1. Create an account on Youtube. Congrats, you’re a Youtuber now.

2. Upload some videos about something you love when you feel the time is right.

3. Do you feel something is not right? You’re probably making wrong thumbnails, and / or video titles, and / or uploading your videos at the wrong time, and / or making the videos about the wrong subjects. Concentrate less on the things you love and focus more on the things that are trendy.

4. Everybody knows what products or behaviors are trendy on any given day. But what is a good / valuable subject? Anything is a good / valuable subject. You just need to present it as such. You can create any random video – just remember to make it in a way that seems important or life-changing. Give it an appeal by utilizing some of these ideas / words:

BEST / WORST / ONLY / EVERY / REALLY / EVER / NEVER /etc.

Examples:

“Is [>synth name<] The BEST Synth Ever Made?!”
“I’ve NEVER Used A Keyboard Like This Before”
“Five tricks I use on EVERY synth patch”

The viewers love these. They have an insatiable desire to discover a hidden secret. They dream of getting the good stuff without doing their homework. They really trust you can open the sesame door for them. Abuse that trust for your benefit. Cultivate their black-or-white view of the world. The most hated answer for a question is “it depends”.

5. What is a good thumbnail and a good title? Ones that truthfully represent the contents of the video? No. Good thumbnails and good titles treat the viewers instrumentally. Try to look at the viewers as machines for clicking. Here are some cool slogans to add to your thumbnail to enhance its clickability:

“oh my god”
“wow”
“more than just hype?”
“it sounds so good”
“simply superb!”

6. Vamp up the title by adding one or more of these stimulating adjectives like “beautiful”, “insane” or “gorgeous” so that you provoke the viewers to react emotionally and it becomes irresistible for them to click the video to see for themselves whether the thing in question really is “beautiful” or ” gorgeous”. Examples:

“The Polybrute Sounds Gorgeous”
“Beautiful Pad on My Hydrasynth”
“This Guitar Tuning Is Insane”

TIP: Remember, a “beautiful ambient pad on the hydrasynth” is always better than “an ambient pad on the hydrasynth”! Being truthful, objective and to-the-point hurts your performance. Don’t be that stupid and don’t hurt your performance!

7. Not satisfied with your performance? Try throwing one of these in, viewers always love the familar stuff!

“Top 10 synth solos of all time”
“Top 10 iconic bass lines”
“Band X Song Y recreated from scratch”
“How to sound like Band X – TUTORIAL”

8. Still not satisfied with your performance? You’re probably not uploading often enough. The viewers and Youtube reward consistency.

IRON RULE: Do not let people forget about you. Upload new videos at least every week. Even if you’re sick and fever is killing you. Even if you’re burned out and frustrated. Even if there is nothing new to talk about. IT DOES NOT MATTER. Find a piece of gear, even an old one that’s been done a million times. Think up a subject, even if it brings nothing new to the table. Just make another video to keep the content machine running. Examples:

“Why I sold [>instrument name<]”
“Why I rebought [>the same instrument name<]”
“Why [>the very same instrument name<] is still my favorite in 2024”
“Do [synth X] and [synth Y] sound good together?”

9. IRON RULE: under each new video pin a comment that provokes the viewers to respond to it. Youtube promotes videos with more comments over the ones with less comments. Examples:

Your video:

“Hydrasynth Can Make Really Beautiful Pads”

Your pinned comment:

“The Hydrasynth filters are so versatile. What is your favorite feature of the Hydrasynth?”

or:

“The Hydrasynth can create lovely pads. What sounds do you love making on your Hydrasynth?”

TIP: I know you don’t give a shit about other people’s favorite features of the Hydrasynth. Don’t worry – you don’t have to read the replies. These comments are only there to boost your ranking. These comments make no difference apart from your lonely viewers having the illusion of being listened to. The viewers have been tricked into responding (it’s called “viewer engagement”). Your job is done.

10. Whatever your video is about, always include affiliate links, even for the gear that is not shown in the video.

Example of your video: “Why I love my Korg Minilogue.”
(you can talk about any random feature, just be enthusiastic and excited as if you’ve just won a lottery).

Examples of the affiliate links:

Korg Minilogue – shop link
audio cable that you used to connect your Korg to your audio interface – shop link
your audio interface – shop link
the stand that you put your Korg on – shop link
the dust cover for your Korg – shop link
the camera used for making your video – shop link
the succulent plants that you decorate your studio with – shop link
the cat bed for your studio cat – shop link

TIP: I know it’s a shitload of work and it’s frustrating to create all those links, but remember: each cactus bought by your viewer is a new 50 cents in your pocket.

