Paul O’Malley’s YouTube channel, which options fast suggestions to enhance effectivity, skyrocketed to over 30,000 subscribers in just below six months. These are spectacular numbers! So how did Paul do it? We sat down with him to debate his journey and uncover the methods and strategies he used to quickly develop his viewers. Get able to take notes and study from a YouTube success story!

The transcript under has been edited for size and readability.

Did you consciously determine to start out a YouTube Channel, or did it occur organically?

Sort of slightly little bit of each. Over the previous few years, I’ve had loads of roles in tech, together with Microsoft. I had folks saying to me, “You are actually good at explaining these things in a means I can perceive… Do you wanna create YouTube content material? Perhaps you need to do these movies on-line?” And I used to all the time simply form of blow it off. After which just lately, I used to be in a job the place I used to be actually creating this type of video content material; brief bite-sized clips. Simply fast suggestions right here and there. And so I assumed, you understand what? I am certain different folks might make use of this content material as nicely. I made a decision to start out placing a number of of the movies up on YouTube, and a few of them began to achieve traction; folks observed the content material I used to be creating and put it out on blast across the social media spheres. This drastically elevated the attain that I might probably have, and in consequence, YouTube’s determined they wanna begin paying me for it on, from time to time. So I’ll as nicely maintain at it!

Did you take into account some other video platforms apart from YouTube?

I believe it was all the time going to be YouTube. I am fairly a fan of tech typically, so I would thought of different platforms, however the one platform that will have the ability to give me the attain I wanted was YouTube. Vimeo is nice, nevertheless it’s extra of a business-to-business platform than a client platform. And for people who have began stretching out into the Fediverse with Mastodon and issues like that, there’s Peertube. However there isn’t any means I’d have over 30,000 folks following me on Peertube within the span of 4 or 5 months, whereas I do now on YouTube.

It’s fairly wonderful that you simply grew so rapidly!

Yeah! I had loads of assist in that regard. I had some development from my very own inside networks and from my earlier roles. However I used to be considerably fortunate to have a few program managers from Microsoft truly retweet a few my tweets relating to a number of the movies that I would made. And you understand, when somebody who has over 100 thousand subscribers themselves retweets one thing of yours, it tends to have a pleasant flow-on impact. Within the span of 1 week, I had six or seven thousand folks subscribe, which, like… I used to be trying on the numbers going; what’s going on right here? And it was simply completely mind-boggling.

How do you give you concepts for movies?

I’ve all the time been a very massive fan of pushing the know-how that I’ve to its absolute limits. To mainly save me time. So I positioned my channel as fast suggestions to enhance effectivity.

And I imply, heck, I’ve reprogrammed keys to do macros and issues like that. I’ve acquired my mouse right here with a number of buttons set to regulate various things to hurry up my workflow just a bit bit every time. If I might save myself ten minutes a day, that will add an additional work week on the finish of the 12 months. I might do a heck of lots with an additional week yearly. And I am certain loads of different folks might as nicely. And so each time I discover these little hidden options or little suggestions that assist folks’s workflows be slightly bit extra seamless, I prefer to share them.

One other instance, I’ve just lately began enjoying round with Google Docs and Google Sheets. And I will be trustworthy, within the final week or so, I’ve gone down a rabbit gap with utilizing ChatGPT inside Google Docs and issues like that. It is simply loopy to see what the know-how can do when you understand that little shortcut to leverage it. And so, hopefully, I can present somebody a tip that takes 5 minutes outta their day now however saves them 5 minutes day by day from right here till eternity.

So it is such as you’re scratching your individual itch? As a substitute of making an attempt to consider what individuals are going to be fascinated about, you share the issues which have helped you.

Truthfully, it might be one thing so simple as a keyboard shortcut that individuals do not find out about. All through to one thing utterly loopy, like having ChatGPT utterly fill in lists and issues for you, proper? There are actually small issues and actually massive issues.

It might even be an accessibility characteristic. I do not actually have any main imaginative and prescient impairments, however I do know lots of people who’ve shade blindness. Although I do not use the colour filters which are in home windows, I’ve seen the impact that, once I flip it on for them and so they go, “Oh my God!”… I like that gentle bulb second. Having another person say, “Oh, I might use that,” and seeing the knock-on impact for them, that is actually what drives me and has for years.

