Trust me, “niche down” is awful advice…

Trust me, okay...

[@KRXOVRmedia]

"building your own cage" is definitelyyyyyy the best way to describe this experience

[@BenDevery]

One of the best KZbin videos I have seen. Niching down is so hard, becoming the niche … now that’s mind blowing stuff. Would love to see a follow up! How to become the niche 🤔

[@zernoofficial]

Jay, you're videos are changing my views on life. I can not thank you enough. Please never stop creating.

[@thejayalto]

It's my pleasure (and I ain't stopping any time soon)

[@LuaZerola]

Finally there’s a true saying .. No niche is better than yourself 🥂👏

[@MikeCrocker]

YESSSS this is the exact ideology I've been subscribing to for my entire KZbin journey! If you look at a lot of top creators they are, like you said, their own niche. If you look at the comments of a lot of these creators, you'll oftentimes find a comment that says, "I would watch this guy do his taxes." THAT's how you know you've become your own niche. The problem is that building a channel this way takes a hell of a long time, but I believe that once you do, you have one of the most dedicated, unwavering kinds of audiences. One of the best pieces of advice I've heard around this topic is, "Give them you until you is what they want."

[@Leada1ne]

This makes sooooo much sense!! It's exactly why I chose "Vlogging" to start my KZbin channel!! I just got tired of watching ppl sit behind the desk (Not You Jay) I got to the point to where I wanted to see ppl in different environments!! Thank you for sharing this eye opener with the world!!

[@Si_Mion]

Same here

[@perry.playss]

Hi dude. Couldn’t have said it any better. You are spot on. One thing I’ve realised about some KZbinrs who start researching on how to grow on KZbin usually end up becoming KZbin growth creators and I almost fell victim to this myself . I’ve been following 3 KZbin growth content creators for some months now and the thing they have in common is that they started doing research on how to grow their channel and at one point decided to make “how to grow on KZbin” tutorials which surprisingly got picked up by the algorithm and they found themselves having an audience that followed them for the KZbin growth content and not the thing they wanted to pursue. A lot of people want to grow and go viral and because of this most people end up making content on things they think has a high chance of going viral instead of what they are passionate about. There’s a channel called profound pondering, this channel is the exact opposite of what we think the do’s of KZbin are. The guy literally uses the same thumbnail for most of the 300+ uploads on the channel yet he has I think by now surpassed 100k subs half of which he gained in less than a month. What this guy made me realise is that if he can go viral while doing everything wrong, I can also in some way become successful on KZbin in one way or another, the key thing is to be patient and focus on improving something in your videos with every upload. I believe that you can pick any niche regardless of how competitive it is as long as you can find a way to use your unfair advantage to your advantage.

[@thejayalto]

I saw a video of his pop off recently. Very interesting example.

[@MatthiasLenardt]

Completely agree with you. I think and act the same ❤

[@frankmckinley1254]

Yes the great KZbin marketing channels you showed in your opening clip all chant this mantra. Thanks for a different perspective.

[@DayoSamuelMastery]

This is exactly what I’ve been preaching to many people. You are the niche and you will succeed far much more if you create what ONLY YOU can create. So glad I found another voice saying it!

[@vikkiflawith2024]

I so agree!!! The problem with 'niching down' is it asks you to develop, promote and deliver only a small fragment of who you are. If I am friends with someone, I recognize their complexity and innate diversity of talents, skills and perspectives. Coming to youtube with the idea of sharing my creativity and way of thinking, I watched a zillion advice videos and created a dozen different channels thinking I had to parcel out bits of myself in order to be successful. Just recently I started to see the flaw in this approach. I hesitated to post videos outside the 'niche' I was advised to have, and fought myself in trying to confirm to a standard set by others. As a voice teacher, I had always said, the only difference between myself and another practitioner of bel canto, is my story. Me. Who I am and the path I have walked. So your video is very timely, wise and real. Joan Sutherland was once asked what advice she would give beginning singers. She said, 'just be you.' Thanks for the reminder Jay :)

[@thejayalto]

It's my pleasure. Don't let the algorithm restrict you.

[@Alltheworldsillz]

I scream at people to be a “lifestyle” creator. It sounds nicer to them and I’m able to tell them NOT to niche down. Shoot I even gave in and niched down last year. Miserable is what I was. My versatility is what has helped me stay a full time creator for over a decade. I have something for everyone. Don’t niche, you’re just making a “club” and excluding others. Just come as you are.

