In this conversation, Dusty Porter interviews Denise Jordan, a successful YouTube creator who specializes in homemaking content. Denise shares her journey from starting a blog to creating a thriving YouTube channel with nearly 90,000 subscribers. She...
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Denise Jordan
When I got my first YouTube check from monetization. Because actually Dusty, I started this as just a hobby. I knew I was gonna be retiring soon. I wanted to have something to do while I was home. Cause I'm not one to just sit on the sofa and watch soap operas all day. So I thought I just need something to do.
Dusty Porter
Hello and welcome to this week's episode of the YouTube Creators Hub podcast. Dusty Porter here, the host of the show. As always, if you're looking to start, grow or monetize a YouTube channel, this is the place for you. Each Friday we do a deep dive with a content creat talking about their journey as a creator and on YouTube. So if that's something that you are looking forward to or would be interested in, definitely subscribe to the show wherever and however you either listen or watch your podcast. I do offer one on one creator and business coaching. So if you're looking for someone to walk alongside you on this journey, you can check my links out down below. I work with probably five to 10 creators each and every week and I would love to add you to that list. Also we have something called the Creators Community Group. It's a Discord server, a mastermind call each month, an exclusive podcast episode each and every week, and exclusive access to me in that said group. So if you're looking for a place to rub shoulders with other creators, it's the place for you. And you get all of this for five bucks. So it's called our Creators Community Group. You can check the link down below. And then lastly, I do have an email newsletter called the Entrepreneur's Minute. If you're looking for a behind the scenes tips and tricks type email, I'm not going to spam you. It's once a week on Fridays I read a little blurb about what's going on in my business. Maybe talk about how I'm making money, maybe talk about a tool I'm using, a book I'm reading. It's just a great little asset for me to stay connected with you, my audience, and vice versa. So with all of that said, let's go ahead and jump into this week's conversation.
Hello everyone and welcome to this week's conversation on the YouTube of Creators Hub podcast where I have on a wonderful content creator and we do a deep dive into their journey on YouTube and just as a creator in general. Today we are joined by Denise Jordan. And let me tell you just a little bit about Denise before we get started. So she teaches traditional homemaking for today's Homemakers. This includes cooking, cleaning, laundry, and gardening. These are all skills that are embedded in homemaking. And she spent more than 50 years mastering various components of the task. Now her YouTube channel is called Homemaking with Denise. It is a channel that has just over 1300 videos on it currently as recording. And she is right at 90,000 subscribers. And so she has really done a good job of growing her channel. I'm so impressed with what she has done. Denise, how are you doing today?
Denise Jordan
I am doing great and I just want to thank you so much for inviting me to be on your podcast. I'm always humbled when people think enough of me to invite me.
Dusty Porter
Obviously, you've done a bunch of things right on the YouTube and content creation side of things, and so we're going to just dive into it. What is. I mentioned a bit about homemaking and the things that you create videos on. Can you just tell my audience the origin story of the channel? Like, what made you want to start a YouTube channel and kind of tell us that whole story and journey?
Denise Jordan
It's funny because I started out wanting to do a blog and I just wanted to talk about makeup and stuff like that. And I was in a group and I had done a video about some makeup, and the people said, know what you need to do is that video thing. And I started doing a YouTube channel called Makeup on Aisle 64. I had just turned 64 at the time, and I thought I was using more makeup now because it was like, time to paint the barn. And I thought, let's just do that. And I enjoy talking about makeup, but number one, is very expensive because you have to constantly change what you've got, update with new products. But also I found it to be very limiting. So I decided to change my title to this and that with Denise Jordan. And I talk about a little bit of this and a little bit of that, joined a bunch of collaborations with some other creators. And what I found is that what really stuck was homemaking. That's what people wanted to learn from me. And when I finally heard the message and started making content on homemaking, my channel really started to take off.
