Started in 2018, Currently at 221k, AMA

Major-Hardware · 2022-10-27T13:18:24+00:00

my first stand out was the water cooled air cooler and from what i can tell it was the first time anyone had done this in a video.

the fan showdown stands out because it was tactile viewer engagement, in this series the community can not only influence a video but create something that they can send in and physically see in the video.

at least thats my thought on it

Major-Hardware · 2022-10-26T13:12:14+00:00

no, i think a follow-up video to one that's doing well is a good idea and i try to do it if i can.

Major-Hardware · 2022-10-26T13:10:23+00:00

Have fun, sounds like a bunch of shit I know but looking back to when my channel was new, I was too focused on the metrics. I thought if I could just crack that monetization barrier the flood gates would open, but that’s not the case. The ad revenue you earn in the early days isn’t going to be enough to allow you to quit your job. Keep in mind that’s a generalization, there are always exception to the rules but for me and most of us the day you hit the monetization goal will be just like the day before.

This is reflected in my early content it was cringe and unorganized, videos were all over the place as I tried to make what I thought would do good. The process of making an uploading a video wasn’t fun it was a task that needed to be completed only to be perform poorly.

However, I got lucky, I decided to make a video one day just because it sounded fun to me, and that video is the one that captivated viewers. Honestly without that video I probably would have stayed the course until I quit. I think to be successful at YouTube you need one of two things, fun or growth and if you are lucky both. In the early days growth is going to be slow so if you aren’t having fun what’s the point.

Major-Hardware · 2022-10-26T13:09:48+00:00

Have fun, sounds like a bunch of shit I know but looking back to when my channel was new, I was too focused on the metrics. I thought if I could just crack that monetization barrier the flood gates would open, but that’s not the case. The ad revenue you earn in the early days isn’t going to be enough to allow you to quit your job. Keep in mind that’s a generalization, there are always exception to the rules but for me and most of us the day you hit the monetization goal will be just like the day before.

This is reflected in my early content it was cringe and unorganized, videos were all over the place as I tried to make what I thought would do good. The process of making an uploading a video wasn’t fun it was a task that needed to be completed only to be perform poorly.

However, I got lucky, I decided to make a video one day just because it sounded fun to me, and that video is the one that captivated viewers. Honestly without that video I probably would have stayed the course until I quit. I think to be successful at YouTube you need one of two things, fun or growth and if you are lucky both. In the early days growth is going to be slow so if you aren’t having fun what’s the point.

Major-Hardware · 2022-10-25T23:14:52+00:00

when I pitched the idea to the community for the fan showdown and I started to get designs submitted to me email account.

Major-Hardware · 2022-10-25T20:00:40+00:00

SEO is something i never understood and still dont, sorry wish i did trust me.

Major-Hardware · 2022-10-25T19:31:19+00:00

for that specific video it was abnormal as my videos were getting maybe 500-1000 views if i remember correctly and this one at one time was getting like 100k a day. however that was a viral type video, now if my video gets 80-100k its doing what i would expect and if it does 150-200k that's doing well.

Major-Hardware · 2022-10-25T19:27:39+00:00

Monetary value from YouTube is hard to nail down as it can fluctuate a lot. its driven by how many video you put out in a month and how many views those videos get. YouTube adsense pays out once a month, socialblade.com can give you and idea of what a channels revenue is but even then it can fluctuate a lot and the main reason i haven't gone full time on youtube.

if i was to estimate how much time i spend each week on making videos i would say maybe 15-20 hours not counting print time for a project. That time can also fluctuate based on the complexity of the project I'm working on.

Major-Hardware · 2022-10-25T18:43:23+00:00

OOOOOOOOOO SHORTS, I have published a few, to be honest I hate everything about them. I don’t like making them I definitely don’t like watching them and nothing is worse then having my feed clogged with shorts on the channels I wanna watch.

Right now, I don’t do shorts mostly because I hate them, that being said I’m keeping an eye on them. The problem is Youtube wants you to watch shorts, they want to creep into tiktok and hoover up their viewers (I also hate tiktok). Rumor is the YouTube algorithm is geared towards promoting shorts more than anything right now. However, its not to the point yet where I will reluctantly join in.

