Why I Deleted Everything and Started Over
I deleted all of them. I was so burnt out on all my channels. I'm getting the same amount of views instantly before. The algorithm is so good now that you can just immediately get into an audience if you create the right kind of videos. I'm going to explain all of that to you and show you. I'm getting these directly from browse features, YouTube search, suggested videos, not from YouTube ads or any secret trick that some of these other people may be doing in the background, but this is literally just creating content that is in demand. I've done this on two channels in the last. 14 days with two different distinct types of content.
Here's a second channel, a crypto reviews channel, exact same pattern, instantly, instantly thousands of views a day on a brand new channel all through organic discovery straight from YouTube. Once you see this, then it can give you confidence like now is an awesome time to start a YouTube channel. You don't need an existing audience. I've got an outline I'm going to go through and explain all of this to you right now because I want you to have an easier time on YouTube than me.
14 Years of Struggle Before This Moment
I started on YouTube in 2011 and I struggled so much to the point where I deleted all my channels last year and now I'm back and I have a message that unlike these others, I literally did just start five channels from scratch. All you need is content that is. If you make videos on topics people care about you, it is easier than ever to get views. Now, this can be harder in areas based on authority like YouTube coaching, where people often respect a lot of views more, but you can always use YouTube ads to push those. And if you make a great video, YouTube will put it out to the right people today.
But I got really burnt out last year because I kept grinding out videos on these old channels and getting diminishing returns. I used to think that starting from zero is a huge disadvantage and I couldn't do it. I talked about it. And I deleted a billion views and 15 YouTube channels. I even see some celebrities who have huge old channels that get tiny, embarrassing amounts of views because of their old channels. And all the data on that is not supporting the videos going out. I waited nine months. Then I started five new channels from zero. And this is huge that I'm already getting the same kind of views I was getting per amount of videos.
Now, sure, some like my old crypto reviews channel was getting more video views because I had like 100 videos. But they the new videos. I was making were getting less views than I'm getting right now. YouTube boosts new channels. So if you can laser in your topic, then you can get a really strong audience. What I've learned is that starting over is not something to fear, but actually could be a great opportunity if you feel like you're stagnant or if you want to split off and change what you're doing. Starting over can be awesome. And it's validation that the YouTube algorithm today, in some cases, is doing a great job of matching the right content to the right content.
Even with no prior data on the channel itself. And now I'm so glad I did because I feel like my content has a fresh start and a fresh audience. And it's getting the algorithm reach that it fully deserves. The channel I had before was a variety channel. And that mismatch sabotaged all my content. Then when you post something new, the AI is not that good at trying to send out the correct video to the correct viewer. On the just one channel. But if you are trying to start a channel in 2026, present day relevance is the best it's ever been. I've never seen it be this easy in 14 years, 14 years on YouTube to start a brand new channel and instantly get viewers on a new channel.
Every view, every click and every returning viewer helps define the audience. Clearly there's less baggage, there's less confusion, there's less history pulling you in the wrong direction.
Give the Algorithm a Clear Signal
Today it's easier than ever for YouTube to understand what your channel is about and who should watch it. As long as you clearly give that data to YouTube in the video title, the thumbnail, the description, the tags, and what you say in the video, because YouTube reads everything you say in the video. So YouTube knows from what I'm saying here that I'm talking to people who are YouTube creators and who are uploading videos on YouTube. And therefore YouTube knows that YouTube creators are going to be able to understand what I'm creators and people using all kinds of apps like vidIQ and TubeBuddy and watching ad outreach videos from Alaric.
It knows that those kinds of people might like this video. If you have a new channel on a very clear topic, it helps both the viewer and the platform, and YouTube gets a much clearer read, and that clarity can be extremely powerful. The opportunity now is don't just build an audience, though. Serve a demand. The more I built up a smaller number of channels that were not niched very well, the more it felt like my new videos were limited. YouTube growth today is less about trying to build an audience around random content and more about serving a clear demand. My question for you is, where do you identify content on YouTube that could be a lot better?
