Failing at writing online? 1 more reason you NEED a YouTube channel
When I set out on my content creation journey, I came up with a strategy I thought would maximize my chances of long-term success.
Typically people will target one of two media when they’re starting out in the content game: blogging or YouTube.
My goal was to build on both concurrently, which would allow me to hit four main targets with my work:
Subscription-supported content
Ad-supported content
Written content
Audiovisual content
This strategy allowed me to do the heavy lifting of content creation once (that is, come up with a great idea and write it out in an effective and structured way) and earn TWICE.
To wit: Many of my articles serve as scripts for my YouTube videos, and my video ideas often turn into articles.
By landing darts on all 4 targets, not only was I maximizing my earning potential and diversifying my income streams, but I was also creating a virtuous cycle.
I always wanted to make money directly both here and on YouTube but also to leverage the two platforms to drive traffic to each other — and thus generate even more money from each.
And I know anecdotally that it’s working because I get comments on this site almost every day from people who say they found me here thanks to my YouTube channel.
And given the number of external referrals I get on YouTube, I also know people are watching the videos I embed here or following links to my channel.
That’s valuable in and of itself, but a recent comment from a reader on one of my articles taught me that adding a YouTube channel to your blogging efforts is even more powerful than I thought.
Allow me to explain.
How YouTube can supercharge your writing efforts
Recently, I wrote about a big money milestone I hit last month as a YouTube creator.
The dollar amount wasn’t overwhelmingly large, but the point of the article was to demonstrate how small wins can sneakily be massive victories when you’re an early-stage entrepreneur.
Here’s what I explained on the occasion of my first $10+ earnings day on YouTube:
“I’ve been needing something to go right with YouTube for a while.
“Yeah, I got monetized relatively fast (about 11 months) and there’s been a steady trickle of passive income ever since (up to around $2.15 per day in 2024), but I’m still waiting for that 1 video to pop and take my channel to the next level.
“A gully in views had me so discouraged last week that I was feeling like quitting again.
“And while I’m still waiting for truly viral success, my latest video got off to the hottest start in the history of my channel and also gave me my single biggest earnings day yet.
“I’ve almost quit YouTube so many times, but days like these are a good reminder that the big gains come later.”
That last line prompted the following comment from a lovely reader named Kristoffer Becker.
He wrote:
“I’m glad you haven’t quit. You pop up in my feed regularly and while I don’t always watch your vid at that moment (sometimes I do) your name is always in front of me and you’re so easily recognizable to me on Medium. Because of this, I’m far more likely to read your articles. Your system is working, especially behind the scenes.”
Not only did I greatly appreciate the kind and encouraging comment from Kristoffer, it confirmed what I’ve always suspected about the power of combining blogging with YouTube.
Because people find and enjoy my work on one platform, they’re far more likely to take a flier on it when they’re surfing Platform 2.
But you know what?
I think it’s even deeper than that.
How YouTube breeds familiarity — and loyalty
I love Kristoffer’s choice of words here: “behind the scenes.”
What he was suggesting, I think, is that people are more inclined to check out my work now on a psychological level.
And to be honest, this makes total sense to me.
Whenever I find out that a writer here has a YouTube channel, I need to check it out.
There are several reasons for that, including:
I respect that they’re trying the same thing as I am and I want to support them
I want to see how they’re leveraging the platform and if there’s anything I can learn and apply to my own work
I may be genuinely interested in the topic
But the fourth, secret reason is that I kinda want to see what they look and sound like in real life!
OK, YouTube might not provide an entirely accurate picture.
While I do think my channel reflects my personality, it’s certainly a more polished version of everyday me.
But you get the idea — I think there’s just an inherent curiosity to see what your favorite writers look and sound like.
And in that sense, I think YouTube breeds a different, more powerful level of familiarity.
Writing can be extremely intimate, of course.
I write a lot of side hustling stuff like this, but I’ve also spilled my guts on topics like my battles with addiction and depression among others.
But YouTube is intimate in the sense that the speaker is actually talking to you.
I think that builds a deeper connection with an audience because it can see that you’re an actual, real person.
And this is especially important in the era of scam “writers” peppering the internet with AI content.
People are also far more likely to support someone they know personally.
This is another reason creators talk so much about building their “brand”.
Whatever your milieu as a content creator, your goal should be to become an authoritative voice in your space.
And I truly believe that using your actual voice speeds that process along.
Hey, I know you!
Building on Kristoffer’s point, think about bumping into someone out of context.
Maybe it’s someone you knew from university who you randomly see 15 years later at your kid’s hockey game (actually happened to me lol).
Or you see a friendly person from work at a restaurant on the weekend.
You get a bump of excitement, like, “Hey! I know you!”
If you like the person, you’ll engage.
The secret ingredient
But it’s important to remember that last point: you’ll engage if you like the person.
Writing here, posting all the time on YouTube — neither guarantees your success.
Nor will people knowing who you are boost your work in and of itself.
But if people know you and you consistently deliver high quality content, that familiarity can supercharge your success across all platforms.
Hey, thanks so much for reading today! If you liked this piece, please give it a clap or two, let me know in the comments, and consider supporting my work directly by leaving a small tip!
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