The Hidden Opportunity in Tutorial Channels (Thomas Frank Interview)
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- Опубликовано: 5 июл 2024
- 🎉 Get started with Notion, sign up for free or unlock AI for $10 per month: ntn.so/JayClouse2
Two years ago, Thomas Frank made the seemingly crazy decision to abandon his 2 million subscriber RUclips channel that he spent a decade of his life building to make software tutorials.
His decision paid off big time. The @ThomasFrankExplains channel has grown to 220,000 subscribers, done over 10 million views, and doubled his revenue, just by teaching people how to use the productivity and note taking software, Notion.
In this episode, you'll learn:
•How to design the perfect viewer experience
•How to think about browse views versus
•Search the pros and cons of relying on outside platforms for success
•And what every person starting a tutorial channel needs to do
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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Abandoning a 2 Million Sub Channel
01:17 - Thomas’s New RUclips Strategy
04:10 - Why Start a New Channel?
05:35 - Browse Views vs Search Views
08:09 - When Serving the Audience is Bad for Retention
10:11 - Our Lovely Sponsor :)
12:01 - Evaluating Platform Risk
16:14 - Permanence on RUclips
18:40 - How to Decide What Videos to Make
19:48 - How Important is Production Value
24:32 - Advice for New Tutorial Creators
30:07 - Does First Mover Advantage Matter?
***
CONNECT WITH THOMAS
🌐 Website: thomasjfrank.com/
🐦 Twitter: / tomfrankly
📸 Instagram: / tomfrankly
📹 RUclips: / @thomasfrankexplains
***
CONNECT WITH ME
🐦 Twitter: / jayclouse
📸 Instagram: / jayclouse
🎵 TikTok: / jayclouse
💼 LinkedIn: / jayclouse
***
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***
TEAM
Host + Producer // Jay Clouse: jayclouse.com/links
Editor // Conor Conaboy: / conorconaboy
Thumbnail Artist // Jonathan Sippel: / thumbnailgrail
Creator Science is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network.
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Thomas is actually the reason I've gotten so good at Notion myself. Feels like an amazing full-circle opportunity to have them sponsor this video!
🎉 Get started with Notion, sign up for free or unlock AI for $10 per month: ntn.so/JayClouse2
Thanks so much for having me back Jay! Love chatting with you, and watching your own channel grow and really find its niche has been awesome to see.
Thanks so much for this. You helped me a lot on which content pillar I should have a closer look at. Also how to think about an educational channel versus an entertainment one. I have videos that I feel are very high quality being a "dud" after a few days and you gave me some extra fuel to keep going, even though I'm already full fledged. Thanks TF 🙏
Seeing your videos as part of a collective “textbook” on your channel is so eye-opening! Great interview :)
I agree ☝️
I completely agree! It definitely has me thinking 🤔!!
@@Desertshowgirlfitness subscribed 🙌
@@brad-smith Thank you!!
Great podcast, Jay. I managed to get early access to Thomas' Flylighter Notion web clipper - it's mind-blowing! I'm currently taking timestamped notes from this RUclips video as we go.
I really love the "platform risk" discussion - that's such a big hurdle and we over-obsess over it.
This was so, so, so good. I know of Thomas Frank and some of what he's done but haven't really followed his story that closely. What a great interview with a ton of master-class-like insight. I always have more respect for a creator who's willing to be upfront about misses than just the wins. Well done. Great format too. Thanks for sharing it!
Totally agree and subscribed to your channel Kevin
This video just opened my eyes so much on things I've been doing wrong as an edutainment channel. Thank you so much 🤝
I love hearing you and Thomas chatting about this stuff!
I can't wait to see your CreatorHQ Notion template Jay! It's gonna be epic. 😁
Thomas Frank's pivot is a masterclass in niche specialization. For entrepreneurs, focusing on a specific tool or platform can create a deep connection with a targeted audience, resulting in higher engagement and loyalty than broader content strategies. Remember, depth beats breadth when it comes to building expertise and trust.
It’s insane that I just thought today to search for Thomas getting interviewed and found this so recently released. Exactly what I wanted out of hearing Thomas talk about his process and strategy. Really excellent interview. High production quality. Wish there was more with Thomas.
This was a great interview. I love hearing about his journey and how he's pivoted and still profited.
I’ve been worried my tutorial YT videos are too boring, thinking I need to broaden my approach. This helped me realized I need to narrow my approach! Thanks guys 👊
Subscribed, look forward to learning ahout the professor method.
Thank you for this video. I always enjoy your style of interview with your guests.
Thomas is amazing with his Notion videos. At I thought he was part of the development team making boring corporate presentations, but I realized that I was wrong. His work ethic and professionalism makes his videos much more enjoyable. Like many other people are saying He is the reason that I got hooked on Notion and now I am a paying user 😅
These goals seem so unattainable.
...but, I enjoy listening to the stories of peoples successes. tHanks for the videos!
Just finished the original interview with Thomas Frank a couple of days ago. This is awesome!
Thomas does a superb job covering Notion, keep going!
I have just subscribed to your channel, and even taken the bold step of turning on all notifications, because it seems as if you are genuinely interested in helping people learn to provide actual value (both to viewers and in their own RUclips "career") rather than just chasing THE ALGORITHM.