[@PropheticCoachTheresa]

Love this message, so great. And so true. Peace!

[@jeremyvest]

Hey Jay, love your thumbnail advice. In my opinion you are still in the niche of KZbin. If you started talking about breakdancing or surfing I really do think your 7k subscribers would shatter into many different personas. Then your returning viewers would not be delivered the promise they came to know you for. And I've seen many channels stay caught up in this cycle of bringing in new viewers but not really growing. MrBeast, Casey and almost everyone successful might talk about many different things but they deliver the same promise on every upload. But I do think evolution is a good thing and I'm glad Jimmy went from Gaming to what he does today. I'm a big fan, keep pushing.

[@uncletj1]

Man, I just went through the exact same thing. I was stuck in a niche that I no longer enjoyed. So I decided to pivot and make me the main character for my channel. Even though I’m losing subscribers, I’m free to be me, and I’m a lot happier and mentally healthier! Thank you for giving me confirmation and hope!

[@thejayalto]

Long term games

[@Yoyoadventure]

Thx for that ! I was so frustrated cuz I couldn’t find “my niche” I just realised it doesn’t matter I am my niche

[@rondelfilms]

This is the best thing I've heard for youtube advice. I've been struggling so much with only liking one thing forever. I've been told so much times - just do one thing forever but like i'm human? Humans don't just like or are interested in one thing. Making a youtube channel around one thing for a long time just isn't for me - I might as well stay at my 9-5 since that's pretty much what that is

[@Yoyoadventure]

Sameee I don’t understand why it’s believed in our society that we can have only one talent and one hobby like 💀. That’s so reductive and boring humans have always been polyvalent and our taste changes over time

[@Maofdi-Music]

I like your approach. I've always struggled with this niche down thing

[@SvenZolo]

i cant stop rewatching this video, it has so much information that really helps.

[@MicahSimpson]

“A lot has changed, my hair has grown” 😂 thanks Jay! Appreciate your honesty

[@Jedwerd]

great advice bro. I have 100k subscribers built off the back of Star Wars, and I've just decided to move away from Star Wars this week. so far, it's not going too well, tbh, and the views are significantly down, but I think I have an idea with how to keep my audience, or at least some of them, and still broaden what I make vids about. anyway, that's a lot of yap, but great vid

[@agustinhernandez8461]

I would be very upset if you niched down Jay Alto. You are literally the niche and you make your whole life story worth listening too💪 Keep it up

[@GeoTactics]

Great message Jay. Totally agree. I am looking at launching another channel where "I" am the niche and can talk about whatever I want and whatever I am passionate about. I actually started one a couple of weeks ago but YT shut it down with just the first video. I never got a satisfactory answer. Was I hacked? Did I do or say something inappropriate? I've been in a depression spiral ever since because I had invested a lot of money and time on equipment, programs, and additional drone footage I hired someone for. I am going to try that new channel idea again. I have a lot of video I have shot and have a lot of content I think would be fun for many to watch. I want to entertain and educate.

[@iamericlenz]

Too real. Especially when starting out on KZbin and on video performs well... Logically, you think: "I need to do more of that", and now you're trapped inside the cage of your own success... Great advice! This has been my philosophy for a while now. More creators need to hear that.

[@Yoyoadventure]

This so real! My best performing videos are about languages and know I feel the pressure of only doing that and trapping myself into a niche I didn’t choose. I guess I gotta do what I like and that’s it even tho it might perform less

[@TylerTalksYT]

Hey Jay, thanks a bunch for the breakdown, but I very much disagree. I think it is ESSENTIAL to begin in a niche. It's idealistic to think people will come for you, when no one knows who you are at the beginning. You must have a niche in order to bring in a specific audience, otherwise you're competing with the MrBeasts of the world who have money, a team, and resources you DO NOT have. Beginning in a niche and eventually pivoting out if you feel the need is what I'd recommend for anyone starting out posting videos.

[@thejayalto]

Even if you pick a niche, you're still going up against MrBeast... 'Being the niche' doesn't mean making bad content, or random videos about what you had for lunch, it means providing value through your own experiences, opinions etc. Otherwise, it's just transactional - the viewer isn't there for you and you can be easily replaced.

