I’ll be brief here. Eves fills the middle of his book with basic online marketing knowledge. It’s not trivial by any means but much of it not new and since it’s not I’ll present it in outline form. Keep in mind that there are similarities in platforms but they don’t share the same algorithms. Twitter and LinkedIn emphasize hashtags but YouTube has gone way beyond that with parent company Google’s deep learning AI . Keep in mind that I’m writing about YouTube here.

1. Videos must come from a passionate interest. Otherwise you won’t last as a channel. You can focus in but don’t change interests. Everything you post needs to contain three elements to help the search engines find you. Including these nets more efficient search results.

a. A title that accurately announces the content

b. A picture that conveys the content visually.

c. A thumbnail description in as few words as possible. 60 characters or less is optimal.

2. Know your audience (aka avatar). This step involves looking at the demographics of your target audience (age, education, location, etc.) plus psychographics (behavioral habits, media preferences, etc.). Understanding your avatar is key so Eves suggests researching real time sources like Subreddit groups and YouTube for reconnaissance.

It’s easy to cheat on this step by assuming you already know the type person who’s interested in your message but that’s a big mistake. Eves gives case studies on researching/reading Subreddits to find the people who geek out on your topic. He also advocates finding 20 YouTube channels on your specific topic and studying their content and metrics to see what’s working and what isn’t.

3. Join or form a mastermind group with other local YouTube creators. So while all the above is good, go a step further and network with your competitors. Ask questions, share your knowledge and develop bonds.

Finally, for this mid-section of the book, which, in dramatic terms, is the second act, study the metrics and feedback regularly and adjust your content accordingly. One very simple action is to check out what’s trending on a platform. You can increase views simply by being aware of what people are most interested in at a particular day and time.

I know this isn’t very sexy stuff to discuss but if you’re interested in growing your reach and potential income, this is valuable to understand.