Dusty Porter
So when you decided on that target audience and you started to niche down to just the homemaking, what were the things that you did with the channel other than just creating the content about homemaking? You were mentally, you mentally decided, okay, this is what they're responding to. This seems to be resonating with them. And then did you just completely lean into homemaking and all the different kind.
Denise Jordan
Of subsets of that, that's exactly what I did. I just leaned into homemaking. And one of the things that I had recently leaned for myself was I started using the flylady cleaning method. And it really changed the way I keep house. And I thought while I created videos sharing that journey, a lot of the young homemakers were asking questions about that. And so I started just answering questions that people would ask. So I would answer specific questions, and I would talk about products related to homemaking. And then I started getting more and more questions about homemaking and how do I keep house? I'm overwhelmed. How do I do this? And my house is a mess, and I clean all the time. And I started responding to those viewers, and that's how I really began to grow. And I realized that today's homemakers, the young homemakers today, they didn't necessarily get that grounding that I might have gotten when I was a young. A young person before I left home. And they don't teach home economics in school anymore. So some of that stuff we got in high school. So I realized that these are lessons either they didn't learn or they weren't interested in learning at the time. But now the students start presenting themselves, and I'm like, okay, let's let me just help them out.
Dusty Porter
What was the turning point for you, Denise, when you may have thought to yourself, this might be more than just a hobby, or this might can turn into something that I can make money from? Do you remember the shift or the mindset shift when you thought to yourself, oh, man, this thing could be something that's more than just a hobby?
Denise Jordan
When I got my first YouTube check from monetization, because actually, Dusty, I started this as just a hobby, I knew I was going to be retiring soon. I wanted to have something to do while I was home, because I'm not one to just sit on the sofa and watch soap operas all day. So I thought, I just need something to do. And when I taught at the university, I mentored young women and young men in nursing. So my daughter says, mom, you quit teaching at the university. Now you're just teaching on YouTube. Which basically is what I'm doing. I'm still mentoring young people, but just in a different way. But when I got that first check, I was like, oh, I can make some money at this. And it's not that I was looking for monetization to actually make money and live off of that, because I don't. I'm comfortable with my income that I have. But I thought, oh, I wouldn't mind having a new camera or, oh, I wouldn't mind having. I would love to have a new kitchen. So I thought, I can use this extra money for things like that, extra money for vacations and different things like that. So I was like. So then I really leaned into, okay, what do I need to do differently to be able to keep this monetization going?
Dusty Porter
Do you think your mindset of not having to rely on the income has helped you remain loose and confident and not worry so much about performance as far as numbers and metrics go?
Denise Jordan
I think it did. But here's the other thing, though, Dusty. It also kept me from really leaning into what that monetization could really be, because sometimes, like, I would see other people that I met along the way that were really killing it from a monetary standpoint. And I think, gosh, she's doing this and she's doing that. Why am I not? And then I realized my friends, they really leaned into it, they really focused on it. And I still dabbled just a little bit here and there. But when I decided to stop dabbling, I had to make that mind shift to stop dabbling. And if you really want to make this into a business, and that was the mind shift right there, I decided, this is not a hobby, this is now a business. When you got a claimant on your taxes, it's a business.
Dusty Porter
I love that. Yeah. No, there. There's two perspectives there, right? Of maybe it helps you stay loose and not worrying about your dependent on the income, but also if you're waffling in the middle, you're not really putting your feet all the way in. You're just testing the waters. You're really missing out on the full potential, not only monetarily, but just with growth of the channel in general. We'll talk more about the ways you make money here in a few minutes. I do want to take a pause for a minute and just ask you about YouTube growth. Because your channel is consistently growing. You're on the precipice, reaching a hundred thousand subscribers. Congratulations on that. You're going to get your plaque very soon. Can you just talk to my audience? There's tens of thousands of people who listen every week. Creators, all different forms of the spectrum of where they are in their journey. What are some growth methods and some things that you saw really help you take your channel to the next level?
