10,000 YouTube subscribers. It’s hard to believe.
I received notification in the early hours this morning that I had reached 10,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel.
It is especially difficult to believe, when I look back to the first video I uploaded to YouTube. That was on St. Patrick’s day, 2011, nearly ten years ago. It was a poor offering with appalling sound and comprised a screen recording of a short powerpoint presentation about employment law.
However, over the succeeding ten years the videos improved bit by bit. So much so that most of my videos are well received and attract positive feedback.
Most importantly, though, they have generated a large number of queries, leads, and clients.
In the last 6 months or so I had this target of 10,000 in my sights because I knew from my rate of growth that I had a deal of momentum in growing my subscriber base. I knew the 10,000 subscriber milestone was within my grasp.
With that in mind I increased my production of videos and uploads to YouTube to two each week-on Wednesday and Saturday morning-over the last 6 months or so of 2020.
Now that I have reached the goal I am considering reverting back to one per week, at least for now.
Rather than churn out videos for the sake of gaining new subscribers I intend to publish one per week, on Saturday morning, and ensure a decent quality of video.
Also, I have yet to decide whether to continue along the strategy I have employed to date and do more of the same-videos about Irish law, business, property. Or to introduce some new material, new types of video, and take a slightly different approach.For example political commentary, social matters, current affairs, or other new spheres of interest.
I have, from time to time, plenty to say about current affairs and politics in Ireland. But I know videos touching on these areas will draw all sorts of attention and commenters.
And I’m not sure whether I want to spend my time responding to, and monitoring, extreme comments and opinions that emanate from ignorance and delusion completely divorced from reality, data, or evidence.
One option would be to simply make and publish the video and not allow comments.
But I am not sure this would be right and would contravene my own strong views about freedom of speech and civil liberties. Not allowing comments would also diminish the strength and validity of whatever argument or viewpoint I was canvassing.
What have I gained from growing my YouTube channel
I have learned some valuable lessons and skills in seeking to improve my videos. For example in the area of communication, editing, copywriting, hooking viewers, holding attention, film making, different cuts, story telling, and more.
I have also improved my public speaking and ability to think on my feet because most of my videos are one takes and reliant on speaking coherently on the particular topic that I am dealing with.
I have also gained “fans/followers”, leads, and clients.
And I have built an asset for my business which should, unless YouTube changes the rules, continue to deliver traffic, leads, and clients into my ecosystem for years to come.
I nearly forgot: I have also established myself as a “trusted authority” with the persons I seek to influence and serve. That is priceless.
Was the journey worth it, the one that started with a video on St. Patrick’s day 2011 and which sounded as if I was speaking through an incredibly long plastic pipe?
Yes, absolutely. Worth every minute of my time.