Podcasting for Solopreneurs | Podcasting Tips and Online Marketing Strategies for Business Growth

166. I'm Starting a YouTube Channel?! Here's Why (And What It Means for You)

Share episode

Thinking about adding YouTube to your content strategy? In this episode, I'm sharing why I’ve finally decided to expand beyond podcasting and launch a YouTube channel, what tipped the scales for me after two years of saying “no,” and how to know if this move makes sense for you.

Check out Jerry Potter's program at www.ThePodcastTeacher.com/yt90 (Affiliate link) - if the program is right for you and you sign up with my link, I'll gift you a 1:1 session with me as a thank you!)

Take Your Next Step:

This episode was produced by me, The Podcast Teacher! Contact me at Hello@ThePodcastTeacher.com.

👋 Send me your podcasting question! I'll answer it in an upcoming episode. Include your name and the name of your podcast/business if you'd like a shout out! 😀 (You can also use this to send me a non-question message)

Have you ever felt like you're late to something in your business like everyone else already has it figured out and you're just now showing up to the party? If that sounds familiar, stick with me. Because today I'm sharing why I, someone who said YouTube wasn't for me, am officially launching a channel. And what finally changed my mind? Hey there. I'm Julia Levine, AKA the Podcast Teacher, and you're listening to Podcasting for Solopreneurs, the show that helps online business owners grow their podcast to get more listeners, leads and sales. Today, I'm pulling back the curtain on my next big step. Why I'm expanding to YouTube. What I've learned through the process and how to know if you should do this too. If you've been around here for a while, you've probably heard me say that, eh, YouTube isn't for me.

So you might be wondering what changed. Well, like you, I've been hearing about the power of YouTube for years. The algorithm, the discoverability, the evergreen content, the all of it. But I never really felt pulled to it until recently. So earlier this year, I was starting to pay more attention. Especially when people close to me started Talking about how YouTube works for you long after you hit publish. You know me, I am not a fan of the constant hustle. So the idea of a platform that recommends your content to the right people without you needing to promote it 247 got my attention.

My ears started to perk up about the possibility of expanding my reach by still working smarter, not harder. And then I started thinking about the SEO side of YouTube. Like podcasting, it is searchable and you can optimize for it. Your results compound over time. It is a long game, which is exactly my jam. But the biggest reason that I'm doing this is quite simple. It's reach. I love this podcast.

I have amazing listeners, my download numbers are super strong, and I've been able to attract great list leads and clients from this show. So Podcasting for solopreneurs is not going anywhere. And I'm continually on a quest to increase all of those things I just mentioned. And so to do that, I think the next step is to create content on an additional platform. And for people who are just starting their podcasting journey, YouTube is often the first place they go. So that, in addition to the reasons stated a moment ago, convinced me that YouTube is the place to be. Now, do I expect you listening right now to follow me over there? Maybe, maybe not. If you like to hang out on YouTube, sure.

I would love for you to subscribe. My channel name is Julia the podcast teacher. But the goal is to reach people who have not found this podcast yet. And YouTube is the natural next step to do that. So why is this happening now? Honestly, it's because I finally have the capacity. I've been podcasting for just about two years now. I launched this show back in December of 2020. I have built systems.

I have a rinse and repeat process that works. So it finally felt like the right time to stretch into something new. Now, has this process been totally smooth and speedy? Nope, not at all. I decided back in August that I was going to do this, and the launch isn't happening until December. I decided to launch the YouTube channel the same week that my podcast launched two years ago. Now, could I have done this faster? Absolutely. But I wasn't in a rush. I wanted to take the time to learn, strategize, and create a plan.

So right now I have four videos finished and I'm currently working on four. Four more so that I can have a buffer before the channel goes live. We all know that life happens and I want to be ready for it with some videos in the bank ready to go. All right, so let me share some behind the scenes scoop about this process in case you're just curious or you're thinking about doing this too. In terms of content creation, you may know that I script 90% of each of my podcast episodes and I'm doing the same thing for YouTube. While I'm in the pre launch stage, I'm having to create my regular podcasting script each week and then also the YouTube script. So it is a little hectic during this prep phase, which is why I've decided to take it slow and not stress the timeline. But once the channel launches, I'll be way ahead on my podcast episodes.

