Over 1.5 years, I posted 1,500 videos on YouTube, including shorts and long videos, growing my channel to 66,000 subscribers and earning over 50 million rubles. The key lessons include the importance of consistency, understanding YouTube's growth patterns, monetizing beyond ads, and building trust through content. I share my journey, strategies, and a free Notion template to help creators succeed.
Over the past one and a half years, I have uploaded 1,500 videos on my YouTube channel. Half of these are shorts, and the other half are longer videos. Despite having only 66,000 subscribers, which is relatively small, I managed to earn over 50 million rubles from this channel.
In this article, I will share three key rules I learned while posting one video every day for a year on this channel. These rules could have saved me over a year of effort if I had known them from the start. I will also provide a free Notion template that I have used since the channel's inception to manage content publishing across platforms without losing my mind.
I started this channel in May 2022. For the first six months, I posted one video per week, often with poor quality since I didn't have a good camera or microphone. After earning my first income with just 100 subscribers by selling my design services, I increased my posting frequency to two videos per day for another six months.
By the end of winter 2023, I decided to post one video every day, believing this would accelerate channel growth. This strategy worked, and the channel's growth became rapid.
Interestingly, my first video to reach 100,000 views came well after the channel had already generated over a million rubles in net profit. The channel's growth was not due to viral videos or high production quality but rather due to a system I built based on regular posting and building trust with my audience.
YouTube growth is not linear; it happens in bursts. Even if you are a great producer, growth depends on several factors including your topic choice and thumbnails. However, at the start, you won't have the experience to perfect these. I recommend doing everything yourself initially to learn the process.
Many creators get one viral video and then don't know what to do next. On my channel, most videos get only a few thousand views, yet the channel grows steadily. The goal is not to find one million-view video but to consistently produce videos that get a few thousand views and gradually grow your channel.
A channel with 1,000 subscribers and videos getting 500-1,000 views can earn as much as a channel with hundreds of thousands of subscribers if you have the right monetization strategy.
For example, my other channel about marketplaces has 1,500 subscribers and videos get 500-1,000 views, yet it earns over a million rubles per month through selling services, educational products, and advertising.
This shows that views and subscribers alone do not guarantee income. You need to build trust and have products or services to sell.
Posting daily videos was the key to my channel's rapid growth and my first million rubles earned through YouTube. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Taking breaks can severely hurt your channel's momentum, especially if you are not yet a big creator.
When I started posting daily, I had no team and did everything myself: writing scripts, filming, editing, creating thumbnails, and uploading videos, all alongside my main job. To manage this workload, I developed templates and systems, including a Notion checklist, prompt algorithms for design, and brand guidelines.
Many believe that high production quality is necessary to succeed on YouTube. However, I started with poor video and audio quality and still succeeded. What matters most is your expertise and the value you provide to your audience.
You attract viewers not by fancy visuals or expensive clothes but by your ideas and the trust you build. Even simple videos filmed on a laptop webcam can generate sales if you clearly explain your value.
YouTube ad revenue is minimal for small channels. For example, 100,000 views might earn you $100-$200, which is insignificant compared to other income sources.
To earn seriously on YouTube, you need to sell services, educational products, or other offerings. I started by selling my design services, then moved to online courses once I had enough expertise.
Currently, my income streams include:
For instance, on my marketplace channel, I have six income sources:
This diversified approach allows even a small channel to generate significant income.
YouTube success is a long-term commitment requiring consistency, patience, and a clear monetization strategy. Focus on building trust and providing value rather than chasing viral hits or perfect production quality.
If you want to manage your content creation efficiently, I offer a free Notion template that helped me organize my daily video production and publishing process. This system includes checklists, design prompts, and brand guidelines to streamline your workflow.
Remember, the key to earning on YouTube is not just views and subscribers but the ability to convert your audience into customers through trust and expertise.
Keep creating, stay consistent, and focus on your audience's needs. Success will follow.
This article is based on my personal experience of posting 1,500 videos over 1.5 years, earning over 50 million rubles, and building a sustainable YouTube business.
