Published Fri Aug 02 2024

Is it too late to start YouTube in 2024?

People have been asking this question as far back as 2013 and the answer has always been ‘No’, but is it now actually too late to start YouTube in 2024?

Is it too late to start YouTube in 2024?

This is a question I see asked all the time.

In fact, believe it or not, people have been asking this question as far back as 2013.

Sounds ridiculous, right? Well the answer back then was obviously ‘No’ and the answer today, is still ‘No, it’s not too late to start YouTube’

Now, of course, Youtube is more saturated with content than ever before, but there is still a shortage of actual good content on YouTube.

To prove it’s not too late, here are 5 channels that started in the last 6 months and are crushing it on youtube right now.

1) Inkus ( https://www.youtube.com/@TheInkus )

Niche: Video Essays and Documentaries on Pop Culture

Performance Metrics:

  • Subscribers : 15.2K
  • Date of First Upload : 6 Jan 2024
  • Total View Count : 3,103,213 views

What They Did Right:

Inkus has navigated the challenging waters of niche identification and pivoting effectively. Here’s a breakdown of their strategic success:

  1. Social Hacking Titles and Thumbnails : The channel uses popular public figures in titles such as "What If MrBeast Ran for President?" and "PRIME: Billion $ Fall of Logan Paul/KSI Drink." This leverages these creators large audiences and brings a portion of their viewership towards the channel. The thumbnails are also visually engaging and often feature well-known figures, which attract a broad audience and builds (fake) trust with new viewers.
  1. Effective Niche Pivot : Initially, Ink us faced challenges with niche identification. The audience from their viral video on MrBeast did not align with subsequent content on US presidents, causing a mismatch in audience expectations. Recognizing this, they pivoted towards consistent YouTuber-related content, which better resonated with their audience and drove higher engagement.
  1. Balanced Content Length and Depth : Videos range from 5 to 18 minutes, however, the majority of the best performing videos were in excess of 10 minutes. This suits their audience, who will likely be watching on a TV device, or at a point when they have free time, which boosts the channels watch-time. They are subsequently deemed as having a high viewer satisfaction and youTube therefore recommends their content to more people.

2) 2 and 20 ( https://www.youtube.com/@2and20 )

Niche: Documentaries and Explanations on Global Topics

Performance Metrics:

  • Subscribers : 25K
  • Date of First Upload : 5 Feb 2024
  • Total View Count : 2,751,975 Views

What They Did Right:

2 and 20 has effectively carved out a niche focusing on in-depth documentaries that explore global economic and social issues. Their success can be attributed to several key factors:

  1. Provocative Titles and Eye-Catching Thumbnails : Titles like "The Dark Side of Australia" pique curiosity and promise to reveal hidden truths, which is compelling for viewers. The thumbnails are consistent, visually striking, and professional, helping the channel to stand out and be instantly recognizable.
  1. Optimal Video Length : Their videos range from 8 to 15 minutes. This length is perfect for their documentary style, as it allows enough time to delve into topics without losing viewer engagement. This duration also enhances watch time, which is a critical factor for YouTube's algorithm to promote videos. I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that their longest 2 videos are also their highest performers (although this is likely not the only reason for this)
  1. Timely and Relevant Content : Focusing on current and often controversial topics means their videos are more likely to be shared and discussed. This relevance drives higher engagement rates and helps videos go viral.

3) Chris Takes Off ( https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisTakesOff )

Niche: Travel and Adventure Challenges

Performance Metrics:

  • Subscribers : 32K
  • Date of First Upload : 16 Dec 2023
  • Total View Count : 2,040,895 views

What They Did Right:

Chris Takes Off has successfully leveraged the travel and adventure niche by focusing on unique and engaging travel challenges. Here’s what contributed to their rapid growth:

  1. Engaging Titles and Thumbnails : The titles often hint at intriguing challenges (e.g., "I Asked 100 Pilots For a FREE Flight"), and are inspired by proven concepts that have worked for other creators. The thumbnails are bright, action-packed, and focus on no more than 2-3 main elements, making them quick to understand and compelling to click on.
  1. Innovative Travel Concepts : The channel's content revolves around interesting and often extreme travel experiences, such as finding the cheapest flights or testing budget hotels. This approach taps into viewers’ desire for adventure and discovery, but also set’s a bar, that many other travel channels are not willing to match (meaning less competition).