Denise Jordan
One of the things that I saw that was really helpful to me was I begin to look at my analytics, and that was not something I wanted to do early On. And my sister, who also works as my admin, would always say from time to time when I was getting ready to put up a new video, she would say, have you looked at your analytics? I said, oh, you know what? I want to do a video on best and such. Have you looked at your analytics? And usually the answer was no. So when I really started looking at my analytics and seeing what resonated with my audience, then I'm like, okay, this is what's working. I need to do more of that. The other thing that I really dialed into was looking at the comments and answering their questions. And so when I first got started. So for those of you that are out there, I want you to hear this point. When I first got started and they'd ask a question, I would just answer the question and then I'd see another question and I would just answer the question. Then all of a sudden it was like, this question is a video. Every time I answer a question, this is a video that I can produce because I'm producing content for, for my community. And if one person has this question, at least several other people have the same question. That's how I got started with my in the Laundry Lab segment. I have a lot of young men, particularly college educated young men or college enrolled in college just out of college, or young men that just started their first apartment and they have to learn how to do laundry all of a sudden. And I got so many questions, not that girls didn't either, but I could really see the young men asking these different questions. And so I would just start out answering those questions for them. And like I said, one of them would DM me on Facebook Messenger. And I must have answered, I know, I can't tell you how many questions I answered for that guy. And then I thought, instead of just typing out the answer, create a video. And so I started doing that. So I think the biggest thing is leaning into what your audience is asking. So my demographics is all over the place because I'm doing the YouTube shorts and most of my laundry labs are shorts. But I'm doing those YouTube shorts for that young population that they want it quick, they just want the answer to how to do it. So I do that. And then I also have my longer form laundry videos as well. And I will say that some of the videos hit and some of them don't. But I don't worry about that with those shorts because I figure I'm responding to my community, I'm being of service.
Dusty Porter
I love that. And so you do Both of the formats you do vertical video as well as longs. And what have you found strategy wise to help or to be the most effective for the channel? As far as are you doing one short a day? Are you doing three to five a week? What cadence have you found to be effective for your audience and on your channel?
Denise Jordan
As I'm on my way to 100k, I try to do two shorts a week and the two shorts a week may or may not be a laundry short. They could be related to whatever topic it is that I'm doing a long form video on that week. Or it could be a short in relation to a question that has been asked. And I'm using the shorts more as a way of growing my numbers so I can get to that 100k, because from a monetization standpoint, you don't make much money doing shorts. Not unless you're one of those people that, you know, have really a huge number. But I use the source to grow my numbers, but also to be of service.
Dusty Porter
Yeah, you use those more as help mates to the longer form video of just supplementing what you're doing on the other side of things. Okay, interesting. Appreciate you answering that question. How do you approach packaging with your thumbnails and your titles and your descriptions? What are your kind of, what are your methods there and how have those evolved over time?
Denise Jordan
That is something that I still struggle with is titles and thumbnails and even descriptions. When we first got started on YouTube description boxes and the SEOs and answering comments and having all that stuff has changed now. So it's evolved over time. So today when I look at titles, I look at the five stages of awareness like solution aware, Problem aware, those kinds of things. And I will admit sometimes I will use like AI ChatGPT to help me me look at the titles and I will say I'm looking to create a title for a video that I've done. For example, on my last video that I did on a $10 grocery budget challenge and I said I'm looking to create a title for this video. This is what it's about. But I really want to lean into the five stages of awareness. And so then it'll give me maybe five to seven different titles in each of the various stages. And then I'll decide, okay, this one really hits to where I'm going, or no, I don't like any of these. Let's look at something else. I want to make sure that I include this or that and that's been helpful. And then when I put the title up. I've got a Vidiq in there and I believe the free Vidiq will do this. I can look to see what's the numerical value that I get. Is it like 80%, 90%? Is it 96%? And I try to choose a title that falls in there that's between 90% and higher when I'm choosing the title. So that it speaks to my audience in the way that I want it, that I wanted to speak to.