[@ChrisCammarano]

Thank God someone finally said it! I also fell into this trap, and man, the amount of time I lost obsessing over the research for the perfect niche for me! Time that I could have spent actually making videos and naturally discovering which kind of video I prefer to make. Luckily, I realized that right now it’s not a reasonable strategy for me to niche down, and I’m broadening the topics of my next videos P.S. Fun fact: when I convinced myself of this choice, I asked myself the exact same question about Casey’s niche and gave myself the exact same answer that you did. It’s absurd the impact this man has had on thousands (maybe millions) of creators

[@reality-rise]

Let's make this happen together people! We're a family!

[@mariavic1304]

I believe your advice works once you have a huge audience, other way the algorithm will not know how to classify your content and you will never works Also, I would say Casey is a lifestyle creator. His niche is his life. But imagine if someone does a beauty tutorial, then a tutorial on how to fix your bike, then a speed painting video, then a book review... yes, there are people who like all four things, but most people will follow you from that one tutorial on the topic that they liked and will skip the rest, which also doesn't help with the algorithm. I speak from experience in everything I say. I did youtube for 8 years and as I am passionate about lots of topics, i would do -book reviews -makeup tutorials -fashion hauls -DIY -movie reviews -comedy skits -storytimes -political rants -marketing advice -music videos -travel vlogs -sentimental advice Yes, I had some loyal fans that watched everything, but they were just a few. The rest skipped the videos that they weren't interested in and the algorithm understood that people didn't want to watch my content so i got less views with every video. Now I'm doing tiktok and that is different because the algorithm is different than youtube (still it has gotten better since i started doing mainly one type of video)

[@TechWandererYT]

This. You can build an audience with you being the niche. But is is going to be an extremely narrow bunch of people for most people. Let alone how to monetize the audience in the process. The “Dan Koe” advice of you being the niche is oversimplified, to say the least. Your life and opinions can be, but do not be mistake: this is still a niche. People subscribe to your opinions on the world and to learn something new. Try uploading a video on repairing your bike or something tomorrow. 😂

[@RedPandaTalks0]

yes I agree. doing multiple nichie hurts your channel instead should do other topics based on your nichie thats a better advice because if you a youtuber that does book reviews topic that means you will only talk about different types of books that is based on the nichie instead of doing other topics thats not related to books.

[@thejayalto]

I appreciate your thoughts. It's a balance, for sure. Working out the way you can consistently provide value to your audience isn't easy (and it takes a lot of time to build that relationship with your audience).

[@TamaraGabrielUK]

I couldn't agree more. Every time I look at my channel I see my cage. Whilst still making the videos I make there's still so much more to explore and add. Thanks for that final push I needed.

[@t.tatethorpe]

I really like these viewpoints. And you opened my eyes to this, especially with the Casey Neistat example. Thank you!

[@RegularHumanYouTuber]

This is true for everything. My wife and I run a small business, people can get the service we provide from a number of businesses, but they come to us, because of...us.

[@DADDIOH]

Just came to this realization recently as well. As such, my partner in crime and I are in the process of pivoting our content. Thank you for confirming Jay 🙏

[@pcgus]

I really wanted to just quickly take a second and say thank you for making this video! You bring up some incredible points and I'm so glad I was able to hear them!

[@thejayalto]

I'm glad you could hear them as well

[@yaxtro]

⚡ Hi, I'm RETRO! ⚡ As an independent musician trying to grow my presence on KZbin, I've been tempted to niche down so that I can grow my channel. But I've decided to stay the course and keep making electrifying music, because that is what I love to do.

[@thejayalto]

Keep going, Retro!

[@ModernRemade]

For me, I value what you say, how you say it and what you don't say as well! As you said, I too find the same repetitious ideas and advice often permeate the internet. They may contain their own unique value at a time, but imo the internet (world) needs more contrasting ideas and perspectives, no matter the topic. Perspectives you simply and eloquently provide. As long as you keep doing that, I'm here for it 🤌🏻

[@thejayalto]

Appreciate you. Trusting the messenger, not just the message.

[@graphicinsights466]

Well said Jay! My brother and I are starting our YT journey and were just talking about this exact thing today. We both knew we couldn't be the only ones that felt this way. CREATE away! If they don't like a video, the audience will be back for others.

