YouTube The outlet for my M passion

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Anybody who knows me well knows that I'm a car nut and always have been. A year ago, ecstatic to have the

two cars I’d long most admired (still am), it occurred to me that I had to do something.

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I wanted to shout from the rooftops how excited and grateful I was (and remain), but who would listen?

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I’d long been curious about the potential of YouTube as a medium. And it occurred to me that through it I could combine my passions for cars and digital media, and

maybe learn a thing or two in the process.

So I got started, and over the last year I’ve published dozens of videos.

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And in that time, my channel has attracted 300+ subscribers and 110,000+ views

203,000 minutes watched and 100,000 views so far this year

520 Comments

270 Net Subscribers

96% Male, mostly 18-34

Most viewers live in the U.S., followed by the UK

Algorithm “suggestions” drive 41% of minutes watched

44% of watch time still occurs on a desktop computer

Likes grow with the channel, reinforcing the positive feedback loop

Top 25 videos this year

Top 10 videos this year

Top 10 videos this month

Mid-January, the top video took off and continues to attract an audience

With the one video as a catalyst, and many new videos added, the channel has developed solid traction.

Top 2 videos - one greatly outpaces the other

The i8 video should have attracted an audience, so then why did the B7 video take off instead?

The top two performers were both afterthoughts. - I hesitated to post them, as I just didn’t think they fit the mold. And yet they generated 4,420 and 1,506 views, respectively, last month - 45% of the total channel’s views. - You think you know what’s going to attract an audience, eh? Guess again!

!The “best” videos don’t necessarily get the widest audiences.

- My video of the rare, exotic, and highly-coveted i8 has generated just 400 views! How can this be? 

!Stand for something, and people will know you for that.

- Early on, the channel seemed to trigger something in YouTube's algorithm that connected my content with E46 M3 queries, and there’s no apparent connection for why some content ranks and other content doesn’t - no matter how carefully packaged.

Key insights from the data:

You have to publish a lot. - You can’t put all your eggs in one basket, thinking one or two great pieces of content will attract an audience. - You will most certainly, however, gain an audience if they see that you’re active and that your content is likely to provide them with value if they engage….which is what stimulates organic growth.

The clear takeaway:

If you keep doing your best, you’ll get a lot better. - Then a year will fly by, and you’ll have created something that makes you proud. - The channel has proven a good daily reminder to me that if I feel compelled to do something, I need to start today. !

You won’t learn anything or get better at something important to you if you continue to put it off.

A couple other takeaways: