September was our best month yet overall, but that doesn’t mean we’ve arrived by any means.
Let’s just jump into the update.
The Website
September was our highest average for daily visitors so far and we ended the month with 313 page views.
Web search impressions are also higher than ever, but still aren’t translating into actual site visits.
Truthfully, this isn’t noticeably better from a traffic standpoint and certainly nowhere near where I thought things would be after one year.
To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure I would have started all this if I had known the “growth” would be so slow.
It just hasn’t been worth it.
I thought about including a graph showing the increase in web search impressions, but none of it is turning into pageviews so I won’t bother.
I’m certain there is more I could do to improve traffic to the site, but it takes time that I don’t have to give at the moment because I feel like it is better spent elsewhere…
YouTube Channel False Start
We officially launched the YouTube channel on September 1st but stumbled out of the gate. I’ve linked a video update above so you can get a detailed explanation if you’d like.
To summarize, I had a major issue with the color correction in my videos that forced me to pull all of them off the YouTube platform, fix them, render them again, and finally reload them.
I had to do that to 23 videos.
It was a lot of work and time that I couldn’t afford to lose; quite the kick in the gut.
Alas, we live and we learn.
Truthfully, I was fortunate that it was a holiday weekend so I could stay up late and get things back on track quickly.
We were up and running again by the 4th, so it ended up being a 3-day delay.
In hindsight, I sorely wish I had uploaded 2 or 3 completed videos as soon as they were complete so I could inspect them on all platforms (phone, computer, tablet, and TV).
I could have easily done this and left the videos private in my account for previewing.
YouTube Channel First Month
Well, after we got things on course, the YouTube channel has done very well.
At the end of September, we had 2,700 views, just over 95 hours of watch time, and 30 subscribers.
Based on what I can gather from other people who have launched successful channels (as in monetized), I would have been happy with 1,000 views and half as many hours and subscribers.
The goal is to get to 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time in a 12-month period. These are the thresholds for being monetized on YouTube.
At the rate we started in September, this means we’re on pace to hit 1,000 subscribers in about 3 years and 4,000 watch hours in never (because they all have to be in a 12-month rolling window).
In summary, the watch hours are what really matter. I assumed from the get-go that the subscribers would be harder to come by, but that’s currently not how things are trending.
I need to get to an average of 11 watch hours each day (333.33/month) to reach monetization in one year.
If subscribers continue to join at the rate they are now, I’ll have 1,200 before I get to that 4,000th watch hour.
Did I mention yet that the 4,000 hours have to come in a 12-month period?
I did?
Anyhow, the really, really good news is I’m only one month into this and I’m off to a better start than many have experienced.
In my unscientific polling, it appears most people reach both milestones anywhere from 9 to 18 months into their channels, depending on their upload rate.
Nearly everyone monetizes by their 100th video and many by #50.
I currently have 20 videos posted and will have 50 by the end of our 4th month.
I’m aiming to hit 100 videos sometime next summer, a month or two before the channel hits its first birthday.
So, we’re on a good trajectory, but it’s no guarantee of success.
We also have a strong niche that we’re targeting in personal finance. It generally has more traffic and generates a higher CPM/RPM (that’s how much YouTube and I make per 1000 views) than any other niche.
It varies, but most personal finance channels make between $10-$40 per 1000 views.
So, in my first month, I’ve made $0, but would have made anywhere from about $30-$100 if I was monetized.
I hesitate to set a goal based on one month, but I am aiming to be monetized in less than a year. I’m encouraged by our progress already and expect it to increase as we generate more content.
Lessons Learned
The main lesson I learned was that I should have previewed a few of my videos on every platform before making 23 of them.
I may have mentioned it already, but that was a tough one.
In hindsight, it was a great idea to stock up on videos and load them at a fast pace for the first 10 days. I think it gave us a lot of momentum.
I also don’t think it mattered that the quality of some videos wasn’t spectacular. Some of the first videos I did, which are also the least polished, have performed the best.
To be honest, I have no idea what is going to do well and what isn’t. Many of the videos I expect to take off have sputtered while others that I thought weren’t great have done very well.
Who knows?
Another thing I would have done is start loading shorts right from the beginning. They have generated quite a bit of interest, watch hours, and subscribers for the channel.
The bad thing about shorts is I don’t have time to make them. The good news is this is the age of artificial intelligence.
I’m using an app to take my full-length YouTube videos and chop them into short videos (under 60 seconds) for posting on YouTube. I usually get 3-4 shorts per full video and it takes about 5 minutes to have them generated.
The great thing about shorts is they gain viewing traction so much easier than long videos. I have a couple that have been a bit slow, but most of them have 100+ views.
They don’t generate a lot of watch hours, but they are definitely a useful way to promote the channel and have actually brought in several subscribers.
Finally, I think I’m getting much better at the video thing.
I’m working on one about the time value of money right now that I hope will do well. At less than five minutes, it is kind of short, but it moves well and I’ve been able to include plenty of eye candy that I hope will keep viewers engaged.
Let’s hope for the best.
Conclusion
The beat rolls on.
I am disappointed in the ongoing slow performance of the website, but very much encouraged by our start on YouTube.
Thank you again for your interest and support. It is much appreciated.
