"I QUIT YOUTUBE!" - it's something we've all heard, but is it true?
And how do you keep going?
Gordon Laing has 160k subscribers and, incredibly, uploading to YouTube since 2006.
I'm a Development Producer helping as many people as possible get ideas out of their heads to make more people happy.
I created GREAT BRITISH YOUTUBERS to help you get started and keep your YouTube channel going.
And if this were a youtube video... I should have made a video about it!
And you would do "I" and in capital letters QUIT. QUIT.
Why I quit
I've seen videos where people say "why I quit" and they didn't even quit.
It's they-- they talked about why they might quit or why somebody like them might have quitted or why they thought about quitting but they didn't quit!
[MUSIC]
THIS IS THE TRANSCRIPT - CLICK PLAY ON THE VIDEO ABOVE!
Are there things Gordon Laing that other youtubers do that you don't think that you would ever or you tend not to do?
Unboxing.
First of all, as a word I hate that word. Unboxing.
How can you-- that's like... I, now tell you what.
This goes back to that song "unbreak my heart" which at the time I thought that's not even a word!
How do you mean "unbreak my heart"?
How about "make me feel better"?
"Cheer me up please"?
Unbreak my heart?
Unbox my camera!
And that is why I gave up youtube for three years which is, which really confused the algorithm, because I was pouring my heart into these technical reviews, right?
And testing every aspect of a camera, and trying to get that across to people... and then some kid doing an unboxing video gets more views and all he's done is filmed him opening a box.
He doesn't even test the camera or turn it on.
He just opens the box and they were getting more views.
And I was bewildered by this.
I just couldn't understand why this was more popular and it put me off so much I thought this- this- I kind of came to terms that, that's what people wanted to see or that's what people wanted to watch on that platform and that I wasn't right for that platform.
I was just some crusty old dinosaur.
So I gave up and I went back to purely written content for three years.
It didn't close the channel obviously I left it there because it was hosting my videos that were also part of my written content, but I got a right strop over and it was unboxing that did it and I still to this day would not--
Now I, I love opening boxes and some of the packaging and some things you know apple products and or some high-end consumer products - it's nice.
It's nice packaging they put some thought into it, it's cool but, I guess what they're doing is a review of the packaging if i look at it that way then it's more acceptable to me.
I think it might just be the word unbox that I have a thing about.
YOU'VE done an unboxing video.
Oh yeah, I've done lots.
I unboxed a chinese takeaway uh from, from Waitrose.
You unboxed one of my t-shirts!
I did!
In a blatant attempt to get some coverage from someone else.
It was, it was to test what merch is like!
Of course it was.
But it did have the benefit of, of plugging you to my 12 subscribers at the time, that then went down to 10.
It didn't, and it didn't um get culled in the video featured by BBC news at 6pm on BBC One.
What is the hardest part of running a youtube channel?
I think the expectations that you have for its performance not being met.
And feeling disheartened by the fact that you've put this work into something that you think should be doing better and it doesn't.
It's what affects artists of all, you know, Van Gogh was frustrated that he wasn't getting enough attention.
We're all the same.
I'm not the same as Van Gogh, obviously but everyone is- everyone thinks they're better than they are maybe or that they're not being recognised for something, um frustrated that yeah, maybe I'm not as good as I think I am, or that I do-- you know that you want the videos to do better you think they deserve better and they're not doing as well as you think.
And then you see someone else who's done the similar videos, similar subjects and theirs is doing way better than yours and you think that's just not fair.
Why is that doing better than mine?
And then you look at it and you beat yourself up over, you know, is it, is it your presentation?
Is it the thing they covered?
Is it you know, is it because they've somehow got more followers?
So they get you know they've been recommended more?
You don't know what it is, but it's- that's probably the hardest thing for me of all and um you've got to kind of stop looking at it.
Stop looking at like, well you can't help it you do look at the number of views you've had, and it does you know, if you consistently get poor views and you're seeing other people doing way better than you it can put you off long term, and it did put me off.
Like I said I quit.
I quit!
And if this were a youtube video... I should have made a video about it!
And you would do "I" and in capital letters QUIT. QUIT.
Why I quit.
I've seen videos where people say "why I quit" and they didn't even quit.
It's they-- they talked about why they might quit or why somebody like them might have quitted or why they thought about quitting but they didn't quit!
I have however started to use capitals in some of my titles, to shout.
To shout for that last bit of attention.
Please watch or I'll quit!
Gordon Laing from cameralabs thank you so much, you've been so generous with your time and literally your gigabytes because I think you know we're going to have to stitch this together now which is going to involve a massive transfer.
This video will never see the light of day because we won't be able to get the file to you.
It's true and then zoom will delete it, but before we go can you pick a favorite video idea that you haven't yet made?
Unboxing.
And you would like to make one?
I think I should.
What if it does really well?
Maybe they should all be unboxing from now on.
Who doesn't like origami?
Boxes are nice and they've put me in a box, you see they pigeonholed me in the box so why don't I talk about boxes?
That will show them.
Could the grand reveal... "REVEALED" in capitals.
WHY I QUIT UNBOXING!
This is gold.
If you reach it to end this video this, this is the gold!
This is what you pay for!
Uh Gordon thanks so much.
You're very welcome, thank you for having me.
Should we just sit here awkwardly in this two shot? And--
How are you gonna do this?
Are you gonna?
No.
This isn't cinematic enough!
Let's do it in WIDESCREEN!
Like in ABBA the movie, do you remember that?
Let's do it in widescreen!
And please hit the subscribe button if you want to see more Great British YouTubers.
There's a playlist and a podcast. All the details and links are in the description.
I'm Neil Mossey and I'll see you on the very next episode of Great British YouTubers.
[Music]
Do you want a series of reactions now?
Did you used to have to do that?
On the TV they used to ask me to do that, they'd go "can you do one more?"
You go...
They say no, now sarcastic.
Disagree.
Incredulous.
Angry.
Those are all thumbnail pictures as well!
That's-- I know! That's what you do at the end of the video.
You record your thumbnail, but I want some text and so you have to position yourself to one side... so you can put the text here...
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HIT 1000 SUBSCRIBERS?
I had so many questions: How long does it take to become monetized?
How much does YouTube pay at 1000 subscribers?
How do you become monetized? What do you need to do when you hit 1k subs?
In this video I walk you through everything that happened to me...
How I signed up to Google Adsense, and how much money I got for 1000 subscribers.
0:00 What happens when you reach 1000 subscribers?
2:18 Tip - Sign up for Google Adsense now!
2:44 What do you have to do to become monetized at 1000 subscribers?
4:30 How long does it take to become monetized when you get 1000 subscribers?
4:50 How much are you paid by YouTube when you reach 1000 subs?
5:15 How much YouTube paid me for 1000 subscribers!
6:05 How to make YouTube Studio show estimated revenue in pounds or local currency.
6:39 How long after reaching 1000 subscribers are you able to go live on YouTube Studio mobile app?
7:49 When is the Community Tab enabled for posts after reaching 1k subs?
8:35 How do you access YouTube Creator Academy when you hit 1000 subs?
9:44 When are you paid your YouTube revenue by Google Adsense?
10:00 How quickly are you paid the first month you are monetized?
10:20 How much does YouTube actually pay from your estimated revenue? Is it half?
11:19 How much does YouTube pay for 46000 views?
11:19 How much does YouTube pay for 58000 playbacks?
12:05 How much does YouTube pay me per 1000 views?
TRANSCRIPT: (CLICK PLAY ON THE VIDEO ABOVE)
Hello, welcome back to the Happy Hut - I'm Neil Mossey and thanks for clicking on this video because I think I know why you're here.
