The YouTube rat race

I need a haircut

[@epochgd]

I hate how I actually watched the subway surfers during the essay, lol... great video man :)

[@thejayalto]

Yeah it’s actually seriously op. Concerning.

[@ModernCavemanLukas]

I tried to resist my monkey brain. But the monkey brain won 😞

[@ivycomb]

A really big disconnect people have with social media in general is that they've connected success entirely with "how many views am I getting," and then they compare themselves to the *biggest* creators on the platform. You don't need 5 million views a month on KZbin to go full time. You don't need to go full time to be a successful KZbinr. I think the true biggest metric for success is making content that people *remember* and *want to watch again.* Building a community, with a connection to your audience, matters a lot. And many people lose sight of that over simply having the biggest number by any means possible. Take time to make memorable stuff. Build a community that cares about what you have, and wants to come back, and you'll have a career for the long time. Love your stuff Jay, I've been mostly a lurker but been watching since when you announced you'd start uploading here from Twitter. Keep up the good work. P.S. Love the FaZe reference LOL not something I expected. Illcams 37 is still burned into my memory as top tier nostalgia

[@thejayalto]

Very well said. Good to have you, sir. Nothing will beat the mw2/faze days.

[@RispGD]

funny seeing ivycomb on a video with 500 views lol

[@SeanOulashin]

Every video you upload I find myself becoming a bigger and bigger fan of you. There are so many points here that resonate with me. Thanks so much for sharing. A lot of what you say in your videos goes a long way in validating what I think I already know about this whole adventure. Thanks again Jay!

[@thejayalto]

Just trying to figure it all out. Always a pleasure to have you watching, Sean.

[@IDTS]

best cameo

[@AskYourComputerGuy]

Love your "real-guy" approach. Refreshing! Keep going, don't change a thing!!! 💪

[@thejayalto]

That’s the goal. Not changing.

[@Narrowexe]

I've never seen a youtuber so down to earth talking about being a youtuber and measuring success on youtube and I relate a lot with what you said in this video. great video btw

[@MikeChudley]

Really enjoyed this, agree with the whole thing. Definitely relate to the FaZe Clan story haha

[@thejayalto]

Responsible for a lot of KZbinrs

[@KDotz]

Great video as always (I watch all your videos as a die-hard fan and aspiring KZbinr)

[@thejayalto]

Thank you sir

[@TechTroublemaker]

This is the first time I haven’t faced burnout in content creation by focusing on giving value and enjoying the ride.

[@thejayalto]

Provide value and enjoy the ride. Great mission statement.

[@shaunthomasgaming]

Another great Video with more great insights. Also as a side note I love that you're taking the time to respond to almost all the comments! As a gaming content creator I find it hard not to compare myself to the big channels in the same space, playing the same games and wondering if I too can really compete with their numbers and presence I the space. It can be very daunting. While yes I do want A Million Plus subscribers and every video to 'do well' and I really do want to be a full time youtuber (because who doesn't) and at time SO MUCH emphasis is put on the subscriber and views count. I do think there is a lot to building a strong core at the heart of a following on any platform. But it feels very tough at times when everything seems so cookie cut, factory built right now.

[@thejayalto]

If someone goes out of their way to leave a comment, I should go out of mine to respond. And yes, it’s certainly difficult. But when everything else is the same, it means there’s an opportunity to be different.

[@AdrianFoitik]

Trust economy instead of attention economy. That would be a great society to live in. Thanks for the refreshing perspective.

[@thejayalto]

Anytime, sir

[@BrettWestgor]

Jay, I've watched all your videos of the last 5-6 months. I think you're doing a great job

[@thejayalto]

I appreciate you, Brett.

