This Small Creator's Strategy Is Quietly Beating Channels 10x His Size

0:00Well, YouTube is a very competitive place nowadays. You have huge channels, you have a lot of creators, so just starting making videos is not enough. You have a lot of a lot of people who are making great content, so you have to make unique content. And when you have 100 subscribers or zero subscribers, it's kind of hard the game because you are a no name guy. Just psychologically trying to get to this 1000 subscribers is is very difficult. Hello everyone and welcome to the Creators Hub podcast, dusty here, your host.

0:33Joined today by Arthur Brassard Arthur's channel launched in 2017 by him uploading a random unboxing video just for fun. But in 2020, he started taking it seriously, and since then, he's grew his channel of 25,000 subscribers. It's actually beyond that now. As we're recording this, he's making content about Apple technology, unboxing tips and tricks, evergreen videos, tutorials. His channel is still rather small, but it's still day one, as once said by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.

1:07I love that quote. Arthur, how are you doing today? Hi, I see I'm doing great and you doing well. Really excited about having you on this podcast. The reason why I started this show is because of creators like you. I love that you started the channel kind of by happenstance, and then all of a sudden the channel. Took off, and then you're growing the channel. And although you think that your channel's rather small, it's actually in the upper seven or 10% of channels on YouTube as a whole.

1:33So really excited to have you here. And again, if you wanna find Arthur's channel, you can check it down below in the show notes. It's his first name is Arthur, and then it's Brassard. It's B-R-A-S-S-A-R-T. And while you're in the show notes, you can take a look at all of the things and offerings that we have for creators. I offer one-on-one coaching. We have YouTube channel audits. We have our creator Mastermind group and exclusive podcast recordings.

1:58We have a ton of stuff for creators, so check that out if you haven't already. Alright, Arthur, let's take a look at the beginning phase of the channel. Let's go back to that first upload of that random unboxing, talk about that, and then fast forward to 2020. And what made you want to take this serious? Well, dusty, first of all, I wanted to thank you for inviting me on your podcast. It means a lot for me because I'm an active listener of the YouTube Creators Hub.

2:28I have been listening to your podcast, I think back in 2019, and since then, I'm listening to your podcast every week. So being a guest on your podcast, it's, it's kinda, it's kind of unreal. So everything is possible in life. So I started my Europe channel randomly. I, I've always been a huge, uh, YouTube fan. I was always watching YouTube videos, and at a certain point of time, I just wanted to make my own YouTube video. I made an unboxing of a Casio G Shock watch, you know, just a random video.

2:59I made an unboxing and a quick review, and then I forget about my YouTube channel. A couple of days later, I opened my YouTube studio and I saw subscribers. I saw comments, I saw views, and I said to myself. Well, that's cool. And then I forgot about it. And back in 2020, I really started to making videos because you know, I had a, I had some free time. It was during the pandemic. I started making tutorials and boxings, and my channel started gaining traction.

3:29I started making my first subscribers and I said to myself, I want to. Have at least 1000 subscribers just for fun. And I did it. And then I started making videos, tutorials, and boxings. So for me, it's like a hobby because I still have a nine to five job, but now it's getting more and more professional. So let's talk about 2020. Was there a specific video or was there a specific thing that triggered you to say, okay, I think I want to take this more serious?

4:01Yes, I, I, I made a video about my e-bike unboxing and showing a bicycle to potential buyers, and a lot of people commented that they are grateful for my review. I convinced them to, to buy this bicycle, and I said to myself, if people are watching my videos, why not try to make more videos? Anyway, I'm, I, I like tech, I like buying stuff. I like buying things, so making videos, sharing stuff with people, giving them. Giving them the value is, is nice.

4:31It started as a hobby. And what was the hardest part when you were getting started? Do you remember back then as far as when you were trying to grow the channel, the parts that maybe gave you the most difficult, you know, the most difficulty trying to get started on your YouTube? Well, YouTube is a very competitive place nowadays. You have huge channels, you have a lot of creators, so just starting making videos is not enough. You have a lot of a lot of people who are making great content, so you have to make unique content.