[@thejayalto]

Perfect timing

[@stevenshea]

Funny. When I found you on KZbin a while back I thought “ isn’t he the thumbnail guy” but I stayed because I appreciate how you show up.

[@thejayalto]

RIP the thumbnail guy

[@readonemohamed8310]

"But we are just guide creators. We always made guides..." This is what my friend answered recently when we were faced with a declining channel. She is the face of the channel and I do a lot backstage. And in fact we always made guides. Hyper optimized and stuff. These videos when they popped off made a lot of views. But 2 years later we can say with confidence that we still don't have an actual audience. Because we never did audience building. We banked on viral success. That was the whole strategy. Videos that have more personality? We stopped making them when we noted that they don't make as much views. But guess what if we would have pulled through with them and made them alongside our regular content, we could have build up an actual dedicated audience that watches our videos because they like us not because of the topic. Of course this means to invest into yourself as a person. You have to develop personality that can attract people. This takes years. But it's worth it in the long run.

[@mrcoinfidence]

Just keep making videos you're comfortable in and keep spreading you want to with the world. Be it a story, a piece of knowledge or even as small as one particular incident. You'll find the audience. Thank you, Jay.

[@hml]

This video is just what I needed to hear at this point in my KZbin journey! Thank you 🙏!

[@thejayalto]

I'm glad I could help

[@JonathanEBoyd]

I like the sound of this approach . i like to hear your opinion on these topics . i think Niche ing down is good In the beginning cause you have to be known for something to stand out in this busy world . becoming the niche is harder than it sounds but i get it and it come with time and lots of effort .

[@ivan_rios]

Canales como estos deberían tener miles de suscriptores por el valor que aportan con sus palabras. Ya que dejan de centrarse unicamente en generar dopamina. Gracias Jay

[@jansleyreal]

Well said, I try so hard not to pigeonhole myself into one niche. I am the niche.

[@DanToruno1]

I think your story/the way things worked out well. Building that foundation with the thumbnails is a good stepping stone into branching in to other topics like content marketing through the lens of of your personal experiences. You become an authority in one thing and expand over time still seems like a sound strategy. Reminds me of this video I saw earlier this week, kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4ism5mimq9ji9U The creator was arguing that a singular niche is what enables you to build that initial authority quickly. Seems like your niche must've felt very cage-like because it was hyper-specific.

[@ScottfromCalifornia]

Love this! Tim Ferris says something similar...he says to strive to "become a category of one" (he mentions it in his interview with Colin and Samir)

[@video4ai]

i love all your videos! Thanks for sharing!

[@humansofmagic]

Jay, killing it with the stark honesty. Love it. Keep doing you.

[@LearnCompositionOnline]

What people nowadays often call niche down is to be so narrow minded as possible . They are also not experts because expertise requires the general knowledge where you come from. The universal gives meaning to the singular

[@NicoleGlass]

Solid advice. I built my own cage, for sure. Once one of my videos took off (about stock photography) I made 50 more videos around the same topic. And now I am a "stock photography channel". Not what I intended to be in the beginning. I felt extremely trapped by the niche. I made a few new channels for other interests and that helps express different parts of myself.

[@Yoyoadventure]

Did your new channel get good traffic? What if you just post about what you like on your current channel and stop posting about stock photography? Curious cuz I am having the same problem

[@SaroDogTraining]

I agree with yoru point. Take my own channel for example. I have tried a few things such as niching down or adding some variety to my content but I have no idea what works the best. My channel is about dogs but that is a wide niche, then I niched down and have content that is about dog training, dog training without treats, beagles, beagle training without treats, and dog behaviour and health...yet, I get viewers who are consuming all those various topics, not a particular topic. But one topic is getting more traffic. In my heart, I knew I wanted to do various topics but I also was forced to niche down by gurus. So, therefore I am as confused as the algorithm of my channel. But your point makes sense. So, I am working on making myself the niche or the brand. Isn't that what you meant? You need to become the brand!

