I know that my chosen title “How I got my first 4000 subscribers on Youtube for GTV” sounds a bit clickbait-y, but I really wanted to write this article, not only for you, but for me. I wanted a way to document the things that I have done and the things that I am about to do.
Way back in 2015, I started creating YouTube videos. In that year, I actually had a team produce my videos. My best friend, April, helped me. The content that I wanted to share were videos that will inspire a lot of starting entrepreneurs and freelancers.
But that enthusiasm for creating videos was replaced by prioritizing the businesses that I was running and starting during that time. Don’t get me wrong. That’s not a bad thing. I just made my own decision on what things I needed to prioritize at that time. As you may know, 2015 was also the time that we thought of Taxumo, and I was also involved in creating two other startups that time. I didn’t have time to create videos for my YouTube channel, GTV.
Fast forward to 2017, the same thing happened again. This time, I wanted to create beauty vlogs. I love studying skin care products, that I created videos on different products. My subscriber base started going up again. But, again, I had to set vlogging aside as during 2018, we at Taxumo, had to prepare for the TRAIN law.
Looking back, I saw everything clearly. The things that I did and the decisions that I mad, and seeing my numbers now gave me clarity on what I could have done differently and what I can do moving forward.
So, I’m writing this blog today, to share with you what my thoughts are and also to remind myself later on what to do.
My Road to 4000 subscribers on Youtube
Tip #1: If you want to achieve something, it’s 100% possible. You just have to decide that you want it.
Looking back, I knew that I wanted to grow my channel. But, I wanted to grow my business more. And this was a decision that I made. I think there was no wrong decision (and I’m sure, as humans, we will justify our decisions regardless of how the decisions turn out… haha!).
Both of these things are important to me, but all of us have limited time, so we need to decide on what weighs more for you at a given point in time.
What I want to impart is that everything is 100% possible. All your dreams are 100% possible. You just need to decide to work on it if you want to turn it into reality.
Tip #2: Know where you are going, but celebrate small wins.
People don’t know the work that is done behind creating each video, no matter how short or long and no matter what the format is. For people like me, with no production team, I think of the content, I write down the script or questions (if it’s an interview), I think of the value the video might be able to bring, I look for the people to interview and invite them, I research about the products and I record the video.
After recording is done, I edit the video, fix the other elements and description on Youtube, check if it’s SEO friendly, monitor metrics, see if topic is engaging, promote the videos, and repeat the cycle.
I know that ultimately, at the end of the day, I want to help people learn something new everyday, especially when it comes to business, career and freelancing. Of course, I won’t let go of other things that I love talking about, too, like beauty, skin care, motherhood and cool, gaming, unique gadgets and purchases. I think that’s what the playlists are for really. Lol!
At the end of the day, what matters is if people get to learn from my videos. That’s what will make me smile. And to my point about celebrating small wins, I rejoice whenever I get to create a video. I celebrate that feeling, because this is what gets me motivated again to create other videos. I love the sense of accomplishment it brings (ako gumawa nyan!). Just take it one day at a time, and when you look back at your metrics (just like this one), you’ll be happy that you focused on creating value and moving the needle a little bit every day.
Tip #3: Be consistent.
We all know this. When we do something consistently, from aloting one hour a day to develop a skill or one hour a day to workout, it’s impossible that you won’t see any positive change. We will definitely get to the goal that we have set for ourselves.
Things that stop us from being consistent are these things:
- You purposely chose to prioritize something else. (In this case, it’s fine. You probably realized that something “weighs” more in your life that you made that intentional decision.)
- You are demotivated to continue, because you are not achieving the numbers that you set for yourself. (In this case, revisit your numbers as you may have set the wrong ones. If these are big targets, you may want to break them down so you’re not overwhelmed by the end goal).
- You are doing this activity for the wrong reasons and give up easily because of this. (In this case, ask yourself why you are doing this. Is it for money, fame and popularity, selling another product or service, educating others, makes you happy, outlet for your emotions, to pass the time, revenge, etc. Be clear on why you are doing this.)
Tip #4: Look for things that you know you can do (skill) and will enjoy and provides value.
I have always admired people like Julie Nolke (she’s so funny!) because I always wanted to make people laugh. I just know that it’s not a skill that I have. Lol! But what I do have experience with and love talking about is business, entrepreneurship, creating and growing a startup, finance, productivity, marketing, and skin care.
When I started embracing these topics, people naturally gravitated to my channel because they knew exactly what they were going to get. They knew exactly what to expect. So this helped me a lot.
Tip #5: Learn and try out new tools, and invest in tools that works for you.
It was only this year that I got to learn about TubeBuddy. TubeBuddy is a tool that helps you optimize your videos. Honestly, it has helped increase the chances of my videos being seen on Youtube.
You can sign up and test it out: TubeBuddy.
You can learn more about how to get started from this video:
This tool really helped me a lot since I’m the only one preparing, editing, posting and marketing my videos. Check out TubeBuddy; it’s super worth it!
Tip #6: Learn from the most recent video that you did.
During the latter part of reaching 4000 subscribers on Youtube, I watched my metrics because data tells me the story of my viewers. I get to see what they love viewing, and what topics are most engaging for them. With the things that I learn from the previous uploads, I iterate and adjust content, topics, editing, etc.
These are the 6 things that I wanted to share and I, personally, wanted to take note of.
I’ve created 260 uploads since the time that I started and have 336K views so far. I have 4000 subscribers on Youtube as of date. More than these numbers, I’m more excited by the thought that I’ll be sharing the stories of more business owners and enablers in the MSME ecosystem. Looking forward to a great 2021 for all content creators, business owners, freelancers and entrepreneurs!
