Transcription
On this channel, I have hit 1 million subscribers. That too in just 51 videos. Sounds crazy but it's true. If you search #DecodingYT on YouTube, then you will see that thousands of people have made videos on how my channel grew so fast. But when I watched these videos, then I realized that the biggest reasons behind my growth were not even discussed in these videos. And that's why I decided to make this video. Today you will hear from me directly what I think made Decoding YT grow so fast. This video is going to be a case study on the mindset with which I have approached YouTube for the last three years. What actions I have taken, what problems I have faced. Basically, today we will set aside surface-level information and dive a little deep into the world of YouTube. So if you are serious about your channel, you will get a lot of value from this video. Because the things that took me years to understand, I will tell you directly today. To understand this properly, I have broken down the reasons for my growth into four key parts. The first thing was ideas. About ideas, I have only told you this much so far: in my early days, I did trend-jacking and created content around big creators, which gave me an initial boost and brought the first 5 to 10,000 subscribers to my channel. Okay? But what about the videos after that? Did I keep growing by trend-jacking every time? Obviously not. In fact, I chose such an effective system for selecting ideas that would give me consistent growth for the next 3 years. See, most creators choose topics randomly, which get views for a week or at most a month. Then their video dies. And honestly, if your video is ready in just 10-15 minutes sitting in front of the camera, then this system is completely fine for you. But it was not like that in my case. Ideation, scripting, high-quality editing, combining all these things, it took me at least a week to make one video. And that's why I chose evergreen topics that would generate views not just for a few months but for years. Let's say YouTube launches a new update. Now, if you make a video around it, initially it will get a lot of views because many people want to know about it right now. But as time passes, that update will become irrelevant, and your views will become negligible. On the other hand, if you take an evergreen topic, initially it will get significantly fewer views compared to the update video. But here is the fun part. If that video is good, its views will never stop; instead, they will keep compounding. That video will keep generating views not just for a few weeks or months but for years. And if you look closely at the Decoding YT channel, you will understand that almost all my videos are evergreen. And because of this, my channel kept growing continuously despite having so few videos. Because I was getting growth from every video not once but multiple times. For example, look at this video, which I posted on July 3, 2023. Almost 3 years ago. Currently, it has 3 million views. And even today, it easily gets 1000 views daily. Just because it is on an evergreen topic. Title, description, and tags. People search this all the time. Besides this, while choosing ideas, I followed Paddy Galloway's CCN framework, which helped me balance audience satisfaction and growth. CCN stands for Core, Casual, and New. Whichever topic you make a video on, it can target these three levels of viewers. Core viewers, meaning the die-hard fans of your niche. Even if you make a video on a very niche or very specific topic, core viewers will definitely watch it. On the opposite side are new viewers who are very new to your niche. Maybe they haven't even seen your channel before. And if they find the title and thumbnail interesting, only then will they watch your video. And of course, there are casual viewers who fall somewhere in between these two. Meaning they are interested in this niche and your channel, but less so than core viewers. So the CCN framework basically says that you pick topics that satisfy all three levels of viewers at once. This will keep your channel growing because you will attract new viewers, and you will also keep your loyal audience base satisfied. Whenever I pick an idea, it caters to core, casual, and new viewers of all types. For example, "ChatGPT Secrets to Go Viral on YouTube." New viewers will click on this video because they are curious about how to use ChatGPT for YouTube growth. Core viewers already know how powerful a tool ChatGPT is and they use it themselves, but they will click because they specifically want to know which prompts Decoding YT uses. And the casual viewers in between just want to make better videos and think that maybe they will find something useful in this video. So it's the same idea, but it's attracting all three levels of viewers for different reasons. Finally, I also follow the three-video rule, which I learned from Algo Bhai. Basically, it says that you should try to ensure that you never have three low-performing videos back-to-back on your channel. Let's say one video is 9 out of 10. The second video is 10 out of 10, even worse. Then make the third video on a topic that breaks all records for views. The logic is very simple. If people continuously skip your three uploads, then even the algorithm will start thinking that