I recently hit 1000 subscribers on YouTube and I'm still reeling because I wasn't quite expecting it.
THIS IS THE TRANSCRIPT - CLICK PLAY ON THE VIDEO ABOVE!
It did happen quite quickly: after two years of waiting I suddenly got a surge of subscribers and then went through that hallowed 1k mark
When I hit a thousand subscribers, I just had one question.
I looked up lots of videos like this, because I wanted to know what happens when you hit the 1,000 subscribers?
How long does it take to become monetized?
What messages do you get from YouTube?
I just didn't know anything about it.
I was also a bit worried that I wouldn't actually get monetized after a thousand subscribers, so I'm gonna walk you through all of the steps.
You and me are gonna get through this as swiftly as possible, but I know that it's going to be a long video because I'm going to show you just as many screenshots and screen grabs and screen recordings as possible.
You will actually see my analytics, my studio dashboard, and I'm going to show you all the money that came in, in that first month and second month just so you get an idea of financially what happens.
I'm going to show you my Adsense and I'm going to be making a few of these videos as well.
If you need any more details, have a look in the description because there might be one or two other videos on what happens when you hit 1000 subscribers coming up.
It was on the 10th of March this year I hit the big 1000.
I've got a screen grab here: you can see it's at 3.38 in the afternoon UK time.
It felt great.
I'd finally done it!
So let's take a look at what was going on in... in my studio dashboard at the time.
As you can see I had 1008 subscribers.
Suddenly these tabs in studio that did not work before, were suddenly unlocked... these treasures.
When you click on monetization it actually opens up the application.
I was demonetized in 2018, so step 1 and step 2 had already been completed.
That was a big relief because I didn't really want to go through setting up the link to to adsense again.
My first tip and piece of advice: I would sign up for Google Adsense ASAP.
You can sign up to Adsense right now and make sure that Google Adsense has all of your details.
There are lots of good tutorial videos on how to get the Adsense, but get the Adsense account ready now so that like me when you hit the 1,000 subscriber mark, it's-- it's just good to go.
So the only step that was left for me was this step 3 here: Get reviewed.
YouTube will review your channel to make sure that it complies with the YouTube monetization policies.
Suddenly this voice in my head is saying "what if the monetization isn't approved?!"
I've spent two years begging viewers on a video by video basis to subscribe!
What if all that work was for nothing?
And then as you can see, this at the top of the screen at 23.35, so just twenty five minutes before midnight that same day, I got this really regular notification.
Congrats! Your channel just hit its first 1000 subscribers.
But this is a big moment and when this happens to you, congratulations from... from all of us who have done this before, well done.
I thought I'd get more than just thing in my notifications feed.
They haven't even drawn the icon properly!
Look at it!
Anyway I'll take it, I'll take it.
I hit the 1000 mark there.
On the 14th of March this happened: At the top of my studio page, you know where they put the warning messages and the the alerts, I just saw this by chance.
I could have missed it so easily, it said "congratulations you have been accepted into the YouTube Partner Programme"
Some sound effects?
You can now monetize your videos and access support.
That is how I found out!
It's just a message on the screen.
Would it kill you to send a nice email or do some kind of animation or something?
I don't think YouTube realises how big a deal this is for creators to hit 1000 subscribers.
I did actually get an email much later.
"Neil Mossey, we always knew that this day would come and we hope that you did too.
You're doing amazing work and we couldn't be happier for you.
Now go and share this gif and the good news using the hashtag #1kcreator.
My YouTube life had changed.
I was monetized again.
So now you're thinking "that's great but how much money did you get for that first day?"
Let's take another look at the analytics.
This is the first month right here, welcome to my channel analytics.
You can see that in March in total I had 109,000 views.
The watch time in March alone was 5.5 thousand views.
My subscribers had gone up by 300, and this was my estimated revenue.
And what I'll do is I'll show you my Adsense to see exactly how much money that equates to.
On the first day I got fourteen cents.
I found out I think in the afternoon, so this is not even half a day's worth of money, and also I hadn't clicked monetize on the videos in my studio, in the dashboard.
So that's another tip for you: monetize.
You have to go into the video to turn on monetization for your videos.
I had about 300 videos.
I could not get them monetized quick enough, going into each and every video ticking those boxes.
The next day was a bit more healthy and I think it's probably my best day ever, but I got $7.27 for one day and if I can show you the views for that one day...
I had twelve thousand views and that brought in seven dollars twenty seven cents, and if you're watching this anywhere else in the world there is a way to get Studio to show estimated revenue in your local currency.
If you follow my cursor down to the left hand side, go all the way down to the bottom there, and there see where it says settings, click on settings and the very first option is to change currency, and if you click the pulldown menu, look at all of these different currencies... There we go the British Pound.
So when I hit save you can see $56 equates to about £47.
When I hit the 1,000 subscriber mark there were two toys: being able to stream live from my phone or mobile device, and access to the community tab.
Let's deal with the first one: streaming live from your mobile... from your cell phone.
So you can see here, this is what would happen.
You click on the the camera icon at the top of your YouTube app and you have two options: record or go live.
When you click on the go live button this error message comes up.
"Eligibility - your channel does not meet our updated eligibility requirements."
You haven't got a thousand subscribers.
"For mobile live streaming. You can still stream with your webcam or broadcasting software"
Yeah but I want to do it from my phone!
So the big question was, now I had hit a thousand subscribers would I be able to stream from my phone?
And the great news for me was yes, you can!
So when you click on that camera button after 1,000 subscribers, you get the go live option and that opens up all of the menus.
It's all fairly self-explanatory.
Of course I've not I've not done it in the three months since I've become monetised!
But it's good to have, right?
The other big toy that I wanted with 1,000 subscribers is the community tab.
I got this email on the... you can see it here... on the 19th of March - so that's about a week and a half later.
"Neil Mossey, welcome to your YouTube community tab.
Get even closer to your audience!"
No, you're okay.
Poll your viewers share pictures and more with new community posts.
I was really excited when the community tab arrived because finally, in my head, I could be like my favorite massive youtubers and spray out some community posts.
I don't think - gut instinct - I get any form of Google juice or SEO.
I don't think I get increased views from posting on the community tab.
It feels really pointless right now, but anyway so you get-- you get the ability to put posts out.
Oh and the other toy that you get which I wasn't really expecting is access to creator Academy, and I think you need to hit a thousand subscribers to access this area.
This is what YouTube creator Academy looks like.
You can see the tabs at the top here are: my Academy, catalogue, so lots of lessons in here, learning tool kits... so basics of going live, for monetization, pivoting your content.
I might have a look at that because I feel like my channel is a bit of a mishmash of different things.
Community engagement and production.
And then there are some creator resources, that opens up a new tab.
So these are blog posts and links to the YouTube creators workshops.
If any of this has been any use, please could you hit the subscribe button just to help me on my way to 10,000 subscribers and I can make a video for you all about what that is like.
1,000 isn't enough!
Two years it took me to get to this point.
It feels like another mountain to get to the 10k subs.
I got an email on the 23rd of April, so you have to wait a full calendar month before you get the email that tells you that you have some money for the first time as a monetized youtuber.
This is the email that comes in from Google Adsense: check your recent payment.
We sent a payment for your Google Adsense earnings on the 23rd of April 2020.
If I dive back into my analytics on YouTube studio the estimated revenue is $56.77 cents for my my first month.
If I click on the revenue tab, and give you a walk through my first month.
As you can see it says 26,000 monetized playbacks so I had a 109000 views but only 26,000 monetized playbacks.
Now I'm slightly confused here because I had seen on more than a few videos where creators were explaining that you only get half of this money that's quoted, and I don't think that's correct.
If I translate this into pounds see so we can compare it with the actual payments: the revenue in pounds is £47.04.
