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- [00:00]
A
There is something that happens when you get in a room with the right people that just cannot be replicated by a course, a podcast, or a live stream. The energy shifts, the excuses fall away, and you leave with a level of clarity and momentum that you couldn't create on your own. The Think Media Mastermind is that room. It's a live, in person, two day event in Las Vegas. It's small by design, intensive, and by application only because we make sure the room is stacked with incredible creators and business owners. If you're serious about using YouTube to build your business or grow your side income, stop waiting and go apply right now@thinkmediamastermind.com all right, let's dive into today's podcast.
- [00:55]
B
Podcast. A creator who got monetized in just five months built her channel to over 23,000 subscribers with no fancy gear, no team. Even while she stepped away from her channel for two and a half years, the channel more than doubled. Don't try this at home. Welcome to the Think Media podcast, the number one show bringing you unfiltered YouTube tips for building a profitable channel. I'm Nathan Eswine, one of the YouTube coaches here at Think Media, and today I'm joined with Christina McPherson. How are you doing?
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C
I'm great. Thank you for having me. This is great.
- [01:27]
B
Oh, man, I'm stoked for this conversation. Like, fill us in real quick. So your channel is named as told by Canadian immigrants. Can you fill us in? Like, what are you doing there? What's your audience, your niche? What kind of videos are you making?
- [01:39]
C
Okay, well, I am a Canadian immigration content creator, I guess. Information based, mostly. I moved to Canada as an immigrant and realized that it's no joke. And so I needed to tell people about it. And so I speak to the immigrant audience, both people who are in Canada going through the immigration jungle is what I call it. And also people who are outside of Canada trying to come and people who have just come here and are settling as newcomers. We do podcast style. We also do how to. I'm talking we. Like there's a we, but I do podcast style, how to style, teaching some of the technical stuff around immigration and personal journeys through the podcast.
- [02:18]
B
Let's go. Okay, so we got a lot of different, even content formats going on, which I'm excited to talk about, but I'd love to jump right into the five months to monetization. That's fast. We were actually talking before we press record that the average is actually like 18 months to two years for someone to get monetized. So you did. In fact, you did it in five months. What do you attribute that speed to as you look back?
- [02:41]
C
Well, first of all, I'm so happy to hear that after how many years ago when I started that, that. That was fast because it was painfully slow when I was in it. I did do some research ahead of time to find out, like, well, what are the monetization requirements? What would I need to do there? But also at the time, even now. But it's a subject that I'm extremely passionate about, mainly because I turned my struggle into a story to help, to give back. So I was very passionate about it. And I was doing about two videos a week to work up to, you know, just work up to that first 1000 subscribers and 4. 4000 watch hours. Is that what it was at the time?
- [03:25]
B
Yeah.
- [03:26]
C
Yeah. And so I crossed that 1,000 mark in about five months. And, yeah, it was. It was passion, dedication, and I was a little bit obsessed. A slight. Like, if I wasn't at work, I was editing or recording or scripting. That's all. I had no other responsibilities, really, apart from staying alive. And so I just focused on. On that. I did that for. Yeah, and that's. That's how I got there.
- [03:58]
B
Wow. Okay. So there's a couple things. I actually really dig that answer because you. So it sounds like you. You started intentionally, like, to be able to do that in five months. It's like, from starting YouTube, even if we back up, it's like, oh, what did you do before you started YouTube? Is probably the better question based on how you answered that, which is like, you were researching. What. What did that look like? Like, what were you doing before you started YouTube? What kinds of stuff were you researching before starting?
- [04:23]
C
I did have a lot of people ask me questions about how I got to where I got to, because I'm. I don't know if it was through Facebook, somewhere where my friends would see that, okay, I moved to Canada, and they would ask questions, and I would realize that people had the wildest ideas. So I think Sean talks about ask specific questions or answer specific questions. I was doing that without knowing that I was doing that, I think, because I realized that there was all these questions that people had and like, okay, let me just address it real quick here. And so I had a. Not an intentional database, but a mental database of what people needed to know, but also going through my journey. My first visa was rejected. I got my visa, hopped on the plane, and attended school in Canada, all within the same 24 hours. So there's that crazy story and that experience. And. And so going in, I had an idea of what people needed because I am my audience or was my audience. And then I started to research, you know, the YouTube specifics. What. I'm pretty sure I do have YouTube secrets. I don't think I got it at that time. I don't know when it was published. But before coming into this community, I have the audiobook for YouTube Secrets and followed a couple of creators on. On. On YouTube. I don't remember which one specifically. So just going through that process of observation. I don't know that I wrote anything down specifically, but I knew what needed to be spoken about because I was my audience and people who were asking me questions. And then I kind of thought through. I'm a very literal person. Like, the name of my channel is as told by Canadian immigrants. It doesn't get any more literal than that. Right. You don't have to wonder what it's about. That's true. And so that was my biggest hurdle. Like, what am I going to call it? What am I going to call it? And once I had a name, I. I started.
- [06:10]
B
Wow. Okay.
- [06:11]
C
So that's.
