2. Set up content creation infra

🎥 Video lesson — video not yet migrated (source Skool video id: 562868ddf76848069db0b91121fee9b0).

This is a guide for setting up the infrastructure for a YouTube channel and everything I know and use for the strategy of growing a YouTube channel. If you decide to go for another content creation channel—such as text-based content on LinkedIn or Twitter, or short-form videos on Reels or Shorts—instead of YouTube, dedicate this action item to setting up everything you need to run those channels.

Mindset

  • "I don't have the right equipment."
  • "I'm not confident on camera."
  • "I don't know what content to create."
  • "I'm too busy, I don’t have time."
  • "What if no one watches my videos?"
  • "There’s too much competition."
  • "I’m afraid of negative comments or criticism."
  • "I need more experience before I start."
  • "I don't have the technical skills for editing."
  • "I want everything to be perfect before I launch."
  1. No excuses. It is a part of your business. Content = revenue.
  2. “You need to find what you are passionate about and then make content about it. You’ll be more authentic and won’t burn out” - true.

All AIF Plus members are passionate about AI/Automation solutions and making money through leveraging this opportunity, so we all have this already… But, doing something you’re passionate about doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy 100% of all the work involved.

(I love building my AI business, but I hate talking to a camera. It’s just a part of it, and I have to deal with it to push things forward). It applies to all the guys I know who do the same. 3. My Journey:

“Media leverage today is a must if you want to get wealthy.” - this is a fact.

  1. What having 10k subs in this space means:
  • $2-3k brand deals per video (with short-form, you can charge that only having hundreds of thousands of followers)... My experience. The whole investment paid off with one brand deal: ~$5-10k
  • constant lead flow to your AI agency: ~$5-15k
  • once you are ready - educational products (no marginal fee of replication)
  • plus, little things like affiliate links ($400 p/mo) and Google Adsence ($300 p/mo)
  1. It is a lifestyle choice, a full-time job, it’s not a casual thing to do “for fun”, because “you like it”... accept it! You must commit, and dedicate two years without expecting any results, but then the compound effect will change your life.

Enough inspiration. Let’s talk Strategy.

Strategy

  1. **Get going! You’re lucky: **
  • you don’t have to overthink it, I give you a complete to-do list and SOP to get going
  • you don’t have to think about your niche, it is AI and automation for business
  • use my to-do list and just get going, you’ll optimize as you go
  1. Niche selection.
    As in business, you need to understand your** target market** and what unfair advantage you have. But, unfair advantage is tough and it is an excuse for many… “I don’t have it”... it is OK to learn and share and you’ll obtain your unique and unfair advantage as you go.

My unfair advantage is running an AI agency, implementing real-life solutions and having insights from my network of AI agency owners… but I first started making tutorials and as a result got the unfair advantage, not the other way around.

It is important to find the balance between being too niched and too general. So, I suggest that you start a bit more general - **replicating videos that worked for others, evaluating the performance and feedback from your viewers, and then with time add more of your creativity and personality and find your own lane. **

**What I did: **

I tried to analyze new channels that exploded with the first few videos, understand why they went viral and replicate the same videos with my own modifications.

“Top side hustles”
https://www.youtube.com/@JoshuaMayo/videos --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfy2gqlqm-s

“How I”ll become a millionaire”
https://youtu.be/qYc87IonRAo → https://youtu.be/lRbbbTRmHH8

“Mind-blowing AI tools”
https://youtu.be/fHLrh4pK3D0 → https://youtu.be/E7lwp20_lk0

“He turned $XXX into $XXXXXX”
https://youtu.be/CnE_fLDqa7M → https://youtu.be/L36ifw1jMdo 

“How to add custom GPTs to a website”
https://youtu.be/Uk5f3ajkfSs → https://youtu.be/SNwqkdhv1HQ

*Now, I know that Liam’s audience and mine are very similar, so I can use what worked for him and try to make it better, adding additional value and my own experience to it.

For example, why do I think that in-depth videos perform well in this space?

*My advice: start with answering questions and solving specific problems, tutorial-style, pure value. And later on, you can do more videos on self-reflection, habits, productivity, lifestyle, etc…

Set-up

Equipment for Setting Up a Studio:

• Camera: Link

• Lens: Link

• Microphone: Link

• Audio Interface: Link

• Mic Tripod: Link

• Camera Tripod: Link

• Key Light: Link1 and Link2

•    Hair Light: Link** **(and you need two tripods for key and hair lights)

Total cost: ~$2000

*Most of the equipment I bought on marketplaces with pre-used items such as OLX, eBay, or FB Marketplace.

How to set up your camera:
https://youtu.be/jH3lSgzMNPA
https://youtu.be/5v-uv3l1FaU (more elaborated)

How to set up audio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDFrK6x1r7E
https://youtu.be/wDkpiAYYsnY
https://youtu.be/c-ajhr5LUJc (Setting for OBS.I use OBS for recording my screen and audio)

How to set up light:
https://youtu.be/lpEeYwrkBPU

  • My biggest mistake gear-wise was saving on audio quality. Pay an extra $200 and don’t waste countless hours trying to fix your audio in post-production.*

Dedicate a full day to set everything up. Test different angles with your lightning, and different camera settings. You just need to set it up once, so do it properly

Tools I use:
OBS Studio - https://obsproject.com/ (for audio recording)

Screen Studio - https://screen.studio/ (for screen recording) - automatic zoom, but it is paid

Mega - https://mega.nz/ (cloud storage for sharing materials with my editor)

Before I delegated editing and thumbnail creation, I used:
Davinci Resolve - free tool for editing (a ton of tutorials on Youtube)

Photoshop - for thumbnail design (quite complex, if you have no experience). I tried using Canva instead, but the quality was not good enough (due to lack of skill, not Canva's capabilities).

*Delegate as soon as you can and focus on your content.

For research: https://vidiq.com/, https://socialblade.com/

How to create a channel: https://youtu.be/Lk_4GUymeOI (step-by-step for beginners)

The most important things and SOPs (standard operating procedures)

• Miro Board: Link

**Here’s the link to the to-do list, I like using Gantt chart—just make a copy to your own Google Drive to edit and customize it: **Link

FREE RESOURCES

How to succeed in MrBeast production: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T8F39NLS1Q2yFOnEOOw8ee_iCbckzQI8/view?usp=sharing

AliAbdaal’s Playlist on How to start with Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7BImOT2srcFWw6kWhGCK9vMJVdJ0igoy&si=8MHu_8uHQ2-u6ulo

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