YouTube is full of copycats

Author

Jay Alto
February 05, 2023

YouTube is full of copycats.

Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes, 5 seconds

Hello there. Welcome to the Curious Creator.

How am I going to entertain you this week? With some high-grade knowledge.

1/ Creator Tip - Ryan Trahan speaking facts

2/ Bangers of the Week - 3 pieces of content you simply must consume

3/ Weekly Ramble - The real reason YouTube is full of copycats

It’ll be worth it…

Creator Tip

Let’s start with some Ryan Trahan wisdom…

This is from his interview with Colin and Samir (just before he started the penny series) and it’s something a lot of creators need to hear:

“We have a vision this year, and it’s how can we say something? What are we doing here if not to contribute to society in some way? That’s all art does, it’s supposed to have a message, it’s supposed to have a purpose”.

Your videos don’t have to change the world but they should at least have a positive effect on the viewers and that's your responsibility as a creator.

Well said, Ryan.

Bangers of the Week

Most YouTubers are focused on maximising subscribers but not many are focused on maximising true fans.

True fans are the people that really get you, people who you have a true connection with.

To me, this is what YouTube is all about. Millions of subscribers are cool but a strong community of people that are true fans of what you do, that’s really cool.

Paddy asked, YouTubers with millions of subscribers listened.

Some absolute knowledge bombs in here, don’t miss it.

I really don’t know who Jon Norman is but I like him, I like him a lot.

I stumbled across this video and it didn’t take me long to realise, Jon gets it.

He should definitely post more but until then, make sure you watch this one.

Weekly Ramble

And this week, what am I going to ramble about?

The fact that YouTube is full of copycats.

Ever watch YouTube and think everyone's videos are starting to feel the same? Me too.

And I see why.

It’s easy for creators to look at what’s working in a particular niche and think the best strategy is to replicate it. Especially when most of the time, it seems to work.

This is a shot from Ryan Trahan’s interview with Colin and Samir:

Now, in this particular niche, it’s often called MrBeast-ification. One person on top of the niche and a bunch of other channels trying to replicate their success.

But it doesn’t just happen in this niche, it happens in all niches.

And look, I actually think it’s a good idea (especially early on) to look at the people crushing it in your niche and use them as inspiration.

But that last word is crucial. Inspiration, not imitation.

Blatantly copying someone is only going to get you so far. It's the easy option and let's be honest, it's just lazy.

Using someone else's work as inspiration but then adding your own creative touch is a far more effective strategy.

Why?

Well, adding your own creative touch and taking creative risks is the only way you’re going to find your own style. Something that is truly you, not someone else.

It’s the only way you can create something great and build a real audience of people that watch you for you, not because you sort of feel like someone else they like watching.

And let’s be real here, it won’t work right away, it’s damn hard and in the short term, it’s going to be much ‘easier’ to just copy other people.

But in long run, if you can find your own style that people really like, it will all pay off.

And you’ll become the one people are trying to copy.

That's when you know you've made.

Thanks for reading. Jay Alto.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reply to this email (I will reply).