11. Did you think your work is finished? No. Go to forums, Facebook, Reddit / other social media sites to promote your video. Just remember that many of these sites (or groups on these sites) do not allow self-promotion. That’s why you need to promote yourself in a way that it doesn’t look like promotion (I know it sounds crazy but trust me, it’s doable and you can outsmart everyone).

Example for Reddit:

Post a very short video of you playing an instrument. Name it something along the lines of “I never thought the Novation peak could to this”, or simply “Jamming on my Novation Peak”. The crucial part is the comment that you will leave under that video in the discussion section. Say something like this:

“The Novation Peak is a really capable synthesizer. It has 3 of this, 5 of that and a sooper-dooper-something. It can do amazingly lush pads and the reverb is great for that. I’ve had so much fun with it, check out the full video on my channel”.

The underlined part is the entire point of your post.

12. Lurk & wait for a premiere of a new piece of gear and be the first to create a Facebook group for it. Example: Synth ZXC is announced. Run and create ASAP a group called “Synth ZXC users group” or simply “Synth ZXC”. Congrats! Now you’re an admin of that group and you have the power to post & promote your content and ban others from doing the same.

13. Be vigilant and scan social media for post from other users that you could use as an opportunity for self-promotion.

Example: Facebook group “”Prophet REV-2 Users Group”.

Somebody’s post: Just bought a Prophet REV-2. Such an amazing synth! Spent 2 hours with it and I’m already in love”.

Your reply: Congrats! The REV-2 is a lovely synth indeed. So powerful, it just keeps on giving. Check out my album I’ve made with it: link”.

TIP: It doesn’t matter if you love the REV-2 or not. Don’t worry.

14. Go to other youtubers’ channels / profiles and see if they’ve uploaded a new video / published a new popular post. If they have, leave a “smart” comment so that their fans get intrigued by it. If you intrigue them enough, they will click your avatar and subscribe to your channel. Congrats! You’ve earned a sub / follower by using someone else’s content!

Examples of a “smart” comment:

“Genius! Love what you do. Now I will go to my studio and rock on all my synths all night.”

Some people reading that comment will get curious what synths you have in your studio = they will click your avatar to visit your channel. Congrats. The trick has worked like a charm.

TIP: Always smuggle some praise for the author, otherwise your self-promotion may seem too obvious and repel some people. This is what the “Genius, love what you do” part is for. Always include the praise, even if you think the video is crap.

15. Make a collaboration video with other youtubers. Example: one day you can make an interview with a buddy Youtuber, the other day your buddy Youtuber can make an interview with you. It may look like a mutual admiration society but don’t worry – it’s just another way of exposiong your channel to new viewers. You and your buddies gain clout, the viewers lose time. Congrats, you’re getting better at this!

16. If you think you’ve become a “brand” and the brand has potential for expansion, create a shop where you sell some useless crap like mugs and t-shirts with an image of a synth or a waveform. Don’t worry about the carbon footprint. The ultra-rich are flying around in their jets for grocery shopping so you’re allowed to sell a little bit of redundant clothes and porcelain on top of it. Until they make it illegal. But let’s hope by that time you’ll be one of them!

17. OK now we go all over again, this time with the promotion of your merchandise. This is a bit different than promoting your content. It depends what you sell, but you can go to the big shops and find the review section on the product site.

Example: Official Big Shop Site | product: Synth ZXC.

Your comment in the reviews section:

“ZXC is such a powerful synth. Loving it! But the “XYZ preset collection” upgrade takes it to another level. Trust me. Higly recommended.”

You can leave several similar comments. Customers /  “normal people” want to know what other customers /  “normal people” think. Just rememeber to change your name and locations so that in one comment you’re a “Tom” from “Denver” and in the other you’re a “Jimmy” from “Portland’.

18. I know you’re doing this all by yourself, but if you want to give your brand a veneer of prestige / repute, you should use “we” instead of “I”. Nobody will ever know it’s just you, you’re doing everything in the cyberspace without ever meeting a soul.

Example: “Don’t hesitate to contact our support if you have questions. We reply in 24 hours”.

GOOD LUCK, HUSTLER!