EPISODE · Aug 9, 2022 · 57 MIN
#112: Thomas Frank – Getting nerdy about YouTube and why he created a second channel
from Creator Science · host Jay Clouse
WATCH ▶️ Watch this episode on YouTube *** EPISODE DESCRIPTION Thomas is a YouTuber, podcaster, and author who helps people become more capable and productive. His main YouTube channel has nearly 2.5 million subscribers and more than 160 million views! In 2020, Thomas began producing a lot of content about how to use Notion, a popular project management and note-taking software. But instead of publishing those videos on his existing channel, Thomas created a SECOND channel called Thomas Frank Explains, which itself already has nearly 80K subscribers and almost 3 million views. So in this episode, we talk about Thomas’s YouTube journey, why he built a second channel for his Notion content, how he’s thinking about short-form video like Shorts, and how intentional he is about all of the details that go into building his business. Full transcript and show notes Learn more about Thomas Frank Subscribe to Thomas Frank on YouTube Subscribe to Thomas Frank Explains on YouTube Follow Thomas Frank on Twitter / Instagram *** TIMESTAMPS 00:17 - Today’s guest 01:01 - When Thomas took YouTube seriously 01:49 - Thomas’s early inspiration 02:38 - What we learn today 03:39 - YouTube vs Wistia 05:27 - Why don’t Thomas’s old videos suck? 06:36 - The “true” start of Thomas Frank 07:14 - Using Reddit to grow on YouTube 08:23 - Thomas goes viral 10:26 - What changed after the viral video? 11:41 - How Thomas was making money to focus on YouTube 12:32 - Thomas didn’t turn on AdSense until 100k subs 15:40 - Creator self-doubt 16:53 - Thomas’s approach to criticism 18:09 - What took 2200 subs to 2.5 million 19:25 - Importance of platform discoverability 21:35 - YouTube podcasts 22:15 - How does Thomas think about his business today? 23:13 - The Notion Arc 26:18 - AdSense + Brand Deals vs Direct Monetization 31:18 - Why make a second YouTube channel? 32:58 - What’s the plan for the main channel? 34:41 - How does the YouTube algorithm work? 36:50 - How to think about short form video 39:20 - Looking at content through the “Jobs to be done” framework 41:39 - Why Thomas makes everything FREE 45:45 - Thomas’s skillshare hack 48:50 - Team Thomas Frank 51:15 - Every creator should hire an editor sooner 52:20 - Art vs Ego 53:19 - What is currently frustrating Thomas Frank? *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → #183: Thomas Frank *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 Creator Science Newsletter 🚀 Get CreatorHQ (creator operating system) 🧪 Join The Lab (private membership community) 🧞♂️ Get a Personalized Offer *** CONNECT 🐦 Connect on Twitter 📸 Connect on Instagram 💼 Connect on LinkedIn 📹 Subscribe on YouTube *** SPONSORS 💼 View all sponsors and offers *** SAY THANKS 💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts 🟢 Leave a rating on Spotify Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What this episode covers
WATCH ▶️ Watch this episode on YouTube *** EPISODE DESCRIPTION Thomas is a YouTuber, podcaster, and author who helps people become more capable and productive. His main YouTube channel has nearly 2.5 million subscribers and more than 160 million views! In 2020, Thomas began producing a lot of content about how to use Notion, a popular project management and note-taking software. But instead of publishing those videos on his existing channel, Thomas created a SECOND channel called Thomas Frank Explains, which itself already has nearly 80K subscribers and almost 3 million views. So in this episode, we talk about Thomas’s YouTube journey, why he built a second channel for his Notion content, how he’s thinking about short-form video like Shorts, and how intentional he is about all of the details that go into building his business. Full transcript and show notes Learn more about Thomas Frank Subscribe to Thomas Frank on YouTube Subscribe to Thomas Frank Explains on YouTube Follow Thomas Frank on Twitter / Instagram *** TIMESTAMPS 00:17 - Today’s guest 01:01 - When Thomas took YouTube seriously 01:49 - Thomas’s early inspiration 02:38 - What we learn today 03:39 - YouTube vs Wistia 05:27 - Why don’t Thomas’s old videos suck? 06:36 - The “true” start of Thomas Frank 07:14 - Using Reddit to grow on YouTube 08:23 - Thomas goes viral 10:26 - What changed after the viral video? 11:41 - How Thomas was making money to focus on YouTube 12:32 - Thomas didn’t turn on AdSense until 100k subs 15:40 - Creator self-doubt 16:53 - Thomas’s approach to criticism 18:09 - What took 2200 subs to 2.5 million 19:25 - Importance of platform discoverability 21:35 - YouTube podcasts 22:15 - How does Thomas think about his business today? 23:13 - The Notion Arc 26:18 - AdSense + Brand Deals vs Direct Monetization 31:18 - Why make a second YouTube channel? 32:58 - What’s the plan for the main channel? 34:41 - How does the YouTube algorithm work? 36:50 - How to think about short form video 39:20 - Looking at content through the “Jobs to be done” framework 41:39 - Why Thomas makes everything FREE 45:45 - Thomas’s skillshare hack 48:50 - Team Thomas Frank 51:15 - Every creator should hire an editor sooner 52:20 - Art vs Ego 53:19 - What is currently frustrating Thomas Frank? *** RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE → #183: Thomas Frank *** WHEN YOU'RE READY 📬 Creator Science Newsletter 🚀 Get CreatorHQ (creator operating system) 🧪 Join The Lab (private membership community) 🧞♂️ Get a Personalized Offer *** CONNECT 🐦 Connect on Twitter 📸 Connect on Instagram 💼 Connect on LinkedIn 📹 Subscribe on YouTube *** SPONSORS 💼 View all sponsors and offers *** SAY THANKS 💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts 🟢 Leave a rating on Spotify Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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#112: Thomas Frank – Getting nerdy about YouTube and why he created a second channel
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