Have you ever fantasized about pivoting your channel in a fresh, new direction? As someone who's been on YouTube for nearly 10 years now, and after passing the 200,000 subscriber mark over New Years of 2025, I can admit I still don’t think my channel is quite pointing in the direction it needs to be for long-term success. So in 2025, I'm adopting a new strategy for achieving potentially life-changing growth for my channel and business by following five simple rules for success.
Part of this strategy has resulted in renaming this podcast to Full-Time YouTuber to align my branding with the direction I plan on going in the coming years. In this episode of Full-Time YouTuber, I share exactly what these five rules are and how you can use them to make 2025 your best year ever on YouTube.
Hey, I'm Ben, and I help YouTubers who are entrepreneurs at heart grow their channels into profitable businesses. This podcast is for creators who want to help their audiences through informational content—not to chase fame or subscribers (although that may come)—but rather to build a business that generates revenue while you sleep, so you can live your dream lifestyle.
Now, I know it’s common at the start of a new year to set a bunch of New Year’s resolutions. I’ve had a love-hate relationship with New Year’s resolutions over the years, and in 2025, I’m very much against them. I don’t think New Year’s resolutions work, mostly because to set a long-term goal and stick to it, you need high levels of motivation. And you don’t get a sudden surge of motivation at the start of the year that magically carries you through the entire year—unless something very serious happens. Usually, you have to be at a high or low point to get long-term motivation for a big goal.
That said, with the start of a new year, it's also a great time to reflect on what you did last year. Go back and look at your channel—your metrics, subscribers, views, and so on—and try to learn some lessons based on what that data suggests. Then, with those lessons, it’s a good idea to pivot your strategy a bit so the high points of the previous year become your new norm.
I've been doing this while on holiday in Southeast Asia, and I’ve come up with a new strategy that shakes things up a bit and changes something I’ve been doing over the past 10 years that hasn’t been helping me get to the next level. I wasn’t always prioritizing profit over fame.
Let me deconstruct that a bit. As YouTubers, we often start our channels with the idea of helping a lot of people and maybe starting a business. But deep down, there's also a part of us that wants approval and fame. Admit it—you’d probably love it if people came up to you on the street and said, "Hey, I follow your YouTube channel! Can we take a selfie?"
While this isn’t a primary or conscious goal for all of us, I think we hold onto this desire for fame for a long time—even when we start building a small following and helping our ideal audience. One of my biggest insights in 2024 was realizing that I had this belief I needed to prove myself and become famous, and this guided my channel’s direction. This mindset can lead to making videos on topics you're not passionate about because you think they’ll get views. It can also make you try to act like your favorite YouTubers, attempting to become the next Mr. Beast or Casey Neistat. I once thought I would be the next Peter McKinnon when he started his YouTube channel around cinematography and photography. Even though I wouldn’t admit it, I was doing everything to become a celebrity on YouTube.
But let me tell you something—being a YouTube "celebrity" is not all it’s cracked up to be. It won’t help you pay your mortgage, fund your lifestyle, or save for a baby. What’s going to help you pay for those things is running your YouTube channel like a profitable business and making decisions like an entrepreneur—not like a celebrity.
Here’s the thing: fame and profit are two very different things. They don’t go hand-in-hand. You don’t get paid because you’re famous. In fact, some of the richest people in the world you’ve probably never heard of because they focus on running a business rather than becoming well-known.
So in 2025, my primary objective is to prioritize profit over fame. Yes, you can still help a lot of people and grow your YouTube channel in the process, but if you can’t pay the bills, you’re not going to help anyone. The more financially sustainable you make your YouTube channel, the longer you’ll be doing it, and in turn, the more people you’ll help.
With that said, I’ve put together five rules I’m following in 2025 to prioritize profit over fame, and if your channel isn’t quite where you want it to be, these five rules will help you too.
Rule #1: Have a specific target audience in mind with every single piece of content you make. The characteristics of that audience should not change from video to video. Have you ever made a video about your primary topic on YouTube, and then the next week made something completely different? Even though you might have justified the three topics as closely linked, they’re actually very different and appeal to different audiences. This muddies the message of your channel and leaves viewers confused. If you want to be a successful entrepreneur on YouTube, you need to know your target audience well and give them the tools they’re looking for. The faster you connect with your specific audience, the faster they’ll trust you—and eventually buy from you.
Over the years, I’ve made videos on 15 different topics, from tiny planet photography to DaVinci Resolve, VR editing, YouTube marketing, and more. The result? A lack of consistency and confusion for viewers about what my channel is all about. In 2025, I plan to correct this by focusing on helping YouTubers make better videos that grow their channels and revenue.
Rule #2: Don’t attract unqualified leads. Leads are the people who sign up for your email list. It’s easy to attract lots of emails, but if you don’t target the right audience, those leads won’t ever buy from you. Instead, focus on attracting qualified leads—people who are truly interested in your niche and products. If you have an email list, ensure it’s full of people who are engaged and likely to buy from you in the future.
Rule #3: Consistent and literal branding. When you're trying to reach an audience at scale, make your branding simple and easy to understand. Avoid being overly clever or cute, as that can confuse potential viewers. I changed the name of this podcast to Full-Time YouTuber because it clearly communicates the focus of this content and aligns with my target audience—aspiring full-time YouTubers. Consistency in branding is key to building recognition.
Rule #4: Post on fewer platforms. In 2024, I spread myself too thin, trying to post on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, email, and LinkedIn. It's not realistic to manage that many platforms consistently, and each platform requires a different approach. In 2025, I’m cutting it down to YouTube, email, and podcasts, which are the most effective for my target audience.
Rule #5: Post fewer videos, but focus on making them the best. In 2024, about 30% of my videos were successful, with one video crossing a million views. In 2025, I plan to focus on creating fewer videos, but make them "definitive" guides on important topics. By making videos that are truly comprehensive and valuable, I can double my results while doing less work.
So, those are the five rules for success in 2025. To recap:
1. Have a specific target audience in mind with every piece of content.
2. Don’t attract unqualified leads.
3. Use consistent and literal branding.
4. Post on fewer platforms.
5. Post fewer videos, but focus on definitive topics.
As for whether these rules will bring me success, I’ll let you know at the end of 2025. I’ve made every mistake in the book, but I have a good feeling about this year. If you want to follow along, I’ll still be making this podcast at the end of the year. Feel free to subscribe if you haven’t already, and if you enjoyed this episode, leave a rating wherever you listen to podcasts.
I wish you all the best of luck in 2025. You’re just one video away from success!