Like in crypto, it's really easy. Like anybody could come in and create the kind of content I do because the content is so, the bar is set so low, the content is so bad that anybody with a little integrity and ability to do a little research can create better content that's better for viewers. And I'm really happy to see that YouTube is rewarding that. And I'm really happy to see that YouTube is giving me the same amount of views as me. That's a huge sign. And if people are actively searching for, so you're like, okay, well, how do I find topics like that? Think about where you watch videos where the content could be better.
For example, crypto is easy, but for me, I see a lot of YouTube, how to do YouTube content that could be a lot better too. I see a lot of YouTube content where people are constantly selling courses and coaching and programs. And I want a lot less of that. Do not sell me a course. I don't want to buy your how to YouTube course. I don't want to pay for your YouTube program. If I'm willing to pay for anything is to talk to you. That's why I've got this channel. You can schedule a call and you can talk directly with me and Zoom share your YouTube channel and your analytics.
And you can ask me questions directly off of my 14 years and 20 YouTube channels and all the time I've spent on YouTube and other platforms. If you want that kind of read on your own situation, you can book a one-on-one call with me, share your screen on our call, and we'll look at where your channel could go from here.
Find the Content That Makes You Angry
Thus, the way to find the content you'd like to make is what content pisses you off when you watch it. When I watch some of these how to YouTube tutorials, I'm like, this crap is garbage. That wouldn't work for somebody who's brand new on YouTube. The information is useless and I have better information. So I get out there and put my information and my video out there. And then YouTube, I'm like, I'm going to do this. And then YouTube gives me views. And there's lots of these kind of areas, but it can be in some areas like gaming, for example, or I'm making some gaming videos and I'm having a bit more of a challenge in gaming, figuring out like exactly where is the audience and the content.
So yes, you do need to test. And yes, you don't want to lock yourself into doing a channel on a topic that's not sustainable. And yes, if you're just playing around and getting started on YouTube, it can make sense to do a variety channel where you throw 100 of your content on YouTube. And yes, you don't want to lock yourself into doing a channel where you throw 100 videos up and see what sticks and what you like doing. But the best place to start a channel, if you want to make money and get views and be a professional, is to find a topic where the topic is in demand and where the videos on it aren't that good or could be better.
And the great news is you don't need a following at all to get started. So I've showed you my ICP channel as a case study, but I'll zoom in on some clear things like why it worked. First, it worked because people did already know me. So people watching my ICP videos already knew me and knew my face from before. And then they sent all these positive signals to YouTube by liking the video, subscribing to my channel, and commenting. And YouTube's like, wow, people love this guy. And I'll keep showing them more videos. But here's the thing. And so I'm going to show you how to do that.
This is exactly why I keep coming back to serving demand over chasing an audience, and I broke down the daily rhythm that makes it sustainable in One Video a Day: The Simple YouTube Strategy Nobody Wants to Hear.
So if you're and there's so little supply that people will jump on whatever demand is there. So if you can ever find any content on YouTube where there's so much demand that the creators are kind of low quality, like crypto, there's so many low quality creators, that's your opportunity to come in and do better. And the lesson is clear that this didn't happen because I became a better creator. It happened because the channel is aligned with what the audience wants. And so I'm going to show you how to do that. So if you can ever find any content and I'm a professional, what makes you a professional at YouTube to me is three key things.
How fast can you film a video? And then what kind of quality does that have in terms of your camera and your microphone? I spent $1 000. I have an RE20 microphone, a Rodecaster Duo audio interface. I have a Sony FX30 and I have a F2 8 lens on that and a Cam Link 4K. That's $3 000 worth of equipment that I can film. And I'm a professional. What makes you a professional at YouTube to me is three key things. I have to capture audio and video. When you see my picture and you hear my audio I'm not some amateur.