this viewer is probably not interested in this channel anymore. And it will reduce or completely stop recommending your future uploads. Personally, I have a separate page in my YouTube diary where I only write down ideas that have a very high chance of going viral, and I use them when the time comes. Now, no matter how good an idea you choose, if you don't package it correctly, its entire potential will be destroyed. This is where the second key reason for my growth comes in: packaging. On YouTube, people click on your video before watching it. And that click is decided by your title and thumbnail, which together are called packaging. Initially, flat and simple design thumbnails also worked easily in the niche because at that time, there were not many faceless channels on YouTube. So whatever you made looked unique. But over time, of course, many new creators also came into this niche. And eventually, the design trend also evolved from flat to more 3D and lifelike designs. These thumbnails had more depth, realism, and polish, which made it clear that the video had substance. But of course, even after these trend changes, one thing has always remained constant: branding. And this is what makes my viewers instantly know that it is a Decoding YT video. Black background, white or green text, and the complementary color of green, red, which was mostly achieved through YouTube logos. Even the font I regularly use on my channel, I have only changed it once. This was about the design aspect. But the thing that is 10 times more important than this is the concept of the thumbnail. On a surface level, all the thumbnails on this channel look very simple. But if you ever study them carefully, you will realize that every thumbnail is trying to tell a story. For example, my editing hacks video. When most creators think of professional editing, this kind of complicated timeline comes to their mind. But I have written "noob" next to that timeline, which instantly contradicts the viewer's belief. And it makes them curious. How to use storytelling. In the thumbnail of this video, I have used a reference to the "Creation of Adam" painting, which is perfect for an abstract concept like storytelling. YouTube Shorts Algorithm Explained. A story is created in the mind from this thumbnail that your Shorts reach the audience, which is why they probably get views. But again, this story is incomplete. What is the audience? How does this process work? And all these questions make the viewer curious. So yeah, all the thumbnails are trying to tell a story through which they can make the viewer curious. If you look at the thumbnail of this video as well, which you are watching now, there is a story hidden in it too. The character in the hoodie in the center gives a mastermind or hacker vibe, who cracked the algorithm while remaining faceless. The graphs, data, numbers, and arrows behind are intentionally placed in a crowded manner to make it look like you are seeing a mastermind's blueprint. And of course, the central text "51 Videos = 1 Million Subs" is the biggest hook of this thumbnail. Besides the thumbnail, the title is also a very important part of your packaging. Even if your thumbnail stops the viewer's scrolling, they will never click on the video without reading the title. That's why I write titles in such a way that they provide clarity in a second about what the video is about. Also, I make sure that the title and thumbnail work together to build curiosity. Only then will your packaging be powerful. Now let's move on to the third key reason for my growth: editing. I was not the first YouTuber to edit faceless videos. There were many creators before me who were already doing this kind of editing. The only difference was that the editing they were doing on PC, I was doing it on my phone. And I think at that time, this was something that many new creators could relate to. Because earlier, everyone thought that you cannot do professional editing without a laptop or PC. Today, YouTube is full of mobile editing tutorials. But 3 years ago, the supply of such videos was very low. And the demand suddenly increased. Because every day some new faceless channel was going viral. Of course, I capitalized on this opportunity and made multiple editing tutorials that have millions of views today. Over time, the editing style of my niche also evolved, just like thumbnails. Earlier, even editing with simple motion backgrounds and flat elements seemed unique. Later, advanced 3D editing also became common. I started with InShot. And now I use After Effects. But you know, even after so many changes, one thing has always remained constant: visual storytelling. I never see editing as decoration. I always use it as a tool for communication. Whatever message my video has, I of course convey it through the script. But if I also make the visuals of my video such that they completely match the script, then the effort it takes for the viewer to comprehend the information is reduced, and watching the video becomes enjoyable. And this is a main reason why people like the editing style of this channel so much. When it comes to pacing, I don't edit too fast because it's not suitable for educational content, and I don't edit too slow either, otherwise the video will seem boring. The pacing is always in the