5:03And when you have 100 subscribers or zero subscribers, it's kind of hard the game because you are a no name guy. Just psychologically trying to get to this 1000 subscribers is, is very difficult when, when you're a small creator, once you start gaining traction, you know, it's like an airplane. It goes slowly, but then it takes off and, and you go to the sky. Arthur, do you remember those first few videos after you decided to take YouTube serious?

5:32What you did? Did you do anything differently? Did you change your upload schedule? What were the things that you did once you said to yourself, okay, now I'm gonna take this serious? Well, YouTube is a very competitive place. You have a lot of creators, you have a lot of good, nice channels. So starting from zero subscribers is kind of hard because, you know, psychologically when you don't have subscribers, it's, it's difficult. So I have been trying to be consistent.

6:02I was uploading videos at least. Per once per week, once every two week. But for me, it was like a hobby. So I was not treating the channel very seriously, but I was still trying to be consistent with my applause schedule. And so your cadence was just, you're saying, Hey, I gotta get serious about this. I gotta make sure I'm uploading on a regular basis. Was it hard for you to come up with video ideas, or what was your process like early on, and even still to this day?

6:30What do you do to make sure that you remain consistent? Actually, I don't have any problems with ideas. I have so many ideas. I have 1 billion ideas. I don't have free time because I still have my nine to five job. I live and work in Monaco, so I still have a lot of obligations. YouTube, for me, is a side project. It's, it's like a hobby that. It's getting more and more traction, but I don't have free time. Uh, I don't have a lot of free time, but I'm trying to to to, to free up as much time as I can.

7:01Uh, so my work, my workflow process is very simple. I'm scheduling my videos. I'm recording the video. Then I'm editing on my MacBook. Recently I bought a professional camera. It's a Sony Alpha. It's a good mirrorless camera, but back in the day I was filming just with my iPhone. Would you go back and do anything different? Like if you were starting a channel right now in 2026 and people listening or trying to start and grow a channel right now, what would you tell them about starting or trying to grow a channel right now?

7:33Yeah, definitely. I would do a lot of things differently. First of all, as I said earlier, YouTube is a very competitive place, so you have to work on your strategy. If you are serious about making YouTube videos, you cannot just make any random videos trying to become a famous YouTuber. That's not gonna work. You have to have a real strategy. What is your niche? Who are your viewers? You have to really work on your strategy and be consistent. If you want to, to, to be successful, you, you have to take things seriously.

8:04How frequent do you go and watch other creators with the sole mindset of, I want to learn from them? How many, how many times do you go to other creators channels and watch videos and take either mental notes or actual notes of, okay, here's what they're doing, here's what seems to be working. So how much are you learning from your peers and, and kind of what's your process like there? I'm watching a lot of YouTube videos. I have always been a huge fan of Casey iStat back in 2015.

8:35I'm watching a lot of other tech YouTubers, the biggest YouTubers, smaller YouTubers, people who are making similar content, and it gives me a lot of inspiration, sometimes ideas. So, yeah, I'm, I'm trying to, to watch YouTube videos every day. Do you remember a few of your failures along the way? What are some things that you might could mention that maybe could help others avoid these missteps along the way? Were there a couple things or a thing that you did along your journey thus far where you're like, man, I, I wish I would not have, that was a mistake.

9:09Yeah, so some of my videos are actually quite popular. The most popular video on my channel almost hit 1 million views, and, and it was like a random video. I put maybe five hours of work into this video and it exploded. And some of other videos where, where I put several days of work, I was, I was expecting the, uh, the outcome from this video and then it was a huge flop. So never expect. An outcome from the video. Just make the video, make it good enough, but don't expect it to be successful because frustration is difficult.

9:46How frequently are you looking at the YouTube studio app and how frequently are you looking at your analytics and data and what, what metrics are you looking at to gauge the success of the channel? I'm looking on my YouTube analytics every day, even several times per day. So the most important metric for me is the subscribers, because I'm trying to build up my community. My goal is to get at least 100,000 subscribers by the end of this year. I think it's a realistic goal, although quite ambitious.

10:18I'm trying to watch my, uh, watch time. The engagement of course, and the view times, the view count, of course. Have you found anything specific that you can change or implement in your workflow when you upload a video to improve the watch time? Are there things that you've put in place from things that you've learned from older videos to improve those metrics that we know push channels into the algorithm? Well, first of all, you have to deliver value to your users.