Let's take a look at my google adsense.
My earnings on YouTube came out at £45.84 pence, so if I compare that with the analytics estimate that's really close isn't it!
Look, £47.04, and I actually got £45.84
I can show that with my second month, so this is my next full month of money from being monetized.
My estimated revenue is £91.64, if I go over to Google Adsense there we go £91.62 so I'll flip back.
It's £91.64 was the estimate, the actual payment was £91.62.
So if you are wondering "do you actually get all the money quoted in the channel analytics"?
Your estimated revenue is pretty much the actual cash that you will receive from Google Adsense.
And just for completion, the third month May, was a very good month.
I had 58,000 monetized playbacks and that equals £154.74
So I don't know if this is too crude but it looks like roughly I get three pounds for every thousand monetized playbacks.
And quickly so you can make the comparison in US dollars for 58,000 monetized playbacks, I got $190, but bear in mind I'm in the UK and I think because I have quite a large proportion of views coming from the UK I think that brings down my revenue per thousand views.
I'm gonna make another video where I go into all the detail about how much money I made for the first three months.
That link will be in the description below.
If you hit the subscribe button you will be notified and obviously you know we're all in this together!
So thank you so much for being there.
If you have any questions at all leave a comment because if I can't answer it I'm sure other people in the community would love to help, and it's always great to hear from you.
It's my personal mission to help as many people as possible to express themselves on YouTube and through podcasts and ebooks.
I've put everything into one playlist "make your stuff now"
That link is over there it's at the top of the screen and is also in the description.
This video is also being released as part of Great British Youtubers: my podcast where big hitting creators - people more experienced than you and I - share their advice and experience with their YouTube journey.
If that's something you're interested in it's on your regular podcast app, and it's also on this playlist at the top of the screen now.
If you're feeling even kinder, of why not hit the thumbs up button to help other people to find this video and thanks again for subscribing.
I'll see you at 10,000 subscribers yes we can do it!
Taking a look at the best travel hairdryer we have (it's the only travel hairdryer we have).
But I'm bald so I got the kids to help review and unbox this with me for first impressions...
It's fantastic!
Really stylish, light, but feels substantial and solid.
We got this one for free from a shop but get no money for this.
So this is an unboxing I've done hair products before... er for shavers for my head but-- you should do one for your beard - no I haven't done one of those.
But, this, what's this?
This is a hair dryer Yeah it's-- It looks very nice.
It's the BaByliss Travel Pro.
"Get your book" Oh yeah-- Oh "Get Your Look!"
[Music] [Music]
THIS IS THE TRANSCRIPT - CLICK PLAY ON THE VIDEO ABOVE!
Now I'm not an expert on long hair but I'm with someone who is.
I'm hoping you can help me with this, with your expert opinion, because it's been a while since I've used a hair dryer.
So Travel Pro for professional AC motor.
Salon-quality drying with long life performance.
Line.
Compact design - lightweight and small in size for easy portability and travel
Line.
Worldwide driving - drying!
For use at home or abroad.
Hey look: This could be me!
(Laugh) Wait-- Daddy has hair!
Now we were sent this - not by Babyliss - but we were sent this to review first somewhere else not YouTube but I'm making a youtube video at the same time.
So we didn't pay for this but we're not being paid for it either so you can benefit from us having it in our house near a camera.
Power lead.
Bags.
Cardboard.
Right, this is the size of my hand.
And this is the size of the...
Look how tiny it is!
It's really tiny.
Look how big it is on there, now look how small it is.
Hey maybe I could use it to dry my nostril hair
Oh no, it burns!
It burns it burns!
TRAVEL pro.
So it's not-- it's compact.
Very well packaged.
Look you've got settings: 1, 2.
Can you see that?
[Music] [Music]
That's pretty - the back's pretty.
Yeah, I like the back.
But I prefer it bigger, you know?
You get a really generous cord.
How long's that.
About 2 metres, the cord.
[HAIRDRYER NOISE] Woah!
It feels really powerful!
Go on, go for it!
There you go.
It's a boost?
Can you blow the box over?
Go on blow the box over.
Now blow me over.
The other thing that it comes with is this nozzle attachment
Do you want to put the nozzle on?
Does it twist?
Yeah.
Oh yeah it does.
Wait.
Here we go.
Do my nostril hair?
Look at Megan Markles!
Wait no!
Let it go!
So there you go.
[Laughter Noise] [HAIRDRYER NOISE]
SO I'm not sure if this review was very helpful, but it would dry hair very quickly wouldn't it.
It feels really substantial and it's really quite powerful and we think the nozzle screws on.
Just to show you one other thing just to show you one other thing on the back there's another switch for the voltage so if you're going to a country with 120 volts you can turn this - this switch here with a coin.
I hope this unboxing and first impressions of the Babyliss Travel Pro is useful
If...
"Please leave a like if you can..."
If you've got if you've got to this point of the video thanks for watching and why not hit that thumbs up button that will really help us or even subscribe or even leave a comment to say hi what do you think is this what you're looking for?
In a travel hairdryer?
Do you wanna do the closing thing now?
Please help my daddy...
Can you please help my daddy get 1000 subscribers just click on his face, thanks bye!
How's that?
NEXT PART 5 IS HERE: https://youtu.be/QNJrF3Mrclk
Gordon Laing has 160k subscribers and, incredibly, uploading to YouTube since 2006.
I'm a Development Producer helping as many people as possible get ideas out of their heads to make more people happy. I created GREAT BRITISH YOUTUBERS to help you get started and keep your YouTube channel going.
This is part 4 of this episode, PART 1 IS HERE: https://youtu.be/WVwvyVI6YBk
0:00 YouTube is a terrible way to make money!
1:10 Gordon Laing on running a photography channel.
2:40 The Great British YouTubers Podcast Drink Break. (My favourite part of the series).
3:15 Some of Gordon Laing's favourite YouTube channels, links below.
5:50 You need a narrative - how to script your YouTube video.
8:08 YouTube is part of Google and has the best search.
9:14 On the next episode of Great British YouTubers Podcast.
I like to see some sort of some sort of plan like you've-- like you-- the YouTube creators Twitter channel frequently ask: "what would you, what do you want to make a video about?" or "what are you going to make a video about today?" Like as if you have to make a video today.
They want you to make a video today because they want you to produce content for their platform, but do you have to produce a video today?
[Music]
THIS IS THE TRANSCRIPT - CLICK PLAY ON THE VIDEO ABOVE!
If you're on YouTube you're probably not going to be making much money from YouTube until you get over a million subscribers right?
At that point you're going to be able to make some decent money, you're also going to get better sponsorship and stuff like that, so that's when the money really starts coming in.
Below that you're not gonna make too much.
You'll make some money but not a massive amount.
You're gonna have to have another revenue stream as well, like I have my website as well.
YouTube is just a small part of that.
So you've got to love making those videos.
I know a lot of people go I'm... what am I going to do for job?
I'm gonna be a-- I'm gonna go on YouTube because that's an easy way to make money.
It's not. It's a terrible way to make money, especially if you're not utterly passionate about that subject because you're gonna have to talk about that subject a lot.
And you're gonna think "Ugh, do I have to do another video about cameras?"
You've gotta love that subject.
And I do!
So I'm with the kind of personality or mindset which is I'm producing the kind of content I would like to consume.
So when I review a camera that-- I'll look at it and I'll go "hey they say it's got this stabilization mode that the marketing people says is brilliant for this well I want to try it but I also want to try it while I'm jumping off a cliff towards a thing on a parachute"
Do you know what I mean, some weird combination that appeals just to my mind and I think I wonder what it would do if I did that to it?
And you get a surprising result.