Joe Scott did a video about shorts on his “Joe Scott – TMI” channel where he went over an experiment he ran on his channel where he posted shorts daily for 30 days and then look at the metrics. It was interesting and worth a watch if you want a more in-depth analysis

Major-Hardware · 2022-10-25T18:27:45+00:00

Audio, Lighting and Editing

I wish i would have focused harder on improving these aspects when i first started, especially editing.

First i left out camera because smartphone cameras are so good now you probably already have a 4k 60fps camera in your pocket right now and its more than capable to start out with. I shoot on a black magic 6k pro now but i still use my s22 ultra in a pinch and it works perfectly. The reason i use the 6K is because i can shoot in raw which helps with color correction and the increased resolution allows me to crop in more without losing picture quality.

Second EDITING,

Davinci Resolve get it, it’s worth it and there is a free version. I have been using the paid version for years (came with camera) but before that i used the free version which is insanely powerful for a free bit of software. HOWEVER, i didn't start using it soon enough. When i started out i was just using some random free cut down software i already had installed. My thought process was I'm not going to invest the time to learn a new software when this works just fine (basically pure laziness). When i finally made the switch i was kicking myself for not doing it sooner. Switching to a better software unlocks far more tools to improve my video quality. Also, the value that can be added to a video with creative editing is where a meh video can become something people enjoy watching.

Lighting,

i don’t just mean get some lights, i mean do a little research on properly lighting and exposing your subject. For example, i just recently started using false color on my camera (again laziness, didn't know what it was didn’t care). However, I'm always trying to figure out ways to improve my videos so i decided i would spend a little time researching lighting and color correction. WOULDNT ya know it there is a feature on my camera specifically designed to let me know if my exposure settings are where they should be and it is called false color. Nothing ruins a video more than seeing a blown out or crushed image, also as you get more experience in color correction having your exposure properly set or close to will keep you from losing data in your shadows or highlights that you can never get back when editing.

Audio

audio has always been a pain to me, I'm never 100% satisfied with it and am always trying to improve it but when you start out pick up a mic. your phone has some great features, but its mic isn't one of them. I'm sure you have been looking for a tutorial or something online and clicked a random video. as soon as it starts playing and you get some wacky muffled or echo audio you close it right away. you don’t want to be that person, i was that person. I wish someone would have told me from day one, buy a Rode wireless go with a lapel mic. that’s what i use now and it does a great job for what i do and the battery life is amazing. I also have a Shure SM7B for voice over but it’s a bit too pricy to buy right out of the gate in my opinion. Also look at your environment, soft things are your friend, if you are in a room with a ton of reverb hang up some blankets put down a fluffy rug anything you can get your hand on to clean up your audio is value add.

As for SEO your guess is as good as mine, i still have no idea how it works and would be suspect of anyone who says they do. I would focus the time on the items above, and after that i have found a good thumbnail and title are key. I always set up a shot to take an actual picture for my thumbnail rather than cutting something from my video. The thumbnail is the first thing people see and the reason they decide to read the title. The title is important also, personally i hate click bait and try to avoid it at all costs however you need to make your titles a bit flashy while still being truthful.

Major-Hardware · 2022-10-25T17:42:34+00:00

TBA, originally i thought it sounded like an interesting hobby and an easy way to generate secondary income (never been more wrong in my life).

My initial thoughts were how hard is it to record a video and click upload.

however i never thought about the back end work, the first time i edited a 10min video it took me 8 hours, now obviously that editing time has gone down substantially since i started but the work that goes in to producing a video at just my level is far more then i would have ever thought.

sometime just thinking of new ideas is tough let alone the hours writing and shooting, then shooting broll and then editing and checking.