4) Modern Ideas ( https://www.youtube.com/@modernideastv )

Niche: Self-Improvement and Personal Development

Performance Metrics:

  • Subscribers : 46.8K
  • Date of First Upload : 8 Jun 2024
  • Total View Count : 1,190,462 views

What They Did Right:

Modern Ideas has rapidly gained traction by focusing on self-improvement and personal development, delivering impactful content through a few key strategies:

  1. Highly Shareable and Impactful Topics : The channel addresses universally relatable and engaging topics such as "How to not waste your life" and "How to unf*** your brain." These subjects resonate deeply with a broad audience, and have been proven to work across a variety of niches in recent times.
  1. Concise and Focused Videos : With video lengths ranging from 3 to 5 minutes, Modern Ideas ensures that their content is concise and to the point. While this is not likely to appeal to a TV audience, Modern Ideas approach relies more heavily on session-time (viewers watching multiple videos in a row). The brevity and perceived value makes it easy for viewers to consume and absorb the information quickly, enhancing retention and repeat viewership (session time).
  1. Visually Striking Thumbnails : The use of clear, bold visuals in thumbnails, such as a bright colored alarm clock or a brain x-ray on a black background, immediately conveys the video's topic and grabs attention. This visual clarity helps in attracting clicks and stands out in a crowded feed, increasing click-through rates.

5) Bottom Of The Inning ( https://www.youtube.com/@BottomoftheInning )

Niche: Baseball Documentaries and Analysis

Performance Metrics:

  • Subscribers : 9.21K
  • Date of First Upload : 8 Jan 2024
  • Total View Count : 2,450,006 views

What They Did Right:

Bottom Of The Inning has gained a strong following by focusing on in-depth baseball documentaries and analysis. Their success stems from a few strategic approaches:

  1. Compelling and Controversial Topics : The channel dives into hot-button issues within the baseball world, such as "Baseball Has A Pitching Problem" and "The Tragedy Of Mike Trout." These topics generate interest and discussion, but have also worked in similar adjacent niches, such as the NBA or NFL niche. This means they are more likely to perform well.
  1. High-Quality Thumbnails and Titles : The thumbnails are visually engaging and often include strong emotional cues or bold statements, like “You can’t fire me” and “I Wasted my career” with a strong contrast in colors, which draw viewers in. The titles are similarly provocative, which helps in capturing curiosity and encouraging clicks.
  1. Detailed and Varied Content Length : The videos vary in length from about 12 to 31 minutes, allowing for both quick insights and deep dives. However, all videos on the channel would be suitable for a TV audience or viewers looking for a substantial piece of content. Meaning a new viewer could watch any video, and would likely also be a suitable candidate to enjoy any other video on the channel.

Bonus Channels:

6) xkcd’s What If? ( https://www.youtube.com/@xkcd_whatif )

7) Tree ( https://www.youtube.com/@treelol )

8) TILT ( https://www.youtube.com/@TILT223 )

9) Out of Bounds ( https://www.youtube.com/@Outofboundshoops )

10) Darkroom ( https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectDarkroom )

Conclusion

If anything, it’s easier to go viral now, than it ever was before.

Back in 2013, you had to grind Youtube with consistent uploads for years before your channel eventually snowballed into success. Now? The algorithm is good enough to recognise good content, meaning some creators are able to go viral after just 1 video.

Obviously, this isn’t a realistic goal for most beginners without guidance, however, you can learn how to monetize your channel after 1 video here.

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