Sometimes it does better than expected, sometimes it does much worse and you, then you've got a story and it's an interesting thing and that's what I-- that's what turns me on.
The kind of detail, you know "they say it does this but let's just take a closer look"
And yeah it does do really well at that, but this thing actually less so and it might be that that's the thing you want it to do and-- and you know these things are pulling against each other.
So I produce those videos and just hope that people are also interested in watching which is why I should probably very satisfied with my subscriber count because I'm not specifically targeting anyone apart from me.
Which sounds selfish or arrogant?
I produce videos that I would want to watch except they were a bit longer.
I'd like to see a short version of me... and that as Yoda says "is why you fail!"
You know, produce what people want, you know?
I'm producing BBC Four shows... No! I'm producing shows that even BBC Four would turn down because they're too long and obscure and of too limited interest.
There's a format point there actually that I wanted to introduce, you've just segued into it:
Let's take a drink!
Let's do that and, and you at home... have a drink as well.
This is the drink break.
So maybe we do this in slo-mo Peter MacKinnon style?
He's done well.
That's right so, this, this--
He likes coffee!
And if you've got to this point, hit the like button.
Let us know or say in the comment what can they say, what can we say in the comments?
What the code word?
Yeah... "In Camera"
I was going to say pineapple but..
Oh no, pineapple is better.
Actually this was the next format point: can you pick your favourite three youtubers and explain them for 15 seconds each?
Just off the top of your head...
You didn't give me any, er--
No, exactly.
This is a new question.
Gotta be off the top of your head - oh my goodness this is fraught because if you forget someone...
Okay off the top of my head.
Yeah. From this week that you happen to have watched this week... so that you have others, favorites, but these are the ones you've watched recently.
Okay I really like new rock stars - this is a huge channel. It was probably the biggest channel that I follow and what they do is really geeky in depth analysis on Easter eggs and stuff you didn't notice in sci-fi and fantasy movies. So if you into Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Marvel, they'll say look at that picture - that means that something's working in--
That's 15 seconds! That's 15 seconds brilliant. The next one 15 seconds... go!
Okay Camera Conspiracies. He reviews cameras but not as a journalist because he doesn't get sent them he's not privileged like I am he actually has to borrow them or buy them or get lent them and because he's not tied into that world he's extremely honest not that I'm dishonest but--
That's 15 seconds! Fantastic! I think, I think this format point's a bit of a winner!
This is the way - yeah, we should've started with this.
And... ahhh, yeah. Okay third youtuber that you watch a little too much of.
Okay again it's in my own industry and that's er, DP review TV because it's Chris and Jordan who used to be on the camera store. I know those guys personally, I really love them and their way of presentation. They're doing similar sort of videos to what I do, so I watch them and think how they missed out the thing I found, and then I go "No! They found the thing I missed!"
Fifteen seconds! Would you like, would you like a bonus youtuber?
Yes you Neil because I always flatter the interviewer, actually Neil, I'd watch--
Hang on, that was 3 seconds! Sorry, sorry, you broke up.
I've watched all of your videos and they're very entertaining, and I feel that you followed my advice of filming the video that no one else has done a bit too seriously... maybe you're too obscure, but I admire that and I admire that you stuck to it.
Yeah well the scary one is face mask... is my favourite to date and that that got picked up by BBC news, that was--
Yes!
I'll talk about for it-- Do you know what?
I was following your advice about long exposure photography which is-
Were you?
Yeah I took some time on it.
I planned it out, I didn't over script it, but I did structure it and I did some shooting and some editing and then went back to do some shooting again...
and that's exactly the same advice that Shelby Church proposed for how she she makes videos as well.
That, if you mix-up the scripting, the shooting the editing, you know rather than treating it as a pipeline, but you make better work...
But you're also happier doing it.
You need a narrative I think, and I'm too tied to my narrative now I realise that, but I think you do need to have-- and this is what frustrates me about a lot of TV shows is you're like-- or movie series - and you're like "you didn't plan that". "This character's just said this thing, they'd never say that thing!"
You know, or "why are they doing that, that makes no sense!" and you... I think you have to have an idea of where you're going in a video even if it's like "my goal is to make a biscuit" right?
The end to think, you should be visualizing you, with a tray of biscuits at the end maybe going [CRUNCH NOISE] "cheers readers"!
You know what I mean?
It's, you... that's the way I think about it.
Now what happens in that journey in between? Mix it up.
Play around. Have fun, and if things change? Include it!
You know if the biscuits get burnt then include it: it doesn't have to be perfect.
In fact it's better if we see the fails but, but have an idea in mind.
I see so many videos from like quite high end people, that don't do that and they still may perform well and that kind of disappoints me on a personal level.
I like to see some sort of, some sort of plan like you've-- like you-- the YouTube creators Twitter channel, and lots of Twitter channels, frequently ask: "what would you, what do you want to make a video about?" or "what are you going to make a video about today?"
Like as if you have to make a video today.
They want you to make a video today because they want you to produce content for their platform, but do you have to produce a video today?
I'm so old that I think you should only say something if you've got something worth saying!
Or something useful to add to the conversation.
Don't just, I'm not just going to record a video because I like the sound of my own voice and wanna film and do the process!
Produce stuff as often as you want so long as it, it gets across the message you want to get across and that can be as simple as you like.
It can be as short as you like. It can be as silly as you like, but do it for a reason, not just because you want to feed the beast.
That's so true - it is so true because that's what bled out with the the face mask video.
That was absolutely a subject that was really bugging me.
The best stuff absolutely comes from something that is truly bugging you and face masks were bugging me.
It was bugging me that people... it was seemed to be so anti them, so I thought it would actually help the world for me to have a go.
Even though it was just a dumb video of me copying how to make a face mask, there was a useful to humanity question underneath it all.
There is an important SEO tip there.
What search engine do most of us use?
Right.
Say it!
Google?
Therefore if you want good SEO are you going to try and continue to push your own website against every other website or are you going to post a video with a good SEO title on YouTube which Google that provider with the biggest search engine in the world uses?
How hard is it to search Facebook?
And Facebook results don't appear on Google do they?
Or at least not properly - yeah - so if you want to search for... and I've done this before.
I was like "oh I did this post on Facebook where I mentioned something and I didn't post it anywhere else" right?
So I've got to now search for it on Facebook and I couldn't find it - and that's when I thought "gosh actually the search on this is rubbish!" and I'd become too reliant on, rather than indexing things or storing things properly - on relying on search instead, but of course search will only work with what search wants to show, and search wants to show what search owns.
And if you're using Google, well Google's going to give prominent results to YouTube obviously!
Because it owns it. Also because people like consuming video as well.
And there's more of my chats with Gordon Laing from camera labs...
I quit! And if this were a YouTube video... I should have made a video about it.
And you would do "I" and in capital letters QUIT. Q-U-I-T why I quit!
I've seen videos where people say "why I quit" and they didn't even quit!
They talked about why they might quit, or why somebody like them might have quitted, or why they thought about quitting, but they didn't quit!
And please hit the subscribe button if you want to see more Great British YouTubers.
There's a playlist and a podcast. All the details and links are in the description.
I'm Neil Mossey and I'll see you on the very next episode of Great British YouTubers.
[Music]
This is the IKEA SEGLARO... SEGLARÖ a beige tilting patio parasol.
But what is it like?
We really wanted to know and couldn't see much online, so hope this gives you some kind of idea of the size and scale.
0:00 What does the Ikea Seglaro look like?
1:15 How big is the Ikea Seglaro garden parasol? 2.5m in box.
2:00 How to assemble the Ikea Seglaro patio sun shade.
4:20 Do you need to buy the SVARTÖ base or can you use concrete slabs?
6:30 Do you need a cover for the Ikea Seglaro sunshade?
