Podcast Summary: YouTube Creators Hub

Episode: “There’s No Such Thing As A Small Niche On YouTube” – Jason Todd Interview

Host: Dusty Porter
Guest: Jason Todd (Smart Hobbies channel)
Release Date: August 29, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dusty Porter speaks with Jason Todd—the creator of the Smart Hobbies YouTube channel, focused mainly on Sudoku. Jason shares his journey from puzzling for fun to building a thriving niche community, offering practical advice on content strategy, audience discovery, monetization, and the unique opportunities (and challenges) of running a faceless, niche YouTube channel. The discussion is highly relevant to aspiring and established creators alike, highlighting that even the most specific interests can flourish on YouTube with clarity, consistency, and attention to the audience’s needs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Jason Todd’s Origin Story and Channel Niche

• Transition to YouTube ([03:29]):
  • Pre-COVID, Jason’s main hobby was competitive Scrabble until the pandemic forced him to seek solitary activities. He rekindled his passion for Sudoku, realizing he could teach strategies not covered elsewhere.
  • “When I started, the YouTube channel was less than a week. A lot of people said they wish it would start earlier. I could not have started any earlier.” – Jason Todd [03:29]
• Channel Focus ([05:15]):
  • Jason creates daily Sudoku-solving videos and in-depth tutorials for specific advanced strategies ("X Wings," "Swordfish,” etc.), setting his channel apart within the Sudoku niche.
  • Leveraging YouTube’s ecosystem, he cross-links tutorials and solve videos for viewer learning pathways.

Building Community and Understanding Your Audience

• Early Mistakes and Pivots ([08:14]):
  • Initially uploaded content on multiple hobbies (chess, Disney, eBay), then realized the power of “niching down” after a subscriber query.
  • “If I'm confusing people who are watching this channel, I'm confusing the algorithm and everyone else. So then I decided to niche down.” – Jason Todd [08:14]
• Identifying the Audience Avatar ([08:14]–[11:32]):
  • At VidSummit, Jason adopted the “audience avatar” exercise, uncovering his core viewers: “50 to 80 year old men, semi-retired, worried about keeping a sharp mind as they age.” He named his avatar “Jim.”
  • Content shifted to directly address “Jim’s” needs—clarity, pacing, brain health—resulting in more engaged, appreciative viewers.

Community Engagement Practices

• Comment Strategy ([11:32]):
  • Responds to every comment to understand audience pain points, aiming to keep explanation slow and thorough for older viewers.
    • “I respond to every single comment because I do want to understand what people are struggling with.” – Jason Todd [11:32]
  • Greater engagement built a sense of community: people began to help each other in comments, join email lists, and upgrade to memberships.

Content Diversification and Format Strategy

• Content Types ([13:12]):

  • Produces long-form solves, detailed tutorials, interactive Shorts, and monthly live streams.

• Shorts: Hook & Iteration ([13:58]–[17:33]):

  • Experimented with Shorts, initially doubting their potential for Sudoku. Success came when experimenting with strong hooks and concise problems.
    • “If I have a good enough hook in that first couple seconds ... I might be more successful.” – Jason Todd [13:58]
  • Created batches of similar Shorts using color variations and identical scripts to maximize output and test what resonates.

• Live Streaming as Community-Building ([17:33]):

  • Live streams (monthly) deepen engagement without visible on-camera presence, offering shoutouts to supporters and real-time interaction.

Faceless Channel Insights

• Production Efficiency & Tradeoffs ([22:54]):
  • Advantages: No need for on-camera work, streamlined editing, lower production costs.
  • Disadvantages: Less brand recognition, harder to secure sponsorships, takes longer to foster viewer connection.
  • Uses an AI-generated character (“AI Timberlake”) in thumbnails to improve click-through rate while remaining faceless.

Channel Packaging: Thumbnails, Titles & Branding

• Thumbnail Philosophy ([20:25]):
  • Simplicity and recognizability over flashiness. Repeated formats and branded elements (blue backgrounds, highlighted puzzle cells, AI character).
    • “Branding is more important and recognition is more important than the actual colors you use and the brightness you use to get someone's eyes.” – Jason Todd [21:40]
  • Thumbnails and titles are intentionally curiosity-driven (e.g., “Check for Triples,” “Start with box one”), with the puzzle grid as the central visual.

Monetization & Business Growth

• Revenue Streams ([24:45]):
  • YouTube ad revenue
  • Buy Me a Coffee support & memberships: Monthly puzzle packs with special themes (e.g., Pirates of the Caribbean puzzles).
  • Course sales: Moving to Kajabi for automated emails, course delivery, and community migration.
    • Upcoming masterclass on Sudoku solving; plans for a larger comprehensive course.
    • “As you connect with the audience and you make better content, you're just going to reach the right amount of people.” – Jason Todd [29:27]
• Financial Growth Trajectory ([29:02]):
  • It took 21 months to monetize, but the last month saw 10x growth—$2,700 per month.
    • “My last month I had about, I went 10x so about $2700. And it's continuing to grow.” – Jason Todd [29:02]
• Philosophy of Niche Monetization ([29:27]):
  • “There's no such thing as a small niche. You might think Sudoku is a small niche. There's just creators who think small.”

Top Creator Advice

• Signature Advice ([30:19]):
  • “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” (Steve Martin; echoed by MrBeast)
  • Rather than chase metrics directly, focus on improving content quality with each video.
    • “You're asking the wrong questions if you're asking how to get the right more subs, more likes, more views ... the question is, how do you make better content?” – Jason Todd [30:19]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Getting Started:
  “I wanted to do this and I figured out how do I do a YouTube channel. And just like that, Smart Hobbies was born in February of 2021.” – Jason Todd [03:29]
• On Niching Down:
  “If I'm confusing people who are watching this channel, I'm confusing the algorithm and everyone else.” – Jason Todd [08:14]
• On Serving the Audience:
  “If you want to be serious about YouTube ... it's not about you, it’s about the viewer.” – Jason Todd [08:14]
• On Community:
  “The only way to make that happen is to find out who wants to be a part of that and then reach out to those folks.” – Jason Todd [11:59]
• On Shorts Strategy:
  “If I have a good enough hook in that first couple seconds ... I might be more successful.” – Jason Todd [13:58]
• On Monetization Philosophy:
  “There's no such thing as a small niche. ... There’s just creators who think small.” – Jason Todd [29:27]
• On Top Creator Advice:
  “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” – Jason Todd [30:19]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Jason’s YouTube Origin Story [03:29]
• Content Structure & Tutorials [05:15]
• Niching Down: Lessons Learned [08:14]
• Audience Avatar & Channel Growth [10:10]
• Comment Engagement & Community Building [11:32]
• Shorts & Content Diversification [13:58–17:33]
• Live Streaming Experimentation [17:33]
• Faceless Channel Pros and Cons [22:54]
• Thumbnails & Packaging Evolution [20:25–22:48]
• Revenue Streams & Growth [24:45, 29:02]
• Philosophy on Small Niches [29:27]
• #1 Piece of Creator Advice [30:19]

Final Takeaways

Jason Todd’s story is an inspiring case study in what’s possible within a highly specific niche, especially when relentlessly focused on audience needs, strategic packaging, and incremental content improvement. His insight that there’s “no such thing as a small niche” invites creators to pursue their passions without fear—and to let quality, clarity, and community lead the way.

For more, visit Jason’s Smart Hobbies channel, or check out his upcoming Sudoku Masterclass (links provided in the show notes by Dusty).