Starting out on YouTube is as exhilarating as it is terrifying. You’ve got a great idea for a channel, drive, and passion. All that’s left is defeating the algorithm’s gaping maw. How do you build an audience and cut through the noise as a new creator?
Figuring out how to find an audience is as important as making things for new creators. One tried and true method is learning from the experts, and experts on YouTube don’t get better than Paddy Galloway.
Galloway is the world’s leading YouTube strategist, helping channels generate 700 million views each month. His clients include Prestonplayz (15.8m subscribers), Loverfella (3.2m subscribers), and scrappy upstart Mr. Beast (308m subscribers).
Needless to say, when Galloway speaks, creators should listen.
Paddy Galloway’s Guide To Growing a YouTube Channel From Scratch in 12 Months
While Galloway’s consulting services are out of reach for new creators, that doesn’t mean he still can’t help. He regularly uses his Twitter account to help guide new creators. Given that 500m Tweets/X’s are sent each day, it’s easy for gold to pass you by.
That’s why we thought Galloway’s method for growing your YouTube page from scratch in 12 months deserved your attention. Let’s take a look and learn from the master.
Step 1) Find Your Niche
It’s time to get established. First, consider what you’re great at, what you want to do, and what the market wants. Brainstorm as many ideas as you can using a triple Venn Diagram. You can find a triple Venn Diagram here to use in your planning.
Step 2) Laser Focus on Your Niche
You don’t go to a burger restaurant and order the fish. Once you’ve nailed down the kind of content you want to make, stick with it. Don’t distract your audience by trying too many different angles.
Step 3) Study the Craft of Making Videos To Grow Your YouTube Channel
Make lists of your favorite creators and study what they do. How often to they post? How do they edit their videos? Look in the credits for their videos to see if they list what editing tools or overlays they use. Study everything from what kind of editing speaks to you to what you kind of design you dislike.
Step 4) Make Videos Every Week
The most important part of the journey is starting and staying with it. You’ll get better as you go, but you can’t get better until you start creating and keep creating.
Step 5) 100 Ideas Per Week
Get out a pencil and some paper to brainstorm. Write out all your ideas, even if they’re bad. Come up with 100 ideas each week for videos with the understanding that some won’t be good. When mining for gold, you must dig through some dirt.
Remember the outliers other people have had success with. What can you learn from the surprise successes of other channels? While 100 ideas a week is a lot, this method will quickly help you learn to identify good ideas faster.
Step 6) Learn How To Do AB Testing
AB Testing is where a creator tests two ideas to see which results best. Galloway suggests starting by AB Testing your thumbnail images. Make two for each video. You can then use a tool like TubeBuddy to test the two images and see which one will do better with viewers. Learn from your tests, and don’t be afraid to try new things.
Step 7) Study The Craft
Now that you’re in the swing of creating, it’s time to study the pros. Follow experts like Galloway and study up on tools that will help you better understand your audience. Here’s a guide to retention curves to get you started.
Step 8) Switch to One Video a Week
We’re 16 weeks in. You’ve spent months creating two videos a week, experimenting, and seeing what your audience likes. Now, it’s time to dial in on quality. Put the same amount of effort into your one video a week as you were putting into two.
Now that you’ve got more breathing room to create each week, where will you step up?
Step 9) Hone in on Your Top 10% of Videos
Look at your stats to find your top-performing videos. Then, find the ones that bombed. What can you learn from your top five and bottom five videos?
Break out the pen and paper again and start making lists. Critical examination of your work is the best way to grow and stop repeating the same mistakes. Now that you’ve created 50 videos, you have a large enough sample size to find useful data.
Step 10) Study YouTube 4 Hours a Week For Ways to Grow Your Channel
4 hours a week may seem like a lot of time, but that’s less than an hour daily. Most of us are already watching an hour of YouTube every day. Remember, don’t just watch content in your field. Learn about the top performers across the platform and apply their best practices to your work where it makes sense.
Step 11) Get Your Feedback Loop Set
Every week, examine your channel’s performance. What videos popped off, and which died? Did you have an older video that suddenly started doing well? Where did you lose viewers, and where did you retain them?
Each week, list lessons you learned and how you can apply them to your new content.
Step 12) Keep Posting Weekly, Making Each Video a Little Better
Now comes the hard part: keeping at it. If you continue to apply the lessons you’ve learned, your content will keep getting better.
So, what will you get at the end of the year following this path?
The results speak for themselves. Even if you haven’t become the next Mr. Beast, following Galloway’s method will give you a leg up over other new creators.
First, after your first year, you’ll have 60+ videos. But beyond the quantity, you’ll have set yourself up with a workflow that examines and learns from the content you’re making. The future is yours, go make some more cool stuff.