Dusty Porter
Yeah, for those people who don't know the Vidiq, it gives it a grade. So it gives you four or five alternate title options. And then it gives you say if it's a 97, that's what they believe to be a really good title for said video. And so if you have that plugin installed, you can do that. And so that's. That's what she's referring to there. Now, is there any portion of the YouTube you mentioned your sister helps you with the admin side of things? Do you do it all yourself or have you outsourced some of the process?
Denise Jordan
I do it all myself. My sister will help me with if I need a new banner or something like that. She's good with those graphics, but she helps me with my apron Diva site, that kind of thing. But other than that, I'm a one woman shop. I do all my editing, I do all the shooting. So if I'm doing a cooking video, I'm dragging that camera around from one point to another to get different angles and things like that. So I do it all myself.
Dusty Porter
Yeah, that's awesome. I love to hear that. There's been times in my journey where I've thought about outsourcing parts of my process. But then when I do, I can't find someone who's going to do it the way I want it done. There's probably a good balance there. I don't think I strike that balance just yet. So let's talk about community building. You mentioned answering the comment sections that come in, people reaching out to you outside of YouTube, on Facebook and things like that. What methods have you instilled in your kind of YouTube channel and the brand that you're building, not just even with YouTube, but around community building. And how important is that for what you think, for the success of your channel?
Denise Jordan
It's huge. Community building is huge. And I'm a very warm and nurturing person. My background's in community health nursing, so community is very important to me. But also it helps with the like know and trust Factor. So when I put up a video, then I'll put a comment about that video over on my community tab page and I'll put a post there. Maybe sometimes I'll just post a question over there on my community tab page. But answering questions helps to build community because they see that you're willing to respond to them. But also one of the other things that I did is I do a weekly, a bi weekly show called Homemaking with Purpose on my channel. And so what you do a show like that, or any live stream for that matter, they see the real you, they see what you're doing, they see how you're talking, they ask a question, you respond. It lets them know that you know what, yeah, this lady does know what she's talking about because she can speak off the cuff, that kind of thing.
Dusty Porter
Community, as far as the live streams go, what have you found to be the benefit there? Other the community building is so obvious and beneficial. What would you consider to be one of the other or many other benefits of the live stream?
Denise Jordan
The live stream also allows me to see what are the thoughts that my community is having? What are some of their questions? I can ask them a question in real time, they can answer in the chat and tell me what they're thinking about. The other thing is that let's say I had a video that really generated a lot of comment, a lot of questions. I had over 400,000 views and I can't think how many comments on that video. And it was about SNAP benefits, so I got lots of comments about that. And so then when I did my weekly bi weekly show after that, there were people that were wanting to watch the show to also ask more questions about that topic. And I could also respond to them and I could really get a sense of their heart, what they're feeling, what are their struggles, and they could also get a sense of how I am, how I feel, that kind of thing.
Dusty Porter
How do you set up your stream technically? As far as A lot of people come to me and they say, oh, I don't want to go through all the mess of setting up a live stream and there's too much involved. What would you say to that? What is your setup like as far as how simple is it, how complex is it? Was it hard to figure out?