[@anubhab070]

Found this video at the perfect time ,I was having this knnd of dilemma about posting anything outside my 'niche'

[@thejayalto]

Good luck

[@anubhab070]

@@thejayalto thanks, 😊 can u make a video on how to come out with content ideas regularly 🤞

[@yanivhoffman]

So true !!! Took me time as a new creator myself to understand it. I really love your content and view. Please keep it up ❤

[@joeys-wooden-spoon]

loving your content, thanks for sharing

[@SuperflyMN]

I agree. The reason i actually managed to grow was because I experimnted with different niches, lol

[@kjdoesit]

I love the idea of being your own niche because no one can do it like you and thus you carve out your own niche in an already saturated market. However, I often think about my own life and find that I feel it's not as entertaining as it needs to be to attract an audience and that leaves me feeling deflated. So I thought I could embellish my personal stories with some cool editing techniques I love to do and hope it's a success. All the best to everyone putting in the effort. It takes a village.

[@TryandreamzVlogs]

This is so true. I was just thinking about this the other day. How do u know if ur doing bad with the niche that u have chosen? I just do whatever video i want but being consistent with uploads. I am happier even without the results, i’m having fun with the process! I’ve been trying since 15yrs ago or something when youtube wasn’t even like this. I had so many channels 😂 Lol! Keep on trying my guys, we will get there!! 🎉

[@derryXDINES]

Well said, Jay!

[@trvldiary]

I've checked out many videos on your channel and I must say, your content deserves so much more attention! From all I've learned about KZbin over the past few years, your channel is going to explode soon... or I'm just getting out of here, because otherwise, it will make absolutely no sense, haha

[@MattMort]

That's so funny, "become the niche" is what I've been talking about with my friends lately. Kelly Wakasa is the niche, Casey Neistat is the niche, etc. I've been feelin this a lot for the past few months & really believe in it. Keep up the good videos, Jay!

[@thejayalto]

It's the future, sir.

[@aliandwalaa]

Hey Jay! I’ve been subscribed to your channel since a VERY long time. And that’s my first comment. YOU ARE AMAZING!! By that I mean your strategy is working! Because no matter the title or content or thumbnail of your video, I immediately click because it’s you; you are in it! I resonate so much with a lot that you are saying. And as a creator on Instagram (I stopped posting to youtube) your advice has helped me transition from one identity and style of content that I didn’t like anymore to something that I love doing! And I would love to have a constructive conversation with you and ask for your advice on so many things. I know that down the line this channel is going to explode not just because of the value that you are giving but because of your unique style of explaining complex information in a very easy to understand way, wish you all the best!❤❤❤

[@thejayalto]

Very kind words, Ali. Thank you!

[@scott_schroeder]

Great video, niche down is what grew my tech channel, but its why I had to create a new one that has to do with me. I like tech, but it's the smallest fraction of who I am. Terrific video!

[@PaulYuNow]

Jay I am loving these. You are the niche. Whatever you post, whatever you want to say, I will watch you.

[@thejayalto]

I appreciate you, Paul!

[@LeaveCurious]

Interesting, I have some thoughts to add to this. I've spent nearly 8 years creating on KZbin and its now my fulltime job. I guess from the outside you'd see Leave Curious as in the nature niche or more specially nature restoration. I have been very intentional about growing this channel and entering a niche but I certainly don't feel caged by it. I make a variety of different videos on many topics in the world of rewilding, traveling, being outside and meeting different people. I love it! I spent my first four years on youtube "being the niche" like you, inspired by casey and other vloggers of the time, I started a vlog about my life. It was really fun diving in, covering lots of different topics and sharing my ideas, what I'm up to that day. Not to mention it taught me how to actually make videos & tell stories. But in the end, I felt that the content didn't serve anything wider than myself. I was actually a bit fed up with what felt like a lack of purpose for the channel, being interested in so many aspects of life & sharing it all on the channel felt messy. For context I posted nearly 800 vlogs on that channel over that time & it grew to 1.5k subscribers. Following this I created Leave Curious & I guess in many ways, I am still the niche... but within a niche. I share my thoughts and opinions on a topic I care alot about. Without having to share or post about other things I'm interested in... for me this helps my sanity, it helps the viewer know what to expect & I'm only getting better at making videos about something I really love. I've listen to casey nesitat talk about his vlog & although it brought him success, he seemed like he regretted externalising every part of his life through his vlog, leaving nothing for himself. Its pretty extreme though. Just to add, there is no right way to do youtube. You could definitely make a variety channel covering lots of different topics... ultimatley making great youtube videos is about the idea, packaging and storytelling - no matter the niche!

[@thejayalto]

Having looked at your channel, I think you are the niche. Yes, your videos are somewhat consistent in topic, but it certainly feels like people are clicking for you, not just what you're talking about.

