I need Your Help - For Future YouTube Videos

Hello my fellow composers, I need your help! :slight_smile:
I made this video, because after 9 years of hard work, I have come to the conclusion that I need to change my focus, or I will not be able to keep up my YouTube channel.

Here’s how I need YOUR Help :slight_smile:

  • How can I get +100,000 views per video instead of 800 views or so I get on most videos now. Please share your ideas on Video Styles and Topics.
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I’ve just wrote you an answer on youtube :slight_smile:

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Awesome, thanks, reading it an replying there now! :smiley:

it would be interesting if this video got more view than any of your others. I think you talking to the audience and sharing ideas and getting feedback from time to time is great for the channel and different than what others would do even if you have a lot of views already. I think focusing on subjects that are universal for all kinds of music would probably help get a larger audience and views, such as technical use of software (music tip of the day video), how to collaborate with others using these programs and closing out your video with a song you’re working on in the style you enjoy. Just an idea but maybe having most of the video be about things that are universally experienced by musicians/producers/composers- asking what do all these industry roles have in common, what do they share? But finding a way to combine that with the genre of music you also want to teach and focus on- so maybe diving the video into something technically beneficial for most people and something musically creative towards the end and all 20 mins or under if possible for us less attentive folks :slightly_smiling_face:. enjoy your videos though and the time you put towards them.

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Haha, that would be literally ironic, right!? :stuck_out_tongue:

But Carl, you have a great point. I need to become more a “person” and not just someone who makes tutorials and tips videos. Or reviews or whatever.

I just responded to another comment on this video with the following:

"My brand identity. The downside with “tutorials” and “education”, is that 99% of the viewers come for the result, but care not for the content provider.

After I put my Sherlock Holmes hat on, and did some investigating on other music educator channels here on YouTube. I’ve come to the conclusion that all the most successful ones, are very relatable and personable. Like you get to know the person, and the education is secondary to that.

I also deduced that “trendy” topics seem to be king on YouTube."

Am I on to something here? :slight_smile:

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haha that is funny yeah you said it being a person. just be who you are if you’re not being the true Mikael than now is a good time to start. what are you really like in your studio as a person and creative individual if that’s being a little humorous here and there or talking to the audience during your explanations…"do you guys agree about this? " it sounds easier said than done but maybe not feeling like the camera is there pushing it back or putting it in front sometime when talking and just whatever helps you feel like you’re actually in studio the way you usually are when camera not there. well that’s a wrap for me.

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Yes, I think the problem is that I feel like I have become a “tutorial prostitute”. I give people what they want, then they throw me away after they get the value (tutorial). :stuck_out_tongue:

So people like Andrew Huang, Alex Moukala etc. they are so personable, like you get to know them. The education parts are extra bonuses. I think I need to find a balance like that?

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Yeah the education part is actually I would say the most reliable feature more than personality even. I go to the Logitech guy channel or even a random persons channel for first time only cause he always comes up in algorithms and has an identifiable and universal topic, with a short way to explain a tip might have a dry personality though. It depends on what your goal is , but if you can apply maybe the technical side of using software/busses while actually in the genre of music you create could be a cool way to bring those two together and having an interactive personality like you said you would like to do and talking to the audience not as a tutorial prostitute :sweat_smile: :sweat_smile: :+1: is the icing on the cake. funny enough i think your personality is a big part of why your channel is still getting any views at all even 800 is something great.

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Thank you Carl! :slight_smile:
Right now I have become hugely inspired by Alex Moukala’s new channel. Instead of just showing images and screencasts, you really get to see him as a person, his passion, energy and everything. I think that is why he gets HUGE views on every video! :smiley:

My point is what seems to work best for those 100.000+ views is. Be on screen way more, not only screen casts of DAW etc.

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damn that’s a lot of editing :sweat_smile: :sweat_smile: he’s funny. Yeah that’s true being in front of camera too, reminds me of @Geoffers a bit with the humor mixed in . Anyone here doing youtube videos while also composing for projects hats off not easy, i guess you can all be different and don’t have to follow one rule book , whatever your goal is and what you enjoy as a person i guess like they say in everything just be you. yeah you’re right, I do think there’s a way to provide educational value and be fun too , you’re already doing that but just trying a different new approach will make it even stronger. well that’s a wrap for me again.

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Thank you Carl. I just try to be myself. That’s all I can be :slight_smile:

Though I must say I have my influences, just like everyone.

@Mikael

What I have realized too, is that we do have three possible ways how we could reach a much higher audience…

  1. Getting more personal. Meaning, not treating people like, “hey, here is the video, watch, learn, whatever…”, but more telling them why exactly this video will help them to achieve more, and not only that but telling them that you can relate to most of the topics too, as you have gone through them years ago too…or when we talk about plugins that everyone can have…you share your opinion. (That’s what you do already.)

