Authenticity is everything today. When we follow the path that lights us up, we'll find success, no matter what. Our guest this week took that inspiration to a whole other level. She trashed over 200 videos and totally changed her niche, but instead of fading away to obscurity, she soared to almost 1 million subscribers! Lifestyle YouTuber Sarah Therese shares her story, process, and philosophy, plus all her video secrets!

“I’d rather make videos I’m hugely passionate about for 10k people than ones I'm not for 200k people.”

Sarah is a mom of three who has been on YouTube since she was a teenager. She used it as a way to find her own creative outlet away from her 2 siblings. In 2017 a conversation with a friend showed her that she could stay home with her kids and be creative and earn a decent income. So she dove into YouTube more seriously. She started in the beauty niche and racked up over 200k subscribers, and went full-time on YouTube. But over time life got more hectic and she grew away from beauty. So she changed the entire focus of her channel to health and beauty, and her subscribers came along for the ride! Since then she’s grown to almost 1 million subscribers and has several million views on her videos, all while running her one-woman show and homeschooling three kids!

“People actually come back to my channel for me and just the things I have to say.”

Sarah has a refreshing approach to YouTube that I think has made her impervious to the algorithms. When she switched niches entirely AND deleted hundreds of high performing videos, she gained subscribers, raving fans, brand deals, and revenue. It’s all because she’s passionate about her craft. She only focuses on improving for the next video, and she doesn’t stop to look at what others are doing. She doesn’t lead her life by what keywords are on-trend, she makes what she’s driven to make, no matter the performance. That’s worked out for her so far. You’re going to learn more about her philosophy, how she picks content ideas, her journey through changing niches and so much more. Enjoy!

“There are too many people who sit on their past videos. Come up with new content more often.”

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Join the Zero to Influence Bootcamp waitlist

Download your FREE guide: 6 Tools YouTubers Use to Get Thousands of Video Views

Don't forget to join the Beauty and the Vlog Facebook group for collaborations, YouTube advice, support and more!

You can also follow me on Instagram!

What’s the TRUE power of a niche? You hear so often that picking a niche is super important, but how much of a difference does it really make? Our guest this week, lifestyle YouTuber Sienna Santer started vlogging her experience with #dormlife at Harvard and virtually overnight became a viral success. We’re peeling back all the layers and exposing every single detail. No stone will be left unturned!

“Who cares if I stand out a little bit, I’m here to do something different.”

Sienna was always passionate about filming and editing videos for her friends and family from all the YouTubers she enjoyed watching. So when she took her gap year and traveled, she decided to throw up a few videos. They didn’t do great for her growth, but she enjoyed the process. When she moved into Harvard, she filmed her moving and dorm room decoration and thought she’d make a vlog one day, but with a new school and environment, time got away from her and she shelved that idea. That was until December. She edited together the videos she filmed on her iPhone and uploaded it. It went viral. Within a week it got over a million views - it’s sitting at over 5 million views right now. In 2 weeks she went from 2k to 35k subscribers. Now she has over 332k subscribers!

“I have a really loyal fanbase that supports me no matter what I do.”

People were hungry for her Harvard student perspective, and not many people were sharing it. So that was the niche she decided to stay in and dominate. She had an opportunity being a new student to speak to an audience that wants to go to Harvard themselves one day, or who wants to know what it’s like from someone seeing everything for the first time. As she levels up, there’ll be more and more opportunities to show different perspectives as she herself changes. One thing we need to pause and remember is that there are many viral hits that go extinct when the fame dies down. But she’s done what all of them wish they could do: turn those curious viral viewers into an ongoing raving and caring fanbase who want to know about HER - the person. We’ll be talking about how she did that in this episode, and so much more. Enjoy!

“You’re not always going to be perfect. You’re going to slip up, and there’s a beauty in that.”

Check out the show notes

Join the Zero to Influence Bootcamp waitlist

Download your FREE guide: 6 Tools YouTubers Use to Get Thousands of Video Views

Don't forget to join the Beauty and the Vlog Facebook group for collaborations, YouTube advice, support and more!

You can also follow me on Instagram!

Worried that YouTube success is reserved for 20-year-olds? Well, no matter what age you’re at, you’re getting a ton of value from this episode! Health and Fitness YouTuber Dr. Becky Gillaspy is on this week and we’re talking about taking imperfect action and how that can pay off in a huge way. She started off focused on selling her programs but being on YouTube evolved her mission to provide her health knowledge and advice to women over 50. Now she has a thriving business and channel with over 275k subscribers! We’ll also be diving behind the scenes into her business, and how to use YouTube to blow it up! So you’re in for YouTube growth and business success in today's episode. Are you ready?

