A Reflection On How To Grow A YouTube Channel

This is what's working for me.

I’m slowly figuring out how to grow my YouTube channel.

Shockingly, there are no hacks, at least none that I have discovered. 😱

Today, I’ll give you a quick breakdown of how I’m turning YouTube into one of my most valuable assets.

LFG. 🔥

First, Let’s Look At My Growth

Growth on YouTube has been slow but consistent. In all of 2024, I generated 3,200 new subscribers. It’s easy to compare myself to overnight success stories, but I feel really good about this number considering how little I know about video.

What’s important to realize is that growth compounds. For instance, we are only two months into 2025, and I’ve already gained 1,200 new subscribers. If this continues at a compounding rate, ChatGPT tells me I will have about 6,600 new subscribers in 2025.

2024

2025

That’s exciting, especially considering the value I’ve already gotten.

The point is, when in doubt, just keep going. It will take twice as long as you want and cost twice as much as you thought. That’s the success fee. People who don’t really want success usually don’t pay the fee.

Growth On YouTube Is The Same As Ever

I feel like I talk about this every day, but YouTube follows the Pareto Principle. Almost all of the value comes from a small amount of the input.

For example, the videos I have made about directories have generated almost all of the revenue. Even more than the revenue, they have created relationships and partnerships.

I’ve always had a contrarian view on content creation. A lot of people I respect and admire advocate for having an objective for each piece of content. While I see the value in that approach, my experience has shown that content is unpredictable. You never really know what people will gravitate toward, so you are better off focusing on creating a large volume of content over a sustained period of time and letting the marketing gods handle the rest.

I never imagined that people would gravitate toward my videos about directories. Yet, I probably made $40,000 last year from building directories for people, not to mention the partnerships I created, which is where the real magic happens.

Life is strange and unpredictable. Embrace the randomness of it all and focus less on metrics and more on consistency.

The Magic Is In The Relationships

I’m a writer. I feel comfortable behind the blank page. I like it because it doesn’t require any setup or production. I simply sit down and write. Making videos is way out of my comfort zone, and it’s something I’ve had to force myself to do.

If you had asked me five years ago, I would have told you that a newsletter following is the most valuable audience you can have. Now, I think a YouTube channel might be even more valuable.

There is something about hearing someone’s voice and seeing their face when they speak that builds trust, even though the relationship is cultivated through a screen.

I have a double standard here because this really only happens with highly detailed, long-form videos. The shorts I am putting together generate views and help build the subscriber base, but I haven’t seen much sustainable value in them aside from the dopamine hit they give me.

If you take the time to create long-form videos that provide true value, education, and insight, you will inevitably build a passionate following.

The same principles apply to how I built my newsletter.

I don’t have a million followers, but the people who do follow me read almost every issue I publish because it’s clear that I put time, effort, and thought into my writing.

If you do the same for YouTube, you will create your tribe and, subsequently, your business, assuming that’s your objective.

I’m really enjoying this YouTube journey. I have big plans for it.

Shoutout to Isaac for helping me.

Love you guys. Talk to you tomorrow.

Tim

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