I grew a YouTube channel to 100K followers in 10 months

But before we start... I'm not a typical YouTuber. 80% of my time is spent writing code and building startups. I'm only able to tell stories about my work or my life. Here's my channel: youtube.com/@marc-lou Here are the stats: Now, let's start.

1. Be different YouTube is competitive. The easiest way to stand out is to be unique and challenge the status quo. If a friend described you, what would they say? “Oh, this is the person who ___.” My ___ is shipping lots of startups. Here's a simple formula to find yours: Pick 2 skills you're average at. Combine them and you're unique. For example: - You can code - You play guitar "I built a free app to learn open chords in 7 minutes"

2. Find and replicate winning formulas If you have no idea what to talk about, do what works already. Study successful videos, find their format, and replicate them with your own uniqueness. For instance, you can apply a Mr Beast concept to building startups: "$1 SaaS vs. $1M SaaS" Don't reinvent the wheel. 1of10.com by @richard_yts is an excellent way to find video ideas that could go viral.

3. Make your title & thumbnail first Start with these before making the video—they give you a clear angle and direction to shape the content. Spend 50% of your time on them. Packaging is everything: - Promise something irresistible, make viewers feel like they’ll miss out if they don’t click - Trigger emotions like wtf? LOL or curiosity - Keep titles short, avoid adjectives - Have 1 primary element (i.e. your face) and a few secondary elements (i.e. a computer) - Use vibrant colors with strong contrasts Check @AprilynneAlter YouTube videos, they're excellent.

4. Know your audience You can’t talk to everyone. Find your people, speak their language, and relate to them through your tone, visuals, and style. Make them feel like you’re speaking only to them. Use YouTube data to know who your niche is.

5. Tell stories My channel is about my story. But each startup I build also has a story: - Someone hacked my site - My SaaS reached $1,000 MRR - I built this website in 12 hours Every video needs a story. Introduce a problem, show the actions to solve it, and wrap it up.

6. Show, don't tell Keep your intro under 10 seconds. Don’t waste time explaining—show what the video is about immediately.

7. But don't skip the intro Many viewers queue up videos, and yours might not be the first they watch. Remind them of the title and the promise you made in the thumbnail. Help them remember why they clicked.

8. Use constraints Constraints force productivity and creativity. I work on my videos only on Saturdays. I have no choice but to have the video scheduled by the end of the day. 1. I pick an idea from my list and find a creative angle 2. I create the title & thumbnail 3. I script the intro and outline the rest of the video (bullet points) 4. I shoot the intro at least 2 times and YOLO the rest of the video This limit keeps me focused and creative.

9. Plant seeds and be patient Every video is a seed. The YouTube algorithm needs time to pick one up. Create consistently, iterate often, and let the seeds grow. When one video takes off, others will follow.

It's harder to make a YouTube video than writing a tweet. But YouTube has a unique advantage: Viewers can see your face and expressions, which builds more trust. The revenue/visitor metric I get from @DataFast_ is usually 200% higher when traffic is coming from YouTube VS. any other marketing channel. At first, it's awkward to speak to a camera. Then you get comfortable and wish you'd have done it sooner. Starting now could be your best investment for 2025 💪

Everything I learned as a solopreneur: How to find startup ideas, launch fast, and get profitable ↓ marclou.beehiiv.com