“Video is the best vehicle for building trust and authority.”

Dr. Becky started her channel to promote a product she put out on her website. She heard that adding videos to her blog would help her rank on Google. So she put up a couple of videos in 2012 and that was it, she never looked at it again… until she came back and saw that they got immense traction and growth. So she’d continue to upload content sporadically. It wasn’t until summer 2017 that she started taking her channel seriously, uploading once a week consistently. She found that she loved the creativity behind coming up with the right combination for a viral hit and decided to put her energy behind making her channel stand out. Now she’s at 275k subscribers and she’s not slowing down nor stopping!

“I now think about my title before I have the video conceptualized in my brain.”

She’s a strong advocate for starting where you are and taking that first step. In this episode we walked through one of her earlier videos where she was using a low quality borrowed camera, no microphone, zero lighting, noise everywhere - but that video has gone on to get 1.7 million views! We also cover how to find a place to belong and really thrive on YouTube no matter your age, how she gets 100 email opt-ins a day for her business, her failures and lessons along the way and so much more! Enjoy!

“I get comments from people in Australia and the UK and it reminds me: this is truly an amazing time to be in business.”

Check out the show notes

Join the Zero to Influence Bootcamp waitlist

Download your FREE guide: 6 Tools YouTubers Use to Get Thousands of Video Views

Don't forget to join the Beauty and the Vlog Facebook group for collaborations, YouTube advice, support and more!

You can also follow me on Instagram!

Are you confident about what you need to do to stay on top of your YouTube game? One thing's for sure about YouTube and that's the fact that the platform is constantly changing so you need to be able to adapt and change too if you want to grow. Not to fear though, I've got your back! In this solo episode, I'm sharing the top six trends to include in your 2020 YouTube strategy.

Originality is KEY
Audience expectations are higher than ever and they're tired of seeing the same old videos over and over. That means the more original you are, the more people take notice. In 2020 there is a lot of copycatting going on, but it's so worth the time it takes to get creative and put your own spin on different ideas. Some YouTubers I love who are on top of this:
- Alyssa Beltempo focuses on slow fashion, the opposite of fast fashion which is so popular.
- Natalia Taylor's video about zodiac signs was something unique and she consistently puts out videos that stand out.
- I just discovered Andrew Jihn. His channel is totally unexpected - finance mixed with magic.

Understanding Your Audience
You've heard it before but I'm saying it again because it's absolutely crucial. You need to know your audience inside out to be able to create content they will love. Again for the people in the back: understanding your audience is critical. Knowing your avatar or ideal listener means not only knowing their pain points but understanding what would pique their interest and get them clicking fast. In 2020 it's all about understanding what they're curious about.

The Celebrity Human Experiment
People are always going to be obsessed with the uber-rich and famous, rich. In 2020, creators that comment on or try the routines, schedules, diets, and exercises of the rich and famous will do well. Here are some of my faves:
- Mixed Makeup comments on celebrity skin routines
- Keltie O'Connor did a video about Tom Brady's workout and diet that went viral and now does a ton of those videos that do very well
- One of my bootcampers, Laura Jane Atelier, blew up her vintage channel by talking about the makeup and fashion of old Hollywood movie stars
- Abbey Sharp is a dietician that comments on famous celebrity and YouTuber diet habits

Niche-Related Trend Swiping
Before you run in on the latest video trend, check-in with yourself. Is it relevant? In 2020, creators who leverage trends to reach new audiences will get great results but only when they're applicable to your audience and your niche. Find ways to tweak the trends to be relevant to you or leave them for other creators.

Use Your Education or Profession
Leaning into your profession on YouTube isn't a new idea but more and more doctors, lawyers, engineers, therapists, etc. are getting onto the YouTube scene and using their education and expertise as a way to provide information in an entertaining way. In 2020, professionals who can capitalize on their knowledge to comment on trends will do well.

Thumbnails are King
If you've been here before you'll know how important thumbnails are. So many people get super excited to make an amazing video yet they shoot themselves in the foot by leaving the thumbnail as an afterthought. In 2020, incorporate thumbnails into your workflow and put just as much thought into it as your video. 50% of your success on YouTube has to do with how effective your thumbnails (and titles) are.

Check out the show notes

Join the Zero to Influence Bootcamp waitlist

Download your FREE guide: 6 Tools YouTubers Use to Get Thousands of Video Views

Don't forget to join the Beauty and the Vlog Facebook group for collaborations, YouTube advice, support and more!

You can also follow me on Instagram!