I'm also a little jealous that this other guy "stole my idea" of simply making good quality tutorials and letting the chips fall where they may. Fortunately, there is LOTS of room in "the market" because most tutorial channels are so terrible. Besides, I just want to do it as a retirement hobby anyway. But, even doing it as a hobby requires a bit more of a commitment than i am ready for... yet, if one wants to do it well.
I'll get there.
In the mean time, I'll try to get some inspiration from you and your guests.
I like that we share some of the same thoughts on creating digital content. I have to say that I still have a lot to do to get better. This was a great video highlighting the thought process and what it takes to create a content library with useful information.
Looking forward to this!
Thanks for the video. As a full time course creator, I got quite a few knowledge nuggets out of it 👍
Hey, I really enjoyed this interview. Some great insight and can relate to the dilemma of creating content around using software or a process that I think 'needs' to exist as part of a library of content on my given niche, content that helps users with certain tools/processes though it's not necessarily content that I think will get a tonne of views. Hmm...
I teach 3d creation in Blender which is an opensource 3d creative suite. Due to the nature of Blender's opensource model, I don't have that kind of platform risk. Awesome interview, it's really interesting listing to other creators who make software educational content, thanks 🙂
26:41 - I just took a screenshot of this.
I like how you go in and add graphics, after the fact, to clarify important points in the interview.
I would like to learn more about creating "popcorn content" that isn't trivial, redundant, or just wasted people's time. I'm so sick of seeing "5 Tips" videos that just repeat what everyone else is repeating, but with even less actual info.
That's my channel in nut shell. My tutorials start slow then eventually go viral 6 months later. My views come from browse and suggested.
permeance, noun, 1) the act of permeating. 2) the conducting power of a magnetic circuit for magnetic flux; the reciprocal of magnetic reluctance.
Tutorials are the main reason my channel exists - my “mission” is to help people learn, teach, and be more productive using technology. That’s it. No “strategy”.
A lot of my videos I think of as evergreen library content which will help people months and maybe years from now
Definitely can't reach space on that home-made bicycle.
Great interview and video formatting.
Never comment on videos but this was fantastic from both a questions asked and knowledge dropped perspective
Glad you enjoyed it!
Typo at 17:49 - it should say 'permanence' not 'permeance'. Permeance is the degree to which a material admits a flow of matter or energy.
Just a lol for me because I've been stressing about whether I can legally use Notion as my primary tool to convey tutorial content in my niche and there's literally channels that exclusively show Notion to teach Notion (never searched for notion tutorials so first I've heard of it) so guess I've been worrying over nothing 😂
It's weird that while the talking heads parts are quite sharp and in focus, the text in screen was somewhat blurry.
Viewed on iPad.
Absolute gold of an interview Jay! Focused on getting my book out into the world last 2 years after getting a publishing deal with Penguin Random House and this year, focused on building my RUclips channel so very much enjoyed these insights shared :-)
Great channel I’ll check you out
@@brad-smith thank you 🙏
As to "Platform Risk": The first program that I plan to make tutorials for is a complete underdog in the Digital Asset Management market. But, i think it is really good (despite it's many little bugs), and I hope to bring more notoriety to this program because i think it could help so many people..... IF they had someone who could explain the complexity and eccentricities in a way that helps them get the value out of that tool. That might then bring more sales, which might help the sole developer afford to hire some help. Then i get a better tool. So it's a win for everyone.
Great
Love tutorial based channels!
That’s a smart idea 😊😊
this video just reinforces my confusion as to why there isn't a dedicated channel for "personal knowledge base" maybe the view count is too low? it seems like it would pair really well with notion or simply be an alternative title. it's not something I plan on working on regularly or entirely because it's adjacent. it feels like a massive hole because there are only like 100 videos but some with over 100k.
I think there are several channels around this topic; they're just not explicitly using that term. Tiago Forte is probably the top one; his whole thing is on building a "second brain" which is pretty much just a synonym for personal knowledge base. Then there are people like Nick Milo who go deep into Obsidian/Logseq. There are quite a few folks building channels in the PKM space!
that's true but feels weird to me that they share the same terms rather than each using a different database or knowledge category. is it recommended to use the same titles rather than create new ones? @@ThomasFrankExplains
How do you not run out of ideas? I produce videos quickly as I'm a full time RUclipsr. I feel when I hit around 100 videos or so, it's so hard to find any search terms. Even using tools.
isn’t this a re-upload? 🤔
Normally, I would never trust someone who arranges their books by color.
:-D
4 minutes old 🤯I bet it’s gonna be great.
As to "Permanence": I am looking into ways to "take down" an old video without actually taking it down. Not because I care about losing the view count. But, because i don't want to break links that someone might have saved. I would like to find a way to edit down an already published video so that all the viewer sees is an announcement to look in the description for a link to the updated version of that video.
That way, my collection of videos IS like a textbook, but a textbook that can be updated.
You can always unlist it! Links won't break, but new people won't discover it.
One thing I tried in my Notion API video - early in the video, I tell people to check the pinned comment for any important updates. While I can't keep the video up to date, I can at least pre-emptively point people to an up-to-date companion resource (which might link to a new video someday).
300k 👍🏿
Awesome great video
Yeah that’s true what he is saying.
I literally only watch educational channels 🛠️🛠️
From this video your have idea tutorial chanel level up
IMHO, He talks so fast that you can only understand and follow by playing his videos back at 0.75 speed. His instructions also require a lot of prior knowledge.
This stupid music irritates me
You're kidding, Right? What else frustrates you? Lol