[@JamesGWall]

I think niching down is meant to start to build an audience, and as your audience grows you expand your niche with related niches. And if you’re good at storytelling you’ll start to incorporate your personality so your audience start to like you more than the niches.

[@humphrey]

Jay, love your set. I think you are right - you are unique and no one can "do you" better than you can. Enjoying the videos lately, keep it up

[@thejayalto]

Thank you, Humphrey - I knew you'd appreciate the vintage Apple posters in the background.

[@TheCreateOutdoors]

I think niching down can 100% go too far. Like you said you started with, just thumbnails, you are right, it will only take you so far. I think there are two sides to KZbin, the niche creator, and the personality creator. Casey fits into that personality creator type. Overall, no matter what type of creator you start as, the most successful will evolve to a personality type, if they haven’t already.

[@RoryBland]

Loved this video. Yep I initially found you as the thumbnail guy, but am loving these videos and breakdowns more than any of that stuff you produced before. Will keep showing up for your videos to hear what you have to say as I get a lot of value out of it for myself! Will be implementing this perspective into my biz 100% as I def feel like I got stuck in my niche!

[@thejayalto]

Good luck

[@o0o0ll0o0o]

The niche down advice creators had a niche niche 😅

[@RomanShevyakov]

SO true.

[@SeanOulashin]

Jay, this is awesome. Thanks for sharing this. This is super eye-opening to me. Love your stuff!

[@thejayalto]

It was my pleasure, sir

[@Mercanthony]

I made this discovery not that long ago too. After almost 13 years of creating different types of content on different channels, social platforms, and niches as my interests changed over the years, I’ve come to realize it was time to make a content model that could ever grow and adapt to who I am over time.

[@thejayalto]

Then you're winning

[@MasterEth]

it's crazy how i also listened to youtube gurus only to realize how self-serving they were being with their content.

[@jakefelzien]

Great stuff as always Jay 😊

[@thejayalto]

Thank you, Jake!

[@KellanReck]

Genius! Really appreciate this, Jay!

[@HaroldMapua]

If you become the niche who will be your target audience?

[@bexiexz]

such a well presented video Jay, thanks for this one!

[@thejayalto]

My pleasure. Glad you enjoyed.

[@deweyforever]

Makes perfect sense!! Thanks for solving this piece of the KZbin puzzle for me! 😊

[@thejayalto]

I try my best

[@PauliusCreates]

Really well put sir

[@MyWildBackyard]

I think the "niche problem" as we can simplify it to, speaks to a problem with KZbin recommendations. From the data I've gathered working with other creators and growing a channel, it seems that KZbin REALLY likes to stick viewers into boxes based on topic. The old saying "KZbin wants to find VIDEOS for VIEWERS" is this in a nutshell. The fastest way for KZbin to identify videos a viewer would want to watch is based on the topics they demonstrate interest in. So channels get put into these boxes as well when they try to grow. I get comments from time to time about how I should cover more topics than just venomous spiders when venomous spiders make up less than 25% of the videos I produce. They just happen to be the only topics these same viewers engage with. If I make a video on centipedes or some other creepy crawly (which would still be on-brand for my niche), it totally tanks. On the other side, I get comments from viewers on older videos on tardigrades or carnivorous plants or other really neat wildlife topics, talking about how much the LOVE these types of videos and that I should do more, and can't believe that KZbin didn't recommend those videos to them. I stand by it, the niche problem is entirely to do with KZbin recommendations being somewhat broken currently.

[@thejayalto]

Agreed, if people watch you for a specific topic, that's what they'll be more likely to continue watching (and the algorithm just follows the audience). But if YOU become the topic, you can't lose.

[@MyWildBackyard]

@@thejayalto for smaller and mid-size creators that are trying to balance aggressive growth based on their data trends and being the brand rather than getting pigeonholed, what does becoming the niche look like from an actionable standpoint in your opinion?

[@Burbie]

also its been a while since i've come to ur channel, i used to watch at the start when u had ur discord server too and you've really gotten ur style now it feels to perfectly represent and compliment u

[@wo0dy]

you look at all the 'older' youtubers. They have 1 channel, they built their audience around them doing anything and everything, if you notice now, there are less people like that, because we have been told by the platform and by others that we have to fit in a box in order to 'get views and grow' you have to be known for something else are are almost made to believe you go nowhere, sadly for the most part that is true, people need a reason to watch you now, and just because you did 1 video they liked doesnt mean they are likely to watch another on a different topic. niche down is a product of our (creators and audiences) making, people want to be fed specific things, so in order to grow you have to make samey content, people are losing character at the expense of maintaining views, once you have the established audience they you can try 1 or 2 different things to see how they land.. but until then.. good luck..