  2. Thumbnails that get attention…yeah…kind of clickbait…but with a good sense in mind…meaning that the content should be good too obviously. There are some experts online who run 1000s of tests, how an amazing thumbnail can explode the channel…compared to another that is boring or not attractive or whatever the reason might be…a good example would be like: “I couldn’t believe that my cat could play the piano THAT GOOD!” And you see a cat that is standing on the piano…those types of videos have millions of views…because everyone wants to know HOW GOOD THAT CAT IS…right? haha

  3. SEO…so far never paid too much attention to it. However, it’s one of the reasons why some people who run mediocre channels make hundreds of thousands of views, and others who make amazing videos don’t understand why they have 1345 views in 7 months…SEO might be one of the reasons…

There are far more things that are connected to run a great channel, website, I mean you know all of that…but in the end, I think that the most important is really the “personal connection”. I mean, if you let people know how bad you feel, they will feel bad too, or will relate, or will wish you a better day tomorrow.

What I have realized too is, that most channels that make a lot of views are just talking…all the time…talking, talking, talking…telling stories, whatever…it’s like a vlog about “what happened to me yesterday, you will never believe…”…and people want again to know what it is…-> personal connection…

But still, it’s not easy to exactly say what might be going wrong why you don´t achieve the numbers you want…maybe change the topics…do reaction videos…do controversial stuff…if you don´t change something, nothing will change…

There are some people saying things like: “Go out of your comfort zone, and do something completely different…just do it, and see what will happen…”, basically going for the “chaos-mode”.

But in the end, you need to know WHY you want to have more views? I still think that only views can’t buy you happiness. You’ve reached 1 million subs…and then? You will be happy for one day…and then?

With my channel, I don’t set ANY expectations at all. I just share, as I want that people can grab something for them and I can release energy. Like this text. I don´t need to write a text, or reply. I just do it because maybe it can help, and 100% I have a good feeling doing this. -> DOPAMINE. :slight_smile:

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I was hoping you would dive into this discussion Alexey! :wink:
Since you also are on this journey on YouTube, and I know personally that you have super high ambitions like I also do! :smiley:

Yes, great points you share, but I feel the key word you mentioned several times is the most important “personal connection”. I think that is what makes a YouTube channel succeed (100.000s of views and subs) compared to mediocre channels.

This is why reaction videos (Like Alex Moukala started doing) gets more views than tutorials. This is why daily vloggers, or gamers, can get huge views.

Well as I said in my video, I treat my YouTube channel as part of my business. Simply because it takes my business time, and lots of it. So I need financial return (ROI) on the money I spend.

Right now it would make the most business sense for me to stop YouTube, and put all those crazy amount of work hours on producing paid content like courses, sound packs etc. instead.

But I would love to find a way to make YouTube work for me, so that I can continue making videos for everyone in the world to see. :slight_smile:

PS. I forgot to mention. I agree on the importance of an eye catching thumbnail. I need to learn how to create such thumbnails! :stuck_out_tongue:

@Mikael

Well, at some point, I think that you need to treat YouTube as a potential business, as you get subs aka. potential customers. No secret about that. But, I think that you need to make it clear for them what they need to do in order to make business with you. I mean seriously, there is nothing wrong with making a video where you have spent 10 hours working on and telling your subs that you have a course they can buy, or a sample pack, or whatever you have to offer. As long as you provide good and serious content, people see and feel it. Youtube is made for creators to make a living doing it, but it’s still up to you, how to monetize your channel.

There was a great video when Alex Pfeffer said that you can make more money with 1000 views, whereas someone else has 300000 views and tries to collect Google Ads Rev. What he means basically is that: be effective.

When I have started my first channel, I have invested so much into making those videos, learning, copying, learning again…again…and again…but it was more for fun. Just pure fun. That’s it. However, I have realized one important thing: how much time goes into it. So my second channel is the complete opposite…going away from “perfection”. A cut here, a cut there. I am NOT a filmmaker, and I will not make money with videos. I just share my quick thoughts about something. That’s it. The videos are free. Nobody pays me for them. I’ll just do it for fun. AND I try to invest as little time as possible into them.

It doesn’t mean the content should be bad. No, it’s just again 80/20 rule. Have an idea? Start recording. Stop. Convert. Release. I have a life too, and I want to enjoy it obviously, and not thinking all the time “how is my channel doing? How many subs do I have today? Have many likes?”. I don’t care about all those things. It goes how it goes. The fewer expectations I have, the better I feel. I have other things to do as well, so it’s just a little side-hobby. But I do plan something more in the future that is connected to having my own sample shop as well, so why not using the channel to promote what I do in my spare time?

The same with you. If you want to have more financial outcomes, promote what you have to offer. Try something out. Ask people what they need, want…create a small survey asking your subs, what they want and struggle with the most, and see what happens. Maybe you’ll find a solution for them that will turn out in something that makes sense → time & money-wise. I know that it’s not easy, it can sound sleazy, but it depends on HOW you present it.

But in the end, you need to find something that brings you more fun into your life. Even if you make less money with it, I think it’s still far better than making more and not enjoying the process at all. I think it’s about the process that you need to enjoy most. Not the financial outcome.

It’s a big topic, there is far more than we know about…but there is a rule: if something doesn’t work, change it…YOU started doing it. It’s great. it’s better than banging the head towards the wall and asking why nothing works…sometimes you are just ONE question away from the answer why something doesn’t work the way you want.

