I Couldn’t Make Money on YouTube Until I Learned This

Are you pouring a ton of time and energy into trying to make money on YouTube with little to show for it? Most people think that you need tens of thousands of subscribers before you can make money on YouTube, but that's just not true. I was making thousands of dollars myself when I only had 200 subscribers, anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 on average. So if you're trying to use YouTube to grow your business, not just as a hobby or for fun, you're in the right place. In this video, I'm gonna give you the same mindset shift that I got that helped me turn YouTube into a business asset. We'll go over the exact script writing process that I used to turn cold viewers into hot leads, and I'll show you how to leverage YouTube to grow your brand, your audience, and your income, even if you're starting small. So let's start with the most important mindset shift that I ever made on YouTube, and that's that you are building a business, not just a channel. Most people don't get this. They're chasing views and likes and refreshing their subscriber count like it's the stock market. But the truth is that subscribers don't pay your bills. Clients do. I'm not on YouTube to be famous. I'm here to create freedom and run a business. And if you're watching this, I'm guessing you are too. That means that you've got to think differently about how you make money on YouTube. This isn't about going viral, it's about getting visible to the right people, the ones who need what you have to offer and are willing to pay for it. YouTube is not just a content platform, it's a lead-generating machine if you treat it that way. When you approach YouTube like a business owner, everything shifts. Your videos become more strategic, your titles speak directly to your ideal clients, and your calls to action invite them to dive deeper into your email list, your funnel, your coaching, or your courses as well. For example, instead of making a video titled How to Start a Business, which is very broad, you would create one like How to Start a Coaching Business That Makes $10,000 Per Month. Can you see the difference in specificity? One speaks to everyone and the other speaks to an ideal client. It's not about being popular, it's about being profitable and serving your people. This one shift is what allowed me to start earning $2,000 to $5,000 per month when I only had 200 subscribers. Now, once you start thinking like a business owner when it comes to YouTube, here's the next shift that really sets you free. Every video that you make is an asset. It's not a lottery ticket, it's not a shot in the dark. It is an intentional asset that you are adding to the ecosystem of your business. I used to stress over every single upload. Is this video gonna blow up my channel? Is this the one that finally puts me on the map? But over the years, I've realized that that is the wrong question. The real question is, am I stacking bricks to build something over time? Because that's how YouTube actually works in terms of running a business. Every video is like a little digital employee that you have that's working for you 24/7 in the background introducing you to new people, solving their problems, and building trust even while you sleep. Some videos will flop, some videos will quietly chug along slowly over time, and some will pop off a year after you post them. The time frame doesn't really matter because you're playing the compound interest game, not the slot machines. And the more assets you stack and the more videos that you make that are targeted towards your target audience, the harder it becomes not to grow. And I'm not just talking about your subscriber count, I'm talking about your income. It's not about blowing up one time like so many other YouTubers and creators are chasing that one viral hit. It's more about building something that snowballs over time, which is your channel as a whole. That's how you win on YouTube and in business. And if you want to see exactly how I've turned a handful of these types of videos into a system that pays me every month, even with a small audience, I put together a free masterclass on my website that shows you how to earn your first $2,000 per month with digital products. It walks you through the exact process that I've used since I had 200 subscribers and has continued to grow and refine over the years. But I break it all down step by step and you can watch it totally free. I'll put it as the first link down in the description for you to check out after this video. Now, stacking assets is how you win long term. You should have a video for every question or challenge that your target audience faces. And while that's really important, even more than that, it's how you're showing up inside of those assets or videos that separates the amateurs from the pros. Most creators are cranking out videos trying to get something. It's like a view, a click, a client, a sale. But the real magic happens when you flip that thinking and focus on giving first. When I stopped trying to impress people and just focused on helping them fix real problems, my business grew faster than any subscriber milestone ever did. I've had videos that get tens of thousands of views that didn't bring in as much revenue as ones that only got 1,000. Because when you solve real problems in your videos and make people feel seen and understood, they don't just consume your content, they connect with you. And trust is what sells, not clever scripts or viral editing hacks. It's about showing up as the guide, not trying to be the celebrity or the all-knowing guru. And if you're wondering, okay James, well how do I actually do that inside of my videos? Let me give you the exact framework that I use for my own videos, and it's the same one that I've used in this one. So this is a phenomenal framework called the HIVE framework. Now I didn't make this up, I wish that I did and I was that smart and that cool. This is commonly taught in different YouTube programs that I've invested over $10,000 to be a part of. Here's how it works high level, and then I'll give you a quick example of what it looks like in action. So the H stands for hook. This is where you're going to grab their attention in the first sentence of your video with a bold statement or intriguing question. The hook alone should take 5 to 10 seconds max. Then we move into I, which stands for intro. This is where you're going to explain what you're going to cover in this video, the value that you are going to bring, and how you are qualified to teach it. The intro and hook together should take about 30 seconds. It's okay if you go a little bit longer or a little bit less, but on average it