Invest in Audio First, Then Video
If you want to create a new YouTube channel, the place to invest is in audio first, then video, and then be able to record it fast. So I record using OBS, which makes my video super fast. And I've got other videos on my channel that go in and explain my creative process more clearly. But if you want to get immediate results and start a new YouTube channel and you want to be a professional, then you want to act like a professional. And a professional has a quality camera like a Sony FX30 with a F2 8 lens and then a RE20 microphone, Rodecaster Duo. That signals quality.
If you want to watch me walk through my workflow, gear, and channel setup step by step, I keep it all in my my YouTube Coaching playlist.
And then I have a computer, an OBS, a new gaming PC that's $2 000 that I can rip through my entire workflow with. And I make the videos off the top of my head using an outline because that gives them life. It gives them passion. I see so many videos where people have no passion. They're coaching people on YouTube. But they have no passion anymore. They don't care about it anymore. They're just making videos to get money. They're just out here talking like this. And then you click over here and then you have the AI do this. And I can't stand it. So you got to come out here on a topic.
You got to use your anger. It's like I'm angry that people are watching such useless, boring videos when they can watch my videos that are better. So then I make my videos and then people watch them.
The Biggest Mistake New Creators Make
The biggest mistake that new creators make, though, is just kind of not having a strategy and an audience for the channel. And I did this even as a, a veteran creator with over a decade of experience. I would just throw 10 different videos a day on my 250 sub channel, 250 000 sub channel, and the algorithm would dump all over every video. And then I'd get upset. Now, yes, there is a place to test your passion and to see what you care about and to try different things. But once you find something, even on a new channel where you're testing passion and testing demand, you..
You could still get some nice views. And then whenever you find something, you get some nice views on. Like if you try 30 different kinds of content and you find one that you love doing and that the audience loves, then you can make a dedicated channel for that one. It's smarter to begin with a topic that already has real demand. What a lot of people do on YouTube is try and copy a lot of the popular YouTubers in terms of popular by the amount of views they get. And that they make that they box themselves into trying to do these viral vlogs or these clickbait challenges.
And that's awful. It's often not sustainable over time because the cold start problem comes up. Like why would people want to watch someone they've never known before do some diet that 50 other people have done or to do some challenge that 50 other people or thousands of other people have already done? What you want to make is videos where people will watch your videos every day on that subject. I can literally talk about internet computer protocol or review a crypto every single day. And there's thousands and thousands of people that want that content. And if I don't make it, they're stuck watching it. They're watching some crappy alternative in lots of cases. If you're staring at YouTube trying to spot the topic where you could do better and coming up blank, you can schedule a private call with me and we'll find your angle together off your own experience.
So if you can find topics where you see that this should be better, get in there.
The Wrong Channel Hurts the Right Video
Now, the wrong channel can hurt the right video. It's great to start a new YouTube channel, but it stinks if you put all different kinds of videos on the same kind of channel and the algorithm just crushes all of them. And some niches are harder than others. Like starting an instrumental music channel can be difficult unless you watch a ton of other videos and you see which keywords and which kinds of instrumental music are in demand. And then if you can find that, you can make instrumental music instantly to an audience because there's often there's an audience that feels like there's scarcity where the audience wants something different, but they can't find it.
Then the people that want to create something different can't find the audience. You got to match up where is the audience available demanding something different that you can make that other people aren't making. The exceptions are all over the place. So even a strong video can struggle in the right environment, but just making content like other people are making or just making content without a clear strategy or a clear audience ends up being a waste of your time. And a new channel can help you restart because when you make a new channel, you can kind of break out of what you've been doing and remove the confusion.
So I just started from zero a few weeks ago. So I started by picking topics with both obvious demand. Now, I would caveat that you don't just want your YouTube to be about getting views. And that's why I've created a Jerry Banfield YouTube coach, a Jerry Banfield gaming channel, in addition to two crypto channels, because I really love doing gaming content. I love playing different games. I love helping other YouTubers learn from my experience because I've been on YouTube longer than most creators. I've got a deeper level of experience than even some of the people who get a lot of views on their how to YouTube videos.
