Are you a startup looking to launch a YouTube channel?
YouTube video marketing can be a hugely powerful way to gain brand awareness, new leads and additional cross/upselling opportunities.
Yet YouTube can also be a daunting beast. Not only do you need to know how to create a great YouTube video (and repeat it repeatedly), but you also need a clear strategy.
Many startups launch a channel expecting it to “go viral”. The harsh reality is that YouTube video marketing is HARD. It is possible to win on YouTube, but you need a strong plan and commitment to succeed.
Below is a short guide on maximising your YouTube marketing strategy and efforts in 2024-25. We hope these insights are helpful to both founders and their investors.
Why Do Startups Launch Channels?
Quite simply, because lots of people watch videos on YouTube!
YouTube boasts over 2.5 billion logged-in users per month. Every day, humanity consumes 1 billion hours of video. It is the world’s second-largest search engine.
YouTube can also present an opportunity to get an edge over competitors. Whilst large, established companies may ignore it (or attempt it clumsily), startups have more freedom to experiment with their videos and find out what “works” with their target audience.
YouTube can also open up more revenue-generating opportunities. YouTube advertising (i.e. Google Adsense) could provide additional income for startups once they meet the platform’s monetisation requirements.
YouTube can also provide a valuable additional traffic source for a startup’s website, increasing opportunities to generate online inquiries and sales.
Should My Startup Launch A Channel?
This is a great question to start with. Many startups “try YouTube” because they assume it will not be a lot of work (it is!). Or, they do so because they saw a competitor do it.
Making YouTube videos requires a lot of time, investment and careful thought. To decide whether it is worth launching a YouTube channel, is helps to consider the realistic milestones ahead of you.
For instance, did you know that only 10% of YouTube channels are “monetised” (e.g. have over 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 total hours of public watch time)?
Moreover, to achieve this milestone, it typically takes a new YouTube channel over 150 videos and 18+ months of hard work.
On the other side of the scale, a startup does not need millions of subscribers and views to “succeed” on YouTube. Indeed, it may only require 1,000s or 10,000s to reach your goals – e.g. boosting traffic to your startup’s website to generate sufficient online sales.
Getting Started
So, assuming you want to commit to this, how do you start with YouTube video marketing as a startup?
It helps to take a look at the following statement:
“I help [target customer] overcome [pain point] to reach [pleasure point] by offering [insert solution]”.
As a startup, you should already have a clear sense of the answers to the square brackets. The key step is working out how this fits into your YouTube video marketing.
For instance, if you are a fintech targeting wealth managers with a new portal solution, how could your YouTube channel fulfil your answers to the above statement?
One option might be to create a “how-to” series of product videos on using the portal, showing off its features to wealth managers who may be watching on YouTube.
However, that might be a bit boring.
Where is the excitement or tension in a video like this?
Instead, maybe you could do an on-screen “role play” involving an imaginary client of a wealth manager. In the video, you then demonstrate how to solve their problem – using your fancy software in the process!
Tackling “the Algorithm”
If you spend any time creating YouTube videos as a new creator, you will likely come to fear this phrase. At times, it feels like YouTube is “against you” as a new YouTube channel, pushing videos from larger channels to users in their feeds (so you don’t get a look-in).
The truth is that YouTube actively promotes smaller channels to potential viewers. It is in their interests that new creators keep joining the platform and feel like they can succeed when they put lots of hard work into creating content.
If your videos are not getting attention, the problem is not usually the algorithm. Rather, it is one (or a combination) of three issues:
- A small target addressable market (TAM).
- Low-quality titles and thumbnails.
- Lack of retention when users watch your videos.
If your YouTube videos only appeal to a tiny market, it does not matter how good your content is. Very few people will watch it.
If your titles and thumbnails fail to grab users’ attention, they will simply scroll past and watch other content. Unfortunately, on YouTube, people judge books by their covers.
Packaging matters.
If you succeed in getting people to click on your videos but you fail to keep their attention, YouTube will take that as a signal that users are dissatisfied.
In short, a lack of retention means the video will not be as actively promoted.
So, if you have a decent TAM and can master titles, thumbnails and audience retention, you stand a high chance of succeeding on YouTube as a startup!
Some Tips to Get Going
How can you get off to the best start with your video marketing? Here are some general tips:
- Plan. Plan. Plan. Do not simply create a video that you would find interesting. Think about your target audience, their problems or pressing questions and what they’d like to watch (to address them).
- Research. If you have a good video idea, check if similar videos already exist. If not, why not (does this show a lack of demand)? If so, how old are the videos? How big are the channels, and did their videos ride on a “trend” that may have now passed?
- Start with packaging. Many YouTubers make the mistake of creating a video and creating their thumbnail at the last minute, just as they finish uploading to the platform. Instead, design your title and thumbnail at the beginning – BEFORE you create any footage. These two assets will set the expectations for your video. So, once you have established them, you can craft your video around them more effectively.
- Script your videos. Think very carefully about how you will “hook” your viewers’ attention and keep them engaged throughout the video. Your script is vital for retention, which (as we saw above) is vital for gaining more views.
- Do the intro last. Similar to your title and thumbnail, the first 20-30 seconds of your video will “make or break” it. This is where the highest drop-off in retention tends to happen. So, if you can “hook” most of your viewers at this stage and convince them to keep watching, YouTube will love you for it. Counter-intuitively, it is usually easier to create a brilliant intro after you have finished the rest of your video. At this point, you know whether the “best” footage is in your video and you can offer it as a “teaser” at the beginning, creating a deep curiosity in the viewer to find out what happens later in the video!
That about concludes our short guide on YouTube marketing for startups. If you want to discuss your own startup (as a founder) or early-stage portfolio (as an investor) with us, please get in touch to explore our exclusive EIS network!
Key Takeaways
- YouTube involves a lot of skills (e.g. research, scripting, editing), hard work and commitment.
- Only 10% of YouTube channels have over 1,000 subscribers. It is a tough and long game.
- With that said, YouTube can offer some amazing opportunities to startups with a good strategy for their channel – e.g. brand awareness and additional revenue streams.
- Before embarking on YouTube, think carefully about your total addressable market (TAM) and your answer to the statement posed above.
- Be careful to create content for viewers, not for machines (the algorithm).
- Invest in amazing titles, thumbnails and audience retention strategies (e.g. pattern interrupts) to encourage viewership. The more YouTube sees people loving your content, the more it will promote it.
- Invest in planning and research before creating videos. Find the “content gaps” in your market, where you could supply a high level of demand.