10:51Just go straight to the point, make a short intro. Respect the promise of the video. If you are making a video on a certain topic, just go straight to the topic. Give people as much information as you can. Be as clear as you can. Uh, if you're making a tutorial, make sure to show, you know, all the process, all these tabs, and eventually troubleshooting options. What I can tell more. I think, I think that's, that's the most important thing. Yeah.

11:20Is delivering on what the thumbnail and the title promises, the packaging. And you know, as far as packaging goes. What have you learned along the way about that, about thumbnails and titles, and how has your process maybe changed over time? Because I really like your thumbnail style. I think that you have a really unique style. You keep everything very similar with a lot of the same color theming and, and the the different fonts that you use. So what have you learned along the way to to work for a channel like yours?

11:52Thank you. I'm glad someone likes my thumbnails. Uh, so back in the day, I was putting 90% of my effort into the video and 10% into the packaging thumbnail and title. Usually I was doing the thumbnail while I was uploading the video, and it was a huge mistake because packaging is as important as the content itself. If your thumbnail. Sucks or it's not attractive enough, no one's gonna watch your video even. Even if the video is great. So now I'm trying to put 40% of my effort into the thumbnail and title and 60% onto the video itself.

12:31Are you doing the packaging before or after the video? As far as the filming the recording. Back in the day I was making the thumbnail after filming the video, but now I'm trying to imagine the thumbnail before making the video. Usually I'm making two versions and while I start recording the video, I may adapt things. But before recording the video, you should already start thinking about the thumbnail. It helps. It helps a lot. And being that this is still.

13:02A side thing for you and you have a nine to five job, how do you manage your time? How, how do you make sure that you are able to keep up with the upload schedule, not really fail at your day job, and still have a social life and family and relationships? Well, it's hard. I wake up early, I wake up at 5:00 AM and before going to my work, I, I, I spend time on my Europe channel. Quite often I'm spending time after working hours. Sometimes when I have dead time, I can put up my laptop and work on my YouTube channel.

13:36So it's a huge investment. It's a huge. It's very time consuming, but I believe in my channel. I like making YouTube videos, so I, I spend a lot of time doing videos. Yeah. The, the joy and passion that you have for it is kind of what gets you through those doldrums where you may think that you should get a certain amount of views or whatever it may be. I was, I was, I was trying to outsource, uh, thumbnail creation 'cause I found a guy who wanted to work for me, but I was not quite satisfied with the quality.

14:10It's not even about the quality, it's about the style. I'm the author, I'm the actor. I'm I, I, I'm the guy who makes the video. So I think, I think I make better thumbnails than people who are outsourced. Just, I just like making everything. It's my video, it's my thumbnail, it's my scenario. So I prefer working myself. Yeah, having the ownership. To all of that stuff is important, and it does give you a sense, a sense of just like pride, knowing that you did it from start to finish, and obviously there is a time and a place where that stuff needs to be outsourced, whether it be things that you just don't enjoy or things that you're not as good at.

14:47But currently in the phase of your channel and a lot of the audience out there listening to this, having that ownership of what you're doing is a really important thing to have. Is there something that you wish someone would've told you sooner? Now that you're in the journey, you're taking this serious, you're, you know, six, seven years from when you decided to do so, what is something that you wish you would've known sooner? I'm a perfectionist, so I like to my video.

15:16I like my video to sound perfect. I like my video to be perfect, and sometimes I start over because the video is not good enough. But I wish I would be less critic. To my videos, I wish I, I wish I would be more consistent and probably. More niching down on the topic because I'm making a lot of videos about Apple, obviously, iPhone, apple Watch, and MacBook. But I see that every time I make a video about Apple Watch or MacBook, the video really gets more views.

15:52So I made a lot of videos about iPhone for nothing. I should really focus on what I do the best. Apple Watch and MacBook. We talk a lot about that here on this show, about finding your audience, knowing what your niche is and who you're speaking to, and how important that is from the whole process of ideation, all the way to upload. So it's really interesting to hear you talk about that. That's a really great point that you just mentioned over in our mastermind group, the Creator's Corner.