They often know how to do one thing well and to get, either put views on them with ads or, get a lot of people to watch with a viral video, but they often don't have an experience over a wide area of YouTube. Thus, I do stuff that I really am passionate about and I do stuff where there's a proven audience. So the two crypto channels can easily provide enough income full time by themselves. But you also don't want to get locked into just doing one channel or one thing because as a YouTuber, you often can get very bored and burnt out. And so I've been doing that for a long time.
And I've been doing that for a long time. If you just do one kind of video all the time, like when I just did crypto for years, I got so burnt out. I ended up deleting everything because it's boring. And if you're a YouTuber, you need to keep your creativity alive. And if you can create a variety of channels and have some channels like these are obvious demand money making channels, but then also have some other channels that are like I'm passionate and these might make a little money or get a smaller amount of views like this YouTube coach channel. I don't know that this will ever be like a hugely viral channel.
I don't know thousands and thousands of views a day channel. And it wouldn't have to get a whole lot of views to do that. And I'm passionate about it. Because this channel is good for me. It's good for me to create content on what I know on YouTube, because I feel satisfied teaching it and it helps teaching is the best way to really learn something. And by committing to teaching YouTube, I'm also committing to doing the best job on my YouTube channels. That is a channel mostly for fun, mostly for my own personal development. So I've channels that the crypto channels are like business channels.
Those are work channels. Those are like a job channels. I show up like I'm going to work on those channels every day. And those channels pay the bills. But those channels have big ups and downs in terms of viewership. Then this channel and my main channel, I'm going to be doing a lot of videos on YouTube. And then the gaming channel, I'm going to be doing a lot of videos on YouTube. And then Jerry Banfield coach channel, these are very passionate, passionate channels where I can talk about here topics on YouTube, my coaching, things like dating and weight loss, etc. And those have some income potential, but they're not as in obvious demand, at least that I can see right off the bat compared to like crypto, and thus, then the gaming.
So if you can do all kinds of different content, but you need to have your channel set up by individual topics and business systems. And to me, the one business system that works is that people schedule. So I'm going to schedule calls. Like this YouTube coach channel, I don't need a lot of views to make a nice little income. Like then you put this income from, even if I got five calls a month, that adds up to $1 000. And that's as much revenue as I could get on something like a popular gaming channel, like not not, the top popular, but if my gaming channel had like 10 000 views a video or so.
I can make the same amount of money getting 10 000 views a video on one video a day on a gaming channel, as I could having five people or one person five times schedule calls with me to talk YouTube on this channel. And this channel might only get, five, 10 of the views that a gaming channel with 10s of 1000s of video would get.
Why 2026 Is the Best Time to Begin
So to me, this 2026, the best environment I've ever seen to start a YouTube channel, which I'm really surprised. I used to think for a lot of the time that, oh, I wish I'd started YouTube even earlier. I wish I'd put more into YouTube instead of selling online courses and Facebook and Twitch and TikTok and Twitter. I wish I'd put more into YouTube earlier. But today, I am not even, focusing on any content outside of YouTube today either. YouTube is the number one place that I see to upload content. And 2026, the AI is making it easier than ever, if you make quality videos, and in demand videos to get them out there.
So an old channel can still, help if the audience still matches the content. But an old channel can leave you burned out and boxed in if you don't expand. Even if you've got an old channel, a new channel could give you the feeling of a fresh start and bring the excitement back to YouTube and back to that old channel. So if you want to start fresh on YouTube today, rather it's completely from scratch like me, this is a great time. And in 2026, relevance matters more than history. So it's a great time to start on YouTube today. I hope this has helped and inspired you.
If you want more, I am cranking out, I'm sharing exactly what I'm doing on YouTube with all my experience and my brand new channels. I invite you to follow along with my journey and see how this goes over time. And if you're a YouTuber, I've talked to a whole bunch of YouTubers, I've helped a lot of YouTubers over the years build channels, build business systems. I also read all the comments. So if you have any questions, just drop one in the comment. And I'll reply there.