- [06:11]
B
I mean, this is a power tip, to be honest, because that's it. There's actually some freedom. There is. Why that pumped me up. Because, you know, one of the first steps in the way that we teach YouTube, which I know you're familiar with, is reverse engineering. Right. Actually, not rushing to press record while we encourage that, why you should punch fear in the face and press record. It's also, though, like, before you do that, let's make sure we're not overthinking, but let's also not underthink, which just means, okay, what would I talk about? What are the videos I could create? And so it's just cool. You already had proof of specific questions that people are asking and you kind of like, I'm going to take these answers to YouTube because if I have people asking me about it in my real life. Yeah, but there's so many other people, right? And proof. Proof is like right here, looking at your channel, you're currently sitting over 30,000 subscribers, which I think is kind of just proof of concept all the way back to what you were researching. But then also it's cool to see for your niche, right? For this niche topic. It's like, I mean, you're becoming like the authority when it comes to researching and reverse engineering. One of our favorite tools to use here at Think Media is Vidiq. If you want Help validating your video ideas, confirming what people are actually searching for. Vidiq is a super helpful tool. For example, one of my favorite tools is the keyword research tool which helps you see topic opportunities and identify the ways that people are actually searching for things on YouTube. Another go to feature is their Outliers tool which enables you to identify over performing videos right now in your niche. And these are just a couple tools that can help you identify what's working and help you build your own version. So if you want to check it out, you can go to vidiq.com think to get an exclusive 30 day trial for $1 vidiq.com think you can spend $1 unlock everything and see if it's a good fit for you. All right, back to Christina. I mean, you're becoming like the authority, right? In this space. How many other people are doing this space? Did you happen to snoop around on anybody as you were researching?
- [08:12]
C
So at the time there were very few. I was one of the few and probably the only Jamaican at the time anyway, because people, immigrants come from all kinds of countries. I do want to say though, before I answer that question fully, is that my very first video, I did have to get like a Gary V. Talk from my partner at the time to just record the video because I was hemming and hawing and I was, I was dressed up and ready. So I want to say that, yes, I can say it in hindsight, like, oh, I just did this and I just posted the video. No, my partner gave me like a good Gary V. Talk because everything was set up, the camera, everything. And he was like, just record the video in Gary Vee style. You know, I don't know if you, you know Gary Vee, right? Gary Vee is kind of like blunt, right?
- [08:53]
B
No, nonsense.
- [08:54]
C
Yes. But once that first video was out, then it became easier. So there's that. Now I forget the question I was answering before I put.
- [09:02]
B
Yeah, totally. I was just curious. And by the way, thanks for sharing that because that's actually so real and great to hear. As dialed in as you were, to be honest, for someone starting YouTube to still feel the friction to actually press record and needing the motivation to go do it. It's awesome. Yeah, I was just thinking through, like how popular was this niche when you started? You said there was a few people.
- [09:22]
C
Yeah, no, there were just a few people at the time. Very few. Not many Jamaicans, if any. Since then, everybody and their mom has a YouTube channel about Canadian immigration. So now there's lots. Right. And Some of whom I partner with, actually other creators in the same space who have products or services that are relevant to the audience that I partner with. And they have bigger platforms than me sometimes some of them, yeah. So now there's quite a bit. Is everybody consistently building it like a business? No, not necessarily. Some are doing it like a hobby, whereas this now is my main focus.
- [10:02]
B
Wow, okay, well, let's like jump into that, like treating it like a business, like at this point. Okay, so you had that initial monetization. Is it still just YouTube or is like what's, what's like the business structure look like right now? Like how does the business make money? What are some categories that you've been able to take advantage of?
- [10:19]
C
Absolutely. So in my first year of YouTube, this is where it kind of was real for me. Yes, I wanted to grow it. I didn't have the monetization all figured out, but in the first year, about six or seven months in, a company reached out to me saying, hey, we have something that would be helpful for your audience. If you talk about it and tell people about it. We can pay you for doing that. So I guess advertising, sponsorship of the sort, commission based. And so I got my lawyer to look at it. I'm like, is this legit? I tested it out, like I bought the thing, went through it, like, is this real? Okay, it looks real. Put together, a video published it went to sleep, woke up and there were five sales. And so yeah, right. And so that that not happened in my first year doing it. And so that to me, kind of like, okay, I could do that. Right, I could do that too. And so now there's that there is people who have things that are relevant to my audience that I think are legit, that are authentic and not going to scam people. I will promote those things to my audience and there will be either commission based, like an affiliate relationship and or sponsored content. So there's that there. I since then I have published several books. So I have three published books. My first book is. Is From Foreign Student to Canadian Citizen and Everything in Between. That's the name of the book. See, very literal. Like you don't have to worry. What is it about?
- [11:52]
B
I'm not guessing, I'm not guessing.
- [11:54]
C
So I have that audiobook, ebook, paperback, all of that stuff is there. I have two books in the mental health space, so there's that as well. And have since now launched. This is after my paws launched memberships, which is community based coaching. I have launched also a course that's more Recent.
- [12:22]
B
Nice.
- [12:22]
C
And people can talk to me one on one if they, if they so choose. A lot of times they will like drop in my inbox, like, hey, can you, can I, can I have a quick call with you? Can I pick your brain? I'm like, sure, here's my link. And so there's, there's that. So products, services, affiliate and sponsorship.
- [12:41]
B
My goodness. Okay, so this is awesome. Like you've got a. It sounds like, I mean, a fully built out thing, right. Where you just have more things that you're offering now that you have more stuff. Right. Like how, how do you go about using your YouTube videos to make people aware of all these things? And I guess I'm getting to call to actions, right? Like what are you saying and doing in your YouTube videos to point people to these different things? And then I would be curious too, like how you, or how you and your current team. How do you decide? Okay, I'm making this video about this topic. So this call to action or this affiliate link or this course. Like, how do you decide which product or service to like make people aware of in a video?
- [13:22]
C
Well, when I had fewer things, it was a lot simpler.
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B
Yeah.
- [13:28]
C
Because it was just one thing and then we talked about the one thing. So now it's creating content. I test a couple things because sometimes when you make dedicated things about that thing, it may not land as well as making a video about a subject or topic that people need to know about or will are problem aware, I guess.