16:18We let those folks ask questions to the guests that we have on the podcast, and this question comes from Joey. Joey says, was there a time in your journey when you felt burnt out and lacked motivation to keep going? What happened during that time and how did you get through it? Yeah, definitely. Last year I made my most successful video that gained almost 1 million views and I said to myself, this is it now. Now every video is gonna be like that.

16:48It was, it was a huge success and I was super happy. But then my next video was a huge flop, and the video before was just, okay, so once you get the success and if you are not able to repeat the success. The success. It's kind of, you know, depressive. But I said to myself, I have to keep going. I have to keep. Making videos and eventually one of them will be successful. And you know what? Just a few days ago I made a new tutorial that is also very successful.

17:22It's almost, uh, 70,000 views and it's gaining a lot of views, likes, subscriptions. So, you know, it's, I was a, I was a little bit frustrated when. One of my video just blew up and then I lost the traction. But, uh, but now I'm trying to manage that. I'm accepting the reality. This is one of the things I talk about a lot with my coaching clients in figuring out what types of content, like what buckets do they need to start creating contents around content on their channel, and finding things that are outliers and things that perform well on the channel.

17:58Like you mentioned, the Apple Watch and the different things that the MacBook, the thing that. Things that tend to really resonate with your audience. How do you balance creating content around those things and becoming known for those things, and also branching out and, you know, how do you balance the two? So nowadays my strategy is very simple. 60% of my videos will be about Apple Watch and MacBook, different apps, tips and tricks, you know. Videos that I'm confident about, and 40% experimental videos.

18:32So for example, different storytelling videos, experimental things about old gadgets, old iPads, old iPhones, you know, just crazy stuff. It's, it's a test, you know, just testing content, content. So 60% topics that my viewers will love, and 40% experimental videos. Being a San a channel of your size, how much are you interacting with your audience? How much are you responding to comments? How much are you going outside of YouTube to other socials?

19:03What are your community building techniques that you're using? Because it is important as a channel grows to curate that and to really nurture that. So what are you doing? I'm interacting a lot, so I'm answering on every comment. I'm trying to, like the comment I'm trying to answer, you know, just. Think, just be grateful for people who are supporting me, sometimes answering the question about tutorials, and believe me or not, once I met my subscriber in real life, so.

19:34I live in Monaco and the guy watched my video and he recognized me in the street, and he said to me like, are you the YouTube guy? I said, yes. How do you know me? Yeah, I'm watching your YouTube videos. And it was so crazy. It was unexpected. And then we became friends. That is so cool. I'll never forget the first time that a creator tagged me in one of their videos and they, they were someone who said, Hey, you know, dusty mentioned me in one of his podcasts.

19:59I felt like I really made it. And being able to interact with. The people who consume your content is an important thing. Now, how are you monetizing? How are you making money from the channel now, and how do you plan to monetize and make money from the content in the future? Well, you will be surprised, but I'm actually losing money on this YouTube channel. Why? Because I'm spending a lot of time making YouTube videos and time equals money. So it's the cost of lost opportunities I could have.

20:33Made a different job, I don't know, like a taxi driver or whatever, and make some money. But I'm doing YouTube videos. I invested a lot of money into my gear. I bought a new computer. I bought an expensive camera. You know, it's a lot of money. So nowadays, if I add up everything I made on YouTube, I actually lost money, but whatever. I'm still happy. I'm still happy about that. If we're talking about my YouTube revenue streams, I'm making a little bit on AdSense.

21:01Of course, I have some sponsored videos. Usually it's. I'm just getting free accessories, iPhone cases or external batteries, you know, just free stuff basically for, for reviewing stuff. And I also have, uh, Amazon affiliate program, but again, it's like, it's very insignificant. If you like this conversation that you're listening to right now, I just wanna ask you one thing. Can you go and subscribe to the show, whether it be on your podcast player or over on YouTube, wherever it be, subscribe.

21:31I would really appreciate it. Leave us a review. Also, let me know what you think of the show, and don't forget to check out all of the resources and the things that we offer creators down below in the show notes. And lastly, if you know a creator or have contact with someone who you think would be a great fit for this podcast, let me know. Send me an email, dusty@dustyporter.com. With that said, back to the conversation. Yeah. And with the future, knowing that you do want to make more money and you do want to expand.