[@RomanShevyakov]

That's so true. Young creators should listen to your advice very carefully. I've had some experience behind KZbin scenes before starting my own channel so from the beginning I place my bet on true fans. This was a lifechanging decision. My channel doesn't have millions of subscribers now and not every video get even 50000 views. But quality of life is so much higher than even 1M+ guys have. I know a lot of my viewers personally, we often plays board games IRL or just have a conversations. It's like having a friends all around the globe. I go to some places and there's someone I can talk to. I got my merch soldout in few days every time it drops. Level of support from true fans is incredible. Also brands give so much better terms because of that. I couldn't care less about views. I just make stories and have fun. The ultimate KZbin goal, I guess.

[@thejayalto]

You’re not wrong.

[@alexfinger9928]

It’s so refreshing to come across creators like yourself who are true to themselves. There’s a book called Diffusion of Innovation which talks about the spread of ideas and reaching the point of critical mass. A normal distribution is broken down into innovators, early adopters, fast followers, etc. and he emphasizes that once you get that first 16% (your trusting loyal followers) the rest snowballs. You’re so right that today it’s never been easier to make this platform into a career or business or whatever your vision is. We have tools like patreon that help us continue to serve our 16% as they support us. Thank you for a thought provoking video. It’s reminding me why I love creating and inspiring me to use KZbin as a platform to share my stories.

[@thejayalto]

Read a similar thing in ‘Crossing The Chasm’. Brilliant idea.

[@DavidTielke]

You not only look like jesus (really like your style), you also share the amount of wisdom :D By far the best and most motivating video i have seen for a long time, great job - big thanks!!!

[@thejayalto]

My pleasure, David!

[@MyNameIsDeya]

I changed my success metric from views/subscribers to 'my dream comments' and it's been giving me a MUCH better compass for 1) creating the type of content I want to create 2) delivering the value I want to deliver and 3) building the community that I want to build aka people I'd actually want to be business friends with. It's also a good sign of a subscriber that cares about your content! Also this quote from Noah Kagan: ”The lifetime value, not to mention the lifelong joy, generated by a community of 100 high-value, attentive fans who know, like and trust you will dwarf whatever short-term satisfaction you may get from having 10,000 low-value, inattentive followers.”

[@it_is_charisma]

Jay, I somehow always find myself coming back to your videos just when I'm ready to be in the "KZbin" mood again. It's like there's a certain time of year for a few months where there's nothing I want more than to be a full-time KZbinr again, and you're always at the epicenter of an existing thought I have. Just a few minutes ago, I sat down and recorded an uncut video of 40 minutes of me reflecting on the past few months since I've decided to get a full-time job to make money. Along the way, I stumbled upon an idea that I feel like strikes the core balance that allows me to make videos that I want to make and achieve that goal of building the thoughtful community I've longed for. It makes me personally happy to see that you're constantly getting comments that show how much your content continues to resonates with the hearts of the "hopeless romantic" KZbinrs such as us haha. There are many more creators with several hundreds of thousands of subscribers, where just like that TikToker you mentioned, failed to achieve the connection that you've been able to establish with myself and many others. I'm excited to chase forward and give KZbin another true and honestly shot after several months of "will I" or "won't I" with a renewed vigor of experimentation and passion. Thank you for your work Jay. And also don't be afraid to make other stuff other than KZbin motivation videos if that's what your heart desires :)

[@thejayalto]

Experiment and enjoy the ride. What more can you ask for.

[@JaySwanson]

Solid take. This balance is so hard to strike and it feels like the neverending battle for your own soul (and maybe for those of your true fans too). Thanks for putting it out there, Jay!

[@thejayalto]

“It takes a long time to be able to play like yourself’ Miles Davis

[@LaytonObserves]

The metric of "Who would notice?" if a channel disappeared is great. I'd rather a smaller % of diehard fans than casual ones.

[@thejayalto]

Yeah, I think that’s the most important ‘metric’ going. Optimise for that and you’ll be cooking in no time.

[@yurihamuniz1]

What is it about the subway surfers on the end? Hahaha Another great vídeo Jay

[@djcj]

Love your videos man. Great message. I personally feel like your true 1000 fans wouldn't care about the SS video during the essay but if it's authentic we're here for it!

[@thejayalto]

But if it made them laugh then it’s all worth it.