- [13:49]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [13:50]
C
And then within that integrates the product or service. Like recently I. So I tell you my first student visa was rejected. Right. I partner with a fellow creator who has created a student Visa Express product service to. For people to be able to go in, find out what are their risks of rejection ahead of time and how to correct those risks. So then just through storytelling, my very relevant story is that my first visa got rejected. Here's what I did wrong. And I didn't have this tool. And if I had this tool, I wouldn't be rejected. And here's how you could not be rejected. So I could do integrated content like that, depending on information, integrating my story into that. So I've done a couple of those quite recently. And sometimes it's honestly trial and error. It's honestly testing whether just a placement ad will work. In our podcast, which we do the call to action. Sometimes, yes, for sure. Download this checklist, you know, nurture them. I do a lot of free stuff to help people be aware of what I have available and when they're ready, they can, they can grab it. Yeah.
- [15:06]
B
What would someone start with? Like if you were to go back or maybe coach yourself, you know, a few years ago and someone's starting to do the whole. Okay, I don't just want to rely on getting monetized on the platform of YouTube, I want to start pointing people to other things off platform. What's. What would you start with? What would you, if you could go back, like, what would you start with to. To do? Would it be affiliates? Would it be sponsorships? Would it be a course? I don't choose.
- [15:31]
C
So I'm going to go back to my actual experience of this company reaching out to me saying promote our thing. But they didn't have the infrastructure for sales. Either they didn't have it or I was intelligent enough at the time to say I want to, I want the sales to come through me so that I can know that the money is safe. Right. And so I built a website, built the product, had E commerce, everything and through that started building an email database. And so affiliate with just a link for me is I find is scary because you're depending on the person to click the link. However, if they go through you, then through them then you have a little bit more control. But for anybody starting who doesn't necessarily have a product, and I remember having this conversation with somebody at the Mastermind a couple of weeks ago is if you have something that you're talking about for free, a checklist or a habit tracker or something, offer it for as a download, start building an email list to then either let them know about your paid offering now if you have it now, and if not, then later on when you do have it, nurture them up to that point I'd say would be helpful. So going back, I think I did that. It worked out by chance, by chance. So that company, that company reached out to me. I was like, hey, okay, I guess I gotta have the website. Do you need a website now? It's things are simpler now. I had to build that from wix. It was simple, but now it's simpler. But yeah, I'd say building an email list was a great idea.
- [17:14]
B
Yeah, that's huge. That's actually really good. So you and I have a similar origin story there. I, I was, I remember I had coaching on my YouTube channel that someone was like, oh well you want to make sure you start an email list too. And so like as I started my YouTube channel I started building an email list too. And it was so from scratch, it was Duct taped together. I don't even remember what software I used. It was probably like mailchimp or something at the time, where it's just like, okay, here's something, here's a page, and here's a free thing. But because I did that from the very beginning, and like you said, it was totally by chance, I really didn't even still understand it. I just respected the person giving the advice, and I was like, okay, I'll do it. Came back to help me and serve me in so many ways. And so if you're listening right now and you're like, okay, I have heard all about this email stuff. Maybe on one hand, it's like, people still open emails. Yes, absolutely. Actually, email is still a thing. It's still here, and it's awesome. And if you have any. Any hopes of trying to take your audience off of YouTube, so to speak, and create things, books, products, services, like whatever, it could be, starting to put your audience over here in something called an email list so that you can contact them directly is just. It's a really strategic move. And so that's kind of fun to hear that. Okay. That happened from you from the very beginning. And so you would be like, hey, if you could start an email list, that's probably the thing to do. That's really cool.
- [18:29]
C
Yes, yes. Because it only happened when the company reached out to me. So my first seven months, I was just making me videos for free. I'm like, hey, this is cool. At some point, somebody's going to pay me. And then it happened, and I'm like, okay, cool.
- [18:41]
B
Real quick, if you want to start growing your YouTube channel with a real strategy and stop guessing your way through things, we've got a free strategy call waiting for you at Viral Video coach. Com. There's a quick form to fill out with some information about your YouTube channel. And if it's a good fit or our team will reach out and we'd love to hop on a call with you to take a look at your channel and help you strategize your next steps. Again, it's totally free. And that's at Viral Video coach. Com. All right, back to Christina. At this point, I would imagine people reach out to you at any point. Did you attempt to reach out to other companies or other people to partner with them in any way or as most of it hit your inbox at the time?
- [19:19]
C
I didn't. Um, and I think because, you know, when I was watching creators online, they had few channels. I just crossed a thousand or I was in the, in the four, four digit numbers. And so I thought I needed to be bigger to reach out to companies to say, hey, that now when this company approached me, it validated to me because. Because through that, the course of that, like 600 people responded to that thing. Right. And I probably made two videos.
- [19:53]
B
That's amazing.
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C
And so it was helpful. But then, then Covid, you know, that was the thing that happened. And I. And so when I re entered the space, then I had to get the engine turning again and get that. Get beyond that mental barrier of I need to be bigger for this to approach people. But now I do outreach as well as I get inbound.
- [20:22]
B
Okay, right on. Well, let's, let's jump into the. Restart the re entering. Because one of the most fascinating things to me about your story is your channel actually kept growing even when you took a break. Like, you left it, and you left it for a significant period of time. Right. Like over two years. And your channel more than doubled. So it's like, you know, I said at the beginning, don't try this at home, but I'd actually like, you know, can you walk us through that season as much as you want to share. But what had you step away and then as you came back into it.
- [20:55]
C
Yeah.
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B
What was reentry like seeing that your channel had still grown while you didn't do anything with it?
- [21:01]
C
Okay. So that first year, I worked very consistently, publishing twice a week up until about the September. So from January to September. In September, I learned I was expecting my first child and all. Motivation to do anything but eat, sleep, breathe, left, respect.
