Lauren Bateman: "Nobody's watching these videos." Frustration in early YouTube journey.

Think Media Podcast created this video to inspire and educate content creators, particularly those on YouTube. It's super valuable because it features Lauren Bateman, a successful guitar instructor who built a multi-million dollar business from her channel. Lauren’s story offers practical advice and encouragement for creators at all levels, especially those struggling with slow growth or feeling overwhelmed by the perceived competition.

The video introduces Lauren Bateman, who left her career in cancer research to pursue her passion for music. Starting in 2017, she initially saw minimal views on her guitar tutorial videos. Despite early setbacks, including almost quitting twice, she persevered and now boasts over 500,000 subscribers and a thriving business. As Think Media Podcast notes, "On the journey, she almost quit twice. And now she's a top 10 guitar instructor with over 500,000 subscribers."

Lauren discusses her early struggles and the importance of mindset. She recalls the frustration of putting in significant effort with little initial return: "Yeah, it was frustrating, and I’m sure a lot of people can relate to that... You’re doing all the work under the sun. You’re like, ‘Nobody’s watching these videos.’" Despite the slow start, Lauren focused on the impact she was making, even with a small audience. She realized that reaching even a few hundred people online was comparable to the reach of her local music school. This mindset shift helped her stay motivated.

The key message of the video is that consistency, patience, and understanding your audience are crucial for YouTube success. Lauren emphasizes that success takes time, illustrated by a video that took 2.5 years to gain traction. She advises creators to embrace a long-term perspective: "It's not so much about reinventing the wheel. It's more about reinventing the things that already work because if it worked once before, chances are it will probably work again." Think Media Podcast reinforces this, stating, "success is built by consistent discipline and patience over time."

This message resonates with many creators. A blog post on vidIQ emphasizes the importance of consistency, saying "Consistency is key for building an audience on YouTube. Upload regularly so your viewers know when to expect new content." Hootsuite also highlights the importance of understanding your audience: "Knowing your audience is key to creating content that resonates with them and keeps them coming back for more."

The video delves into Lauren’s content creation process. She started simply, using her phone and a lapel mic, batch recording videos at her music studio before it opened. She used basic editing software and prioritized uploading consistently over perfection. After seeing some success, she gradually upgraded her equipment and eventually hired an editor.

Lauren discusses the importance of search engine optimization (SEO) for YouTube, explaining that it's about increasing the chances of your video being the answer to someone's search query. She notes the importance of keywords and titles for attracting viewers. Lauren also shares the success of her videos on songs like "Tennessee Whiskey" and "Landslide," attributing much of their popularity to search traffic. She advises creators to redo old content with improved quality and SEO. She stresses the importance of knowing your target audience, which for her is older adults interested in learning guitar. Lauren explains how niching down helped her connect with a specific demographic and build a loyal following.

Key takeaways

• Consistency and patience are key for long-term YouTube success.
• Understanding and targeting a specific audience is crucial for growth.
• Start simple and gradually upgrade your equipment and processes as you grow.

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