Denise Jordan
Live streaming is probably easier than doing video because you just sit down and you just start talking or doing whatever it is you want to do. So as far as how I set it up, if I'm doing my bi weekly show and I'm not in the kitchen. I'll be sitting here in my office. I just turn on my computer and I will use the camera that comes here on the top of my imac. I do have a logitech sitting up there but I rarely use it. I like using the one on my iMac and I just turn it on. I do use Streamyard, so I will use that software and I just like the features that I can use with it. Now. I don't use every feature that it has. I'm. It's just pretty. I'm pretty basic when it comes to that. Now I do plan the script. I know what I'm going to talk about when I. I will put a notification up on YouTube to let people know. Shows tonight at 7:45. I may put it out a couple of days ahead of time. I might put it out a couple hours ahead of time. I put a post on my community tab to remind everybody that is that we're going to go live at this time and then I go for it. One of the things that I don't do and I don't believe in doing is to get on, say, oh, hi, how's everybody? What are you doing today? You know what I just wanted. No, I feel like you have to have a purpose for every show, even if it's a show where you really just want to catch up, share what's been going on with your life. You need to have a run of show and order that you plan to proceed. And when you first get started, there may not be many people jumping on. So you're not going to say we're going to wait for people to jump on. No, you value that one or second that those one or two people that jumped on right from the beginning and you get started and maybe you plan a list of questions that you can have to talk about in case people don't jump on. You just have to go for it and you just have to talk and act as if you have 100 people out there. Maybe one or two could be zero, but you have to act as if there's a hundred.
Dusty Porter
So you're planning these live streams as if they're going to be watched many times after the stream is over. You're titling them, you're preparing a script and some talking points. Explain. I understand why you do it, but explain, explain why you've done it that way.
Denise Jordan
It just helps me stay focused because one of the things that I find sometimes now that I've gotten a little older is I can get a Little scattered and I can just get real chatty. And the next thing you know, we're chatting about this topic and it's not interesting to the rest of the people. So planning a script helps me to stay on track. Now, that script could just be bullet points of things that I want to talk about. And typically I'll have the topic we're going to talk about. I'll plan to have my intro. Like, I'll have a hook that I have prepared at, meaning I'll have a, an opening statement as to what I'm going to talk about so people know they're in the right place. And then we jump right into whatever the topic is going to be. For example, I'm planning, if I'm planning a live stream and we're going to talk about SNAP benefits, I'm going to start right out. You know what, SNAP benefits are changing. And if you find yourself, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, I'm just getting started. And then after we introduce the topic, I've given them one or two points, then I'll say, now, you know what, let me just stop and introduce myself just in case you don't know me. And then I'll go and see who's on the chat and I'll greet a few people, see what comments they're making. And then I get right back into it because what I don't want is people to jump off because I'm doing all this greeting and they're like, look, I didn't jump on for her to say hello to 50 people.
Dusty Porter
You, I love that you mentioned early on in the conversation about that first Check from the YouTube Partner Program. So you're obviously making money from your content. Can you talk about the different monetization buckets, the different ways you're making money? I'm not asking you to give me exactly how much you're making, but can you just tell us on average what you might make on an average month with all of those things combined after you mention those different things?
Denise Jordan
First of all, one of the things that I do, the monetization program, which is based upon people watching the views, how long they watch the video and then ads run. So there's one way. The other monetization that I did was like, you can see in the background, I've got aprons hanging on the door. I started selling the aprons because I wear aprons when I'm in the kitchen. And people would ask me, where do you get your aprons? And I would say, oh, you could buy some Here you could buy some there. Then I thought, why don't I have some aprons that they can purchase from me? So that's another stream of revenue that I have. The other thing that I do is I have an Amazon store, and if there's something that I'm using consistently and people ask questions about it, I will put those in my Amazon store and then people can go there and they can purchase those things. The other thing is the YouTube shopping program, which I'm really leaning into now. I hadn't very much before, but I realized if I'm doing a video on, say, making strawberry jam and I'm using my canner, so many people ask, where'd you get that canner? And so now I can link that water bath canner that I'm using in the video. I can even time stamp it, and then I can put a little note in there so where they can purchase it. So I'm starting to make a little money off of the YouTube shopping, where people are actually purchasing things that I am using. Because you'd be surprised how many people, what is she doing? What is that? And where can I get that? Because I do the same thing myself. I'll be watching something and I'll be looking like, what is that on her counter? And then I might go and try to find something that I can use in my kitchen. So that's another way that I make money. I haven't done as much with affiliate links as some people have. I'm beginning to think more about that because I'd really rather do a brand sponsorship than do an affiliate link. But some brands don't want to do what they call pay for play, that kind of thing. And I'm fine with, okay, fine, I don't have to do that. I think that's about it. Yeah.
