AND why I'm currently making my own thumbnails (despite not wanting to) 👇 Building efficient workflows and processes is obviously something I enjoy. And hiring people to help you can also be very helpful, like say your video editing and thumbnails. But trying to be too efficient and outsourcing has taught me some hard lessons. Sometimes we try to "put things on autopilot" before we even know where we're going. "Well I've created 3 YouTube videos, time to automate everything!" right? Probably not. And, a graphic designer can make cooler designs that I can, so I should hire someone from fiver? Maybe, maybe not. What I've found is that if you try and automate too much, streamline too much, you end up producing bad videos. Your focus is in the wrong place. Yes, sure, automate your flow, make it easy, but put something in place and move on. Don't keep tweaking it, or trying to make it perfect. I've created 1400+ videos on my YouTube channel (a lot of them shorts). That might seem like a brag but it's kind of embarrassing given where I'm at. I see people with 20 videos with 100K subs. So that tells you I was doing something wrong. You could spend HOURS and HOURS over a year making videos efficiently and never move the needle. Remember how you were trying to save time? Well you actually wasted it. That's what I did. When I carve out the time, really get to the core of what I'm trying to create, and make a great video the videos pays BIG TIME. And in terms of getting help on thumbnails, just because someone can make a cool design doesn't mean the thumbnail will work. There is a little magic that happens in the thumbnail, where you convey a concept, create curiosity, or articulate a point (in a simple way). And it needs to be done quickly. If the words are wrong, if the concept is off, even if it looks cool, it won't work. And imagine spending all that time on a video and no one clicks it? Ouch... I'm not the best at thumbnails but I've learned to move the needle. When you find a good thumbnail editor, it's likely that you spend time together strategizing on it together. Not just off shoring it.

YouTube has become my favorite platform because it seems to provide the best business results. TikTok is #2. Having a growing YouTube channels gives you a lot of credibility in the marketplace. The other reason I like YouTube is that it's pretty predictable. I can get a sense of when a video will do well or not, and it comes down to this ONE thing. I made a good video. But what does good really mean? For me at least, It means I'm giving my best stuff away. You know that stuff you're holding back for once they buy your program? that's the video you need to make for YouTube. When I throw something together last minute without thinking, just to meet my weekly commitment/goal. The video suffers. Or even if I give good information but it's fairly generic or easily found on another channel, the video suffers. I meet Youtube that scratch their head on why they aren't growing, but when you look at the videos it's quite clear. It's pretty generic advice, nothing special. And we all start there so it's fine, but getting clear on how you're really different from everyone else will really help your channel. When I spend 2-3 hours planning and a couple hours recording. I can make my videos perform like this out of the gate (see screenshot). I've also noticed the 30minute+ videos do really well. A view on YouTube is very powerful, it comes with more credibility because it's hard to get, and YouTube will keep pushing that video for a long time. Most other platforms you get a little bump for a day then your post dies. I've also found that the Thumbnails are a really important part of the video (I know people say that but take it very seriously). You need to convey the value of the video or curiosity very quickly so that people click on it. Sometimes only YOU will be able to come up with that concept because it requires knowledge of what you know and of your audience. Don't just pass of the thumbnail to a graphic artist and assume because it "looks good" that it will go well. I'm no designer but I can often out perform their thumbnails.

Yesterday I posted a potential icon for my new community. I thought it was pretty cool. The majority didn't. I have to admit it didn't feel good. And this post isnt really about the logo, I'll be fine 🙂 its just to show you that you're not alone. And it reminded me of countless other videos and posts that I've made on social that made me feel the exact same way. I wanted to delete the poll to be honest. But I didn't. Because that wouldn't have be fair to the many people that took the time to vote and comment on the post. I learned a lot. I think that's the key. The comments were quite insightful. Thank you btw 🙏 You have to understand that more than anything, social media, community, posting, etc... is first and foremost a place to learn, to gain insights. The profits only come after the insights and learnings. You can't get those insights if you don't post it, if you delete everything you post. It's not about winning every time time. Winning comes after losing. So just get those loses over with already so you can win.

Do you like the logo? ChatGPT made it for me.

I wish I asked for more feedback but I'm afraid what people will say (yes me too). But this Sunday is an important YouTube video so I wanted to ask you and get your opinion. Which one do you like better, any feedback?