I've said on the podcast many times that I have a face built for podcasting. The personal jab meaning that I'm not some attractive 20 something male model who can garner 500,000 followers just by taking my shirt off. That's why when my wife suggested that I put MEMORY BANK on YouTube I was hesitant. But knowing my wife is brilliant I followed her advice.
In October of 2023 I setup my YouTube Channel to support the podcast and it began automagically pulling in my episodes. The first episode was "48" which to date has had over 800 views and has been my best performing episode on any platform! Chalk another one up for G! She was right AGAIN!
Since then YouTube has consistently beat the numbers from Buzzsprout by a substantial margin. Well over 7-1 on average. So when YouTube sent me a "CREATOR SURVEY" asking for my feedback I was more than happy to comply.
Full Disclosure Here: I do not have by any stretch of the imagination the numbers to make a living off of podcasting. And though I do have DeVere as my sponsor, their support essentially covers my monthly expenses (hosting, website, Adobe Cloud suite, etc.) so that I can create podcasts for free.
Full Disclosure Here - Part II: I would really love to make a living off of podcasting.
So I was brutally honest when answering their questions about their product, the complexities of the user agreement that I'm confident NOBODY reads unless they are making millions (cough Mr. Beast cough), and most importantly the blurry lines around content ownership and monetization. I also did my best to answer the questions with the mindset of a creator who relies on YouTube as their primary source of income - though, as I said, it most definitely is not.
But the hope/dream is that maybe someday if I continue to work at my show that may become a reality. And if that day should ever come I would hope that my answers to the survey will help improve the platform and further solidify it as a viable employment opportunity for anyone willing to put in the work.
And I do mean "Put In The WORK!".
I'm not talking about those viral video creators who look good on camera and get thousands if not millions of followers. Those people do not represent the majority of content creators on YouTube. I'm talking about the little guys like me who grind out content as much as possible while raising a family and holding down a 9-5 job here in the real world. All for a follower count that is a far cry from even breaking 100 followers.
I do this because I love it.
I do this because I can't not do it.
I do it so that maybe in some way I can make your day brighter, better, and realize that you aren't alone in this huge crazy world where life likes to pop you on the head sometimes just because it can. And for that reason alone I hope you follow the channel, podcast, and support the show.
And if by any chance someone at YouTube is reading this . . . call me!
I have a lot more to say.