Transcription
Hey, I know it is either jittery T and it's been a while since I've done this. We look every local done something like this, so yeah, a lot has changed. Before, my um, stuff used to be there and like I said, black. A lot, I think even the biggest Logan Paul fan would admit that KSI has built something incredible on YouTube. From making videos raging at FIFA in his bedroom to becoming a multi-millionaire in his 20s, casually turning into an undefeated boxer and a chart-topping music artist along the way. Whatever KSI puts his mind to, he seems to achieve.
In this video, we are going to get to the bottom of his growth strategy on YouTube. It can be easy to look at someone who has enjoyed so much success and just say he got lucky, but the truth is, KSI has made some genius moves that every YouTuber can learn from, whether you have ten subscribers or ten million. Let's find out what he has done that is different to the rest. Welcome to a KSI YouTube masterclass. So, if you're new here, I break down the strategies that big YouTubers have used to grow their channels. I always try to identify the key takeaways for all the rest of us regular folks just trying to make it.
I've actually put off making a video on KSI for a long time because when I look at his channels, I find it so hard to pinpoint what has made him so unstoppable. He just seemed like a talented and funny guy who was in the right place at the right time. But then I looked a little deeper and I began to realize that this was no accident. KSI has really cracked the code to grow a huge audience on YouTube. What's more interesting is the fact that JJ has broken a lot of the traditional rules while doing so.
People always say, "Pick a niche." When it comes to YouTube, you need a certain kind of content that your audience will know and love, and then stick to it. I think this is generally quite good advice, but let's take a look at KSI. He started out making gaming videos, branched into sketches, that went into music, reaction videos, vlogs, and even boxing training videos. Now, try put this content into a niche. You can't. Does this mean that you shouldn't care about finding a niche on YouTube? Absolutely not. You see, what Kara has done to branch into different content is much smarter than you might think. This brings us on to the first factor behind KSI's YouTube success: evolving the smart way.
So, obviously, in the early beginnings of any YouTube channel, having a niche is important. Pretty much every large YouTuber today started with a niche before branching out as they grew. As simple as it might seem, it's honestly the area where small YouTubers often go wrong. Many of us try to cover too many areas at the same time and as a result, don't experience growth in any of them. The YouTube algorithm rewards creators in a clear niche. If your content jumps around the place, you'll struggle to build any momentum.
Okay, so hold on a minute. I've just said KSI doesn't have a niche, but now I'm saying that you should. You see, with JJ, there's a difference. Well, I guess he no longer can fit into a niche. This wasn't always the case. When he first started out, he was a gaming commentary channel, plain and simple, focusing mainly on FIFA. He used this niche to gain initial attention and grow up a subscriber base. But JJ did something very few YouTubers ever achieve. As he moved into new stars of content, he brought his audience with him every time. There was very little fall-off. The people who loved his FIFA videos also loved his sketches or his reaction videos and so on. If he had just stuck with FIFA videos, I don't think he would have ever hit the large numbers he has today. But at the same time, if he never started in the gaming niche, he may have never been discovered in the first place.
The key is in the way he evolved. A lot of YouTubers who fail to evolve can be placed in two camps. Some are too afraid to ever move out of the niche, fearing that their audience won't like their new content, so they are stuck there and often plateau in terms of their growth. Others change up too dramatically. One day, suddenly change in their content type and hoping their audience will carry over, but this is usually the wrong approach. The difference with KSI is he introduced new content types gradually over time. He started to integrate new content piece by piece until he had fully branched out.
But it comes down to more than just this. A huge part of why his evolution works so well was because he carried over the jokes, the style of content, and the personality from his FIFA videos into everything he has done since. If you compare his videos from 2011 to his content over the last year or two, you'll see what I mean.
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Yeah, yeah, but yes, I indeed won the game. Pitch of the season, but somehow, seafood manages to hold on. But nature doesn't stop the concentration from this line. That's literally nothing. Teeth who can do. He's on the ropes. All they can do is shoot. Ninja and kill him. Chaos has evolved so much over the years and became one of the richest YouTubers in history, but in a way, he's never changed at all. So, really, for smaller creators, there's a blueprint here. Find your niche, make good content, and build up your audience. But when it starts to feel boring to you, or you want to move into new areas, gradually transition your content and bring your subscribers with you. The best way to do this is to keep incorporating what got you subscribers in the first place, whether it's your sense of humor or your ability to relate to your audience on a deeper level. If you want to evolve the smart way, you really need to think this through. It can make or break a channel.