7:18 Can one person put up the Ikea SEGLARÖ?
8:50 How does the Ikea Seglaro fit with the Applaro garden table and chairs?
TRANSCRIPT: (CLICK PLAY ON THE VIDEO ABOVE)
Hello I'm Neil, welcome back to the tightwad dad vlog - it's the place where we try to be happy with what we've already got, like you can see with those words on the screen there.
And we've failed spectacularly at that today because we went and bought this!
THIS IS THE TRANSCRIPT - CLICK PLAY ON THE VIDEO ABOVE!
It's an Ikea parasol it's called SEGLARO - with a funny thing over the "o".
I don't know what it is.
I think it's probably because we've just come out of lockdown?
We just needed to see other people, spending stuff [LAUGHS] while we spent stuff ourselves.
We went to the big blue and yellow warehouse...
I've been making quite a few videos about IKEA stuff lately, but they do really well on the views which is kind of why I do them.
Maybe I should call it IKEA DAD... or is it IKEADAD?
Anyway we didn't know what the SEGLARO would look like in real life, so we had to go there to see it.
I thought if I put it on video for you - put up what it's like to actually put up, then you'd have a better idea maybe if it's something that you're looking for.
It's enormous, it is absolutely huge, I haven't even put ours up yet.
Oh my goodness and this is in a warehouse - it looked big there.
Let's go and show you what, what it looks like.
So this is how the IKEA Seglaro Sun parasol looks, but if like us you were wondering what the box is like, this is what it's like!
It's a beast.
So this box is two-and-a-half metres long.
It's half a tape measure.
It was a bit of a job - we don't have a huge car and it was pretty big but we didn't know if there would be extra bits.
We were glad it all came in the one box.
We decided not to go for the really super expensive base, so we can show you what that's like if you're trying to put it up without getting the really nice plastic base.
I've got a second camera up here... garage cam!
[Music]
Of course, it's the IKEA scissors!
This is what comes inside.
We've got the parasol bit, bit of cardboard bridge there, box of attachments.
Where do I start?!
Alright this is the base in this box.
Oh, the instructions are inside the, the bag with the parasol.
IKEA SEGLARÖ
Or Ikea.
I would like to be able to just say Ikea.
Oh by the way, it's the middle of summer.
I've managed to choose the day with torrential rain as well.
So first we build the base and put this on top of that bar.
That was straightforward.
This is the turning base.
This is what the base looks like.
This is what turns around, and then you get a bag of-- bag of bits with an allen key.
This is the handle.
You get four of these things, and they bolt into the base, key-- there's a key that stops it from spinning around.
So on the base you can see there's like a big hole as well as the four holes and you want to line that up with this big hole here
Let's put that down and on that hole you want this key -- like a, it's like a chock thing and that will stop the post from spinning around.
So put the bolt through the the key thing, this metal wire thing, and then that goes on the hole next to the large hole there.
And you can turn it with the allen key.
Do the other bolts just so you know that each of them have got a washer, so this chain thing that kind of acts as a washer already, and then you're given three washers for the other bolts.
So these are the concrete blocks that we're using for the base.
You might actually recognize them from the Buddy Bench in our home school fail video but we're going to try them out on the base here.
The hardest part is putting them down without scratching the base but I guess if we got the proper base the scratches wouldn't show so much - and our daughter's already painted one of them a nice grey already, so I guess we're going to paint the others different colours maybe?
Just so you know, on the the base panels themselves there are holes which are I reckon probably there so that you can maybe screw it down onto decking you wanted it screwed down permanently?
Now the next part is putting the main parasol, the main IKEA parasol pole over the pole on the base.
It looks like it fits just one way around
[Music]
It's huge!
The Seglaro is absolutely massive!
What we need to do now is to put the bolt in there just so that the parasol fixes to that stand.
There's a hole just there.
I can't get to it.
Oh nuts!
There you go I've already lost the allen key so I've had to use my own!
The-- I dropped the screw and it fell into that hole and in the process of getting it out I've somehow lost the allen key that came with the IKEA Seglaro.
Here's a tip that might save you some money, before I take this off, this could actually be your protective cover.
This could be... the thing that protects it from the weather.
So when you open your box don't tear off the, the plastic sheeting because it looks like a really great cover for the Seglaro, and it's free!
Look, the parasol is already marked from where it was packed next to the, the nut there.
Look it's left this really big oily mark - it's not great for a £125
Anyway let's put the handle on.
It screws on with this allen key.
There we go, so the handle's on now.
Supposed to push in this button to lift the handle up - maybe untie the strap that's here and that's stitched on so I don't have to worry about that, losing that, and then it says push this button here and lift up -- Wow there it goes!
Doing this one-handed while I'm holding the camera so you can probably see on the other camera...
Oh, am I clear of the table?
Yeah.
Oh there's the mark.
Up it goes.
Turn the handle I guess so that's this one here.
I can see it pulling up the cord in the middle there - you can see there's like a, a cord here and that's what pulls the whole thing up so just by turning this...
[Music]
It is massive!
So lock the key in the base here so it doesn't turn, you know the main post doesn't swivel and we turn this handle, and up it comes.
I'm doing this one-handed.
I'm not showing off I think it's just easy to use.
As you turn it pulls the cord that pulls up that thing that locks into that pole there.
So I've made another video about the Applaro table and if you, if you want to get some kind of sense of whether you know this parasol goes with this table, it pretty much covers the whole table and the people underneath.
[Music]
So hope this unboxing of the IKEA SEGLARÖ has helped.
If it has, why not hit the thumbs up button just to let me know that somebody reached this point of the video, and if you're feeling even kinder, why not hit the subscribe button down below.
We're trying to get to 10,000 subscribers.
I don't think is going to happen but if you click that button you take us one step closer so we really appreciate it and thanks for watching.
Can you plug a podcasting microphone with phantom power supply straight into a DJI Osmo Pocket?
Yes you can! And I try to show you what it sounds like.
I'm using a NEEWER NW-700, a Neewer microphone pre-amp, the DJI Osmo Pocket mic adapter and of course a DJI Osmo Pocket camera! (On a PolarPro Cinema Grip Tripod Mount)
LINKS BELOW!
Here I try out the different settings in Pro mode - custom audio settings under "Volume Amplification Level"...
I really love using lapel mics, so haven't been keen to try out a podcast style mic... but what really surprised me is how much less ambient noise the mic picks up, even though it's further away from me. I think I'll be recording audio more like this while I'm indoors.
Also, it's the first time I'm showing my studio vlogging setup with the Osmo Pocket.
TRANSCRIPT: (CLICK PLAY ON THE VIDEO ABOVE)
Hello I'm Neil and this is my audio test to see if I can plug my NEEWER NW-700 into my DJI Osmo pocket and you're hearing it right now!
Here's... I've got another camera over here hello ah
This is what it looks like
THIS IS THE TRANSCRIPT - CLICK PLAY ON THE VIDEO ABOVE!
I'll show you the setup, but firstly, let's get on this camera...
I had a problem with this where there seemed to be a lot of hiss
I wanted to see if you could plug a podcasting microphone - something that - a microphone that needed a preamp, just straight into the camera, just to see what would happen... and it was fairly good but I think this might be better.
So what I've done - hello there you are - I've gone into Pro Mode - up here basically with the phone attached to your Osmo pocket, if you hit on the three dots...
And you can either be in basic... oh it won't let you change when you're recording
I changed it from basic to pro.
Dunno if you can see that.
It's grayed out because it won't let you change when you're recording
But what you can change while you're recording - which really surprised me - is that you can change it from auto volume to custom volume
Now I had it on auto before let's put it on, auto and then I'll show you my setup.