[@codyballardmadden]

Every creator needs to see this

[@Banosh]

The classic "do whatever you need to reach the top" mindset seems oddly toxic in the world of content creation.

[@thejayalto]

Agreed

[@CameronAlford]

I’m here for the realistic talk and true experience from the industry. If you go big for the short term game you spoke to, I definitely wouldn’t care to tune in anymore because it would be stuff that’s so obvious Keep doing you!

[@thejayalto]

Always.

[@DrumevBG]

Needed to hear this, thank you! 🙏

[@thejayalto]

My pleasure.

[@BrettVaughnB100]

Very true .. if not careful chasing views or trends a person can lose who they are and why they started making content to begin with.. I know sometimes I start to go down that path ... then I get that ugly feeling .. I have figured out how to go full time but I did it by molding my life in such a way that allows it ..multiple streams of income .. simple living and .. I sold my business of 30 years .. Keep it up I enjoy your content

[@thejayalto]

Some people only realise it too late. Thank you for watching.

[@ali.hennaoui]

Oh and btw; I’m one of those people that search for your channel to always look if you posted something!😇

[@thejayalto]

Appreciate you.

[@DavidArmah.]

1000 true fans has been an article i always refer back to when i brainstorm about making youtube full time. Quick question tho Jay (and for anyone else reading this comment that wants to chime in), what do you define as a true fan and how do you measure that? Is it by how many viewers you avg on a livestream (since those people are more deep core supporters) Is it by who buys your merch? How do you define a true fan, would love to hear your thoughts on this?

[@Yoyoadventure]

I would say the people you often interact with, they often comment etc probably come to your live and notice when you’re gone for a while. They are likely to watch all the content you make no matter if it’s not a popular subject. But it’s hard to really count them tbh 😅

[@thejayalto]

I’d use what I discussed - would they noticed if you stopped. That’s a true fan.

[@LurkingProvidence]

This is the good stuff, There's only two people you should be working hard to impress, your "true fans" and most importantly future you! Everything else is smoke and mirrors trying to get you caught up in the rat race. Been here since the "youtube we have a problem" video and I really enjoy this channel, love how it's grown, love watching you grow, excited to follow you were you go next!

[@thejayalto]

I like it. We’re getting there (slowly but surely).

[@tomdmann]

Nice one Jay, another very relatable video - keep doing what you're doing

[@thejayalto]

Roger that

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Extremely well said, as always. I do think it’s harder to come up with relevant monetisation products that will appeal to ‘fans’ if your channel isn’t an educational one - or maybe that’s just me.

[@thejayalto]

Certainly easier but I think the industry is still very early in ‘fan-based’ monetisation for entertainment channels

[@ModernCavemanLukas]

It would be interesting if all the biggest content creators saw this video and applied your advice. I wonder what they would make.

[@thejayalto]

Who would change the least? Those are the creators I respect.

[@nolank5267]

A few of the bigger people on youtube have a genuine following because they have something more to give to their viewers. For example, Markiplier doesn’t treat his viewers as numbers, he treats them like actual people that aren’t too different than him. Some of the best youtubers are able to talk to their viewers at the same wavelength, actually creating an impact and showing that they care.

[@thejayalto]

Make videos for the viewers, not the views.

[@ali.hennaoui]

Thank you for this masterpiece 🙏🏼 i really needed to hear that so bad! You are Amazing Jay, wish you all the best!!❤

[@thejayalto]

(and my pleasure)

[@Yoyoadventure]

That so reassuring to know that more and more people are realising that the number aren’t that important and that success has a different defined to each individual. It’s not easy to get out of the rat race mentality . Love this !

[@thejayalto]

It certainly isn’t (but it’s worth it)

[@Thrive_Insights]

You are acturaly one of the people that I look at as a successful creator, if you would have came out with a community I'd join

[@thejayalto]

Maybe soon…

[@gbocsardi]

Loved this video, it's like a breath of fresh air, I love the friendly chat atmosphere

[@thejayalto]

I’m glad you enjoyed it, sir.