21:59Are you looking to do more sponsorships to double down on the evergreen content, which I do want to touch on here briefly, but what are the plans for the future to monetize and continue to make money? So maybe you can do this full-time at some point. I think I can do this full-time, and actually this is one of my goals for 2026 to quit my nine to five job and, and start. And just became a full-time creator. So my goal is to make sponsors sponsored videos.

22:26I, I don't think I, I don't see any problem making sponsored content as long as the product is aligned with my values. I will never make a sponsored video about the product that I don't like or I, I will not be using in my real life. Recently I got a, actually I'm getting a lot of sponsored emails, people trying to, you know, kind of scam or. Just low quality products, and I'm always refusing this kind of proposals because I respect my viewers. I respect my audience, so I will never promote something that may be harmful or or low quality.

23:06That's a, that's a really hard thing. As a creator. Early on it was a problem for me. I thankfully, I, I learned from other creators who in were investing in me, but when you get those first emails, it's very tempting to think, oh man, I could make. I'll never forget someone offered me $750 to put their website link in a pinned comment in one of my more popular videos back when I was first starting. And man, $750. I get it. It's not a ton of money, but back then, to be able to say that I made that from one video that I made almost three or four months prior, that would've been phenomenal.

23:42So it is tempting, but knowing. That your audience and, and their trust of you is way more important than that. Quick payday is, I believe the most important thing as a creator. If you're listening to this, it's great that you're getting the, the attention of these, even the scammers, means that you're making some, some waves in your space. But being able to sift through those, know which ones are real, which ones are not, and then figuring that out is very important.

24:08Um, recently. I made a video about on how to, how to clean your Mac for free. It's a free tool. Free solution, and I got a request for a company to sponsor a paid app. It's ridiculous. How can I show a paid app in a video that talks about free solution? It's kind of, it's kind of ridiculous. Yeah. That's just the way it works. It's the, uh, the nature of the beast. Let's talk about the evergreen style of your channel. You know, I talk about, alright, I haven't really talked about evergreen content for a while, but being able to upload a video on YouTube and have it to produce views and subscribers and eventually make you money for months and years to come, how do you approach.

24:49That knowing that you're doing a lot of educational tutorial, technology changes rapidly. I mean, I know this with my tech channel. You know, the way that I've kind of changed my tune a little bit is I do updated videos on a lot of these tools sometimes every six months depending on, and like AI tools, I might do 'em every quarter, right? Because they change so quickly. How are you approaching educational content and videos that'll perform for long time?

25:17I met a lot of tutorials that are getting outdated because things are changing, so I will be. Making my own, remaking my own videos with a better quality. And of course the updated visual. For example, I made a lot of videos about best apps for Mac or best apps for Apple Watch. And obviously as time goes on, there are more and more apps, so I'll be just, I will, I will be releasing videos on the same topic with updated apps. You know, just use the same, the same style, the same video quality, but updated with the most recent information.

25:53What do you think is the best advice you've ever heard or been given regarding content creation? People will always judge you. You will always see someone who will try to give you, you know, who will judge you, who will tell, well, you could have been done better, this or that, it's not good enough. Your video sucks. Uh, but believe in yourself. And if you have the willpower to, to show your face, to make the content, it's you should be proud of yourself.

26:25Those folks that are commenting, they're just doing that. They're just commenting. That's very low friction. They're not having to hit record. They're not having to put their face or voice out there. I've oftentimes said that as a creator, we are out on a ledge and we're putting ourselves out there, and you have to be willing to submit yourself to scrutiny and have to have thick skin as a creator. I think that's really great what you just said. Are you utilizing any AI tools?

26:52In your workflow, uh, over the past year or so. Using the, um, I have been using chat GPT recently to try to polish my script because I'm not a native English speaking person. I speak French. So it's, it's two times more difficult for me to create content because I'm making content in a foreign language. So sometimes I, I'm using chat GPT just to proofread my text, my script. But besides that, I'm not using AI for editing. I'm using my natural voice to make voiceover.

