It happened AGAIN on YouTube.

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Hi, it's Pat!

Around issue #100 (July 2024), I mentioned experimenting with a new Shorts channel on YouTube. Here were the parameters of this 60-day experiment:

? No linking to other existing platforms or channels.

? No outside editors or production help (other than voice-over artists or music, if needed). I had to film and edit every video myself.

? No face on camera.

? No more than 30 minutes of work per video.

After 60 days of daily content, I would decide if it was worth continuing.

Well today, in issue #131, I’m happy to share this:

On day 199, the channel surpassed 1,000,000 subscribers. This is my second channel to receive a Gold Play Button from YouTube!

Below, I’ll share how it all happened — and how I was able to fit this into my already busy schedule and life.?

QUOTE

"The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."?

—Thomas Edison

THE STORY

With these constraints in place, it was clear that the only way this would work was to create something catchy, episodic, and engaging enough to keep viewers watching until the end. It had to be fun — something I could do daily, regardless of what the analytics said — while still fitting into my busy schedule.

The #1 goal was consistency: Get to day 60. It wasn’t about getting millions of subscribers.?

The channel (@ShortPocketMonster) shows my hands at my desk, opening up a pack of Pokémon cards to reveal what’s inside. There’s a catchy jingle (created by MusicRadioCreative.com), and again, for the sake of the experiment, I didn’t link to it from my other channel. I wanted all growth to happen organically, just to see what was possible.

Around day 20 of the experiment, I was getting a few hundred views a day on YouTube (with the occasional video breaking a thousand). If my goal was to get millions of views, I would have quit right then.?

But that wasn’t the goal. The goal was to go daily for 60 days straight, and I was already a third of the way there, so I kept going. Each day, I got a little faster with filming and editing. I was getting more comfortable with the format, and lo and behold, around day 30, one of my videos skyrocketed to the moon. The channel hasn’t looked back since.

As a result of the experiment (which, of course, I have continued beyond 60 days), the channel has already crossed half a billion views and is closing in on $100k in estimated ad revenue —? just from AdSense on YouTube.

The same videos are published on TikTok, where they generate about $5-6k per month, and the followings across all social media channels have grown massively, too.

In addition, it’s opened up several new doors for me. A couple of months ago,? I was invited by the Detroit Lions to open a pack of Pokémon cards on their field before a game. NBA, NFL, and UFC athletes have reached out to say they and their families enjoy the content. And now I’m starting to turn down more brand offers than I accept.

All of this is thanks to reach with video. It feels surreal, but it’s also something that isn’t a stroke of luck. It’s the result of years of learning what works and what doesn’t, and then showing up for it.?

You don’t have to go daily, that’s not what I’m proposing here, but it’s definitely helping with that type of content (short-form on social).

Finally, the big lesson here is just how powerful video can be. And the timing couldn’t be better — just yesterday, I hosted a live webinar covering the exact steps you need to launch and grow a successful YouTube channel. If you couldn’t make it, you can catch the replay here!

Let’s go!

Dad Joke of the Week???

Why did that man fall in that well?

He didn't see that well.

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