- [21:25]
B
Yes.
- [21:25]
C
Okay. And I slowed down during that season. So September to December, and my goal for the first year was 10K. And thankfully the work that I had done for the first nine months was able to realize that goal still. Even though I slowed down in September, so I slowed down in September. I was publishing maybe once every other week, but from September to December, it still grew to 10,000 based on the work that I had done to that point. Then in January 2020, I made this video saying, okay, this is season two new year. This is going to be great. I was. I was about five months pregnant at the time. I think, by the way, I'm pregnant. And then the first two cases of COVID in Canada were in my area.
- [22:17]
B
Okay, okay, here we go. Yeah.
- [22:21]
C
And I'm six months pregnant by that time. And I'm like, okay, I'm working from home and bye. And so that was the start of the. Now at this point, I'm Not, I'm not making any videos, but still, people are watching. I go in every now and then, check my subscriber count. People are still like emailing or downloading something. And I see that, which was very encouraging. But also I felt guilty a little bit because I needed to serve. Like, you're here for a reason. But even though I was serving technically or I had served, yeah, I did feel a little bit guilty. And so that continued up until 2023.
- [23:03]
B
Wow. Okay.
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C
In between, I did maybe a handful of videos with other creators. So I did like a partnership with another creator, had them interview me, I interviewed them and we cross promoted or cross published, but I did nothing of, of consequence during that time. So that was 2023. And I had to decide now one, am I still that person?
- [23:30]
B
Whoa. So real.
- [23:32]
C
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Am I, am I? I could. I didn't even go back and watch any of my videos, right. I saw the subscriber count. At this point, I was 23, 000. So from 10,000 to 23, 000, that was me. I probably could publish five videos.
- [23:47]
B
Oh my goodness.
- [23:51]
C
Yeah. And I came back and I'm like, well, well, do I still want to? Because I know that if I go in, I can't stop again. I held myself to that standard. Okay, nothing can derail this again. Am I still that person? Can I, can I do this? Do I even want to? And then I said, I do. Actually, I was invited to speak at an event at the beginning of that year, an immigration related event. And I just, I love it. You know, I could talk about this all day long. And so it encouraged me more to just step back into the space, keep on going. I published my first book the year before that. So that was. I did a little, a mini tour, a virtual tour on YouTube. So that was a part of the two or three or five videos that I did. But re entry was a little bit hard because I'm riding on past success and everything is different in 2020. It's a different world.
- [24:48]
B
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.
- [24:50]
C
Yeah. And so now I have to relearn to do this, regain momentum. So what I do is I come in and I say, okay, I'm going to publish every day. Every day. Whoa.
- [25:01]
B
Talk about reentry. Okay, did you, did you do it like you went for it?
- [25:06]
C
I did it from September to December, every day, Every day. Okay. I scripted, recorded, edited, and published every day. At this point, I'm, I'm, I'm semi self employed. I.
- [25:20]
B
Okay.
- [25:21]
C
So I don't I don't have a nine to five.
- [25:24]
B
Okay. Okay.
- [25:24]
C
Right.
- [25:25]
B
So time that was. I was gonna ask is like, how did you even do this? Okay, so you. Yeah, you had the time, so you made the most of the time. What made you decide to just go all. All in? You know, it would have been enough to just say, I'm going to start uploading a video or two a week. But for you to be like, every day. What. What was that?
- [25:41]
C
I'm all or nothing.
- [25:42]
B
Yeah. Okay.
- [25:44]
C
But also, I think that I needed to know what worked now. I couldn't go based on what I didn't. What. What worked before then. So my, my, my audience is segmented into different phases, I guess.
- [26:00]
B
Okay.
- [26:01]
C
Um, so you have people outside of Canada trying to come in. You have people who are, who are students or workers here. So they're here, but they're temporary. And then you have people who just became permanent residents and they each need different things. Who is my audience now? Where are they now? Like, so I had to do how to move to Canada videos. I had to do how to thrive in Canada videos, and I had to do like cost of living videos. And I had to reacquaint myself with the whole immigration landscape. So I needed to teach myself all of the immigration programs. And I did that. So I did so day. Monday. Tuesday was immigration program. Wednesday was cost of living. Thursday was. I don't know, I don't remember. Friday was something else. And then Saturday was like lifestyle. Right? And then I started to introduce podcasts and stuff like that. And so I did it. I don't, I don't recommend it. Don't try this at home. But it helped me real quick to get the momentum going. I think that's what I really needed was the momentum. I had a four day summit, which really energized me. And then I just needed to keep the momentum. And that's what I did. I kept it by publishing every day until December. And I was like, all right, let's, let's now. Let's test to see what works.
- [27:13]
B
That's right. You're like, hey, I'm back in it now officially, you know, after like every day. It's crazy, Christina, in like the best way. And I'm hearing the same. It's like the same intensity almost that like, is required to, to start something. Sometimes it's like that's. There's this initial burst of energy that's required for you. You just mentioned, like, it was. You were dialed in, but it was actually pressing the record Button, you know, like, that took. It took, like, some momentum, someone to help you do that. And I'm just seeing that come back around for you. Right. Okay, here we go. Boom. We're gonna really hit it and really cement the fact. I'm back. I'm doing this YouTube thing. I am a content creator. I. I am going to get out here and serve people. I really like that. I really resonate with that. And I appreciate your disclaimer of don't try this, don't try this.
- [27:57]
C
Yeah, you don't got to do that.