Keeping on the theme of evolving your content over time, let's jump into factor number two, which is the power of a second channel. Now, the concept of starting a second channel isn't anything groundbreaking or new, but when they use right, they can allow you to experiment with different content, make more money, and reach new audiences. KSI is one of the best examples of how important second channels can be. His has pretty much become his main channel now. He's grown by almost 500,000 subscribers a month on it, compared to just 30k per month on his original channel. I've seen this model used by so many large creators. They start a second channel where they actually post more often than on their main channel. KSI has posted 27 videos in the last 30 days on his second channel and one on his main. Miss The Beast recently started a second channel and in the same time period, he's posted 14 times on it and only twice on his main channel. Why? Why are YouTubers beginning to put more focus on their second channels now?
Obviously, KSI has transformed his main channel into a music channel, but why do this in the first place? The huge amount of it is due to the YouTube algorithm. It's almost like some god at this stage. All trends and YouTube's behavior can be tracked back to the algorithm in some way or another. You to carry out individual performance of videos now. So, if you put a large channel with good momentum and you upload some lower quality videos that don't perform as well as your usual stuff, your whole channel takes a hit. Having a lot of subscribers is actually way less important than you might think these days. Just listen to what tech YouTuber MKBHD has to say on this.
I don't even know if YouTube would ever say it, but finding and subscribing to a new YouTube channel and then not engaging and interacting with their content actually sends a bad signal to YouTube's algorithms. Where if you just subscribe to a channel and never watch their stuff, then YouTube takes that as a flag that this stuff isn't interesting and then makes it harder for that stuff to surface. So, really, it comes down to this: more videos equals more views equals more money. And having a second channel allows you to make lower effort videos without damaging the reach of your main channel. The videos JJ uploads on the second channel are great, but they don't require anywhere near as much editing and filming. And then having his content separated, when he releases a music video or a vlog on his main channel, it won't get lost in the daily uploads of trying not to laugh challenges. This is in essence why everyone seems to be starting a second channel. It allows you to focus on heavy-hitting content on your main channel, but stay more consistent on your second.
So, should you start a second channel now? Obviously, it doesn't make sense for everyone, but if you've already started in each base channel and you wanted to try something different, I'd really recommend it. So, KSI has made some pretty smart moves while branching out his new content over the years, but it was all made possible by factor number three: he is a multi-talented creator. One of my pet peeves is when YouTubers get thrown into the same category as influencers and minor celebrities. I've seen interviews where the likes of KSI clearly not taken seriously because he's just that air quotes YouTuber. I think by doing this, people are really underestimating how much talent, range of skills, and work ethic is needed to make it on the platform nowadays. The large YouTubers have a team behind them, but let's not forget that they all started out by themselves with a laptop, camcorder, and some crazy ideas.
I heard a quote before saying that the best business leaders are the ones who have worked every job in their company. KSI is basically the YouTube equivalent of this. He has been on our screen since he was 15. In that time, he's had to edit videos, record voiceovers, write Oh scripts, but also market himself and build a business behind the channel. And if that wasn't enough, he also decided to learn how to rap and box to a really high level, all while handling the pressure of millions of people looking up to it. KSI is an example of one of those rare types of people who thrive with new challenges. I'll be honest, in my opinion, he doesn't get anywhere near enough credit for what he has built. I think the real takeaway here is that to do well on YouTube, you need to be multi-talented and in many ways, the platform suits jack-of-all-trades instead of specialists. Even with my own channel, I'm not great at one thing, but I'm able to write a story, record my voice, or animate and put everything together. Boy fire.
My most asked question is how do I make my videos? So I decided to make an online class with today's video sponsor, Skillshare, going through the entire process, which you can access for free. Skillshare is an online learning community that I always recommend to anyone trying to build their skills for YouTube. I've used it to improve in areas such as voiceovers, storytelling, and video editing. The beautiful thing about Skillshare is how organized everything is. Although I love YouTube, it can be hard to stick to learning on here with all the distractions. This is never a problem on Skillshare. If you search my name, you can check out my own class. I've broke down everything you need to know to make engaging animations for YouTube. In the space of about half an hour, you'll be able to make your first video. Skillshare is actually very affordable as it is, but the first 500 people to use the link below will get free premium access for two months. If you want to open YouTube gain this summer, I really recommend it.
I think KSI should actually be in the conversation for one of the greatest YouTubers of all time. He's shown the world how powerful building an audience on this platform can be, and his work ethic is still there despite all the success. He obviously has another side to his story too, with the Sidemen. Maybe I'll make a video in the future breaking that down. Thank you so much for watching this video, and if you stayed around for this long, you might as well hit that like button. I recently got this in the mail, which was such a huge moment for my channel, so thank you all so much for the support. Don't forget to try a Skillshare down below. It really helps out my channel, especially now in full time on YouTube. Anyway, thanks again, and I'll see you in the next one. You.
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