Going narrow versus going broad
Sharing your passions most effectively often means focusing on your niche. Many aspiring YouTubers feel that going after the largest audience possible to start with is the clearest path to success. Not necessarily. In fact, we want you to consider a few factors that may make you reconsider your plans to try for the broadest audi- ence possible:
» Getting found: It takes time for your channel and content to infi a
popular subject area. You’re likely competing with millions of videos, some of which have proven immensely successful and will dominate search results for some time.
» Producing unique content: With so many videos in a popular category, you’ll
defi have challenges standing out — at least initially. Channels that have been covering your topic space have also had time to refi their brands, another factor that makes their content stand out.
» Reaching infl Popular and important industry spokespeople and
personalities are constantly bombarded by creators and viewers. You’ll have a tough time attracting their attention at the beginning, no matter how insight- ful your vision or how creative your content.
» Having help: The channels at the top have lots of promotional help from
subscribers or other advocates in social media. That didn’t happen overnight. Invest time in developing relationships and proving that you bring value to the table.
Start off being the big fish in the small pond, and choose a specific topic space carefully. Your channel and your content will be more discoverable and will increase the likelihood of connecting with both key influencers and the fan base.