If you should pick one person to learn the YouTube ropes from – without any doubt, you should choose Mr. Beast, aka James Stephen Donaldson or “Jimmy”.
Ya, the dude is now filthy rich. But the reason I’d make him my Youtube strategist above everyone else, is because he’s been working his tail off and obsessing over his YouTube channel since he made his first video 10 years ago. His most popular videos are the default that Youtube serves you as a new user…Insane!
His success is 110% not an accident. And there’s so much practical advice that new YouTuber channel owners can make the most of. You might want to read through this article twice for maximum value, or possibly go grab a notebook.
So we’ve combed through hours and hours of Mr Beast, using his best comments, quotes, and teachings together, so you can learn from this legend’s wisdom and grow yourself a successful YouTube channel faster.
Let’s get after it.
Mr Beast On Hard Work for Youtube Channels
If you don’t follow his YouTube channel, and you just know the name Mr Beast, then you might not realize how hard this guy works. He’s been on the grind with his Youtube account for 10 years. His success is not an accident.
Here’s a collection of Beastisms regarding the value of hard work in his journey to his YouTube superstardom.
“Since I was 13, there probably hasn’t been a single hour that’s gone by that I’ve been awake where I haven’t thought about YouTube.”
“I’m just focused on making the best videos possible, period. I don’t care about making money. I don’t care about time. I don’t care about anything. I just want to make the best videos on the planet.”
“For the last eight or nine years. Like, every dollar I’ve made, I just spent it the next month on content. And I just did that every single month, and it just kept getting bigger and bigger. And here we are.”
Can you imagine going 8 or 9 years with this level of focus? He hasn’t gone a single hour without thinking about his YouTube channel since he was 13.
This guy now has five YouTube channels in total, and his lowest subscriber count on any of them is 14 million. Yes. Lowest. 14 million subs!
As you’ll see a few times throughout this post – the man is obsessed with making the best YouTube videos possible. And he channelled his obsession into learning and growth.
Why You Need The Right Friends For Career Advice
Building on his obsession to create a killer Youtube channel, Jimmy talks about how a great friend group accelerates your growth on Youtube. This is a long take, but I think it’s solid gold. Although most people will likely find it extreme. And it is, but then so is his level of success.
Here are his thoughts:
“Many times, people think their videos are better than they are. They do that, and they have horrible friend groups because you really are like the type of YouTubers you hang around.”
“It’s getting the right YouTuber friend group that aren’t pussies and will actually tell them when their content’s bad and actually roast it and help them get better in a nice, positive way.”
“Basically, what I did was I’ve somehow found these other four lunatics. Three of us were college dropouts, and one was a high school dropout who quit his job.”
“We basically talked every day for 1000 days in a row and did nothing but hyper-study. Like what makes a good video, what makes a good thumbnail, what’s good pacing, how to go viral.”
“We would just get on Skype every morning, and some days I’d get on Skype at 07:00 A.m. And I’d be on the call until 10:00 p.m.” “And I’d go to bed, I’d wake up, and I’d do it again. We’d do things like take a thousand thumbnails and see if there’s a correlation to the brightness and how many views it got.”
“Imagine a world where it’s just you working solo, and you work 12 hours a day, every day for a year, and you’re just grinding. You make a mistake, you learn from it, you grind, you learn from it. And you do that for like a year.”
“And then imagine a different world where you have four friends who are equally grinding in something similar.”
“Friend number one makes a mistake on Friday, he teaches the other four people. Friend number two makes a mistake the next week, teaches everyone, and then you’re all learning from each other’s mistakes.”
“You’re all constantly studying twenty-four-seven and downloading each other. After a year, you’re two years ahead of the guy who was just solo.”
Find your tribe – Find other creators with Youtube Channels
Jimmy is totally correct. You become the average of the people you spend the most time around. Do you want to make YouTube your main thing? Then probably the single best thing you can do to set yourself up for long-term success is to find other people with similar goals on Youtube and form your own little tribe or mastermind, preferably with people who have Youtube channels.
Mr. Beast outlined two imaginary scenarios above. One where you work 12 hrs a day solo, the other where you put in the same effort but are part of a Youtube channel growth group where the other members do the same stuff as you.
The reality is most people won’t put in 12 hrs a day on Youtube for a single year, let alone put the effort in to find a group of like-minded people to share the journey with. But being in that group environment actually makes it easier. You can both push and support one another. You’ll be inspired by your friends. And you can hold one another accountable.
You’ll be far more likely to wind up the proud owner of a successful channel if you find your people and share the journey together. Cross-pollinating good ideas between your Youtube channels is 100% the name of the game.
Go The Extra Mile To Make It A Great Youtube channel
Mr. Beast and his advice on what it takes to make viral videos.
“Sometimes we’re filming for three or four days, like 10 hours a day. So 30, 40 hours of filming, plus months of setup. Whereas most creators probably film for a couple of hours and set up for a day.”
“Outside of just filming. I mean, we brainstorm video ideas relentlessly for hours every day.”