And then once it launches, I'll be writing one script and recording it to air on both platforms. So the same content will be on my podcast and on YouTube, which is why you don't need to listen in both places. So it's going to be the same thing. The recording process has been okay. Of course, it's a little bit different. It does require some more prep. I work from home, and I hope I'm not alone in the fact that working from home most days I'm in my jammies or loungewear, no makeup on, definitely not camera ready. So getting camera ready requires a little extra planning.

It's not hard, it's. It's just an extra step that I'm having to do with the YouTube recording that I previously haven't had to do. Doing audio only here for the podcast. And since I am choosing to read scripts and I want to also be looking at the camera, I bought a small teleprompter. If you are a fellow script lover, you might want one too, but it's definitely not essential for most people now when it comes to editing. I am already comfortable editing audio. Very comfortable. I started out in the industry as an editor and so editing video feels kind of like a natural extension.

I am using a new software, so there is a bit of a learning curve there, but it is totally doable. And that brings us to the not so so fun parts of the process. Creating thumbnails. Oh my goodness. This has been the worst part for me. I tried making them myself and they were just awful. I don't have an eye for design and I'm embarrassed to say how much time I wasted trying to get them to look good and just ending up frustrated. So I decided to outsource that piece.

And finally, as you might expect, there have also been some mindset hurdles. Seeing yourself on camera brings up stuff I have been way too aware of. My facial expressions, hand movements, all of the different things scrutinizing it when I'm watching the video back. For one video in particular, I kept making these weird hand gestures. I was talking with my hands and it just looked really weird and I really wanted to re record it. But doing the mindset work, I decided to let it be done instead of perfect because probably no one besides me is going to notice that. So the mindset stuff has been a little bit tough at times, but overall I'm counting it as a win. I think it's important to put a disclaimer here that I am not a YouTube expert by any means, and I'm definitely not figuring all of this out alone.

I am working with Jerry Potter, who teaches YouTube specifically for entrepreneurs who want leads and clients. His approach is practical, doable, and super aligned with how I teach podcasting. His program is called YT90 and it shows you how to start and run a YouTube channel in just 90 minutes a week if you're listening to this in real time. His next group cohort is starting soon and I can't recommend it enough. In fact, I actually became an affiliate because I believe in it that much. I would not be starting my channel if it weren't for Jerry and the YT90 program. If you want to go check it out, you can go to thepodcastteacher.com/yt90 and because I am an affiliate, I will earn a small commission if you sign up through that link. So if you do, I will give you a free one on one sign up session with me as a thank you.

But let me be clear and say that I don't think that every podcaster needs to start a YouTube channel. In fact, I don't think most new podcasters should at all. If you are still figuring out how to stay consistent or how to structure your episodes, how to get found on Apple and Spotify, I encourage you to start with audio only. Keep it simple. Adding video adds time, it adds mental bandwidth. You have to think about lighting, cameras, video editing, different sets of SEO strategies, and it's a whole new platform to learn. I waited two years to add on this layer and I'm glad that I did. So if you're still figuring this podcasting thing out, stick with it and you know that I'm here to help.

But if you do feel ready for the next layer, YouTube can be incredibly powerful, especially when you approach it with strategy, support and realistic expectations. So to wrap up today, I wanted to share this news with you for a few a few reasons. Number one, of course it's exciting and I wanted to bring you along for the ride. Two, I hope that this gave you some clarity on whether or not you are ready for YouTube and three, to be totally transparent, making this public announcement will help me not chicken out. So the channel officially launches on December 9th and you can find me at Julia the podcast teacher on YouTube. If you are curious about learning from Jerry, make sure to check out his program at thepodcastteacher.com/yt90 thanks for being here. Until next time, happy podcasting.

Head Shot

Julia Levine

Host