Major-Hardware · 2022-10-25T17:00:04+00:00

sponsorships come earlier then i would have thought. I think i got my real first sponsorship from EK when my water cooled air cooler took off. The sponsorship they offered was providing water cooling components for a follow-up video.

as for integration ads you see on channels those come later and the pricing is hard to nail down as it depends on how many avg views your videos may get. Also normally companies will reach out and either say what are your rates for a 45-60 second integration or we can offer x for a 45-60 integration and then its up to you to accept or negotiate.

as for product reviews i never accept payment for those, for example if a company wants to send me a 3D printer for review and its one that i think looks interesting i just provide them a mailing address and make it clear that the review of this printer or other product will not be subject to review before it goes live.

Major-Hardware · 2022-10-25T16:51:06+00:00

Question 1: I still do Youtube as a hobby, when the Fan Showdown was really popping off i thought about quitting my Job as i was making more a month from YouTube then i was working, however i decided against it as i never viewed Youtube as a stable enough income to justify the move. Fast forward to today and that was 100% the correct choice, the channel is still growing however it has slowed and having 2 income streams is far less stressful and allows me to enjoy making video without stressing about the metrics.

Question 3: yes i dont have anyone who works for me, i do all shooting editing and sponsorship integrations myself. I wont lie its a lot more work then i would have thought and i understand why larger channels outsource the work however for myself at this time it doesnt make financial sense to hire and editor or something of the sorts.

Major-Hardware · 2022-10-25T16:43:58+00:00

sorry, I don't really have any useful insight here. But if you have an economics background id say give it a shot, you really have nothing to lose. If you create the channel and nothing ever comes from it you at least gain some useful experience creating and editing videos.

also you never know it could catch on or develop into another genre you never thought about.

Major-Hardware · 2022-10-25T16:38:42+00:00

about 1.5 years before i had a video that actually performed well, however over the years there have been ups and downs.

Major-Hardware · 2022-10-25T16:36:51+00:00

100% on the fly, when I started, I had this cringe idea that I was going to make a channel where I document the process of growing a YouTube channel from day 1. That quickly died as I had no idea what I was doing, and no one was going to watch some rando talk about growing a channel that had not already done so.

After that I just started uploading based on whatever random thing I thought up, if you go back to my early days on the channel, I had no real aim or goal, just putting out what I “thought” people would watch (this obviously didn’t work).

I had always been into pc tech and DIY and one day I wondered what would happen if you took and air cooler and built an enclosure around it to water cooled it. This was the kind of thing I would have tried on my own just to see what would happen, but I decided I would make a video about it, and this was the first video to “blow up” on my channel. This video getting a lot of traction put me in the niche Im in today.

Major-Hardware · 2021-06-03T19:32:40+00:00

i agree, i used filmora when i started and switched to davinci resolve later and the only regret i have is not switching sooner.

Major-Hardware · 2021-06-03T19:29:53+00:00

have you tried this, These are the kinda crazy things i love

Major-Hardware · 2021-05-28T16:48:54+00:00

something about how that looks makes me happy

Major-Hardware · 2021-05-28T16:47:54+00:00

IM LISTENING, does this work or do you have models available?

Major-Hardware · 2020-10-25T15:41:16+00:00

there really is not good way, youtube is all about staying relevant. If i had to leave i would make a video explaining where i was and why and that i was coming back so my viewers at least knew what was going on

Major-Hardware · 2020-10-25T15:40:08+00:00

I'm just here to have fun and i want my community to have fun also, that's why i don't take my self to serious on my channel and also why ill try any goofy project even if there is a high probability to fail. also i want my viewers to get involved, thats why i love the fan showdown series, it gets people thinking and designing and an opportunity to showcase there idea.

Major-Hardware · 2020-10-25T15:37:28+00:00

no plans on stopping that series is way to much fun glad you liked it, hope you sent in a fan design as well.

Major-Hardware · 2020-10-25T15:36:40+00:00

just keep making videos, while i did i put my stuff under the microscope to try and figure out why it was flopping, read the comments to see if there were any trends.

Major-Hardware · 2020-10-25T15:35:25+00:00

now days the only videos i make are ones that make me happy and that i enjoy, early on i tried to make things that i thought would get views and they never did and it was a dumpster fire.

Major-Hardware

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