So what I've done is I've plugged in my podcasting microphone - this is a NEEWER NW-700
And I've got that line going straight into my preamp box
So I haven't got a mixer or anything - I've just got it straight into the box.
And then I've got a lead that goes straight from that, to a 3.5mm jack.
If you follow the lead, it goes all the way up to my Osmo Pocket, overpriced everyone hates it, mic adapter
There you go and it's going straight into the Osmo pocket.
Now what I've found is - and as you can hear - if I'd be quiet what I think was happening was that the auto level in the Osmo pocket was just bringing up noise when I'm quiet and it brings up a hiss
If I'm quiet for a moment - it doesn't help there are people outside mowing but you should hear Atmos not hiss.
[SILENCE]
So I don't know how that sounds - be interesting to see in the Edit and let it go through onto the video - and what I didn't realize was that I could go into the pro settings and set a manual audio level on the Osmo pocket
So what I did was, press the three dots put it into Pro Mode, there's the basic tab and a pro tab, then go down to "volume amplification level" - See it says Auto
I click on that and choose custom
You can now set the volume and what I want to do is to just keep talking I've got to think of something to keep talking!
So that you can hear straight out of the camera how this sounds at a level of 10dB which seems to be the default setting
[SILENCE]
So I'm just staying silent there just to show that it doesn't bring up the hiss
[SILENCE]
If you can hear noise it's my neighbours doing the gardening, good for them!
Alright let's bring it up to 16dB and I might come closer just so you can get that full benefit of the podcasting experience.
So this might be of use to anyone who wants to podcast and video podcast there isn't a word for it yet that I've come up with or heard.
Vlogcast is the-- or vodcast is the closest that I've heard, but anyway this is the audio volume at 16 dB and then let's get everything.
Put it up to 20 dB
Hello - let's put it back up on the screen
So this is-- ah sorry it's my throat that's going mm-hmm
This is the level at 20dB and again you know this might be the microphone I'm sure you've got an even better microphone than me but I just wanted to experiment with what would it sound like if I plugged a podcasting style microphone or a microphone that needs a pre-amp directly into the DJI Osmo pocket and this is what it's like at 20 dB
If you set the level to custom so that you're manually setting the audio level
So anyway that's my test I really truly-- I'm gonna stay I'm gonna stick with this cuz I've got a feeling that this might be the best one the best of the three but I guess I'll see in the Edit and you'll see along with me
If you have any comments or even suggestions for how to do this even better, why not leave me a comment down below
I'll just be quiet again so you can hear some silence.
[SILENCE]
And if you've reached this point in the video why not give me a thumbs up - let me know that this might have helped someone somewhere in choosing a microphone
This is my test and the setup for the test thanks again I hope--
that's surely that's enough audio for you now!
Why not hit the subscribe button - you don't have to watch any of my videos ever again but your subscription really does help me keep this going so really appreciate it and maybe I'll give you a tour of this little setup I've got bolted to the wall
It's completely portable.
Anyway thanks for watching and I'll see you soon
Can you please help my daddy get 1000 subscribers just click on his face, thanks bye!
How's that?
This is the IKEA APPLARO or, ÄPPLARÖ outdoor patio garden table and chairs... acacia wood stained brown.
I put it together sort of in real time with the assembly instructions and a first impressions review.
It's great, we really like it by the way.
0:00 What does the Ikea Applaro wooden table and chairs look like?
0:42 Is the Ikea Applaro table good quality?
1:30 Assembly instructions for the Ikea Applaro table and chairs.
3:30 How to build the Ikea Applaro table
4:25 How big is the Ikea Applaro table? Length 140cm, Width 140cm, Height 72 cm
4:39 How to put together the Ikea Applaro wooden reclining chairs.
8:51 What does Ikea Seglaro parasol look like!
TRANSCRIPT: (CLICK PLAY ON THE VIDEO ABOVE)
Hello I'm Neil thanks for clicking on this video. Usually I'm a tightwad dad and that's where we try to be happy with what we've already got, as you can see on these words on the screen now.
But in this video I'm going to go against all my tightwad dad principles and actually... we bought a table for the garden.
This lovely IKEA Applaro garden furniture set with table and chairs.
I'm going to show you how we put the table together and also how we put the chairs together, and it was pretty straightforward, but we only have one problem and that's this:
THIS IS THE TRANSCRIPT - CLICK PLAY ON THE VIDEO ABOVE!
I don't know if you can see this.
It's erm, not a very impressive bump, and I was worried that we were putting the screws in too tightly or that the screw would come through to the surface but this is actually the dowel - this is the wooden dowel that is pushed through too far, and actually broken through to the surface there.
That's not entirely impressive but otherwise the table's gorgeous, we love it and this is how you put together an Ikea ÄPPLARÖ garden table and chairs.
So we pushed them together with the pins and the rubber washers.
You've got to push the dowels into these four posts then with the holes in the middle, push them in round the outside
[Music]
Okay so the dowels don't go in there like we've done.
They go in this side.
[Music]
Right so there's two holes in the sides, you got to really follow the picture, so with the sides, make sure these holes are towards you and it's gonna go down like this, and the first dowel goes on right-hand side the second dowel goes on the left-hand side third on the right hand side that's and forth on the left-hand side, and that should tally with the dowel holes on the table.
[Music]
You know what, it is much easier to put the dowels into the table and putting these on instead of like the picture trying to squeeze them into here - because it knackers your hand.
At least this way around you can push the dowel down and it just stays there.
I don't know how far you're supposed to go down, so it's bringing the wood together which is good... but then it starts to go CRUNCH and then it really goes down.
I don't know when it's supposed to stop.
Okay so this is why this one wouldn't go in, there's a-- what is it?
Looks like dead bee.
Just some stuff from inside the wood has gone down?
Don't know what it is, looks like plastic.
There we go, ugh! What is it?
Maybe a bit of wood from this, it's gone down, you know it wasn't a clean hole.
Alright that should work now.
I put the cross braces in.
[Music]
Next is the legs. Gotta get this thing and that screw hole lines up with the hole.
[Music]
I love when on American vlogging channels, they use a knife like a proper knife, we- we use the... IKEA scissors!
[Music]
Bag of bits. That's for the back.
Arms.
Legs.
Other back.
And the back of the chair, that's the bit we need first.
I've made three of these wrong!
This, this is the good one.
We need the thin side up not the deep side.
Bag of bits.
One of these and one of these, and just put it into that hole there.
[Music]
Next slide this in with the "hole" side up.
And getting the right leg.
There is a right and a wrong, that's the right side, that's the left side.
Put that groove at the bottom and that's gonna go to this metal bit - goes in the groove.
And then this hole lines up with that hole.
Doing this one-handed so you get one screw - plastic bit - then the washer and the nut with the small bit sticking out, and spanner to hold one side, and the allen key to turn it round.
[Music]
Then get the 2 dowels.
[Music]
And these things.
[Music]
Then, do exactly the same on the other side.
[Music]
So I did this before - it's the wrong way!
[Music]
Okay now we stand it up.
[Music]
So the tube and the screw go here, and then I got the washer there, that goes through and then the nut goes on the other side.
And then the same on the other side.
[Music]
So that's it, it's finished!
And now I can reveal the table underneath!
Ready? Three two one go! Dah dahhh!
[Music]
I guess what we're going to do next just save up the money for the cushions - that should be ready in about three years!
So if this has helped and you reached this point in the video, why not hit the thumbs up that's how other people find it - and good luck with your Applaro.
If you're feeling even kinder why not hit the subscribe button because I'm trying to get to 10,000 subscribers and don't think I'll ever make it, I'm on one and a half at the moment.
But if you take me a step closer, that'd be really kind of you - or leave a comment!
Just realised... this whole journey is in the London Borough of Camden.