[@velichor]

I know it’s ironic, but… you’ve just earned yourself a new subscriber. 😅 Seriously though, great video. More people need to see this.

[@thejayalto]

Welcome. Happy to have you.

[@PlatinumBro]

Great insights as always Jay

[@thejayalto]

Appreciate you

[@ChrisIzattOfficial]

Thanks, this is a fantastic video & great perspective! I'll keep reminding myself of these sentiments!!

[@thejayalto]

That’s all you can do!

[@SimplyAlexFootball]

You're incredibly genuine that will shine bright when everyone's trying to chase fame

[@thejayalto]

Fingers crossed.

[@ciftcierdinc]

Great stuff Jay, thanks for sharing!

[@thejayalto]

Thanks for watching.

[@PaulYuNow]

Totally agree with you Jay! You're bound to keep attracting more true fans like myself if you keep this up. Glad you touched on this topic

[@thejayalto]

Happy to have you, Paul!

[@RyanLawless]

Having over a million followers but none of them coming to a meet and greet has a very Marshall McLuhan "the medium is the message" lesson embedded in it. Most people follow KZbin first, content second, and creators last. Vanity metrics or not, they get you a seat at the table.

[@thejayalto]

I like the link. I like the link a lot. Always wanted to make a video on that book just never been able to find the angle.

[@DADDIOH]

Love your insight Jay 👍

[@thejayalto]

I love your comment

[@IDTS]

jay almost getting a 7:42 minute video at 7.42k is insane, you thought we wouldn't notice? well you were right i'm probably the only one.

[@thejayalto]

You probably were, yes.

[@IDTS]

​@@thejayalto foolish of me... the plan wasn't to make a video that was the same as your subscriber count... how could i not see it? an hour later you're already on 7.43k... the plan was to make it so it WILL BE, your subscriber count... you're an evil genius jay, you truly are...

[@IDTS]

closer and closer...

[@ArmanZaidi]

these are fantastic reasons, the people chasing views and subscribers do love the easy money behind in it

[@Yoyoadventure]

I mean can’t blame them, but some are going way to far for it

[@thejayalto]

It’ll always be the case. Just got to remind others it’s not the only option.

[@JewishSingers]

loved this video. It's a relaxing different style of content than the rest of youtube! Reminds me of ryan trahan a little bit but better

[@thejayalto]

Well, that’s very kind.

[@PianoVampire]

Excellent video

[@thejayalto]

Thank you.

[@vincaso]

i can tell you made this video truly for yourself as a reminder. Great vid, we should collab

[@thejayalto]

Really all my videos are just glorified notes to self…

[@VoloBuilds]

Thanks for the video, Jay! Great framing regarding monetizing attention vs monetizing trust. I'm now realizing that's what I've been aiming for but never thought of the right word(s) for it. You've definitely given me something to think about. P.S. I would 100% notice and care if you stopped making videos so you can count me as a true fan :)

[@thejayalto]

I’m glad I could help (and glad you would notice)

[@whilefree]

Valid points, very important ones. To me, KZbin is just a medium where I connect to my audience and provide value for them. KZbin is just a tool, nothing more. I'm not a "KZbinr", I'm a Game Developer. Although I look like a KZbinr on the surface...

[@thejayalto]

Good framing. I like it a lot.

[@OctagonalSquare]

The best way to find if you’ve got a good number of true fans is to compare your return viewers, sub count, and your subscribed viewership percentage. The closer all those numbers are to each other, the higher quality your average viewer is. If you have 200k subs, get 200k views, but 99% are from unsubscribed and new viewers, then your subs aren’t even watching your content

[@thejayalto]

Solid indicator.

[@InnerEagle]

Higher you get, more then need you

[@farshaxan]

How do you feel about working or helping very big youtubers on their channels whilst yours is still in the early growth phase? I think you are in a very interesting position. Great thoughts!

[@thejayalto]

It’s helped me out. Skin in the game. Able to test hypothesis. Practise.

[@bitslikesound]

another great video Jay! can i get the info on the mic ur using??

