The Proof You Can Stop Listening to Gurus and Best Practices

This creator blew up by following his own "blueprint".

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I just discovered a genius YouTuber: Azul Wells.

I heard him sharing the details behind his YouTube triumph in an online class. He collected 93000 subscribers in a year, and his top videos have hundreds of thousands of views.

He’s the living proof perfectionism is stupid.

This YouTuber is a disruptor

Most aspiring YouTubers get stuck before recording their first video. They spend months designing and setting up their studio. They agonize over their niche and their content calendar. They have to learn some professional editing software.

Azul got rid of all of that:

• he doesn't have a studio,

• he records himself talking while walking, with a smartphone and (maybe) earbuds,

• he doesn't edit.

Despite that, his best video at the time of the class had 1 million views. And it looks sooo bad:

Wouldn’t you be ashamed of releasing a video like that?

It’s not just a YouTuber’s problem

Making videos requires more equipment than writing, drawing or recording audio. So, there are more excuses to procrastinate.

But the Resistance inside us is smart. It attaches to any pretext in order to protect us from the “risks” of publishing content. It makes the silliest decision look vital. It even adds unnecessary decisions on our plate.

If you are a writer, you just need a keyboard and a screen. But you can still procrastinate on ideations, choosing the best software to write or to take notes, finding the perfect publishing schedule, learning a surefire productivity system, and so on…

Azul is an eye-opening example for every creator.

Why is he so revolutionary?

I've been running my Italian YouTube channel for about 4 years. I studied the platform in depth.

If you look at the top YouTubers, the rules for success seem written in stone:

• publish at least once per week,

• write Hollywood-worthy scripts,

• have perfect sound, lighting and backdrop,

• spend hours editing.

Azul has a full-time job as a financial advisor. He doesn’t have time for this process.

I love his story because it shows that we, as creators, can carve our own paths. We do not have to obey to best practices and gurus.

I discovered Azul went through Ali Abdaal's YouTube course twice before launching his channel. It’s maybe the most acclaimed YouTube course.

He discarded 90% of the advice he got. It was valuable, but just too much work for him. He had something to say, but didn’t want to create a job for himself. So, he put himself out there and saw what happened.

This is the most powerful lesson from Azul: he knows what he doesn’t want and plans accordingly.

But what makes him successful?

This post isn’t an invitation to follow your whims, never care about your audience, and then complain because no one follows you.

There are several factors behind Azul’s success.

A single powerful mission

From Azul’s bio.

Azul has a clear mission. And the credibility supporting it.

A vast audience

“By 2030, 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged 60 years or over. At this time the share of the population aged 60 years and over will increase from 1 billion in 2020 to 1.4 billion” - Source

Those 1+ billion people are looking for answers and inspiration online. They want to live their life to the fullest, even during retirement.

When your potential audience is so large (and growing), just a tiny sliver is enough to find your 1000 true fans (or even a huge following). You don’t need a potential audience of one billion. But shoot for at least one million.

Unparalleled volume

Azul published 14 videos every week in his first year. This is possible only because he doesn't follow the rules. He spends 40 minutes per video, tops, because his procedure is the leanest possible:

• write a few bullet points,

• record on the iPhone wherever he is,

• upload to YouTube,

• add title, description and thumbnail.

He usually does this in batch over the weekend. (He has a full-time job)

Smart execution

You don’t have to completely bend to the algorithm and the best practices. But some practices can still be compatible with your requirements and help you a lot.

Azul still spends time on:

• creating catchy titles and thumbnails,

• studying his analytics,

• planning content based on what worked for him and others in the same niche.

Public speaking skills

Azul would probably kill it speaking on a stage.

It doesn't matter where the camera is pointing. It doesn't matter if he is properly lit. It doesn't even matter if his audio is noisy.

He just captures people with his content, his ideas, and his delivery.

Can we be like Azul?

Last year, I spent too long complying with best practices. They have worked for the people teaching them. They may work for someone else. They haven’t worked for me (too often).

Examples like Azul’s show me I have to trust myself more. I must find ways to create content that excite me and allow me to create a lot.

This way, I can run quick experiments, and collect valuable feedback in a short time. Then, I can evolve my approach, always in harmony with my ideas, desires, and feelings.

Introspection time

If you are struggling with content, ask yourself: am I following an exact blueprint that isn’t made for me?

Lack of self-esteem and impatience push us to look for the right answers outside of ourselves.

So, take a few minutes. Answer these questions:

• What message do you want to bring to the world?

• What would make content creation really fun (and easy) for you?

• How can you start this weekend (or even today)?

I’d be happy to know your answers. Share them in the comments below.

Good luck!