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And by the way…when we started to talk about business…this year, as you know, I spend a lot of time learning business…not music only but in general…how business is done…how to start…what to pay attention to…

But what a lot of entrepreneurs said is that sometimes you just talk to the “wrong” people…wrong clients…so your job is to find the “right” people who are qualified for your product or service…

As an example: In this forum, there are people who make music. I don’t know much about them, but what I know is that they want to get better with music, making music. So one way is to make a course, as you do. But not everyone will buy your course. But now you need to find out what the other people want? Are these samples? Are these private coaching lessons? Are here composers who look for mixing engineers like me for example? Finding out what THEY really want is very important, as then you understand or at least have a rough idea of what people are into it. Everyone has an issue he wants to solve. We as educators need to find out what it is. Of course, some people just want to talk or grab some free stuff because they don’t care, or have excuses that they don’t have money, blah-blah, we know that…but not everyone is like this, meaning that when you present something to them that makes it really appealing and super valuable, they will do business with you.

At the end of the day, it’s all about the right research and communication. If I just make a product, without making solid research, then the chances are pretty high that it will flop. At least, when we are not talking about evergreens.

Even when you product samples, that already exist, you need to make sure to market them in a way that they seem super attractive. Facebook is the best example: Just saw an ad…“Buy this super-duper-amazing-mega-midi-pack that will turn your ideas into a chart-dropping song!” And we know that this guy is not selling one pack a day…but hundreds…why? Because he says: it’s the best midi-pack that was produced in 2020 and nothing can beat the price-value???

Marketing is 100% king. No need to be sleazy. But learning powerful ways how to make a product more “stand-out” is an important aspect. The same with music: if you want to have a gig…what do most composers do? They write…:

“Hey, my name is XY, and I am a composer. Is there a project that I can compose music for? Thank you, kind regards, XY”…

Well, no wonder why those people almost never get a film to work on, or whatever the project might be…

but writing instead:

“Hey XY, wow…your project XY was an amazing experience! I can’t remember that a film has grabbed me for such a long time.”

And then you write something about you that stands out but ALWAYS with the focus on WHY you want to work with the director or whoever that might be.

There are so many examples of that topic. Books, videos, etc. so I did only that this year. Super interesting. A great marketer is not someone who is “trying” to sell just because he needs to. A great one tries to find the right people who need help and he brings value to them. I hate bad minded or scam people, as they are so many of them, and that’s why having social proof and reviews are very helpful.

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Wow huge thanks Alexey, as always you give me so many things to think about. It will take a bit of time to let all ideas sink in. I got almost 100 comments already on my YouTube video I posted where I asked my audience for help. :slight_smile:

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so you are doing youtube also just for the dopamine you described? to express yourself? not just for business revenue.

Hi Mike.
I’ve been up with Alex Moukala’s channel for a few years, and i couldn’t say EXACTLY why he gets so many views, but I know he went through the original Evanent course back in the day and he probably picks up many viewers from there, as he contributes articles on the Evanent site. I also think he started getting so many more views when he started doing original re-orchestrations of popular film/game soundtracks.

I really can’t say what might get you a larger audience, but maybe look at doing a whole slate of different things, like theory topics and analysis as related to different soundtrack pieces, kind of like Rick Beato’s “What Make’s This Song Great.” If you had the time, doing your own game piece/film piece cover and an analysis as an example of “How to Write Epic Music” like your courses, or even make a video where you critique a piece by one of your fans/supporters/students/patrons.

I know this would probably require you get familiar with some of the more popular game/film soundtracks, but I know I’d watch! :smile:

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Hello Matt,
Alex is one of my inspiration sources for YouTube. He believe he is very good with video titles and thumbnails that attracts attention. I need to learn how to do that better. :slight_smile:

I also feel the biggest aspect of successful “music youtubers” is that their content is very focused on personal connection. You feel like you get to know them. Like Alex Moukala, Rick Beato, Adam Neely.

Also another thing is finding trends and popular search terms seems to work better. If you search for a more practical education phrase like “How to write Ostinato Strings” on YouTube. The top 3 results all have like around 2000 views (tiny).

But if you change the title to: “Write Epic Ostinatos like Hans Zimmer”. YouTube algorithm seems to love you a lot more.

PS. I think pure education (like in courses or school) simply does not do as well on YouTube. On YouTube you need to get a personal connection, entertain (at least a bit), provoke drama even (at least discussions).

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That may be true, but I think you get to know them, because you watch so many of their videos! If it means anything to you, I think your videos are personal and I feel I know you! I think you just have to talk to the camera like your chatting to a good friend and just do you!

Yes, I think you’re spot on about the "…Hans Zimmer…etc. etc. titles. I think that’s what I mean about doing analysis of popular game soundtracks or whatnot. If I saw, “How to Write Fantasy Music” versus, “How to Write Orchestral Music in the Style of Uematsu/Final Fantasy,” I know where I’d click :slightly_smiling_face:

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