Before creating a YouTube channel and starting content creation, it’s essential to conduct research. This will help you learn from others and create relevant content. This research process is the focus of the Research module in this course.
Objectives of the Research Module
In this module, we will:
Find your competitors.
Analyze their channels.
Analyze their content.
Let’s begin with Finding Your Competitors.
Why Research Matters
As mentioned in the introduction, you’ve already completed the necessary steps to identify your niche. That was a crucial part of the research process.
In this lesson, we will explore:
What’s happening in your niche on YouTube.
What you can learn from those who came before you.
What topics are relevant for your audience.
What You Should Already Know
Before starting this research, ensure you know:
Who your audience is.
What problems they have.
How they verbalize their problems.
This foundational knowledge will guide you in finding your competitors, as you’ll use these problems to identify relevant competitor videos.
Goals of the Research
Key Insights to Gather
From this research, you need to understand:
Who is serving your audience.
Whether their needs are being adequately met.
What you can do better than your competitors.
Who Is Serving Your People?
7 to 10 Personalities
We aim to identify 7-10 individual YouTube personalities serving your niche.
What We Are Looking For
Focus specifically on:
Individual channels covering your topics.
Their statistics (subscribers, views, potential income).
Their specialization in the niche.
Any outstanding content they’ve produced.
What to Avoid
Do not include:
Organizations or large educational platforms.
Documentary channels.
TED Talks or similar unrelated content.
We are specifically looking for individual creators who run channels related to your topic.
Using the Notion Template for Research
You’ll receive a Notion template for this task. If you’re unfamiliar with Notion Databases, don’t worry—this will be covered in the Practical Lesson. For now, understand the objective: organizing and documenting your research.
Initiate Your Search: Start with the 100 Problems List
Preparing Your Channel for Research
Log in to the new channel you created for this project.
Always search using this channel so YouTube’s algorithm adjusts to your preferences.
Avoid using this channel for entertainment or unrelated searches.
Using Specific Search Queries
If you’ve done the work with your 100 Problems List, sort it by the problems you’re most familiar with and use them in the YouTube search box.
Example of Effective Searches
Instead of searching for “Help for family members of addicted people,” try:
“How to help my addicted son.”
“My husband is addicted, what should I do?”
This aligns with how your audience might phrase their problems. If your 100 Problems List doesn’t already include such specific phrases, adjust your search queries from the perspective of the searcher.
Steps for Competitor Research
Enter your specific search terms in YouTube.
Review the search results and open videos that seem relevant.
Check the creator’s channel:
Is it active?
Does it align with your audience’s interests?
Save the channel’s name and link in the Notion Database.
Expect Research to Take Time
Be Patient with the Process
Do not expect immediate results. YouTube’s algorithm needs time to adjust and suggest additional content you may have missed.
Dedicate a few hours to:
Searching for videos.
Watching content.
Exploring channels and their other videos.
Revisit for Better Results
Come back another day to see what new suggestions YouTube offers after your initial searches.