Do you will have any tips about how lengthy your movies must be?

I attempt to maintain the video as brief as doable. The factor that drives me insane once I go onto YouTube in search of like a how-to video is when the primary three and a half minutes is somebody going, “Do not forget to smash that like button,” after which on prime of it, there’s some insane trance music enjoying within the background. Do not get me fallacious; I like some psytrance from time to time, however not once I’m looking for out the right way to recall an e mail in Outlook. I’ve simply unintentionally despatched this e mail. I have to recollect it now. I can not spend three and a half minutes watching you discuss your channel.

So most of my movies are sub-five minutes. Various them are literally lower than three minutes lengthy. The longest movies I’ve executed are perhaps seven minutes, and that is as a result of they’re slightly bit extra in-depth and require slightly bit extra setup beforehand. I attempt to maintain it temporary to the purpose but in addition clear sufficient that somebody can simply observe alongside themselves and perceive it as I am doing it.

What’s in your video creation toolkit, and what does your recording course of seem like?

I create all my movies on Home windows as a result of Home windows is what I do know. I’ve a devoted 1080p monitor as a result of the movies that I broadcast are in 1080p. And so I like having the ability to document a full display.

For the display recording itself, I take advantage of a program referred to as Camtasia. It’s truthfully constructed from the bottom up for the kind of content material that I create. It makes it considerably simpler for me to zoom in on areas and issues like that. It does value slightly bit of cash, however the profit is that it is sped up my workflow by miles.

Usually talking, I’ll attempt to have a storyboard so I do know what I will do and discuss. Then I am going to do the display recording typically in a single hit. Then I am going to do my modifying, zooming in, highlighting, and squaring off issues so that individuals can see every part on the display as I am doing it.

After that, I take advantage of Audacity to do the audio recording. I simply actually play it again and do my voiceover while I am watching the recording play. The profit is that Audacity has the flexibility to document at a better readability degree of audio in comparison with Camtasia. I’ve put sound dampening on a few the partitions, and I’ve acquired massive heavy drapes to deaden the sound to make it possible for every part is good and crisp and clear.

Subtitles are a bit extra of a course of. YouTube’s automated subtitle functionality is okay however not tremendous correct. Funnily sufficient, I truly use the Google Voice app on my telephone. For individuals who occur to have a Pixel telephone, it’s actually correct. So I am going to get the transcript from there, and, now, it sounds form of bizarre, however I put it into Microsoft Phrase after which use Microsoft Phrase to provide it a proofread and ensure the grammar is right. Then once I’m importing the video, I simply actually copy and paste the textual content in. YouTube is sensible sufficient to have the ability to sync the voice with the subtitles.

The one different instrument that I take advantage of is Figma. I’ve acquired fundamental templates that I take advantage of for all of my thumbnails; the brand of no matter product I am showcasing within the video after which perhaps three or 4 phrases beside it with what the video’s about. It is tremendous straightforward for me to make these; it takes seconds.

What about your microphone?

The microphone I take advantage of is not tremendous costly. It is the Scarlet 2i2. It’s an XLR microphone, and so the sound high quality is a lot better than a USB mic. Usually talking, although, XLR mics shall be fairly costly. My setup retails for round about 500 AUD. I’ve additionally acquired slightly protect right here, which mainly helps stop reverb from across the partitions.

Transferring on to the distribution of the content material. We talked slightly bit about how different influencers have helped along with your development in subscribers. Was there an inflection level the place you knew you had been onto one thing?

Having six-figure follower accounts retweet my stuff was actually that inflection level. However there have been steps that took earlier than that, primarily based on the analytics that I used to be getting from YouTube. I am in Sydney, so Australian time zones will not be all the time one of the best, relying on the place your viewers is. I used to be trying on the analytics from YouTube to see when folks had been watching my movies essentially the most. A number of the time, I used to be asleep or, to be completely trustworthy, sitting on the sofa, enjoying Halo. So at that time, I wanted to determine, “How am I gonna get essentially the most traction?”.