[@PsychoPetro]

Your content is amazing but I need to be a little critical here, Niche-ing down is the main way to target an audience and if you don't target an audience how can you expect to even get one? that doesn't mean throw out authenticity you can have both, its not one or the other. I think of it like a bakery, if you got stuck being a thumbnails guy then you built a bakery that sells only a single loaf of bread but when people go to the bakery they don't just want bread sometimes they want croissants or danishes or cookies ect. In this circumstance the niche is KZbin Strategy and thumbnails is just a step under it but people who want thumbnail solutions also want to talk about everything KZbin strategy. If your goal is to grow on KZbin you can't upload a video about KZbin strategy on Sunday then on Tuesday you talk about car repair and on Friday you stream rainbow 6 siege, that just doesn't work and if you being the niche itself is going to end up like that then you won't grow but I think you Jay Alto becoming your own niche has caused you to upload a lot of very valuable content to this channel that all ended up being for the same audience so now we your audience have more options then just the bread you were selling. I discovered you because of your thumbnail work and the reason I am a returning viewer is because I found your other content as very valuable because it's all related and in this strategy and self improvement niche. . I've been having a content identity crisis and it caused me not to grow but I finally settled on my bird/parrot niche and all the sudden my channel is getting tens of thousands of views every week now. The answer for me was simply just being consistent with my topic (niche-ing down) and volume and now my returning viewership is spiking up the highest I've ever seen it spike right now.

[@the34thStudent]

Unique and out of the box

[@thejayalto]

Just a guy outside of the box

[@EpicDIZ]

I watch all your videos an am a lurker. I had a video pop off a couple of. years ago and some shorts take off but I just can't find my rhythm anymore. I keep quitting because I lose self-confidence haha Great video

[@thejayalto]

Keep going, sir

[@orlundokhubbard]

Like they say, you only need 1,000 true fans.

[@thejayalto]

Indeed you do.

[@KRXOVRmedia]

I actually didn't even know you were on KZbin, but I def know you as the thumbnail guy on Twitter looool. Just subbed. Thank you for this message. It was right on time for me.

[@efraimae7]

Excellent TedTalk

[@UnfriendlyStoic]

this is art

[@Simon_Losik]

Thank you for this.

[@thejayalto]

No problem

[@beyondbillables]

There's a lot to this. If you niche down, you really, really have to speak to the core pain point of the audience. However, you can't grow beyond that... which is your great point as the thumbnail guy. It makes sense to niche your offer, but not your content long term because as you say, it has to be sustainable long term.

[@LennyTim]

Thank you Jay and good luck! Hope you're right!

[@thejayalto]

Me too...

[@orbitforcreators]

Finding your niche has become the generic advice because it's such an easy concept to teach but you're absolutely right - it's garbage advice. The "niche" is just what you make videos about and says nothing about the how and why - which is what actually has an impact on viewers.

[@thejayalto]

Agreed.

[@3Prayt]

Damn, that's true. It works at the start but nothing is unlimited.

[@thejayalto]

Long term >

[@abanannalife]

niche up

[@FloydTaylor]

I think niching down can be fine. At some point you become so good you are able to transcend that niche. The real question is one of timing. I hypothesise you might have left the thumbnail cage too early. Having a million Twitter followers could have been leveraged to a lot more free press/media/podcast opportunities to launch a YT channel from as well as lot longer time next to however many creators you can consciously absorb information from by working with them. There's a vacuum in Twitter thumbnail land that hasn't been filled with any great authority. In fact, the Twitter thumbnail scene has regressed somewhat. I think you could still do that. I would encourage you to upload your videos to twitter as well. My 2c.

[@MrWhitby]

Awesome advice!

[@burnieclimber]

Content Jesus for the W!

[@thejayalto]

Always

[@loricat5606]

Thank you!

[@Benjamin.stevens]

Jay, would you consider opening a group where we can think together and help each other improve?

[@connerpowersyoutube]

Appreciate you 🙏