“And so with filming, it’s just like trying to make sure we’re doing everything we can. And no matter how expensive it is, no matter how much time it takes, we want to make the best video possible.”
“By always doing all those things. It just distinctively sets it so far apart that basically, in my head, it’s like, why wouldn’t you watch it?”
If you’ve watched many of his videos, you know his production is on point, and many are completely over the top. After reading his comment, can you see why his videos are so good?
Some of his videos involve MONTHS of setup, and he might spend 40 hrs or an average person’s entire workweek filming it.
And every single day, he’s with his team “relentlessly” coming up with ideas for future content. If you can give an added benefit, give an added benefit.
Is it any surprise he gets so many views with that approach? He’s absolutely right. When a creator puts that much time and effort in, why wouldn’t you watch?
Deliver On Your Promises In Your Content and Channel
Alright, let’s shift away from hard work before too many of us get depressed, as we realize we might not have the desire to become the next Mr. Beast after all.
He’s got some great advice for how you can create a title that generates hype and then open your video in a way that helps keep viewers around until the end.
Let’s take a look at what he has to say:
“Anyone can clickbait, but do you actually deliver on it?”
“If for a title we say – we put 100 million orbeez in the backyard. Then we put 100 million orbeez in the backyard. Your title and thumbnails set expectations.”
“Then, at the beginning of the video, to minimize drop-off, you want to assure them that those expectations are being met. If you’re putting 100 million orbeez in a pool, don’t start the video with you shopping for your mom’s birthday present at the beginning of the video.”
“Just say this is 100 million orbeez (and show them). We will fill this pool and this entire backyard with them.”
“Match the expectations, and then you want to exceed them. So you want to assure people that what they clicked on is what they’re getting, and then blow their mind and be like, but you’re also getting even more.”
Build up expected payoff to keep them hooked on videos til the end
Clickbait is only clickbait if the content doesn’t deliver on what you promised with your title. You should create titles that generate interest and curiosity because if nobody clicks, then nobody watches. But make sure you can back it up.
What’s the best way to prove your title wasn’t empty clickbait? Open your video up with proof to show you are going to deliver. Give your viewers a sneak peek that shows you aren’t full of you-know-what.
This also builds anticipation for the payoff at the end of the video. If your viewers think there’s something worth seeing at the end of your video, they are much more likely to stick around and watch til the end.
A good example of dangling expected payoff comes from his Squid Game video. Where at the start, he proclaims:
“Whichever one of these 456 people survives the longest wins 456 grand!”
Okay. I’ll stick around to the end to watch someone win half a mill.
It’s All About The Audience
It’s important to learn how the YouTube algorithm works, as most of your views come from suggested or featured videos.
But, Mr. Beast has a different angle for you to think about it…
“Anytime you say the word algorithm, just replace it with the audience. The algorithm didn’t like that video. No, the audience didn’t like that video.”
“Literally, all the algorithm does is reflect what the people want. To a tee. And if you deny that, you just make terrible videos and are trying to find a scapegoat.”
“If I wasn’t retaining a viewer, it just wouldn’t make sense for YouTube to promote it.”
“Why would YouTube promote a ten-minute video that people watch on average a minute and a half?”
Your Youtube Channel Is all about your Audience
This is so important I’ll repeat it one more time. Anytime you say or think of the word algorithm, just replace it with audience.
YouTube’s algorithm has one goal. Serve up content that viewers want to watch so they spend more time with their eyes glued to the screen. Why? Because the more videos you watch, the more ad revenue YouTube makes.
So you can stop worrying about the algorithm and focus on the viewer, your audience. If you make interesting content they want to watch, and you do a great job – then they will watch to the end.
YouTube will get positive signals from your content that says, hey, people love this new video. And then it will get pushed out to more people and possibly even go viral.
Reply To Every Comment
In the early days, Mr. Beast spent a lot of time in the comments section replying to every comment. He thinks all small channels should do the same.
“What I think small YouTubers should do is – when my channel was small, I would reply to every single comment. And so I think a few people caught on to the fact I would always reply.”
“And so some people, they’d be like, I wonder how long it’ll take for him to reply. So that was a lot of my comments when I was smaller, but at least it kept them coming back to my videos.”
Comment engagement not only sends a positive signal to YouTube’s algorithm, but it’s also a great way to build community and loyal fans. So even if it’s only 15 minutes a day, hop on the YouTube app and read and respond to as many comments as you can. Good things will happen if you keep it up.
Especially in those early days when your goal is to get accepted into the YouTube Partner Program and monetize.
Use Analytics Inside Your Youtube Account
You have a lot of data at your fingertips, so stop guessing! Here’s a solid exercise you can work on yourself.
“In your analytics, and most of you probably know this for audience retention, you can see where in your videos people click off.”
“So just literally go through your last 50 videos, write down where everyone clicked off, and then just don’t do those things again.”
It may sound simple. But how many creators do you think do this? Use the data, and make sure you learn something from every video. There’s always something new to learn. And if you’re doing something to cause viewers to abandon your content part way through – it seems like a pretty darn good use of your time to figure out why and plug the leak, so to speak.