Took a 24 bus from Waterloo station all the way along the route to Hampstead Heath... with my retired London taxi driver Dad.
I grew up in Camden, and we drive past all the places we remember.
Funny looking at it now, as it was shot a few days before The Great Shutdown of 2020.
0:00 View from the top deck of a London 24 bus route Boris Bus for London.
1:30 Getting on the 24 bus in South End Green, Hampstead.
2:40 Constantine Road, Hampstead.
3:50 Mansfield Road NW5 near Gospel Oak School.
4:30 Railway line to Euston - Malden Road.
5:25 Mum used to live in Allcroft Road, near Queen's Crescent, demolished for the estate.
6:20 Queens Crescent market.
7:15 Rhyl Street Primary School
7:55 Newbury Mews, The Mews that bizarrely featured in the opening titles of Pipkins (an ATV show made in Birmingham)...
9:10 Prince of Wales Road, Kentish Town
10:13 Chalk Farm Road
10:44 Unmarked BMW police car
11:05 Harmood Street where the 24 bus garage used to be.
11:35 Hawley Arms, made famous by Amy Winehouse among others.
12:05 The New Hawley Primary School (I made a whole video about the Old Hawley Infants in Buck Street where I went - link below)
12:40 Jeffreys Street, junction with Kentish Town Road and Quinns pub.
14:30 Sainsburys Camden Town where I stacked shelves when it first opened in 1988.
14:45 Camden Road and HQ of British Transport Police.
16:20 Near miss with bus, almost colliding with van.
17:15 Pratt Street and the Bonehouse Pub (St. Martin's Tavern)
18:40 Bottom of Camden High Street, Camden Palace (Koko) and Mornington Crescent Station.
19:55 HS2 demolition works.
22:50 Hampstead Road junction with Euston Road.
23:45 New 2 way system down Tottenham Court Road.
25:50 Goodge Street Station.
29:20 Tottenham Court Road Underground and Crossrail station.
30:50 Charing Cross Road and Shaftesbury Avenue.
This is a long video of just the view from the top deck of a London 390 bus. I love sharing walks around London
(full playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtZM4-pHDwPmhVv2KuqmQcpv58ehRqhFk )
But this was 0945 on a regular Monday morning just before the quietness hit in March 2020.
Empty 390 bus from Victoria towards Archway, and the streets were bare.
Could only see one store closed, listed below.
This is a continuous view from the top deck front window of Oxford Street, and we also get to see the new box for the Tottenham Court Road Crossrail, Elizabeth Line station.
0:00 Intro: Take us on a bus ride on a 390 New Bus For London from Victoria to Archway - up Oxford Street London
0:40 390 Bus ride up Oxford Street starts outside Selfridges, junction of Duke Street
1:00 Destination Display: 390 to Archway
1:23 Past Gap, HMV, Boots, Bond Street Crossrail/Elizabeth Line station (behind hoardings), Disney Store is closed, Debenhams
1:35 "Digger!" Yeah... diggers!
2:04 New Bond Street traffic lights opposite Next (with traffic carriageway shut in Westbound direction)
2:40 Pan of empty street
2:56 House of Fraser and John Lewis
3:24 Junction with Holles Street and McDonalds
4:10 Pan left to Cavendish Square
4:35 Souvenir Luggage store, Microsoft Store
4:55 Oxford Circus junction, station and pan right down Regent Street
5:40 Passing some other Boris Buses, sorry, New buses for London - Route 73 and 390
5:45 Marks and Spencer Pantheon
6:35 Junction with Berners Street and Wardour Street
7:10 Stuck at green lights with cars trying to turn left into Newman Street, opposite the new (unopened) Tottenham Court Road Elizabeth Line/Crossrail station - view of construction work
8:10 View of Tottenham Court Road Western Ticket Hall (not opened), Dean Street
8:50 Primark, Tottenham Court Road tube station construction
9:40 Pan right down Charing Cross Road, CentrePoint and Crossrail construction
9:50 Turn left into Tottenham Court Road and off at the bus stop
Gordon Laing has 160k subscribers and incredibly been uploading to YouTube since 2006.
I'm a Development Producer helping as many people as possible get ideas out of their heads to make more people happy. I created GREAT BRITISH YOUTUBERS to help you get started and keep going with your YouTube channel.
This is part 3 of this episode, PART 1 IS HERE: https://youtu.be/WVwvyVI6YBk
0:00 Great British YouTubers podcast with Neil Mossey and Gordon Laing from CameraLabs.
4:00 What happened when Gordon Laing tried making a perfect coffee how to , and high end audio streaming videos.
5:26 The advantage that YouTube vloggers have.
6:30 Is the YouTube algorithm punishing me?
8:00 The Everyday Dad channel experience with specialisation.
9:10 YouTube creators who started in 2006 have weird channels, weird analytics.
10:30 Should I start a second YouTube channel?
11:45 Coming up on the next episode of Great British YouTubers podcast.
TRANSCRIPT: (CLICK PLAY ON THE VIDEO ABOVE)
Post this amazing video that you put in so much work into.
You try so hard, and you tick all the boxes this-- They're, you know your subscriber base is gonna love this. It's perfect. It's you! It's the definition of your channel and you post it.
But what if YouTube is punishing you for the previous deviation and that video doesn't do well - and I have seen that.
Is it because they are punishing you or is it because it just coincidentally didn't do very well.
And I don't know - but again it does kind of put you off.
It's like the day you, you know, you're in the school yard and you stand there you say "Hey everyone, why are we doing this?!" - WHACK! - and then you're like "I'm not gonna stick my head up again in that environment!"
THIS IS THE TRANSCRIPT - CLICK PLAY ON THE VIDEO ABOVE!
So Gordon, you've achieved so much.
I mean just look at your channel: you've uploaded 342 videos, you have a--
It feels like more!
I bet! You also have 160,000 subscribers which in itself is a massive achievement.
You've got 48 million views.
You run Cameralabs as well as this YouTube channel, and the podcast, and you're an author... we can see a little delicate nod to that over your shoulder.
If you're good enough to include this field of view in your edit Neil, you will see my product and I'm wearing my product - my merchandise.
Well I'll link to all of those in the description.
I suspect you're gonna crop me to about this shape, and shift me to one side, either this side or this side, and then put you on the other side - so that we're-- and then scale it so that... In fact you know what?
We should about line up we've got a bit of space above our heads, down to about--
It's almost like we planned this.
I have tried to plan this before and it doesn't work as well as you and I've done it here, we're quite well matched, even though we didn't try and match focal length or coverage here, so well done Neil!
Well thanks, that's because I watch your bloomin channel!
It's because you're a broadcast professional Neil!
Well that's the weird thing, we talked about that on the other video, that your background is print journalism - specifically magazine journalism. My background is comedy entertainment formats for TV, that's sort of why I wanted to make this show.
I still don't know whether to make this as a playlist or a whole other channel. I know the answer to that - it's gonna be a playlist because I'm just clinging to whatever statistics I can get. But I looked you up--
Are you sure though, are you sure that's the right approach?
Because I ask myself this all the time.
Is it better on YouTube to put everything in one basket, or to create smaller but multiple baskets?
This is exactly--
And no-one knows!
This is exactly the, the anoraking that I wanted to get down to.
So what do you think?
Nobody knows, and even if you did know the cunning algorithm - which changes all the time anyway - by the way when I mention algorithms that's basically the the software behind YouTube and every other social platform and search results which show you what you see.
So when you look at YouTube there'll be a bunch of recommended videos down the side, sometimes from people you follow; sometimes from people that you don't follow but you watch; sometimes from people who are posting something similar to something you've liked or watched a lot of before...
Because you don't have to like a video, although you should.
