in the past I spent hours setting up a studio, lighting and then editing videos... gave up when I didn't get traction.
Now I just record using my phone at my desk and do minimal edits if I mess up... still very little traction but I can now stick with it as it's easy to create videos.
I also took Ali Abdaal’s course twice and was forced to discard much of the advice too, but because it simply didn’t apply to the type of videos I’m making. I’m still glad I took the course, expensive as it was, because my biggest take away was to just make the videos that make you want to keep making videos! My growth has been pretty slow but consistent and I still love every part of the process. YouTube has given anyone the ability to express themselves and be creative and it continues to be my favourite platform of all, both as creator and consumer!
There's still a big part of society that not suffers from "shiny object syndrome." They love the raw you. The creator like he/she is. Without the fluff and "must haves."
Great article Alberto. Thank you for your different views.
Amazing sharing Alberto! That's right, we spend so much time agonising over every detail instead of showing up and do the work. Thanks for the inspiration.
I loved reading this, Alberto! Goes to show that if you know audience one can hone a message that connects with them. Sure, being able to speak well helps, but the rest is fluff.
What a great story, I love this! Thank you for sharing, Alberto. I don't mind following YouTubers who don't have perfect lighting. In fact, the ones I like the most have simple backgrounds in their homes and aren't perfect. Their message is good, so it doesn't matter.
I love the idea of removing as much fluff and "resistance" while focusing on the value that truly matters - in his case, his way of speaking and the message that he delivers in his talks and titles. That is certainly something to learn from!
Exactly. I did so with my voiceovers. I have experimented with it on and off. It might be a nice add-on, but it is not the core, and whenever I plan to do them to go along with my writing, it creates friction in the entire process. So, I am not doing them anymore.
Well, the recording process looks exactly like what you say. But it’s stressful to me - including the urge to redo it if I go back and edit my writing.
This is gold, Alberto! I just launched my YouTube Channel and only have 2 vids up so far. (Enjoying summer with my two young kiddos, but I have many videos already planned to shoot when school restarts for them.) Thanks much for sharing these insights. It really frees me to think that I do not have to follow some prescribed plan that’s worked for many others, if it doesn’t work for me. I know that, intellectually, but as an Attorney who’s on a mission to honor my Creative Self moving forward, there’s a large gap between intellectual understanding and experiential understanding. It gives me great hope to see an example of a YouTuber who’s clearly been successful at it, while following the beat of his own drum. I look forward to learning much more on my journey. Thanks!
Fantastic!
I love the fact that he still spends time on things that we, mere humans, do, like finding a catchy title and working on his thumbnails.
Inspiring story.
For people who read it, keep in mind that he spend around 10-12 hours a week to build his YouTube channel with his full time job.
So hard work pays off!
Thanks.
But this doesn’t mean you have to spend as much time. If you have less time, you just grow more slowly.
He sort of blew up, if you put it in a perspective of time.
to get to 100k+ in a year is unheard of.
What I wanted to emphasize is that it's not that it doesn't take effort and time on his part.
As you said, he just reduced as much friction as possible to make it as easy as possible.
Thank you Alberto
I will check out Azul to see more of what you describe.
I also wonder if there is a place where we get stuck and being willing to try something new is a potential source of new energy
Thank you so much for this inspiration
Trying something new for me is always a source of energy. I should block time every week for it
Guilty!
in the past I spent hours setting up a studio, lighting and then editing videos... gave up when I didn't get traction.
Now I just record using my phone at my desk and do minimal edits if I mess up... still very little traction but I can now stick with it as it's easy to create videos.
Well done. And you can run more tests until something sticks!
Are you on YouTube?
Ohh yeah, started making videos again this month..
Crypto folks say
LFG!
Great article. Authenticity seems to be the order of the day. Trusting "who I am" is enough is the biggest challenge.
Yes, especially when no one is reading and you think you're doing something wrong.
I've struggled with a lot.
It takes much more patience than we expect and celebrating the small wins.
I am still struggling to show myself as I am 100% without giving importance to what they will think of me. It is a complicated exercise.
Often 100% isn't necessary.
Seth Godin says that authenticity is still "fabricated" (I'm paraphrasing).
In the sense that you choose which aspects of yourself to show to your audience.
I also took Ali Abdaal’s course twice and was forced to discard much of the advice too, but because it simply didn’t apply to the type of videos I’m making. I’m still glad I took the course, expensive as it was, because my biggest take away was to just make the videos that make you want to keep making videos! My growth has been pretty slow but consistent and I still love every part of the process. YouTube has given anyone the ability to express themselves and be creative and it continues to be my favourite platform of all, both as creator and consumer!
They have the best algorithm, IMO.
As a user, I keep getting good recommendations.
As a creator, I can trust my video reaches the intended audience if I do things right.
The key takeaway from the entire piece can be summed up to a single sentence you shared:
"He had something to say [...]"
Full stop.
Oh no. I wasted a thousand words then...
😰😅
There's still a big part of society that not suffers from "shiny object syndrome." They love the raw you. The creator like he/she is. Without the fluff and "must haves."
Great article Alberto. Thank you for your different views.
Thank you!
By the way, I'm also creating no-edit videos for my Italian channel. They mostly are screenshare tutorials, though.
Amazing sharing Alberto! That's right, we spend so much time agonising over every detail instead of showing up and do the work. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thank you!
Find your strengths. Leverage them. Strip away the rest.
I loved reading this, Alberto! Goes to show that if you know audience one can hone a message that connects with them. Sure, being able to speak well helps, but the rest is fluff.
Thanks!
Most importantly, focus on your strengths.
What a great story, I love this! Thank you for sharing, Alberto. I don't mind following YouTubers who don't have perfect lighting. In fact, the ones I like the most have simple backgrounds in their homes and aren't perfect. Their message is good, so it doesn't matter.
Thanks!
By the way, many YouTube videos are just podcasts with added eye-candy. You don’t lose anything if you just listen with the screen off.
Yup! That’s what I do most of the time. I always listen when I’m on my walks.
I love the idea of removing as much fluff and "resistance" while focusing on the value that truly matters - in his case, his way of speaking and the message that he delivers in his talks and titles. That is certainly something to learn from!
Thanks!
Yes, we need to say “Ok, I need to publish, there’s no compromise. What can I strip away?”
Exactly. I did so with my voiceovers. I have experimented with it on and off. It might be a nice add-on, but it is not the core, and whenever I plan to do them to go along with my writing, it creates friction in the entire process. So, I am not doing them anymore.
Interesting.
I love when there’s a voiceover. I haven’t much time to read.
Have you considered streamlining the recording process?
Find the easiest setup.
Record in one take.
No edit, just automatic normalization and compression, if needed.
Well, the recording process looks exactly like what you say. But it’s stressful to me - including the urge to redo it if I go back and edit my writing.
I feel safe with writing but insecure talking 🙈
Mmm. I understand.
I published hundreds of YouTube videos. I think I went over that fear years ago.
This is gold, Alberto! I just launched my YouTube Channel and only have 2 vids up so far. (Enjoying summer with my two young kiddos, but I have many videos already planned to shoot when school restarts for them.) Thanks much for sharing these insights. It really frees me to think that I do not have to follow some prescribed plan that’s worked for many others, if it doesn’t work for me. I know that, intellectually, but as an Attorney who’s on a mission to honor my Creative Self moving forward, there’s a large gap between intellectual understanding and experiential understanding. It gives me great hope to see an example of a YouTuber who’s clearly been successful at it, while following the beat of his own drum. I look forward to learning much more on my journey. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing your experience!