YouTube Catalog
For 2 years I have been attracting an audience of thousands of Steam users by making videos about Team Fortress 2, a Steam exclusive game, all while developing my own Steam game. When I finally published my game I had the support of these audience members, allowing my game to reach further than it ever could have on its own, achieving over 6,000 unique downloads.
362,000 Views
348,000 Views
284,000 Views
147,000 Views
240,000 Views
162,000 Views
My Marketing Process
1. Brainstorming
Before creating anything, I need to know my options. Any time I get a video idea, I write a brief description of it and save it to the Cloud. By organizing my ideas like this, it gives me a large reservoir of possibilities to pull from any time I need to begin a new project. Additionally, it frees up space in my mind so I can focus better during work.
2. Researching
After deciding on an idea, I’ll investigate many different online spaces to see if the idea has been done before. If a similar idea has been done before, I will study it to discover any strengths and weaknesses with the idea. If the exact idea has been done before, and has been done well, I will return to step 1 and choose a different idea.
3. Designing
This is when I create a rough sketch for the thumbnail, alongside several potential titles based on my research. If I love the concept for a video but cannot find a way to complete this step confidently, I will shelf the idea until I can create a strong thumbnail and title. This is the first part of my video potential viewers will engage with, so it is crucial to execute this step flawlessly.
4. Writing
Once I know I have a good, unique video idea that can grab people’s attention, I will begin drafting the script. I can typically finish a full script within a day, however some scripts can be left in the drafting phase for months while I work on other projects. With the first draft, I simply try to communicate all the main ideas effectively. Then with the second draft, I’ll add in humor and flair to keep it interesting. I try to never go more than a minute without getting a laugh, but sometimes explaining complex ideas can make this difficult. Then finally with the last draft I rearrange the explanations and jokes in whatever way flows best from concept to concept, while occasionally changing the structure of sentences to increase clarity.
5. Recording
With the script’s final draft in my hands, I grab my Rode NT1-A microphone, pop filter, noise cancelling cushions, and a glass of water. Messy or irritating vocals will absolutely ruin a video’s chances of success, so I dedicate myself to keeping everything sounding clean and audible by doing at least 2 takes of every line in the script.
6. Editing
The most time consuming step in this entire process, my editing flow begins with sorting and clipping together my recorded audio to form a complete narration of the script. I then EQ the audio with FL Studio to bring out the best parts of my voice. Finally, I gather together all the footage I need and begin inserting it into the Sony Vegas timeline. Many graphics, gags, and visual effects are created during this process.
7. Peer Review
Upon rendering the full video, I’ll send it to many of my colleagues and friends to get feedback. Any rough edges get smoothed out during this process such as confusing narration, distracting visuals, or any audio irritants. Mainly, I’m looking to see if the thumbnail and title give an accurate impression of what the video is like.
8. Publishing
Once I know I have a high quality video with a catchy thumbnail and title, I’ll upload it to YouTube. Before officially publishing the video I’ll add captions, which give deaf and hard-of-hearing people equal access to the content. Upon publishing I mute my phone, turn off my computer, and go visit some friends to refresh my mind. The next day I will respond to almost all comments to showcase my appreciation to my viewers, and then it’s off to the next project.