Dusty Porter
And with all of those methods of making money, I'm not asking you to give me exact to the penny, but like on average, from all of those kind of avenues, what are you able to bring in? As a creator, I can probably bring.
Denise Jordan
In anywhere from 1500 to $3000, depending upon what's going on that month, how many views I'm getting, how many aprons I'm selling, how much I'm getting off Amazon. And that is one of the things that I didn't think about at first either, because I would only think about YouTube monetization. But what I realize now is that it all comes, it all is all a piece. And that as a creator, I need to think about what are all the forms of Monetization that we can lean into.
Dusty Porter
That's great. I think that you're exactly right with that not putting all of your eggs in one basket. And it took me a few years to realize that. Can you just tell me briefly, because I've used the YouTube shopping program slightly, probably nowhere near as in depth as you have. What, what platforms are available? Is it just Amazon? Is it Walmart?
What?
Exactly. Like when you're uploading your video and you get approved for the YouTube shopping, it's all. It basically is like affiliate. Right. The way that it works. Can you just expound upon that a bit more?
Denise Jordan
The thing about the YouTube shopping program, for example, with the canner that I mentioned earlier. So let's say I'm doing the video and I'm canning and you see me canner, then I can click a link that I can add. I can tag that product in the video. And so now when you're looking at the video, you've got like a line of products that are below the video that people can see and they can click on it to see where they can buy it. So some products you can get at Walmart, some you can get at Target, some you can get at Lowe's. For example, I have a dishwasher that I got as an affiliate from Lowe's. So then I can tag that. And it's when I'm showing myself using the dishwasher and I'm talking about how to load dishes into a dishwasher. That dishwasher is like right below there and they can click on it. But so Lowe's, Walmart, Tractor Supply, almost any store that is available is in the YouTube shopping program. Amazon, though, I don't believe is because I don't see the Amazon leaks pop up.
Dusty Porter
It's not. And I think the way that it works is these stores have a relationship with YouTube and. And the partnership is, hey, we'll give you so much percentage. It is basically the affiliate method, but you're eliminating the middleman. YouTube does all of that negotiating for you. You don't have to sign up for any of the programs other than YouTube shopping and kind of get approved with the metrics there. So really appreciate you being willing to share that with me. Now, you mentioned you never ask a lady her age, but you did mention when you started, you were around years old. Now, how old are you currently?
Denise Jordan
I'm 73 years old.
Dusty Porter
Okay.
Denise Jordan
I would not have told that. But you know what? I'm leaning into it.
Dusty Porter
Yep. And I believe you should. And the reason why I bring this up the average guest I have on this show, as you would probably guess now I have had folks on the show actually much older than you. I believe I had a 90 year old gentleman on a few years back. Most of the people I bring on this show are in their 20s or maybe even their teens or 30s, whatever that may be. That's probably where the, the average skus for the, for creators. What would you say about people listening to this of all ages, not just in their 70s, but what have you learned about. Hey, it's so encouraging to hear you speak so intelligently about these things that can be overly technical at times you seem that you've really done your due diligence in your research and you're in your 70s. I feel like that's just so encouraging. Can you speak on that for a minute and what are your thoughts about all that?
Denise Jordan
I know there a lot of people think that older adults can't use some of the tech that's out there, but I had to learn some of the tech. When I was still teaching at the university, when video was first becoming popular and we started wanting to use it in the classroom, we had what was called Studio M, which I guess is Studio Media. And that was where the university had people available to teach you how to use various pieces of software. And we used Adobe Premiere. That's what the university purchased. So that's what you had to use, period. Adobe Premiere. So that's the software that I use. That's what I learned how. It's the only one I know how to work and granted there's a steep learning curve to it, but that's what I had to learn. So I do that and I encourage anyone who is out there that if I can learn some of this tech, you can too. And it's just a matter of keeping at it. It's is just trying to see what you can do, getting the support you need to learn those new skill sets. Because if you don't learn the new skill sets then you're just going to get left behind.
