From 0 to 100.000 subscribers on YouTube. Our strategy for success!

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Go vertical! On YouTube too.

As a first step, I would focus primarily on YouTube Shorts. I see many channels starting on YouTube with long-form videos (horizontal videos). However, we have found that it is extremely difficult to grow quickly from scratch with long-form videos. That is why we deliberately changed our strategy here.

For the first 8 months, we focused exclusively on Shorts (vertical short videos). Here, I once again learnt: “More is more!” That means actually posting at least one short video on YouTube every day. 

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Shorts allow you to quickly achieve high view counts if you have the right topic and appeal to the right interests. Of course, you need the right format for this. 

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The great thing about short videos is that you can kill three birds with one stone: the same video can be used for Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts, while still reaching different target groups. 

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A quick side note: Of course, this is not ideal. Ideally, especially on TikTok, you would need to develop very different approaches again, but it can still work well enough to build up a (basic) reach. The prerequisite is a format that works. 

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Do you know Daniel Mac?

Neither do I, but I know his famous videos with the prompt “What do you do for a living?” In these videos, he always approaches the owners of luxury cars and asks them what they do for a living and how they make their money. 

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Although I do not know the person, I associate something with the name of the format. This is the case when a format becomes a trademark. Just as we have managed to do with “Sepp, what do you do?” too.

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Other examples of established trademarks created through formats are “Mr. Thank You” with over 17 million followers. He turned a viral video directly into his trademark for the digital world. Yes, we live in crazy times…

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Personal brands and companies need to think carefully about what their digital trademark is and how they can use it to create recognition. The majority of companies still chase short-lived TikTok trends and then celebrate themselves for reach and views among irrelevant target groups. They often lack the courage to develop their own show, their own trademark. 

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How do you develop a short format (or Reels, or TikTok)? 

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1. Triggers and thumb-stoppers‍

A content format for short videos scores points through its quick cuts, but above all through its trigger!

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We call the opening of the video the “trigger”. In the first 0,4 seconds, it should “trigger” the user to stop their thumb and watch the video. In our case, it is the question: “Sepp, what do you do?”

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The so-called follows the “trigger” “Pay Off”. This part of the video delivers on the promise. In our case, it is cooking and preparing a dish.

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Ideally, the trigger is a recurring pattern. This way, the trigger also merges with your trademark: Trigger = trademark (in the ideal setting)

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2. No format without added value

In every video, Sepp’s viewers receive a free recipe to recreate – including a preparation tip. Huge added value for Sepp’s audience. 

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Your video also needs to offer added value for your audience! If you sell bicycles, perhaps give tips on how to repair a bike at home. If you sell wine, you can explain how to store wine, how to bottle wine, how to decant wine, etc. 

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Added value is crucial to the relevance of your videos. And unfortunately, the strong added value is not the five ideas that ChatGPT spits out. That is pure mediocrity. 

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Companies, too, need to start doing something good for the community first before thinking about quick sales. Trust me, it will pay off soon enough. 

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3. Entertainment and fun

Watching your videos should make users’ day a little better. But it is not only the users who should have fun – you should too!!! 

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At the same time, we need to consider how to break through the algorithm. After all, you do not want to swim along in the sea of mediocrity.

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In our case, Sepp lets his humour run free. He is entertaining and always has a quip ready. It is important that the person in front of the camera is as authentic as possible. If you are funny, show it. If you are serious, show that too. Just be yourself. This applies equally to companies and personal brands. 

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4. A familiar sequence

Every video follows a clear structure that the community can get used to. Each video starts with the trigger and hallmark: “Sepp, what are you doing?”, followed by delivering the added value with a recipe: answer, cooking, serving up.

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The right flow for a video does not fall from the sky. Nor can I predict what will work well. The key is to formulate hypotheses, test them and gradually find the fixed flow.

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The figures and development:

Every beginning is difficult. We experienced that here too. The first 10.000 subscriptions were tough. Important: just because the first 10-15 videos do not take off does not have to mean anything. 

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The key is to stick with it, be consistent and bring patience too. The full focus on YouTube Shorts has paid off enormously. Vertical short videos are also the quickest way to start testing and gain insights on a regular basis.

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This allowed us to gather some learnings from the community and make progress ever faster. And yes: there are always phases when we grow extremely quickly, and then there are phases when we do not make any progress at all. Just like in real life, really :) 

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Revenue: 

How much do you actually earn as an influencer, and is all the effort even worth it? In Sepp’s case, a broad team is now involved in the project. 

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So far, after more than a year, we have generated over 13.000 dollars in revenue with YouTube (before tax, of course). When you factor in the cost of goods, video production and Sepp’s time, we are barely breaking even here. And Sepp now has 100.000 subscriptions and over 60 million video views. So the glorious, overpaid life of an influencer is further away than you might think. The investment Sepp is making here over 2 years, with his resources and his time, is no sh… 

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Conclusion: 

YouTube has been one of the toughest channels for me so far. Growth usually progresses slowly, and the community is much harsher in the comments than on other channels. However, YouTube is also “fairer” when it comes to payment, and the community bond feels deeper. Long videos are extremely important for building a stronger bond with the community and offering everyone good, deeper added value. If you want to master YouTube, prepare yourself for a longer journey. We wish you every success!

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