[@thejayalto]

Shure SM58 (I think)

[@JakeyWakey]

Morningfame shows die hard fans (approximately)

[@AxelDaleTattoo]

I think the handheld mic would be better if you were standing otherwise I think an arm is better. Personal choice. Keep up the good videos!

[@thejayalto]

Appreciate the feedback. May bring back the desk.

[@itsbyrobin]

I'm not gonna lie, the subway surfer thing helped 😂 But here's the thing. As big of a backlash this will eventually get, I do think that "subscribers" and "followers" are going away. I genuinely believe that - in due time - we're going to move over to something closer to Spotify (Monthly Active Listeners), which is a much more relevant metric. I don't know what platform will do this first, but I do think it is coming.

[@thejayalto]

I completely agree. Just a legacy metric at this point. It’s just too engrained in the culture.

[@itsbyrobin]

@@thejayalto Can't wait for the big wave of change!

[@Feytown]

Love this insight!

[@thejayalto]

I’m glad!

[@disparato]

Jay might be the first KZbin philosopher, and I'm here for it. Genuine pleasure to hear your perspective.

[@thejayalto]

Genuine pleasure to have you watch it.

[@blytical]

here before this blows up

[@thejayalto]

Maybe…

[@DVnc_]

7:27 my ADHD brain 😭

[@thejayalto]

I got you

[@uncletj1]

Sound advice as always my man! Move over Think Media.

[@thejayalto]

I try my best.

[@beatbuildersstudio]

The problem is that most creators don't view content creation as a business. "KZbinr" is not a job. KZbin is a platform to upload videos. Your job should be what you make content about. If you upload to Instagram you don't call yourself an "Instagramer" Steven Spielberg is a content creator that just happens to make movies but he calls himself a filmmaker. He wouldn't say I'm a " Netflixer" just because his movies are on Netflix.

[@thejayalto]

Document > create

[@630DownTime]

I just watched most in auto play ugh I don’t like it because I forget to click but couldn’t comment until I did ❤anyway great pace great consistency and visuals I just started my channel and I completely appreciate this style of video and content thanks for sharing this got to subscribe good job

[@thejayalto]

Welcome

[@adegbajudavid4964]

Just starting out on youtube 5 videos in about 4k views and I'm heading into this pursuit. Really had to take time off and re-access what were my goals really with my youtube channel

[@thejayalto]

Welcome back.

[@Shardcives]

That's why I say I've already succeeded with youtube and I'm in my endgame. That started when I achieved my first 100k views. My endgame later provided me collabing with large youtubers and then later hitting 1K days as a creator and even later its 500 subscribers. But when i hit 100k views, I stopped caring about views. When I hit 500 subs, I stopped carin about subs. And when I return to uploading, thats exactly what I intend to do: keep trekin the endgame. In that aspect I'm ahead. People notice when I leave and constantly reach out to me to make sure I'm ok. I'm really grateful for that.

[@thejayalto]

Doing it the right way.

[@BrendanMiranda]

Haha I just now realized that the “want to do KZbin” was planted in my head right around the same time with faze and stuff. Probably around MW2 days. Definitely lead to a lot of the illusions and romanticism fizzling away when I actually did it. 😅

[@thejayalto]

We probably shared a lobby together.

[@Ahmerio]

What do you think if we can view KZbin as a business because of desperately wanting money, instead of doing KZbin for fun ?

[@David.Rio_84]

great video, youre chatching to ryan trahan....keep going

[@vincentmadelaine]

Just want to say : Thank you.

[@tomguder]

you got me :)

[@thejayalto]

And I’m glad to have you

[@WalkingandTalkingAussieGirl]

well said sir!!

[@thejayalto]

Appreciate you

[@chrishall2837]

Bro what camera do you use?

[@slimeking101]

I'm not sure, but of you think it looks good. Lighting is just as important.

[@thejayalto]

Urm, Sony A6400 I think

[@MohsinKhan90s]

Hey Man. Would like to connect with you. Big fan of your work.