Dusty Porter
I'm so happy for you. And your channel is just booming and you are not only capturing your community but you're doing well in search and you can tell you're trying new things and you're doing the live stream. And in closing today as we finish this interview, what piece of closing advice would you give to the creators listening to this? What would maybe be one thing that you wished you would have known when you started?
Denise Jordan
I wish I had known the importance of an email list. Even though people talked about it, I heard them, I listened to them say it, but I didn't hear it. The other thing that I would certainly encourage them to think about is having a digital product, a product of their own to sell, to, share. Again, I listened as people said it, but I did not hear it. Now I've heard that message and so I'm working at creating some of those things of my own. So I would say don't wait until you've been on YouTube five, six or seven years to do that. Right from the very beginning, think about what products of your own can you create that you can offer to your unique viewers.
Dusty Porter
Wow, that is really good, Denise. Thank you so much. Again, you can find Denise over on her YouTube channel. It is Homemaking with Denise. It is a wonderful channel and you have a lot of great things going for you over there. So Denise, thank you so much for being a guest on the podcast this weekend. We'll talk to you next time.
Denise Jordan
All right, thank you.
Dusty Porter
That is it for this week's episode of the YouTube Creators Hub podcast. Thank you so much for listening all the way till the end. Don't forget, you can go ahead and leave us a review wherever you listen or watch your podcast. That really does help the show out. And then just subscribe. It's absolutely free and you'll be notified every Friday when we go live with a new episode. And then really quickly. Don't forget, I do offer one on one creator coaching if that's something you're looking to get into. Maybe take your channel to the next level. We can do a one off call or you can schedule monthly calls. It really depends on the time and commitment you want to put into it. Also, don't forget to check out our Creators Community group. It's again, just $5 to get into that group. It's a great place to get to know other creators, maybe collaborate and just ask overall questions to people who are doing the same thing you're doing each and every week. And you can subscribe to our email newsletter, the Entrepreneur's Minute with those links in the show notes as well. And until next time, keep hitting upload.
YouTube Creators Hub Podcast: Episode Summary
Episode Title: From Hobby to Business: Denise Jordan's YouTube Journey
Host: Dusty Porter
Release Date: June 20, 2025
In this enlightening episode of the YouTube Creators Hub podcast, host Dusty Porter welcomes Denise Jordan, a seasoned content creator who successfully transformed her YouTube channel from a mere hobby into a thriving business. Denise shares her journey, strategies for growth, monetization methods, and invaluable advice for creators of all ages.
Denise Jordan began her foray into YouTube as a passion project. Initially, she aimed to create a blog focused on makeup but was encouraged by her peers to transition to video content.
Denise Jordan [00:00]: "When I got my first YouTube check from monetization. Because actually Dusty, I started this as just a hobby. I knew I was gonna be retiring soon... I just need something to do."
She launched her first channel, Makeup on Aisle 64, at the age of 64, blending her interest in makeup with her personal life. However, Denise soon realized that maintaining content on makeup was both expensive and creatively limiting. This led her to rebrand her channel to Homemaking with Denise, focusing on cooking, cleaning, laundry, and gardening—areas where she had over 50 years of expertise.
By pivoting to homemaking, Denise tapped into a niche that resonated deeply with her audience. Her content sculpted to meet the needs of modern homemakers, particularly younger individuals who lacked formal training in home economics.
Denise Jordan [04:16]: "When I finally heard the message and started making content on homemaking, my channel really started to take off."
The pivotal moment for Denise came when she received her first payment from YouTube’s monetization program. Initially, her intent was not to earn significantly but to supplement her income for personal enhancements like a new kitchen or vacations.