middle. Another thing I always keep in mind is pattern interrupt. If the same thing continues on the screen for 5-10 seconds, the viewer's brain automatically starts to disconnect. That's why I consciously keep changing something every few seconds, whether it's a slow zoom, text, visual, or frame, so that the viewer's attention is not broken. And good editing not only increases retention but also builds trust. Viewers judge based on editing alone whether the channel will have 1000 subscribers or 1 lakh. Clean visuals, perfectly centered animations, seamless flow – all these things make your editing professional, which builds viewer trust, and they take your advice seriously. Now let's move on to the final key reason for my growth, without which it would be difficult to complete even 1 lakh subscribers, let alone 1 million. Scripting. While writing scripts, I have always followed a simple philosophy, and that is that no matter who is watching my video, they should easily understand everything in the video. And to achieve this, I try to look at every line from the viewer's perspective: whether my viewer will even have the necessary context for that line. Sometimes we assume that if we know something, then the other person will also know it. And this knowledge gap creates problems in the script, making the viewer feel lost. So, the most important thing for me is clarity, especially since Decoding YT is an educational channel. But of course, clarity alone won't work if the script is boring. I can give you thousands of tips to make a script interesting. But honestly, the easiest way is to actually provide something valuable or something new. Because serving tasteless food on a gold plate doesn't make it tasty. Similarly, if you are giving useless information with an engaging script, it's of no use, at least in the long term. That's why I always try to ensure that there is no unnecessary filler in my videos. Every video should offer something new to the viewer. This not only keeps the video interesting but also makes the viewer feel that their time is being used effectively. But yes, no matter how much value is hidden in the video, if people leave it at the beginning, all the effort is wasted. That's why I always emphasize the intro hook, i.e., the first 30 seconds, on my channel. I have already made a detailed video on how to design a killer intro. And I highly recommend that you watch it. Even if you look at the intro of this video, I have designed it very intentionally. First, I have said that on this channel, I have hit 1 million subscribers, that too in just 51 videos. So through this line, I am basically reaffirming the title, which gives confirmation to the viewer's brain that they are getting what they clicked for. After this, I said, thousands of people have made videos on how my channel grew so fast. But when I watched these videos, then I realized that the biggest reasons behind my growth were not even discussed in these videos. So this line looks very simple, but it is the most important part of the entire intro. Hearing this, the viewer will become curious about what the real reasons for my growth are, which no one talks about. After this, I have given the viewers an idea of what will be covered in the video, so that the viewers' expectations are clear from the beginning. Finally, I have said, the things that took me years to understand, I will tell you directly today. So this line indirectly signals to the viewer that they are going to get something highly valuable in a very easy way. So as you saw, every line of the intro hook has a purpose. I hope it's clear to you. Finally, I also use storytelling to make my scripts interesting. I have also made a detailed video on this recently. You can watch it if you want. So these were the four key reasons for my growth, which is why I think Decoding YT grew so fast. Of course, from the outside, everyone sees a perfect YouTube journey with linear growth. But only those who are experiencing it know how many ups and downs, how many mistakes, how much pressure there are in reality. And there are also days when you feel like giving up. As soon as your videos start performing well, a pressure builds up that you should perform equally well with every video. And sometimes this pressure becomes so much that you cannot even create freely. You start overthinking every decision. Personally, I have always struggled with perfection and overthinking. So, because of this, a lot of my time has been wasted, even in making simple decisions. And because I invested so much time in every video, maintaining consistency was also a challenge. On one hand, there is quality, on the strength of which the channel has grown. On the other hand, there is consistency, without which the algorithm gets angry. And balancing between these two is not easy. But you know, these are the problems of a YouTuber that make you special. Because you can never settle in this. You have to level up with every video and every problem. You have to learn. And not only your channel but you also grow as a person. Now, if you have come this far, then comment. Manifesting 1 million subscribers and like the video. Also, those storytelling and intro hook videos must be appearing on the screen now. So click on whichever you want to watch. And yeah, I will see you there. Bye.