If you know me you know I have created content on almost every platform that exists. But what may surprise you is how little I have put on YouTube. And it isn’t that I don’t want to, or that I haven’t tried, it is that I’m great at coming up with excuses. Well, with being out of a job for a little over a month, I have taken a lot more time to do the creative things I have always wanted to do.
There are a couple of reasons I have not done YouTube as much as other platforms. The number one reason is I try to find the easiest way to do things. TikTok at its core is pretty easy. A one-minute video. No real editing. No real scripting. Just record and go. However, the creators that are excelling at TikTok do put a lot of time into writing filming, and editing. But on YouTube, you just need to do more. The algorithm pumps watch time. A 15-minute video has more potential watch time than a one-minute video. That’s nearly 15 times the work. Also on YouTube, it is PARAMOUNT to have an eye-catching thumbnail and title. TikTok doesn’t have either of those. You don’t choose what you watch next on TikTok, the algorithm just gives you something. YouTube the viewer has the power to choose what is next, and when you only have a thumbnail and title to draw people in over the millions of other videos, it better be perfect.
That’s where I always had a gripe about YouTube. I got annoyed by everyone having to do such ridiculous things just to get a click. I didn’t want to do that, so I didn’t. So I stuck to TikToks, Podcasts, blog posts, and live streams. But none of them have stuck. None of them have gained any momentum. And that is all because I haven’t put in the time and effort to make high-quality consistent content that people will want to come around for. I have always put other priorities and excuses ahead of my desire to create good content and rather took the easy way just to say I made something and pray for a miracle.
No longer. From now on I want to prioritize my creative side. I want to give myself a fighting chance of making something people enjoy and respond to. I want to grow what I do. This is all easy to say while I’m not working at the moment, but if I’m going to survive going back to full-time work and providing for my family, I have to have an outlet that fulfills me.
So today I spent a little over 6 hours creating a 12-minute video. I would love it if you gave it a watch, liked it, and subscribed. I hope to make more in the future.