should take about 30 seconds. Once you have your viewer hooked and they see you as a qualified person to be teaching on this subject, then we go into V, which stands for value. This is the bulk of your video, Basically, we're gonna break your video into 3 to 5 steps or tips to deliver on what you promised in the title and the intro. Then we move on to the E, which stands for end screen. This is where you're going to make an offer in your video at some point, either at the end or somewhere in the middle, to dive deeper with you. It could be to opt in for your lead magnet, to check out your website, to book a phone call with you or strategy session or anything like that. How can people get closer to working with you? And at the end of your video, you also wanna point people to another related video. This helps people keep watching your content because if they're not ready to take the action step like booking a phone call with you, you can say, hey, here's another video that's going to support you and it's relevant to this video that you're on right now. This also helps with YouTube promoting you more because people are clicking and watching more of your content and having binge sessions, if you will. So I know that that can sound like a lot. Let me give you an example of what this looks like to show you how simple it can be. This example is imagining that we had a YouTube channel helping men get more dates using apps. We could have a video that's titled The Number One Mistake Men Make on Dating Apps. Our hook could look something like this: If women stop replying after the first message, it's probably not your profile, it's what you're saying in those messages. Now guys are thinking, well, what am I saying? What am I doing wrong? Because this always happens to me, they stop replying after the first message. It's super relevant to the title of the video. Once we've done our hook, that takes about 5 seconds, then we go straight into the intro. In this video, I'll show you the biggest mistake that most men make on dating apps and how a simple messaging shift can change everything. I've helped hundreds of guys go from ghosted to getting real dates by fixing this one habit. That alone is his credibility booster. Now I would say that we should go deeper in the credibility piece on like how we helped one of our clients. You could say something like, like my client Jack, who was getting ghosted nonstop and getting no replies from women. And by making this small little tweak I'm about to show you in the way that you message people, he ended up filling up his calendar with rockstar dates in the first week, something like that, just to really hit home. And then obviously showing some social proof to back up your claim. So the hook and the intro should take roughly 30 seconds again. And now we're going to go into the value or the meat of this video. So what this can look like— I'm not going to go into a ton of detail here. The video is called The Number One Mistake Men Make on Dating Apps. So we could have 3 different points where we cover the big mistake that most guys make with messaging, the proper way to think about messaging, And then we could go over at the end some examples of messages that work and why they work. That alone is a super valuable and cohesive piece of content that addresses the overall promise that the title makes. Then we'll go into the end screen or the last portion. If people watch this video, we could say something like, if you want plug and play messages that you can start using to land dates this week, grab my 10 Texts That Actually Get Replies guide. I'll put a link down in the description. And if you're serious about leveling up your entire dating profile, watch this video next where I break down 3 profile tweaks that instantly boost your matches. Now, he could also at some point earlier in the video offer his 10 Texts That Get Replies guide. But you want to make sure that you are offering some way for people to dive deeper with you. I always recommend doing an opt-in like his 10 Texts That Get Replies guide, and you can have a simple landing page like this. I built mine inside of Kajabi, but this is for one of my lead magnets. It could be the same for the 10 Texts That Get Replies guide. They would click on the button and then they opt in, and as soon as they opt in, they land on video where it says, hey, your guide is on your way. By the way, real quick while you're here, let me show you something else that's going to help you get more dates, or in this case, land high-ticket clients faster. And this is a quick 2-minute video from you, the creator, where you say, hey, thanks so much for picking up my 10 Texts That Get Replies guide. It shows me you're serious about getting more dates and being better at dating on apps. And then you can make an offer to pick up one of your programs or to book a call with you where you would help them even further on achieving this goal. When people opt in and they're new to your list, they're typically the most excited, which is why we want to have a video right after the opt-in on the thank you page instead of doing one of those generic check your email for your download and that's all you say. This is a much smarter and more streamlined way to not only grow your impact and your email list but also get more clients in the door using YouTube and making sure it's an automated process. The winning formula for YouTube is to give value freely, make an impact first, and then invite them to go deeper with you. Because when people feel helped, the right people will naturally want more. And with YouTube always working for you in the background 24/7, the lifespan of your posts is much longer, especially when you're making evergreen content like the number one mistake men make on dating apps. You're constantly getting discovered and serving your audience, which is driving leads and traffic to your business. And that's how you build a business on YouTube without needing a million subscribers, a viral video, or gambling with the algorithm. You're not just creating content on this platform, you're building trust, and trust leads to clients customers, and sales, even with a small audience. And if you love to use your YouTube channel to create passive income that works even when you're on vacation or just lounging around your house, going for a walk, whatever it is that you want to do, online courses are one of the best ways to achieve that. Watch this video next, and I'll show you how to create your first online course from idea to launch in 8 simple steps, even if you're just a beginner. If you got value from this, give me a like and let me know any takeaways you got in a comment below. I'll see you in the next one.