I am on Mastodon greater than some other social community. On condition that there isn’t any algorithm there, it is very a lot a matter of having the ability to discover your viewers on the proper time. That was the place Buffer got here in. Attempting to schedule a submit for Mastodon was cumbersome and really restricted in performance till Buffer got here alongside. I would already been utilizing it for Twitter, and I would been utilizing it for LinkedIn. So having the ability to schedule my posts on Mastodon and Twitter to exit at instances once I knew I used to be gonna have the ability to get some traction actually helped. I used to submit one thing on Mastodon round lunchtime for me, however the nighttime for Europe. And I used to be getting perhaps 4 or 5 folks boosting my posts or getting a number of likes right here and there. Once I was capable of begin posting content material on the time that labored greatest for my viewers, posts that used to get 20 reposts had been now getting 2,500 reposts.

So is social media the primary distribution channel on your movies?

It is principally social, I believe. I’ve family and friends who’re very nice and share it with all of their associates, and loads of former colleagues have now began reaching out to me and connecting with me by way of LinkedIn and issues like that. They usually’ve been re-sharing my content material amongst their groups internally. The community side of social networking actually comes into play there.

For instance, out of the blue, I’ve grown followers and customers from a random instructional district in Texas. All as a result of one one who I used to work with liked a few my movies and began sharing them with a few of their colleagues. And so, in consequence, it simply form of began spreading. And now I’ve acquired slightly little bit of a following amongst educators in Texas.

Is there something that has contributed to that natural phrase of mouth? Clearly, the content material’s good. Is there anything?

I would say it’s principally the content material. I like to assist the place I can, which sounds very self-serving to say it like that, however I’ll submit on YouTube, and within the feedback, somebody will say, “Mine is not fairly working like this; I am seeing this as an alternative.” Although I can not bodily go and take a look at that particular person’s pc, I nonetheless like to assist. I randomly get tagged by folks on Mastodon saying, “I am unsure who may help you right here, however Paul may know the right way to do it”. Folks now see me as an avenue for assist.

I’ve truly gotten some fairly cool video concepts on account of folks asking me questions and asking the right way to do issues higher. If somebody’s requested me a query, I can not cease desirous about it till I determine it out. I would prefer to say {that a} willingness to assist actually did drive the expansion.

To me, that sounds I imply lots higher than making an attempt the standard development hacks?

I am certain that these little suggestions do work for some.

The most important tip is simply to make content material that’s priceless to folks. Attempt to be constant. Folks subscribe to channels once they know what they’re gonna get. Attempt to not submit 25 movies in every week after which nothing for six months. I personally schedule not simply my social posts but in addition my YouTube posts. In the mean time, I’ve acquired a little bit of spare time, so I have been creating loads of additional movies. I’ve acquired about six or seven weeks’ price of them already lined up, able to go.

Any pitfalls or traps for aspiring creators to keep away from?

Do not overdo it. I am an enormous telephone nerd. My telco loves me as a result of I am going to change telephones at any time when a brand new telephone comes out. I’ve had lots of people inform me, oh, mate, you need to do telephone opinions and stuff like that. However then I’d go into the realm of needing to document face-based video versus only a display recording. A display recording is simple sufficient for me to do. Including my very own video feed into it provides exponentially larger problem ranges so far as modifying and transitions are involved. What I’ve now’s working, and it is working nicely, so I’ll keep on with that.

After which lastly, monetization is a tough factor to get to. The necessities have enormously elevated. I used to be very fortunate that I have been capable of attain that standing. What I’d say is that when you get to that standing, it is not life-changing cash. I will be brutally trustworthy, I’ve made about ten bucks. However because the channel continues to develop and the again catalog of movies continues to develop, that passive supply of earnings will develop as nicely. I do know lots of people who get to monetization and suppose they aren’t making a lot. However stick at it, continue to grow. After which, as you proceed to develop, that income will proceed to develop as nicely.

Listed below are the largest takeaways from my dialog with Paul.

1. Focus in your area of interest of experience: Create content material that you’re obsessed with, and you’ll need to watch your self.

2. You do not want fancy tools however audio high quality issues: Discover a setup that’s best for you and your finances.

3. Leverage your social networks and have interaction along with your viewers: Share your content material on the best platforms on the proper time. You by no means know whenever you may get a retweet from an influencer.

4. Produce high quality content material constantly: Submit movies on a daily schedule and plan your movies forward of time.