[@thejayalto]

Discord soon?

[@MohsinKhan90s]

@@thejayalto why not

[@KarlSkorger]

Build Trust ❤

[@thejayalto]

Build trust.

[@SvenZolo]

For anyone who is interested in creating a die hard fanbase, i recommend reading SuperFans by Pat Flynn. Great Book. Might i just add that is a really killer thumbnail.

[@thejayalto]

Good book.

[@personal-tu4dk]

*Please make a video about this* After revisiting the OJ case after he passed, his lawyers were know as the “dream team.” Objective: You are tasks with making the greatest KZbin video ever. Who is you dream team? (5-7 people)

[@thejayalto]

The KZbin dream team. Interesting.

[@heroicdragon]

yo, how do you speak so authentically and eloquently on camera?

[@Yoyoadventure]

I would say with practice , practice as much as you can

[@thejayalto]

Reps. My old videos were trash.

[@TechTroublemaker]

I called it a hamster wheel and you have to keep feeding the machine. I want those things but I have tried to instead focus on making my content better. It is slowly working.

[@loricat5606]

Agreed!

[@thejayalto]

Woo

[@manojkumar-in5jt]

Nice

[@thejayalto]

Thank you.

[@TheHelpScreen]

I just recently started KZbin and im not giving up!, i just wanna say to all small KZbinrs like me, we can do this Guys! Keep Grinding!

[@thejayalto]

You can indeed

[@AliexFolgueira]

I think we have the same number of hardcore subs, 3 lol

[@thejayalto]

Slow and steady wins the race

[@AliexFolgueira]

@thejayalto yup I made peace with forever been a micro youtuber lol 😆 still it is more money than the job I used to have lol

[@burnieclimber]

content J

[@thejayalto]

Always.

[@Ewok8080]

Thank you

[@thejayalto]

My pleasure

[@JamesGWall]

Subscribers mean very little. Over the 10+ years I've had my channel I've gain 20k subs, but if I upload a video I'm lucky to get 200 views. I love the 1000 true fans statement. It's a much longer journey, because it means being true to yourself and hopefully like minded people find you, but when they do they'll love you.

[@thejayalto]

1000 true fans >

[@Jesse-wv2oh]

I can’t tell if this is a real channel, or if the views are paid for. Looking at all the big channels that leave comments. Nevermind, why do I even care

[@thejayalto]

Yeah, I buy views and subscribers (and friends but that’s a different conversation).

[@mxrti.]

Bro I think you should change up the thumbnail because it doesn’t make sense, hear me out, the title is: Escape the KZbin rat race, ok? And the thumbnail is underlining subscriber’s and so ur saying subscribers is all that matters, but the title means that u shouldn’t care only for subs and views! U know what I’m tryna say? (No hate tho, the content is great)

[@thejayalto]

I understand your thinking. My intention was to create some conflict between the thumbnail and title. Thumbnail saying one thing, the title disagreeing with it. Maybe it didn’t hit.

[@nikcherney]

Hey Jay, I would notice if you stop! I actually were thinking yesterday where the Jesus's video...

[@thejayalto]

Jesus don’t miss

[@JUNSKULLY.]

you need a haircut

[@thejayalto]

Literally

[@joshehhlive]

copium for a failed youtube channel

[@thejayalto]

lol

[@jonaragogna]

Though I feel your craving for making authentic content so much, I have to say I disagree for now. Especially as a small creator, I try to: "give people what they want, to show them what they need." I see that you can slowly but surely grow a highly loyal audience with your approach, but for some, there is also time pressure attached to this. Making it work to be able to go full-time. I love the idea of having multiple content buckets: audience growth and audience nurture. Give more people the opportunity to enter your world. If you ever would want to have a chat Jay I would love to, just hit me up!

[@thejayalto]

Agreed. It certainly isn’t binary. You don’t have to only do one, or only do another. In fact a blend of multiple ‘strategies’ is the best strategy. Add me on discord, would love to chat (@jayalto)

[@jonaragogna]

@@thejayalto sent!