This is my most viewed YouTube Short to date

I write this week’s newsletter from (rainy) Southern California. I was born and raised here, so it’s always nice to come back. But I’m glad I ended up living elsewhere. The pace is definitely slower here, and you have to drive everywhere, which is not really my cup of tea.

Anyway—

If you’ve been around, you know from a few newsletters ago that in June of this year, I started something super out of my comfort zone. I started posting videos on Tiktok/YouTube (mostly cross-posting to test the algorithms and expand reach).

Even 5mo into this adventure, I’m still experimenting with what works, what doesn’t. It’s been largely career/work focused, with a mix of millennialisms, my dog, and random thoughts. As I write this, I’m day 84 of my ‘100 career questions in 100 days series,’ where I’m asking one career/work-related question per day for 100 consecutive days. Just something to spark conversation. Not much else to it.

Anyway, I was doing some digging in my YouTube analytics, and I realized I haven’t really looked too deeply into what’s performing well, what isn’t. I keep tabs on things as I upload, but I haven’t really looked at the older videos and their performance (I often forget the algorithm still pushes old videos), but they continue to see some growth.

Here’s what I’ve uncovered, let’s dive in.

My most viewed video, as of this moment, is build a workflow automation in slack, part 1 of 2. If you know me, are you at all surprised?

This video was taken a while back, 4mo ago to be exact, so my video quality and camera work is not that great (not that it is any better now, but at that point in time, I was definitely still trying to figure things out lol).

I made this video knowing that there are so many Slack users out there who are paying for the Workflow Builder feature, yet they have never built a workflow. Huge missed opportunity, folks! I also love introducing people to workflow builder, because more often than not, it blows their minds how simple and straightforward it is to build an automation in Slack. For this particular video, I made the workflow example fairly straightforward and 101-y.

This data also shows that people are seeking how-to content more than anything. It’s not just this video; most of my how-to content (whether it’s Slack or anything else), performs pretty well. (Well, pretty well in my eyes. I get 5 likes on something and I think I’ve made it. Am I turning into my parents?????)

If these analytics have taught me anything, it’s this:

Share stuff you know. Be the expert in the room and show off your knowledge. It’s one of the best ways, I’ve found in these few months, to attract and retain an audience. Not only do people crave entertainment, but also understanding. If it’s new knowledge they can use in their own life, then the content is instantly valuable. Here are some other thoughts:

• Value keeps people watching and coming back

• Authority builds trust

• Engagement leads to algorithm boosts (still don’t really know what an algorithm is, but here we are).

• Explain simply; give people the 101 version of how to do something. There will always be someone coming up as a new user of a platform; and it’s common for 101 knowledge of a software tool to become outdated. Be the one who keeps up with (and shares) the newness of it all. Videos that teach something are timeless.

• Show, don’t just tell (obvious)

• Analytics are good to track, but don’t let that defeat you. Take it from me; there are days where nothing moves. No needles moving in any direction. And there are days with huge spikes. Always be experimenting with what you’re sharing.

I dare you to start uploading videos. Or writing a newsletter. Or doing something where you’re sharing your knowledge. If you wait for the perfect time to start, you’ll never start. So just do it now.

Thanks for reading and for being here. I don’t take for granted that you care what I have to say. Or even if you don’t care, and you’re still here; thanks for being a fan anyway. ❣️

All the links you need to find me.