What a YouTuber Wishes They Had Known Before Entering the YouTube Industry
Max, a YouTuber creating guitar videos, learned that the effort invested in a project doesn't always correlate with its success; a meticulously crafted Veteran's Day video "bombed" despite significant time and resources, while a simpler video achieved much higher viewership. This experience taught Max the importance of preparing for unpredictable outcomes and focusing on enjoyment of the creative process, rather than solely on audience response, stating that "it's okay if it doesn't get a huge response".
Content Creation, Video Production, Digital Marketing, Social Media, YouTube
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Max Carlisle
YouTuber
YouTube Channel
None
N/A
General Studies / Not Applicable
Advertising, Communications & Marketing
Creative
Video Highlights
1. You have to be prepared for failure: The amount of work you put in doesn't always equal the results. Some projects may receive more views or engagement than others, regardless of effort.
2. It's difficult to predict what will be popular on YouTube. Try to understand what kinds of videos resonate with your audience, but be ready for surprises and don't let a lack of views discourage you.
3. Focus on creating content you're passionate about and that has meaning for you. If you enjoy the process, you'll be more likely to persevere despite setbacks or less-than-expected results. It's okay if not every project is a huge success.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone had told you before you entered the industry?
There are a few things I wish I'd known earlier about what I'm doing now. I wish someone had told me. The main thing is that you have to brace yourself to deal with failure.
There will be times when, for example, I'll share a personal experience from something I worked on. I make guitar videos on YouTube, and let's say I review a new, popular guitar. I'll work on the video, and when I release it, it does great – maybe a hundred thousand or even 500,000 views. Everyone comments, "Great video, man," and says the guitar is cool.
You look at that and think, "Great, I put in this much work, and this was the result." Then, I made a video for Veteran's Day. I played themes from different military branches on guitar in a heavy metal style. I went to various locations, wanting a battleship in the background, and did all sorts of things.
It took me months. I spent so much time recording audio, learning parts, and creating a unique arrangement since the songs weren't originally written for guitar. I had to come up with everything, visit locations, shoot the video, and edit it.
Finally, I released it, and it bombed. Nobody cared. You look at that and think, "Wait a minute. I put so much more work into this other video, and I got a fraction of the result of that other thing."
That's something I didn't understand early on and wish I had known. It's easy to assume that the amount of work you put into something equals the return. But it doesn't, and it's complicated why that isn't always the case.
You try to predict success based on what's worked before and what people respond to. But it's good if you can be ready for that. You can do something, feel like you really enjoyed it, had fun, and that it was important to you, and it's okay if it doesn't get a huge response.
You have to be mentally prepared for that. If you think about it the other way, as I used to, putting in huge effort and not getting a huge positive response can be crushing and discouraging. That's something I wish I'd known early on.
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