- [28:00]
B
What did that whole experience teach you about this idea of, well, first and foremost, how YouTube can work for you if you have the strategy to go for more evergreen content, which clearly you did. But, like, what. What did you learn about that? To be able to come back to a channel that more than doubled after, like, while you were gone, when you. I don't know, you said you were kind of checking in every once in a while, but did you notice, like, what videos were the most responsible for that growth? Was it a few of them or was it a lot? Like, did you just start to see numbers pick up? That's just. It's such a cool concept. And be curious to hear your thoughts as you reflect on it.
- [28:37]
C
I think it was two main videos, and one of them, when I made it, I was like, this. This is going to do well. Just because, like, I know people needed to understand that process. And so if you go on my channel, they're still my most popular videos. The two, which is how to move to Canada and the. The student visa step by step process.
- [29:00]
B
Yeah. Okay.
- [29:02]
C
And I guess what it did teach me about YouTube is answer specific questions.
- [29:10]
B
Huge. Yes.
- [29:12]
C
And I was answering the question that people would always ask me, like, how did you do it? What did you do? And, well, here's how I did it. And, oh, my visa got rejected. Don't get rejected. Here's what to do and what not to do to target really people's problem areas. I did learn, having come in, build it, pause, come back, that over time, things change, people change, habits change, the world changes. And so you kind of have to learn to grow with those changes, adapt as things change. I don't want to use. I don't really want to call out the algorithm necessarily, because, you know, the idea behind, oh, there's a algorithm. God. But what you do at a specific point in time could yield a different result depending on when you're doing it. And I learned that. And so it was, you know, coming back was A little bit,
- [30:13]
B
I'm sure.
- [30:13]
C
It wasn't. It wasn't. Yeah, it was. I was encouraging, but at the same time, it was. It was mentally, you know, I had to be able to be like, okay, it's a process. Trust the process. Trust the process. Trust the process.
- [30:24]
B
Yeah.
- [30:25]
C
Um, and I did. I did. And so it taught me, too, that publishing every day is not, Unless you have a big team, is not very sustainable.
- [30:34]
B
There you go. Yep.
- [30:35]
C
Don't do that. I had no team. I had no. I had no editor. I had no. I had no help when I was doing that. But it also taught me patience. Like, be patient. But also, if you are serving people from an authentic place. And I was genuinely like, I still am just obsessed. My background is in construction, let me tell you that, not in immigration. And I pivoted into this world out of sheer passion and experience, from my. My living experience. And so when you create content from that very authentic place, I think it communicates well and resonates with people who need. And you understand the needs of your audience. And when you understand the needs of your audience and are able to serve them what they need, then people will continue to watch your videos.
- [31:22]
B
Oh, my goodness. I. Yeah, well, and clearly for you, I mean, it's. It's working. You've got videos from years ago that are still getting views. My little Vidiq. Like view. You know, view Velocity thing. And I think. I love that you shared that, because this is something that most people underestimate. When you're thinking about even starting YouTube or when you're considering quitting YouTube, it's like, just to keep it real, you could have no idea the videos that you've put out that have yet to blossom.
- [31:46]
C
Right.
- [31:47]
B
That have yet to just continue to help people. And Sean says all the time, YouTube is a place where when the student is ready, the teacher appears. Which just means exactly what you said, which is previous Christina, you know, previous Nathan, who made videos, could even be years ago on a specific topic because you answered specific questions, right? There's always going to be someone new that's looking for the answer, you know, and so that's what's so powerful about this. I'm fully convinced, Christina, like, that this is first and foremost one of the most powerful strategies to use to start making content on YouTube. Like, just start answering questions does require to be aware of what you're doing on the platform. But assuming you've got. You're 70% sure you know of, like, your niche and at least who you're trying to help and who you're trying to make content for. What are their questions like, their specific questions and just show up and start answering them. And if you could have like, this might sound crazy, but 20 to 30 videos on your channel that are just answering specific questions, it can give you a really nice real time view count, which is what we're obsessed with here at Think Media. Just like just real time views every 48 hours, every 48 hours, every 60 minutes. Like our videos that I posted years ago, like people are still watching and benefiting from and finding value from. So I appreciate you walking through that because your story is a prime example of, of why you shouldn't underestimate YouTube, especially when you have a strategy going into it. Christina just mentioned the impact of the Think Media Mastermind. And this is our in person event in Las Vegas where creators and small business owners come to get clarity, strategy, momentum and time in the room. With Sean Cannell, myself and our other coaches on the Think Media team and other serious creators. It's application only. This is an intimate event. So to secure your spot, you can apply at Think Media Mastermind. Again, that's Think Media mastermind dot com. All right, back to Christina. You said, you know, obviously you went through most of this growth with no team, but now you do have a team and I'm sure that that was its own game changer. Like, what did that help you? Like, how did you go about this process? Because for someone who's listening, who might be at that point where it's like, okay, I'm really feeling the, the tension between handling all the different hats it takes to do this YouTube thing and run the business on the side or like they could be in that zone where it's, it's time to hire, it's time to outsource. What did you do? How did you, how did you find your team?