Denise Jordan [06:20]: "When I got my first YouTube check from monetization... I can make some money at this... I can use this extra money for things like that."
This realization spurred her to treat her channel more seriously, transitioning from a hobbyist approach to a business mindset.
Denise Jordan [07:53]: "I decided, this is not a hobby, this is now a business."
Denise emphasizes the importance of understanding YouTube analytics to identify what content resonates with her viewers.
Denise Jordan [09:33]: "When I really started looking at my analytics and seeing what resonated with my audience... I need to do more of that."
Responding to viewer comments and questions became a cornerstone of her growth strategy. By addressing specific queries, she created content that directly catered to her audience’s needs.
Denise Jordan [10:00]: "I think the biggest thing is leaning into what your audience is asking."
Denise utilizes both YouTube Shorts and longer-form videos to cater to different viewer preferences. Shorts serve as a tool to increase her channel’s visibility and provide quick, actionable tips.
Denise Jordan [12:13]: "I'm using the shorts more as a way of growing my numbers, but also to be of service."
Denise diversified her income streams beyond YouTube ad revenue, ensuring financial stability and growth.
Ad Revenue: Primary source through YouTube’s Partner Program based on views and watch time.
Merchandise Sales: Selling branded aprons to her audience, leveraging requests about her aprons.
Denise Jordan [23:05]: "I started selling the aprons because I wear aprons when I'm in the kitchen."
Amazon Store: Curating products she frequently uses, allowing her audience to purchase items directly.
YouTube Shopping Program: Tagging products used in her videos, enabling viewers to buy items seamlessly.
Denise Jordan [26:25]: "The YouTube shopping program... I can tag that product in the video. People can click on it to see where they can buy it."
Affiliate Links and Sponsorships: Considering brand partnerships over traditional affiliate links for more substantial collaborations.
Denise Jordan [25:53]: "I'd really rather do a brand sponsorship than do an affiliate link."
On average, Denise earns between $1,500 to $3,000 monthly from these combined revenue streams, depending on monthly performance and sales.
Denise Jordan [25:22]: "In anywhere from 1500 to $3000, depending upon what's going on that month..."
Denise builds a strong community by actively engaging with her audience through comments, Facebook Messenger, and her YouTube community tab.
Denise Jordan [16:35]: "Community building is huge... It helps with the know and trust factor."
Hosting bi-weekly live streams titled Homemaking with Purpose, Denise interacts with her audience in real-time, addressing their questions and fostering a deeper connection.
Denise Jordan [17:58]: "The live stream also allows me to see what are the thoughts that my community is having..."
Denise keeps her live streaming setup simple, using her iMac’s built-in camera and Streamyard software. She emphasizes the importance of preparation and maintaining focus during streams.
Denise Jordan [19:10]: "Live streaming is probably easier than doing video because you just sit down and you just start talking..."
Denise challenges the stereotype that older adults are less tech-savvy. With a background in community health nursing and experience using Adobe Premiere, she demonstrates that age is no barrier to mastering new technologies.
Denise Jordan [29:05]: "If I can learn some of this tech, you can too... it's just a matter of keeping at it."
Denise imparts crucial advice for aspiring YouTubers:
Build an Email List: Essential for direct communication and sustained audience engagement.
Create Digital Products: Develop and offer unique products early on to diversify income.
Denise Jordan [30:30]: "Don't wait until you've been on YouTube five, six or seven years to do that. Right from the very beginning, think about what products of your own can you create..."
Denise Jordan’s journey from a hobbyist to a successful YouTube business underscores the importance of niche selection, audience engagement, diversified monetization, and continuous learning. Her story serves as an inspiring blueprint for creators of all ages aiming to elevate their YouTube presence and achieve sustainable growth.
Connect with Denise Jordan:
YouTube Channel: Homemaking with Denise
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