Looking Back: My 3 Year Journey of Starting a Cybersecurity YouTube Channel
Is YouTube Still Worth It in 2024 and beyond ??
My YouTube channel is turning three years old in December 2023, which is pretty mind-blowing if you think about it
The last thing in the world I would have imagined doing three years back is to be putting out consistent content on YouTube, but here we are
I created my channel to give advice on Cybersecurity and share guidance on Cloud Security and Artificial Intelligence
Keep in mind I had ZERO knowledge about YouTube and how to go about it
But I decided to jump in and see what happens
So, after three years, where do I stand ?
This is the part where I am supposed to tell you that I got monetized within a few months and am now making hundreds of dollars, but sorry to disappoint!
Even after three years, I have just over 6.5K subscribers, a far cry from the other channels which have hundreds of thousands of subscribers
I barely make 40 USD per month on this channel as you can see but ..
Starting a YouTube channel was one of the best decisions of my life
It is honestly one of the most challenging things you can do as a content creator
YouTube FORCES you to adopt a content creation mindset.
But a brief background about me first
My story
I have worked in cybersecurity for the past 20-plus years and moved to the UK in 2021 under a Global Talent Visa.
One of the key promises I made to myself as I turned 40 was to start giving back to the Tech community and stop revolving my life around the 9 to 5 job grind.
I wracked my brains on how to do it
Speak at conferences? Write Books? Create courses?
Then, the ๐ก Eureka moment happened when I realized that I was unnecessarily making things complicated for myself.
The world knows and loves YouTube, and it is one of the most frictionless places to start making learning content.
I took the plunge, created my YouTube Channel, named it โCloud Security Guy,โ and started creating my first video, which is below in all its cringe glory.
Baby steps
I was not kidding when I said I did not know anything about making videos
I had to learn all those skills on the fly, and here Canva was a Godsend
It is possibly the best software to use for newbies like me .. completely free PLUS has amazing templates which you can freely use
I started recording videos on Canva and uploading them on YouTube
I gave myself a weekly schedule, so at least one video a week HAS to be uploaded, even if it is the worst video ever made in human history
I learned how videos flow, how keywords rank, and how to make thumbnails ( all on Canva ! )
In 2022, one of my videos on โArtificial Intelligence vs Cyber securityโ started ranking as the number one video on this topic on Google and got me 1000s of views, which was awesome.
Can you make money with 6K subscribers
The big question people ask is usually about the money ?? Is it enough as a side-hustle ??
Well .. Yes and No
My meager 6.5K subscribers mean that I will not be retiring anytime soon on YouTube adsense, yet YouTube has netted me a nice little income.
How is that?
By using it as a traffic generation medium
YouTube is an absolute BEAST when it comes to sending traffic to your other products like Ebooks, Courses, Blogs etc.
I made sales on Gumroad, Thinkific, and Amazon, all through YouTube, sending traffic to my other products.
People also contacted me for advice, which was a great way to increase my network.
The trick is not to be spammy about it.
Make good content that interests viewers and provides value, and then let them choose whether they want to buy your other products.
Key things I learned
I will be honest .. I am not comfortable on video and prefer to write rather than speak on camera
YouTube is still something I am getting my head around
I do not know anything about brand deals or how to get sponsorships
But after three years of making videos .. here are the top things I have learnt:
DO NOT start YouTube to get monetized. I cannot stress this enough. The overwhelming majority of YouTubers either do not make enough money directly from YouTube OR never get monetized in the first place. Chasing adsense money will suck the enjoyment right out of the whole creative process, and you will waste time staring at the Analytics screen the whole day
YouTube is the long game. Treat YouTube like a long-term investment in your future, and you will see payoffs and not get frustrated easily with the lows that come. Give it at least 18 months before you start thinking about channel monetization
START! โฆ Do not let negativity hold you back. You will see hundreds of people telling you YouTube is dead and its time has passed, yet every year, new people succeed on this platform, and you could be one of them.
Consistency is the key success factor. You will improve incrementally with each video, so do not waste time torturing yourself by making the perfect video; just hit Publish!
Good luck on your YouTube journey!
Lastly it would not be an article about YouTube if did not ask you to subscribe to my channel so please do !