Re-Think Click-Through Rates
This one is short and sweet. Mr. Beast shares a different angle on CTRs.
“To me, what’s important is click-through rate. Getting people to click on your video, and then average view duration, average view percentage, or just relative retention and having them watch it.”
“Many creators think click-through rate is just like the title and thumbnail, and did they click it?”
“But a lot of it is – did they enjoy your last video? Because if someone watches a video of yours and they loved it, you can bet the next time you’re recommended, their chance of clicking is much higher.”
What do repeat viewers think of when they come across your video content?
Honestly, I’d never considered this angle before. But it makes perfect sense. Your videos don’t exist in isolation. Viewers hold a mental scorecard of your Youtube channel in their minds, assessing whether they like you and your content.
So when they see your new videos, they instantly have a feeling as to how they view you and your content. Did they love your last video? Would they call it great content? There’s a good chance they’ll click on this one right now.
Did your last video let them down? Then you might not get the click this time unless the content topic is exactly what they want right now.
Ultimately, it all comes back to just make truly great content that provides value to your target audience. This applies equally whether we’re talking about a YouTube channel, or other social media platforms.
Bigger Is Easier on Youtube
Here’s Jimmy on chasing big fish:
“It’s much easier to get 5 million views on one video than 50,000 views on 100 videos. It
takes way less effort to get 5 million views on one video.”
In the beginning, when nobody knows who you are and you’re trying to figure things out with your first few videos. Quantity over quality all the way. Jimmy recommends you put up 100 videos as a starting point just to figure out your niche and build some skills.
But once you start to get a little traction and your niche is locked down, it can pay off to focus on making each video your best yet.
Effort Builds Trust on Youtube
You can’t fool your viewers. They know when you’re just mailing it in. Here Jimmy talks about why you want to build trust with your audience.
“Viewers aren’t stupid. They can tell when you half-ass a video or if you really put in effort. And if they can tell you put in a lot of effort creating videos, they’ll be more likely to click on future videos and that hype, that snowballs.”
“Because once you build that trust, they get to a point where it doesn’t matter what you upload. They just know it’s high effort, and they just know it will be great. And they’re conditioned just to watch.”
“Because you have a good track record.”
His advice here builds on the last point. If you put effort into creating fantastic content, you will score highly on your viewers’ mental scorecards. They will trust you won’t waste their time and that they will get value every time they click on one of your videos.
So get to know what your audience wants and values, and do a great job delivering value in every video. Build a good track record.
You Need To Enjoy The Process – It’s A Grind
We’re going to finish off with some advice on why it’s essential to focus on something you love or, at the very least, kinda enjoy. This is career advice 101, and it applies whether you want to be a tailor, a self-taught software engineer, or crush it on YouTube.
“People think just because you go for views means you can’t have fun, but you can pull views, and you can have fun. Which is what we purposely try to do.”
“You got to at least semi-enjoy what you’re doing, or you’re going to quit long before it gets to the point where it brings you money or whatever else could be driving you. Because to get to this level, it takes a decade. So find what you love.”
“And then I would just hyper-obsess. Make sure no one doing what you’re doing is doing it better. Make sure the videos are as good as possible.”
Do what you love, enjoy your life and smile
If you didn’t realize it before, then you do now. Mr. Beasts works. Hard. But more than that, it’s an obsession to be the best. To learn everything there is to learn about YouTube.
Lucky for him, he found out when he was only 13 what he wanted to do, and he got to work. He loves creating video content for his YouTube channel. And his goal isn’t to make money. It’s to make the best video content possible.
Is it any wonder, then, why he’s so successful? He’s only 25 years old and could easily stop working tomorrow and be more than set for life. No new content required for that…
Hopefully, you love making YouTube videos, too. But if you don’t, that’s ok. Most people don’t. Then what can you do about it?
You can make new content on a topic you love or enjoy instead. Your content should excite you and light you up. If it does, you can sleep easily, knowing you’re on the right path. Plus, if you love your topic, it will make the grind easier to stick to.
One Last Thing
I hope you picked up at least one actionable tip today from the most successful YouTuber in the world.
If nothing else, hopefully, you recognize that YouTube is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Not in the sense of today’s world, anyways. But does 10 years to $54 Million per year sound like a long time?
I wonder if Mr. Beast would have believed it as a 13-year-old kid that in a little over a decade, he would be the most famous and successful creator on YouTube and make over $50 Million in a single year?!
If you are convinced YouTube is the best path for you, fantastic! Just make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons and you create content on something you enjoy. Youtube is a long grind, and it will likely take at least 1-2 years to make a meaningful amount of money. For many, it takes a lot longer than that.
Do you already have a YouTube channel that makes money each month? If you think you might need some help or advice with your video editing, then drop us a line. We help Youtube creators like you free up your time and upload better-quality content to grow your channels.
If you want to learn more about levelling up your YouTube channel, check out these other highly useful reads.
