10 Things I Learned From Getting 1,000,000 YouTube Subscribers

I am eternally grateful for my YouTube subscribers.

If you are reading this and are already a subscriber to my Project Life Mastery YouTube channel, thank you for your unwavering support.

Recently, I hit 1 MILLION subscribers on my channel! It's an honor to know that my content has positively impacted the lives of so many people.

Today, millions of people have watched my YouTube videos and consumed my content. It has allowed me to build a multi-million dollar business doing work that I love.

It's fair to say that YouTube has transformed my life. Keep reading to discover 10 things I learned from getting 1,000,000 YouTube subscribers…

Watch the video below:

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I've been a YouTuber for over 8 years.

When I first started Project Life Mastery, my intention was to share my goals, rituals, and habits, in the hopes that others would feel inspired to grow and evolve. The fact that 1,000,000 people I don't even know have watched and benefitted from my videos is beyond humbling. That makes everything that I do worthwhile.

If you want to build a YouTube channel I want to pay it forward and share 10 things that I learned from getting 1,000,000 YouTube subscribers. You can apply these 10 universal principles of success to whatever path you decide to take in life. Let's dive in!

1. Consistency Is Key

I've been consistently publishing YouTube videos for over 8 years now. There was once a time when I was publishing 5 videos in one week for one year straight. To be consistent you have to have a long-term vision. This means that you need to know what you want to do with your YouTube channel. Building a YouTube channel takes time to grow.

When I first started my YouTube channel, nobody was watching my videos. It was disheartening, to say the least. However, I knew that if I wanted to be successful, I had to drop my ego and go through that initial phase of discomfort. Every YouTuber starts with zero subscribers. You've got to believe in what you're doing. If you work hard and are consistent, your efforts will be rewarded.

2. Quality Content Is King

The content that you publish must be high-quality. When people watch my videos I want them to feel appreciated and blown away by the content that I'm providing. That is the reaction that I want, especially if it's someone's first time visiting my channel. Not all of my videos will receive this reaction.

However, when you set your standards high from the onset, you will produce high-quality content on a consistent basis. If you're not getting the results that you want, you need to be willing to make adjustments to your video content. Doing so will allow you to become more marketable and relatable to your audience.

You can't expect to grow your channel with low-quality content. Quality content is king. I'm always analyzing my content so that I grow and improve. I study my verbal and non-verbal body language, and I am constantly reviewing my video analytics. This allows me to know at which point people stop watching my videos.

From there, I can step back and ask myself, “Is there something that I said or did that caused this drop to happen?” You want to make sure that you don't fall into a perfectionist trap. If you strive to make your video content perfect, you will create unrealistic standards that will be hard to live up to. Just be yourself and trust that progress will happen over time.

3. 10% Of Your Videos Will Build Your Channel The Most

Right now my channel gets 1.1 million views per month. Most of those views aren't from my most recent videos. Rather, they are from older videos that I published months or even years ago. To this day, they consistently get views. I have certain videos that go viral at different times, while others drop off. I've published over 1,000 videos on my channel.

However, the reality is that probably 100 of those videos built my channel to 1,000,000 subscribers. My top video has over 5.5 million views. The videos that take off are the ones that will help you build your channel and get followers. You never know which video will take off, which is why publishing consistently is key to success.

I can't tell you how many videos I've recorded that I thought would be received well by people, but weren't. On the flip side, I've published videos that I never thought would take off, but they did.

One example of this was my interview with Tatiana on how she makes $40,000 per month on Amazon at 23 years old. Today, this video has 5.7 million views! Be willing to experiment and publish videos on different topics. This will help you determine what kind of content resonates most with people.

4. Give People What They Want, Then What They Need

If you want to build your channel, you have to give people what they want. The way that you figure out what they want is by doing research on YouTube. This helps you determine what people are searching for and watching. The self-development niche is fairly broad, which means that I have many different segments of subscribers.

Some people are interested in building an Amazon FBA business, while others are interested in building a Kindle publishing business, while others want to learn about self-development. This is how I've built my channel, but it's not the best way. It's better to cater to one core audience, versus building different segmented audiences.

If I only focused on one topic for over 8 years, I would be bored. My videos that do well are the ones where I share results or talk about how to make money. Unfortunately, flashy and superficial topics tend to do well. The reality is that I'm not highly driven by money or materialistic things. It's not who I am.

I'm more of a self-development guy. I preach the value of mastering every area of life to grow and become more. Unfortunately, I've learned that it's challenging to get engagement on video topics related to self-development. It's a hard sell because most people don't want to change themselves.

They want money and success without having to do the work to get it.

To rise above the crowd, I know that I have to create content that will get attention on my channel. Research shows that 82% of all customers have a more positive outlook about a business after consuming custom content. In my videos, I make sure that I give people what they need AND want.