I'm just going to put a little request in here for any anyone - whether you're a content creator or a consumer or viewer...
If you watch something and you think it's good... click like!
You know it's easy to think "what a great video" and then walk away and do something else.
Click like, because not only does it make us feel better as creators...
It really does make you feel better.
It also gets fed back into the algorithm and YouTube will go "Ohhh, not only did they watch it, but they liked it, and therefore I'm going to recommend it using the algorithm to other people who may not have come across this person before - and that's how our channels grow, and that's how we sustain a business.
So always do a like, but in terms of the question of whether to do one channel or multiple channels I don't know.
What I can tell you is what I mentioned earlier which is if you are known for one thing, if you deviate from that thing you probably won't do very well.
Like recently I did a video on-- you see I'm really into coffee and I thought would it be fun to do a tutorial or a video about how I make coffee, that you know...
Now don't be put off by the fact that there were already a million other videos doing the same thing.
There, there were a million long exposure videos before I posted mine, right?
Just do it differently or better or hopefully a bit of both.
Well my coffee video wasn't different or better, but I thought I'd do it anyway and of course it bombed. No one's interested. They're like "yeah we know you're interested and that, but you're the camera guy."
I did one on-- I'm also really into hi-fi.
There's an interesting crossover between photographers and - enthusiasts.
I think it's maybe the technical nuances, the details that people are into.
I see a lot of that. A lot of crossover.
So there's been this thing I was trying to do, on my hi-fi for ages: streaming high definition audio blah blah blah.
It was this really, like most of the things I tried to do, this really obscure solution that nobody else had written about or talked about and I thought you know what there's got to be at least one other person who wants to know this.
So I did a video about it, and I've got it all across, and the people all the companies involved they were like: "really liked it, that was really good, you're the only person that's done that, great blah blah blah"
And of course it got hardly any views at all.
Even worse than the coffee video.
So you begin to think... "should I do a different channel for just general interest stuff?"
And in fact as a side note this is the advantage that vloggers have.
Because a vlogger: the thing that's consistent...
So for me the thing that's consistent on my channel is photography and specifically camera reviews. That's what people look for.
If you follow a vlogger, the thing that's consistent on that channel is them.
They could be doing anything.
They could be cooking today, they could be doing makeup, they could be doing photography, they could be doing travel, gardening, anything.
Because the consistent thing that people have subscribed to is them and their personality.
So if you do that, then you have the flexibility to cover almost any subject.
So I'm kind of frustrated that didn't go down that route, because that would give you greater flexibility.
I mean is that something you might still experiment with?
What doing, doing different videos or experimenting with a different channel?
Experimenting with different videos and committing to the channel.
Because you know that deep down, that those couple of thousand who watched the, the coffee video are probably the diehard fans.
Yes.
The ones that do actually like you doing stuff.
But it's such a double dare from YouTube isn't it, because they feel so much at stake.
The more achievement you attain, the more at stake it suddenly appears.
There's also a kind of paranoid aspect to this, and again I have no evidence for this.
And like everything that happens, you can read anything into anything, but let's play.
Which is this.
If you post a bad video - or worse still - two badly performing-- sorry, I'll rephrase that.
Not a bad video, a badly performing video. A video that doesn't get that many views or likes, okay?
Doesn't get as much engagement. People don't watch as much of it, blah blah blah.
If you post a couple of those in the- in a row, will the YouTube algorithm punish you so that when you come back and you say "ah, forget this!" This strategy has not worked.
I'd better go back to my core subject, whatever that is, and post this amazing video that you put in so much work into.
You try so hard, and you tick all the boxes this-- They're, you know your subscriber base is gonna love this. It's perfect. It's you! It's the definition of your channel and you post it.
But what if YouTube is punishing you for the previous deviation and that video doesn't do well - and I have seen that.
Is it because they are punishing you or is it because it just coincidentally didn't do very well.
And I don't know - but again it does kind of put you off.
It's like the day you, you know, you're in the school yard and you stand there you say "Hey everyone, why are we doing this?!" - WHACK! - and then you're like "I'm not gonna stick my head up again in that environment!"
On a video by video basis, it's so difficult to take that leap.
It's incredibly hard.
There's a creator that I follow called the Everyday Dad who I met because he did camera reviews, and they were great camera reviews.
But then he did an iPad review, and it did like 10 times better, and he was like "oh my god! This was a bit of a shock."
And then he did another iPad video and it did really well.
And he thought "wait a minute" and then he did a camera review and it didn't do very well, and the message was getting across - and the interesting thing about that is that his channel, while it is about technology, and while it was initially about cameras...
It was more about him than he perhaps realized or even thought his viewers realized, that it was more about him.
So it was easier for him to pivot, to transition to a different subject, than it was for me because mine is more about the products... so the thing, as opposed to me as a personality or as a person you might be interested in hearing or watching.
So I thought that was really interesting, and I know that I have tried to do videos about phones which are massively successful for other channels and just haven't done anything for me.
I think my channel has has been algorithm-ed to a point, and I found this with some other creators who started in like 2006-2007, sort of pre-2010.
Basically those first three or four years' worth of creators.
They have weird channels with weird stats, and they don't grow very fast - like you were saying oh you know you've got 160,000 followers which you know it is great.
It's alright but for a channel that's 14 years old, it's terrible and in my market the people - the events that I get invited to, I'm the smallest one.
Most of the-- most of my contemporaries or peer group... well I call them my peer group. You always refer to people who are better than you as your peer group.
That- I bet they don't refer to ME as being part of their... They're like "who's this guy? Who's this loser?!"
They're on over a million and they're younger channels.
Younger as in that-- then the channels aren't as old - the people may be the same age or older...
Generally a bit younger.
Always more fun. Is that a factor?
I don't know, you tell me, but the, the more recent channels seem to experience greater growth than the older ones, so again there's the paranoia... You know, the grumpy older channels get together and go "why is the algorithm punishing us?!"
Is it the algorithm or is it just that no one likes us?
I don't know but I do know that the channels that started at the beginning have surprisingly fewer followers than you'd expect.
That seems to be a common theme.
So should I start a new channel?
I don't think so.
I think you should train that algorithm.
I think that-- I honestly I think putting in curveballs makes it more interesting for your, your core audience.
Yeah you can, you can look at statistics and analytics until you go mad and they provide a ridiculous amount of detail.
I mean if, if you're a YouTube creator there's a-- there's an app, or a page on the site, but it works better on the phone. I think called creator isn't it?
Yeah, well the app's called Studio, but it's for analytics, yes?
Yeah, yeah exactly and it the information it provides is, is absolutely fascinating but also disheartening as well, and I am kind of, of the...
I'm of the mind that maybe the hours you spent looking at analytics might be better spent producing more content to feed the beast?
But then I'm-- the most successful youtubers I know, know their analytics back to front.
So they know their audience back to front, they know when they stopped listening...
I mean typically people don't want a long video.
I don't want a long video!
I'm like get to the point, and I'm the worst for it, because my videos are LONG.
And surprise surprise, the shorter ones generally do better than the longer ones!
But do I pay attention to that?!
And there's more of my chat with Gordon Laing from Cameralabs...
And THAT is why I gave up YouTube for three years, which is-- which really confused the algorithm because I was pouring my heart into these technical reviews, right.
And live testing every aspect of a camera and trying to get that across to people and then some kid doing an unboxing video gets more views, and all he's done is filmed him opening a box!
And they were getting more views and I was bewildered by this.
I just couldn't understand why this was more popular...
And please hit the subscribe button if you want to see more Great British YouTubers.
There's a playlist and a podcast. All the details and links are in the description.
I'm Neil Mossey and I'll see you on the very next episode of Great British YouTubers.
