Starting with a Series
“Listen, I’m a little lazy, I’ll admit that. I don’t want to come up with a new groundbreaking idea for a video every day, and I don’t think I can,” says Scott. “But I figured out early on, when I was thinking, if I thought less about one video and more about how to create a series, it would be much more successful.”
Scott says it’s much easier with a series to iterate and tweak so that it’s different enough to be interesting. Since his videos mainly rely on comedy, he will take the opportunity to add some new jokes and content! For example, it became very easy to add three additional school supplies in his series “What Your Elementary School Supplies Say About You” and make some jokes.
Some of Scott’s most successful series include “That Kid,” “Embarrassing Mistakes Every Freshman College Student Makes,” and “Things I Thought Were Expensive When I Was a Kid (Which Are Surprisingly Cheap).” They are all relatable and funny enough to create multiple ideas and conversations.
“Basically, if I have a fun idea for a video, I’ll ask myself, ‘If this does well, can I make part 2 and 3 and 4 and 16 and 30, etc., of this?’”
Falling in Love with Creativity
Pursuing metrics may feel exciting at first, but if that’s all you’re striving for, you might find yourself disappointed. “When I first started creating good content, I was working as a waiter at a restaurant and there was a sugar rush when I saw likes and views increasing on my videos. It felt like a ticket to my dreams in entertainment,” says Scott. “But I remember the dark feeling when I had one failed video, then another, then another. It felt like it was over, like I had become famous for a fleeting moment and then it slipped through my fingers, gone.”
“The truth is you’re not in control of views and likes and subscriber counts, but you are in control of the content creation process. If you enjoy making videos, if you make yourself laugh when you’re filming, or impress yourself by trying new editing skills or creating a cool new transition, you won’t feel burnt out because you’ve fallen in love with the process, not the result.”
Followers ≠ Fans
There’s a difference! “Followers will watch your videos, but fans will buy your products, will come to your shows, and will freak out in public when they see you and ask for a picture. Which do you want?” Scott wonders. “There’s no right answer, but I’m proud of the community I’ve built online. It took more than just making videos, it means going live and connecting with the audience in a more intimate way. It means making a personal video that you know won’t go viral, but it will be very meaningful to my close community.”
“Views can pay your bills, but community builds your career.”
Be Your Own Niche
This is advice often given to beginner creators, but it doesn’t mean much to Scott. “We intend to throw out the word niche. It’s tired, it’s 65 and wants to cash in its retirement and chill in Puerto Vallarta,” Scott jokes. “Every time I see videos giving content creator advice, they say ‘find your niche,’ ‘join your niche,’ boring. I consider my niche ‘nostalgic comedy and life tips and college advice’ – but what does that even mean? Who knows?”
Instead, think of niches as a starting point but look for ways to differentiate yourself. The one thing that makes one cooking video different from the next is the creator themselves. “It doesn’t exactly matter what your ‘niche’ is, the best creators can cover all kinds of different niches, but they are always able to inject themselves into it to make a unique experience for the viewer, something that no one can replicate,” says Scott. “For me, I’ve narrowed it down to adding a bit of wit and a bit of heart and a bit of humor and a bit of knowledge into every video, and when I can put those ingredients into it, it always makes a unique ‘Scott Frenzel’ video.”
Source:
https://blog.youtube/creator-and-artist-stories/road-to-1-million-subscribers-with-scott-frenzel/
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