It's great to want success and financial freedom, but don't forget about the things that matter most, like spirituality, relationships, mental health, and well-being. My goal is to help people feel whole, happy, and fulfilled. As Tony Robbins says, “Success without fulfillment is failure.”

5. Know Your X-Factor

You are unique just because of how you are – there is only one of you. This is your x-factor. People will connect with you based on your personality and life story. Authenticity is something that a lot of people value. When I publish videos, I don't do a lot of editing, nor do I chop up my videos. I'm a real and raw person.

How I communicate online is the exact same way that I communicate with my friends and family. On my YouTube channel, my goal is, to be honest and transparent about my journey. People follow people who they like, know, and trust.

I want people to feel hopeful, passionate, and inspired when they consume my content. Through my content, I strive to challenge people's belief systems and/or ways of being. I want people to learn and unlearn everything that they've been taught about who they should be and how they should live their lives. This is what makes me different.

My caring nature is my superpower. People don't see it, but I spend a lot of time behind the scenes brainstorming and researching new ideas and topics that can help people grow and develop on a deeper level. Reflect upon and hone in on what your x-factor is. Ultimately, this is what will give you a competitive edge and keep you on top.

6. Don't Take Anything Personally

Being a YouTuber makes you susceptible to criticism and judgment. Not everyone will like you and that's okay. Your success will always make some people uncomfortable, especially if they are unhappy. People who are happy and fulfilled don't feel the need to judge others. When people spread hate online, oftentimes it has nothing to do with you.

Your success is merely triggering their insecurities. This is what causes them to project and say negative things about you. Don't buy into their projections. Stay in your lane, focus on what's important, and send love to negative people from afar.

I don't engage much on social media. Rather, I focus my efforts on being a content creator. I create my videos, deliver my message, and let my team take care of the rest. My primary goal is to add value and be of service to others.

7. Share Your Journey Authentically

I've always adopted the mindset of being a lifelong learner. I'm a regular person who is on a journey of self-development. I share what works for me because I want to help people. Maybe I'm further ahead than some people, but I'm still a human having a human experience.

Being an authentic person goes a long way. Research shows that 86 percent of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding what brands they like and support. Trying to be perfect isn't effective when it comes to relating to others. If you appear too perfect, people won't trust you.

Being vulnerable, raw, and willing to share your mistakes with others makes you relatable. People connect with people, not robots. Share your journey, but don't sugarcoat it to make it sound ‘better.'

8. Test and Optimize Titles And Thumbnails

You have to understand the ins and outs of how to optimize your YouTube videos. When people are scrolling through videos on YouTube, they have to be inspired to click on your thumbnail. Inciting mystery, emotion, or curiosity is a great way to get clicks on your videos. If you don't get attention, people won't benefit from your message.

Some people go over the top to get attention online, in terms of their titles or the thumbnail images they choose. At one point, my team and I were heavily editing our thumbnails to make them more animated.

However, once we started split-testing our thumbnails, using TubeBuddy, we had an “aha moment.” The unedited thumbnails were getting higher click rates. In terms of choosing video titles, I take a lot of time researching other videos to see what people are clicking on.

Keyword research and search engine optimization are very important, especially when you're building your YouTube channel. Most of your video views will come from YouTube recommending your videos. The viral effect is what makes YouTube so powerful.

9. Have a Long-Term Strategy

You need to know what you want to accomplish with your YouTube channel. YouTube has never been my full-time gig. It's only one part of my business. I use my YouTube channel to grow my other business models. When I first started on YouTube, there was no option to make revenue on advertisements.

Today, there are are a lot of advertisers on YouTube, which means greater opportunities to make more money. YouTube wants people to stay on YouTube. The longer they do, the more ads people watch, the more money YouTube makes. I make $30,000 per month just on ad revenue. Crazy, right?

YouTube doesn't want you to have a link in your description that takes people to your course, funnel, or website. Thus, your videos will do better if you don't have links and CTAs.

However, I would much rather get fewer views on my videos so that I can build the backend of my business and my email list. This is how I've been able to build a multi-million dollar business. Again, know what your long-term strategy is and make decisions accordingly.

10. Caring Is Your Ultimate Power

My passion to serve others drives everything that I do. I always ask myself, “How can I create content that adds massive value to people?” At the end of the day, I'm not a YouTuber for the money. There are a lot of other passive income streams I could leverage and make money from.

I'm driven more by contribution. Caring is my ultimate power. YouTube has created a deep sense of meaning and fulfillment in my life. Knowing that I've made a difference in the lives of so many people has been the ultimate reward.

These are the 10 things I learned from getting 1,000,000 YouTube subscribers.

I hope the insights that I've shared help you build your YouTube channel in a way that aligns with the ultimate vision that you have for your business. If you want to learn more tips on how to build a YouTube channel, check out some of my YouTube videos:

I look forward to further growing my YouTube channel and making a greater impact in the future. Let's strive to hit 10,000,000! Until then, I promise to continue serving and adding value to you through my content.