The Recognized Authority

What unexpected YouTube strategy could potentially earn you as much as $300K in just one month? In this episode of The Recognized Authority, host Alastair McDermott talks to Cyan Cooper about his counterintuitive strategy for generating massive revenue on the platform.

Instead of narrowly targeting his client's niche, Cyan intentionally made videos for a much broader, "wrong" audience. Incredibly, this unlocked 100% more revenue in just 30 days time! Cyan and Alastair unpack this strategy, and also discuss insider tips such as:

• Why creating content for tangentially related audiences can pay massive dividends
• How to ethically use "clickbait" titles and thumbnails to skyrocket views
• Video production tricks to maximize watch time and engagement, and
• An AI arbitrage opportunity to quickly scale your content to new languages

Don't miss this fascinating discussion on contrarian YouTube tactics that could transform your channel's performance. Tune in now!

Insights:

• Targeting a broader, "wrong" audience can unlock much higher views and revenue than narrowly focusing on your core audience
• Using compelling, "clickbait" style titles and thumbnails is ethical and effective as long as you deliver on the promise made
• Having strong intros that hook the viewer, convey your authority, and create stakes is critical for maximizing watch time
• Extensive research and a high “value-to-words ratio” is key for viral educational videos
• AI translation offers an arbitrage opportunity to quickly launch successful foreign language channels

Strategies:

• Look at the topics/videos that your competitors are getting disproportionately high views on—these indicate what your audience is interested in
• Pin a comment on older, successful videos linking to an updated, enhanced version rather than replacing the original
• Being an expert on a topic isn't enough; you should also use a tool like ChatGPT to identify all the key points to cover for any given topic
• Steps to create a high-performing video:
• Identify the topics your target audience is interested in
• Come up with a compelling, clickable title and thumbnail first before creating the video
• In your introduction, confirm to your audience that you will give them what they came for, and leverage your authority to reassure them you’re the right person to listen to
• Deliver on the promise made in the title/thumbnail with high-value, concise content
• Research thoroughly to cover all relevant angles without fluff or rambling
• Include clear structure and transitions to improve retention