27:24Just to, just to, just to work around the script, how do the consumption habits or the creator economy or space, how does it differ in the US or where I am and then where you are? Do you think that the geographical region changes the way people consume or that their habits or even create? What are your thoughts there? Well, most of my viewers are based in the US so, uh, for example, I'm using amazon.com, the, uh, the American version of Amazon. And so I, I wouldn't say there are a lot of differences because the products are the same.

28:07The, uh, you know, the, the, the material is the same. So there are not a lot of differences. Have you ever thought about doing a, a channel that's mirrored. Like mirrored by the fact that it's the same content but in a different language. Like right now we have auto dubbing, which that features hit or miss, whether it works. People tend to really hate that feature. But you know, Mr. Beast does channels that are in specific languages and he is done really well.

28:33Like his, you know, Spanish channel. Uh, it has done very well. Have you thought about doing the same videos just in your native language as well as the, the English version? I actually had a completely different idea. I want to start several new YouTube projects as I gained a lot of experience making my videos on my main channel. I want to start different channels because I have a lot of interest. I have a lot of interests. I wanted to start a channel about life in Monaco, you know, just showing everyday life.

29:03It's unusual. It's interesting for. People who are, who are willing to visit Monica. I also wanted to start a channel about storytelling. You know, just telling interesting stories from the history. So I'm planning to start new YouTube channels as a side project alongside my main YouTube channel in English, because I think, I think making content in English is like, everyone can watch your videos. Most people in France speak English, so it's, it's, you can touch the whole globe.

29:35You know, the other question I wanted to ask you specifically is what types of frustrations do you have? Because I get a lot of questions from creators who say, I feel like my video should have performed this way. And you mentioned it earlier in the interview where you talked about having a video do really well, and then the next one kind of flop. How do you deal with that? The frustration of knowing that you've seen a little bit of success, kind of had that, the, the, the treat dangled in front of you.

30:05But now these videos tend to only get a certain amount of views. How do you persist through that? So back in the day, a couple of years ago when I just started my Europe channel, I was really upset once the video was underperforming. Nowadays, I'm okay with that. I'm just accepting the fact that Europe is not pushing my video, which means something is not good enough. So for me, it's like a motivation. It's, it's a fuel for self-improvement. It means that the topic is not good enough.

30:37The thumbnail was not good enough, or the video was not good enough, so work harder, find a new topic. Go ahead. You know, just don't stop. Improve yourself. It, it's just, you know, you cannot make every video successful. Some videos will gain less traction. Every video is like, I, I'm learning from my failure. I'm not, I'm not, um, I'm not getting frustration. I'm getting more, more and more motivation. I love that. That is a great answer. And the final question I have for you, Arthur, is this, there's thousands, tens of thousands of people who listen to this every week, and I'm so thankful for that.

31:13Most of them, longtime listeners, and we've got a bunch of new listeners coming in each and every week as they start their journey on YouTube. What advice would you give them? Like what advice, what would be your parting words for these people? Guys, if you. Like making videos. If you ever thought about starting your Europe channel, do that. Look, I was listening to YouTube Creators podcast for about five years, and I started my Europe channel. I am making videos in English, although I am not an English speaking person.

31:45If you, if you know something about an interesting topic, if you, if you want to start the Europe channel, just go ahead and start. If it fails, it fails, but at least you have tried. I love that. Arthur, you have been a phenomenal guest this week. Thank you so much for joining me this week on the podcast. Thank you, dusty. That's a wrap on this week's episode of the Creator Hub Podcast. Don't forget, if you're looking to take your YouTube game to the next level, check out all of the services in the show notes that we provide to you.

32:17Everything from a channel review and audit service, a mastermind group, one-on-one coaching, as well as just the links that are mentioned throughout these conversations each and every week. Also, if you would subscribe to the show, wherever, and however you listen. Or watch this podcast, subscribe that way every Friday when we go live with a new episode. And if you'd like to keep up with me, there's two ways that you can do that. You can check out my other podcast that I'll link in the show notes down below, as well as our email newsletter where thousands of creators and entrepreneurs are on that list.

32:48And every single Friday, I send out a very brief, under five minute read for an email newsletter where I talk about things going on in my business. Personal life resources, things that I'm reading, things that I believe can help you take your life and your business to the next level. So with that said, we'll talk to you guys next week.