Transcription
Believe it or not, being a small YouTuber gives you a secret advantage that us bigger creators don't get anymore. And most people never realize it, which is why they stay stuck. But if you understand it and you use it properly, you can grow your channel much faster than you might think. So, in this video, I'll show you exactly what it is, and I'll show you how to use it.
So, first of all, you actually have a massive advantage when it comes to the algorithm itself because when you're a new or a small channel, the algorithm actually works in your favor. Contrary to popular belief, YouTube doesn't just look at small channels and think, hm, this person only has 20 subscribers. Let's not push their content. In fact, it does the complete opposite. Every time you upload, YouTube will always push your video out to a wide group of people to see who responds to it. It basically tests your content with different audiences trying to match your video with viewers who think it would be a good fit. And this is why your early uploads are such a golden opportunity. And because you don't have an existing audience yet, YouTube has to rely entirely on its own systems to go out and find your viewers for you. So, it gives your videos a wider initial push to see who might be interested. That early phase is YouTube's way of giving every new creator a fair shot at growth, even if you're starting from zero. It's like they help you by giving you a little nudge in the right direction to help get your channel going.
Now, compare this to what happens on a larger channel. Because basically when a bigger creator, including someone like me, when we upload a video, YouTube will only test that video on our existing subscribers first. So if our subscribers don't click on that video, YouTube will just assume that video isn't particularly any good and therefore is far less likely to recommend it to any new viewers. So bigger channels always have to pass more audience response tests before YouTube will actually actively push it out to more people, whereas smaller channels like yours will have your content suggested to new viewers right from the get-go. And this is basically how smaller YouTubers actually have a slight more advantage when it comes to having your videos pushed out.
So, when you're a small channel and you get that initial boost, which everyone gets, by the way, whether you think you do or not, you need to make sure you take advantage of it properly. And you can do that by giving the algorithm as much clarity about the video as possible. The better your metadata, like your title, your description, your tags, and your overall like topic signaling, the easier it is for YouTube to understand who your video is actually for. Everyone gets this early window of opportunity, but only the creators who properly optimize their videos will benefit from it. That's why you see some creators blow it quickly whilst others just continue to struggle. And if this part about metadata and optimization is something you know you need to improve on, this is exactly what I cover in far more detail inside of my YouTube web academy. I'll go through step by step through SEO, titles, thumbnails, hidden metadata, retention, and all of the strategies that actually help small creators take advantage of the algorithm. So, if you want more structured guidance and you don't want to figure all this out alone, the link to my academy is down below.
Now, even with all of that said about how the algorithm works, there's something else you need to understand because it stops a lot of new creators in their tracks. This is the simple reality that YouTube growth is a bit weird. It definitely doesn't follow a straight line and it definitely doesn't reward you evenly either. Growth on YouTube is unpredictable and oftentimes completely random. And this isn't just something that affects small channels. This happens to every single creator on the platform, including me. One of my best performing videos has over 1.4 million views. And yet, not long after that, I uploaded a new video that got just 12,000 views. That is a massive difference. And people will always assume that something must have gone terribly wrong or that the algorithm simply just hated me. But that's not entirely the case. This is simply just how YouTube works. Different videos can behave differently because they're being shown to different audiences at different times with different demands, different competition, and different viewer intent. Like there are so many different variables that all affect a YouTube's video success. Now some topics might have huge search volume and some topics might have really strong recommendation potential and then some will take weeks or even months before they catch on. Whereas other videos might get a quick burst of views and then die off really quickly because the audience for that topic is really small. So there isn't like one single pattern that all videos follow. They each have their own unique trajectory. And this is why you'll often see a video sit at like 37 views for a couple of days or even a couple of weeks and then suddenly jump to like a thousand views overnight because it finally found the right audience. So your job here is to keep giving YouTube more opportunities to find the right audience for you because it will happen just not always on your schedule.
And then another really important thing to remember is that low views or low subscribers are often caused by one simple thing, a lack of social proof. And this isn't your fault. It's unfortunately just how people behave online. And what I mean by this is when viewers see a video on the homepage or in their suggested tab that's only got like five views, their natural instinct is to just skip it. Not because the video is bad, but because they don't want to be one of the first people to take the risk by watching it. Because that low view count could mean either A, it's a brand new video, so they don't know if it's any good or not, or B, nobody's clicking on it because it's a bad video. So instead, people will just trust what other people have already validated. Like, if a video has tens of thousands of views, it instantly looks much more trustworthy and much more worth clicking on. But when a video is just sitting there with a tiny number underneath it, like 31 views, most viewers will assume it hasn't proven itself yet. So, they scroll right past it and click on the bigger video instead. And then the cycle continues. Now, your content could be absolutely brilliant. And I bet it is. But without those early signals of social proof, most viewers won't be willing to take the risk by watching it. And just think for a second, when was the last time you clicked on and watched a random video that only had like five views from a creator you haven't heard of before? The answer to that question is probably the reason your videos aren't getting many views either. It's just natural, guys. No one's to blame.
And this then brings me on to something that every small creator overlooks, and I can guarantee you probably do, too. Yes, low views can hurt your social proof in the beginning, but at the same time, having barely anyone watching you is actually one of the biggest advantages you'll ever have on YouTube. It doesn't feel like it now, I know, but trust me on this one. Because when you're in that early stage where your channel is quiet and your view count is probably really low, you have one thing that us larger channels would love to get back. Total creative freedom. You can test things. You can experiment with new ideas. You can experiment with new styles, new thumbnails, new topics. You can make mistakes. And you can try something completely different and random. And you can do all of that without any real consequences. But bigger channels like mine, and especially the even bigger ones like Mr. Beast or Ali Abdal, definitely do not have that luxury. When they upload something that's even slightly outside of what their audience expects, their viewers will let them know about it immediately. But you, on the other hand, you're still invisible enough to explore. You can post something completely weird or completely creative just to see what happens. You can change direction if you want to. You can change your editing, your pacing, your delivery, your niche, all without thousands of people watching your every move. So, if your videos aren't getting many views right now, don't just look at it as a sign that you're failing. Look at it as though it's like a private learning period, like the phase where you get to make all the mistakes you want or all the mistakes you need before the real audience arrives. Enjoy this stage whilst it lasts because it won't last forever. I promise you.
And look, another thing to remember is that when you're a small creator, your analytics can be incredibly misleading. You might look at a video that only got like three views and instantly feel deflated. But when you're starting out, it's the percentage growth that matters, not the raw numbers. So if your first video gets like three views, but then your second video gets six views, that's literally a 100% increase. Like these improvements might feel tiny, but they compound far faster at the beginning than they do like later on for bigger channels. Like a large creator going from 100,000 views to 120,000 views barely sees a difference. But for a small creator like you, doubling your views from 10 to 20 is actually a far greater level of improvement. And like I said, most growth on YouTube does not happen in a straight line. It comes from making small improvements that eventually suddenly everything clicks.
And if all of this is starting to make sense to you, but you need a bit more help applying it, especially when it comes to improving thumbnails, titles, retention, or your overall YouTube strategy, this is exactly what we work on inside of my YouTube Wealth Academy. You'll get step-by-step training along with real feedback from creators who are creating alongside you, which can genuinely speed up your process. So, if you want to take full advantage of being a small YouTuber and you want someone to guide you through everything you need to know, come and join us inside the academy. Let me be your mentor. Let me help you build out your channel in the right way with the right strategies and with a community that actually understands what you're trying to achieve. The link is down below. I would love to see you inside. If not, YouTube thinks that this video right here is the perfect one for you to watch next. I'll see you there.