles. She emphasized the importance of providing value to others and monetizing that value on YouTube. Additionally, she highlighted the significance of treating a YouTube channel like a business, focusing on intentionality and strategic planning for greater success compared to a hobbyist approach. Overcoming fear of starting a channel involved reframing thoughts and realizing the lack of immediate viewership.
How did Izzy Cely handle the fear of judgment on YouTube?
Izzy Cely overcame the fear of judgment on YouTube by realizing the spotlight effect and focusing on personal growth. She trained herself to handle both positive and negative comments with equanimity and genuine appreciation. Many struggle with feeling tense in front of the camera, but imagining speaking to one person helps to relax and be authentic. Creating a "Target Avatar" like Bella, a 22-year-old interested in personal growth, aided in speaking more confidently and authentically.
What strategies did Izzy Cely use to manage internal struggles in her YouTube business?
Izzy Cely used strategies like starting a Business Journal to address limiting beliefs and impostor syndrome specific to the YouTube business. She attended events like Tony Robbins' Business Mastery to shift mindset and boost confidence in taking action for the business. Affirmations before filming videos helped her stay focused on sharing a valuable message authentically, rather than getting caught up in metrics or external pressures. Focusing on serving the individual viewer and sharing a message that could genuinely impact their life shifted her mindset from ego-driven to service-oriented.
How did Izzy Cely approach the metrics and numbers on YouTube?
Izzy Cely emphasized the importance of staying true to the message and purpose of the content despite struggles with metrics and the pressure of numbers. While some metrics like clickthrough rate are useful, she prioritized finding joy and creativity in content creation over obsessing about numbers. The YouTube Studio dashboard shows performance with up or down arrows, with gray arrows indicating poor performance. To maintain purpose and creativity, she focused on the video's heart and connection to its purpose rather than metrics, avoiding a metric-focused mindset.
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Summary
00:00
Success on YouTube: Izzy's Journey and Tips
- Izzy Cely, a successful YouTuber with over 500,000 subscribers, grew her channel with minimal videos and effort.
- The interview with Izzy covered advice for new YouTubers, addressing fears like impostor syndrome and emotional struggles.
- Izzy's channel focuses on personal development, language learning, and health topics.
- Starting her YouTube channel changed Izzy's life significantly, impacting friendships, connections, and finances.
- AdSense revenue from her channel surpassed her doctor's salary, prompting her to consider YouTube as a full-time income source.
- Overcoming fear of starting her channel involved reframing thoughts and realizing the lack of immediate viewership.
- Izzy joined the Part-Time YouTuber Academy to enhance her channel, leveraging her expertise in Mandarin learning for a successful video.
- Expertise and personal experience are crucial for educational content success on YouTube, as seen in Izzy's Mandarin video.
- Experimenting with different content types is beneficial for new channels, as unexpected topics may resonate with viewers.
- Treating a YouTube channel like a business, with intentionality and strategic planning, can lead to greater success compared to a hobbyist approach.
12:32
YouTube Success: Value, Outsourcing, and Motivation
- Early focus on providing value to others and monetizing that value on YouTube
- Initial struggle with deciding which tasks to outsource and delegating editing early on
- Decision to outsource editing to freelancers on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr
- Investment in tutoring to pay for editing services to save time and focus on unique offerings
- Approach to YouTube as a long-term investment rather than just a hobby
- Different motivations for consistency between individuals, with financial freedom as a driving force
- Balancing enjoyment of video creation with consistency through a focus on input rather than output
- Emphasis on intrinsic motivation and enjoyment in the video-making process
- Overcoming emotional hurdles and fear of judgment by realizing the spotlight effect and focusing on personal growth
- Training oneself to handle both positive and negative comments on YouTube with equanimity and genuine appreciation
26:03
Overcoming YouTube struggles with authenticity and mindset.
- Many struggle with feeling tense in front of the camera, but imagining speaking to one person helps to relax and be authentic.
- Creating a "Target Avatar" like Bella, a 22-year-old interested in personal growth, can aid in speaking more confidently and authentically.
- Impostor syndrome can hinder progress, but milestones like hitting 100k subscribers can solidify one's identity as a YouTuber or business owner.
- Despite external success, internal struggles like consistency, self-doubt, and comparison are common even for fast-growing channels.
- Starting a Business Journal to address limiting beliefs and imposter syndrome specific to the YouTube business can help manage internal struggles.
- Attending events like Tony Robbins' Business Mastery can help shift mindset and boost confidence in taking action for the business.
- The Part-Time YouTuber Academy offers a roadmap to navigate the overwhelming advice and noise in starting a YouTube channel, recommended for beginners.
- Affirmations before filming videos can help stay focused on sharing a valuable message authentically, rather than getting caught up in metrics or external pressures.
- Focusing on serving the individual viewer and sharing a message that could genuinely impact their life can shift the mindset from ego-driven to service-oriented.
- Even successful creators like the speakers struggle with metrics and the pressure of numbers, emphasizing the importance of staying true to the message and purpose of the content.
38:29
"Balancing Metrics and Creativity in YouTube"
- YouTube Studio dashboard shows performance with up or down arrows; gray arrows indicate poor performance.
- Studio design emphasizes metrics like fireworks for well-performing videos, leading to a metric-focused mindset.
- To maintain purpose and creativity, focus on the video's heart and connection to its purpose rather than metrics.
- While some metrics like clickthrough rate are useful, prioritize finding joy and creativity in content creation over obsessing about numbers.