- [34:16]
C
So I've been, what I did is tested different people or things at different times. So I started first with a va, so a virtual assistant who was a general help who could do a little bit of everything. Not a specialization or a special somebody's specializes in one specific thing. And so that was kind of like my rebuilding phase. When I was kind of re entering the space, I needed somebody to take over some of the editing because I found that if I wasn't, like I said when I just started, if I wasn't at work, I was scripting, editing or filming, I needed to offload something because then I realized that you wanted to. Yeah, I want to go into to this full time. But then I realized that a lot of my tasks are administrative. They're not income generating necessarily unless the video is published. Okay, there's that. Right. And so I started with a va. I went through a company to try and help me to source the VA instead of trying to just find somebody because then I know that there's some vetting that has been done. And then I did that for a little while and realized that, okay, I need somebody who can specialize in specific areas. I think VAs are helpful for general tasks. If you need somebody to be really good at editing, you have to just hire an editor. Otherwise I'm still the creative energy or input and I don't mind being that. I like being that. But I need you to come with the, the tools and the know how. So then this is very recent having editors, okay. Adding editors to, to my, my, my team so that they are, you know, doing the editing, taking that because that's a huge chunk of time. Like we know this, right? Editing. So that's been super helpful. And now, I mean Sean asked me in the, in October last Mastermind, like, do you have an executive assistant? I'm like, I don't. So that's, that's where I need to get to now. Because now as things grow and things become a lot more stable and sustainable, I need to focus on the things that only I can do. Right. And so I still don't have a massive team. I have editors right now. I will on and off outsource to virtual assistants for specific things. And now I'm going to the next level of trying to get an executive assistant and a producer. Ish person of the sort. I have a series coming up. Okay. That is, it's an isolated series. So it's a six week series. And on that I'm going to have a producer. And I have a couple other helpful hands for that to test out. Like juggling. I'm a project manager. That's my construction and project management.
- [37:10]
B
There we go.
- [37:11]
C
Yeah, I like putting people in place and then managing.
- [37:15]
B
Yeah.
- [37:16]
C
And so that's, that's what's next. And now I don't even have a massive team where I'm at. But that's the next level is to make it bigger but sustainable and put systems in place.
- [37:27]
B
Man, how cool that, yeah, previous experience is coming back around to kind of help you out. That's actually awesome. When you say producer, could you, could you clarify that? Like what do you hope this person frees you up to do more of like you hope this person to have someone come and be a producer. Is that someone who's like planning stuff for you, thinking of content, thinking of episodes? Like, what do you hope this person does?
- [37:50]
C
Some of the coordination and research that I need. So maybe producer is not the word. I don't know. Sometimes I do podcast. Right. And so that will be. Right now, 50% of my content will be that and the guest coordination, guest alignment, researching the guest. Generally I do that stuff and I can do it at a high level. But when it comes down to the managing calendars and getting them together and this series that is coming up is a very specific topic. And so I need to have conversations with the guests and people who I want to sponsor the series and the mini team. And all of a sudden it's a, it's a one man band all over again if it's just me.
- [38:39]
B
Right.
- [38:39]
C
Plus, while we're working on that series, I still have to be doing regular content because we're filming and then releasing later on.
- [38:47]
B
Yeah.
- [38:47]
C
So I kind of need a person to be like, okay, you are going to be, I guess the project manager of this while I. So I'm still the creative input. Maybe project manager is the world or a project coordinator.
- [38:59]
B
Yeah.
- [39:00]
C
But producer is the. I don't know the word.
- [39:02]
B
No, I like it. That actually sounds like what that is to me. Yeah. Someone who's going to be able to essentially let you kind of show up as the talent. If I can use that word. Right.
- [39:11]
C
Someone who's show up is what I would like to do.
- [39:13]
B
Yes. Just to show up. And you. Someone's already done all of this for you. Right. And you just get to be. You deliver content. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I think that's an accurate term for the, for a producer. I'm curious. I'd like to pick your project management brain for a second on behalf of, you know, who's listening. How do you like, what do you outsource to AI? Number one, do you use any AI? What's helpful for you with AI? What it's what have you delegated things to AI and then how do you determine? Okay, this isn't something I want AI to be doing. I'd actually like somebody, a person to be helping me with this and it's cool if they, if they use AI, but I don't know, I'm just curious how you determine what to pass off to who or to what.
- [39:56]
C
Fair. And so yes, definitely use AI in the process. What I'm finding sometimes, because I'm literal and Sometimes wordy, I need AI to help me think like my audience, who may or may not be problem or solution awareness because I have all the information. So too does AI. But AI could dial back way better than I can when it comes to maybe topic title, title and such thumbnail, like if you scroll through my channel or coming from the days of lots of words on the thumbnail and coming up to there, which has been helpful. So. And sometimes ideation, like sometimes I have this big idea that I need to break down into stuff. Now how do I determine who to outsource to what? Some of, some of the things like talking to the guests and coordinating that. There's some things that do need the human touch, I believe. And so which is where this person would come in to have the conversations. Can AI just write me an email and I just fire it off to them? Yes, but there's a time and place for that. I do that sometimes.
- [41:14]
B
Yeah, sure.
- [41:16]
C
But not always. So for this project, I'm not doing that. I'm getting ideation from them and trying to organize my thoughts a lot because I tend to have lots of those. I have this thing printed on my wall from the book, the four disciplines of execution that says there will always be more good ideas then you and your team have the capacity to execute. So AI helps me to reel it in. Good. And yeah. So how do I determine who or what? I think it's a delicate balance sometimes. I haven't gone into AI agents at this point. Yeah, not at this point. That's a learning curve too that I have no problem taking on. But it's also like in order to take on that I have to take, I have to let go of something. And that's where the human comes in. Because then I can, I can put a little bit more trust. I'd like to say you or Leslie, in a person to just get it right. Like I don't need to fact check it all the time. I do, but I don't.
- [42:26]
B
Yeah, no, I think it's great. I actually really think this is an important conversation just because of how already ridiculous all this AI stuff is. Agents and just, it's. Yeah, it's crazy. It's here and so it's unavoidable. And as a content creator and really as a business owner, you know, thinking through how am I going to incorporate this, what am I going to outsource things to is mission critical. And I do think that there always will be the reason for the human touch to be able to collaborate with another actual person, but determining when is best for that. I know something that we do every single week here at Think Media is we have this meeting on the calendar that's called Title Crew and that is actually several people on our team showing up to work through, to have synergy, to work through things, to think about thumbnails, topics, titles, even crafting books and like thinking about content, ideas. But that's all, you know, people together. And to be fair, maybe the people are using AI and then sometimes like we get into the battle of my AI is better than your AI or whatever. But it's still this synergistic thing. It's just different.
- [43:34]
C
Right?
- [43:35]
B
And. But it is worth identifying. Okay, where do I need that with people? What can I just do with AI and then bring to people? It's just interesting conversations. So I appreciate you sharing like just where you're at right now because you're actually working through this in real time. But if you were to say, okay, number one, higher, you know, even if it's in a part time capacity or something, for the average creator who's doing too much, what would you prescribe editors? Yeah, all right, standard makes sense.
- [44:04]
C
Get that off, get that off.
- [44:06]
B
Get it off your plate. And where would you encourage someone to look for that? Like, have you found success with any sort of websites or recommendations?
- [44:16]
C
Thankfully, my editors found me. Whoa, hey, your stuff sucks. We can make it better. Just kidding. They didn't say that, but they did say, you know, we can, we can help with, with, with, with your editing, yada, yada, yada. They, and, and they, they dropped in my, I get emails all the time. People try to be SEO experts, all kind of stuff. How did you bend that?
- [44:36]
B
Then? How did you, like, you know what I mean? Because I. Yeah, how did you make that legit?
- [44:40]
C
So there's this magical word that I use in a lot of my videos. It's networking. Like networking is magic. I will never stop saying that.
- [44:50]
B
Let's go.
- [44:51]
C
They emailed me several times and like every other email that comes through of that nature, I don't know how to trust you. And so I may or may not respond because at some point it gets overwhelming, right? So I don't have anybody checking my inbox. However, they edited for somebody I knew. And I only knew that after I spoke to her and she said, oh, I use so and so. And I was like, oh, are they good? Like, what are they? Like da da, da da. And based on her recommendation, I said, all right, let's take it for a spin. And what I did was I gave them two of my video types or styles, podcast style and how to style. Okay, let's just test it. We're testing it. We're not committing here. It's not a relationship. Let's just test. We tested it and they passed the test. And so it worked out. And so I recommend for anybody who's trying to look for somebody like, you'll never know until you know. Right. And are my editors perfect? Like, we're still working through things. I'm not perfect either. Right. But I like them. And so anybody you find, it could be fiverr or upwork. That's also an option as well. Just test them. Right. You're gonna have to throw some money at it. Right. Don't expect them to test for free and see in your network. Cause another editor who is he published something on his LinkedIn and of a video of somebody I knew. I'm like, oh, hey. So I reached out to somebody I know. I'm like, hey, I saw your person posted something here. Are you okay if I reached out to them? Are they any good? Yada, yada, yada. So I used my network and my network came through for me at that point, either intentionally or unintentionally. It just happened to be referral and network.
- [46:34]
B
But.
- [46:35]
C
And testing because.
- [46:36]
B
And testing.
- [46:37]
C
Yeah, yeah. Something still don't work out.
- [46:39]
B
Well, what does that look like? Even just briefly, like when you say testing, because I'm sure that's also creator dependent. I would imagine that means for you, you're like, there's the competencies, right? Like how, how quickly did the edit happen? Did they turn it in? There's organization. Was it neat? Was it tidy? Right. But then there's like skillset. Are they matching your vibe? Do they get it? Is that the gist of it? Or is there anything else you're specifically looking for when you use the word testing and editor?
- [47:04]
C
Yeah, it's their ability to communicate or follow through on the idea that you try to communicate to them. Did they understand what you said? Did they follow? Did they, did they, did they meet it? Did they hit it? You know, because I had a specific style I was going for. I communicated that. Were they able to manifest that check, right. Time, delivery, responsiveness. So testing to see if this is somebody that you would actually want to work with based on their capacity to follow instructions. Because when I did test, he was good, but his timing, I said, can you do this by Sunday? He said yes. He took two weeks. Two weeks past Sunday. Yeah. Right. So you are a Back pocket you are in case I need something three weeks from now, maybe. And so that's. That's testing. That's testing. And as a project manager, I guess that's. That's in the technical world, that was me, you know, trying to say, like, okay, your attention to detail. Did you match my brand colors? Like, did you even go, like. It's simple, like, get an eyedropper? You know,
- [48:10]
B
those are fire tips. Because I. I think a big asset of actually doing YouTube yourself, even if it's just a certain number of videos. Yes. I'm not saying everyone should edit their videos forever. It's so smart to outsource, but at the right time, because if you've edited at least a few of your videos, you actually have a grip on what you're trying to do. And now you have better language to communicate with someone you'd outsource to. Right. So. But this is ninja. You're like, yeah, you know exactly what you're looking for. And it's not just the technical aspect of, did they edit the video? Well, it's also like, did we talk at all? Did they, like, keep their word? They said it would happen at this time. That's. That's really, really good.
- [48:48]
C
Because I'm a project manager. I was first a grub. I was first the doer of the thing that I now manage. Right. In the land of architecture and engineering, is I was first the drafter. So at first, you got to edit. You know, you have to know the editing tools. If somebody tells you something I don't want to bs, you'll know. You'll be able to call it out. Right. Because you. You were an editor. Right. And so before becoming a senior project manager, I was the person who did the drawings, and then I supervised the people that did the drawings, and then I moved up to the point where I'm managing the whole team because I've been through all of those phases. So being in the dirt is important. Make your own thumbnails, even at first. Learn some stuff so that you can direct people well.
- [49:40]
B
Oh, that's so good. Podcast. That should be something that we print with your permission, Christina, as like a poster or something, which is like, be in the dirt, you know, like, that's real talk, though, because then, yeah, don't be in such a rush, a rush to hand things off. Like, do you actually understand the art form? And anyone listening to this right now, we all know you get into this whole YouTube thing thinking you're just making a video and there's a Lot more that goes into it. There's a lot of hats that you need to wear, and it really is an art form, you know, Like, I actually consider YouTube a sport. Like, there's a, you know, there's a whole set of skills that you come to develop and understand. But, Christina, I'd love it if, you know, if you would paint the picture. What does this year look like for you? I'm excited for you because it sounds like, yeah, you're just, we're getting back into it. You got a team, you're looking for an executive assistant. Like, it just seems like you got momentum going on. What are you excited about when it comes to YouTube for this year? What do you see for your channel?
- [50:38]
C
So I came into this year having gotten quite a bit of clarity. Close to the end of last year, going to the last mastermind, Sean told me, pick your pumpkin. I had a lot of pumpkins. So, you know, the pumpkin plan, you know, pick your main pumpkin and let that pumpkin grow. And that is something that I had to do in phases because you. And to do that, you got to let go of the little pumpkins. You got to let go of all the little ones. And so I tried to let them, let them go. And I feel like now I can, I can. This is my pumpkin. Now I can, you know, let that pumpkin get all the juice, all the energy and attention with supported system, with supported teams. I'm not just a one man band. To get to this place where we have an established show. Like, I think we're at that place too. We have PR people reaching out to us, trying to pitch their guests now. So I'm like, okay, I must be legit. So this year I want to see that continued growth, sustainable growth. Not, not views for views sake, but sustainable growth, sustainable business systems. And to get to the end of, of the year, I'm not. Generally, I don't like to call my eggs before they hatch. So this is actually a weird conversation. This is what I hope. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But yeah, I want to be that. I don't want to say this on camera, but I kind of want to be that Oprah in the Canadian immigration setting, 100% on YouTube, but also have a little bit of live studio audience kind of vibe that will be published on YouTube also. But I want to be that footprint in the community and take it to infinity and beyond.
- [52:47]
B
Yo, let's go. I mean, I appreciate you sharing that though. I don't think that's. I understand. I'm kind of the same way. Like I do. I try not to count my eggs before they hatch. But I also think there's something to be said for, like, just boldly stating vision. Here's what I see. Here's what, Like, a direction I want to go. You know? You know what I mean? Like, so anyway, to infinity and beyond. Let's freaking go. Like, not just for you, but if you're listening right now, like, what are your plans? Are they bold enough? I don't know. Right. Like, maybe they need. You need to bolster it up.
- [53:15]
C
Thinking big.
- [53:17]
B
Yeah. For real.
- [53:18]
C
Right.
- [53:18]
B
And then to your point. Yeah. What pumpkin? What's your prize winning pumpkin? The key to. To growing a prize winning pumpkin is to kill off all your other pumpkins. It's a little intense, but it's like, what's the thing? What am I focusing on? Powerful, powerful challenges. Christina, I do appreciate it. I'd like to land the plane here if you wouldn't mind sharing, talking to the person who's at the beginning or someone who feels like they want to quit or who could be restarting because you've had a. That's all those different points are in your story, right. Of being the person who's actually starting for the first time but then walking away, wrestling with, do I come back? Do I keep going? And then choosing to restart and just where you are now is just really cool. And so if you were to think about yourself through those stages, any encouragement you'd have for the think media audience, what would you say?
- [54:08]
C
Well, throughout that entire season of starting, stopping, coming back, all of that stuff, I never quitted. But throughout that time, I always had coaching and mentorship, always, whether it was a book or an audiobook and live coaches to help me to think through what's going on in my head has been always helpful. So I think I want to say to people, never underestimate the power of accountability and help unbiased help, because you are so attached to it that sometimes helping having somebody help you to sort through your thoughts is helpful. And that has been helpful to me all along the journey. I'd say dare to dream.
- [54:56]
B
Come on.
- [54:56]
C
Sean said something on Wednesday 1. Sometime someday, this week, yesterday, Wednesday. Three feet from gold. You're three feet from gold. You're 3ft from gold. And I know that, you know, sometimes that can keep us trapped in something that's not working, but it can also keep us pushing forward to something that is working that you probably just need some clarity on to keep on going because you could be three feet from gold. I wrote that down when Sean said it this week. So, you know, get some clarity. I'd say, whether it is through writing or ideating with AI or working with a coach, get clarity and trust the process. None of this happens overnight. Like, you're able to ask me about my story and say, oh, it was impressive that you got to this many subscribers in five months. And that was years ago, right? And so trust the process because here we are a few years later and I trusted the process and I believe in the power of YouTube, the magic of YouTube. And I would encourage people to do the same and walk your own path. Because of course, if I didn't stop, I could have been bigger, but that was just not my journey. Right. And other people may have started after me and gotten bigger, but that wasn't my journey. Right? And so don't walk your own path. Get guidance, get coaching. Don't do it alone. I don't. I think community is so helpful and supportive. And if you're thinking about quitting, double check because you might be three feet from gold. Just get some clarity.
- [56:44]
B
That was an energizing conversation with Christina. And hey, if hearing her talk about the Mastermind and the pumpkin plan got your wheels turning, I want you know our next Think Media Mastermind is coming up real soon. It's our in person event. It's in Las Vegas and this is where you can spend time one on one with Sean, with myself, with Christina and Think Media. Our entire coaching team helping you get clarity on your channel, your business and your next moves. It's application only. It's not for everyone. So if you want to learn more and see if it's a good fit for you, go to thinkmediamastermind.com Again, that's Think Media mastermind. Com. Be sure to like, rate, share, review wherever you watch or listen. This is the Think Media podcast. I'm Nathan Eswine and I can't wait to connect with you at the Mastermind and in a future episode,