George Kao Courses

🎬 YouTube Mastery

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YouTube Mastery -- Course Info

Welcome! Take the onboarding steps...

6
✍🏽 Start of Course Assessment
6
Course Platform Orientation
6
Bonus Q&A Webinars -- Live Support Calls
6
YouTube Course ✍🏽 Work Retreats to give you time to learn & implement the course!
6
General Questions (if you don't know where else to ask)
6
✨ Time-Limited Bonus Content

Basic Setup Videos

6
YouTube Channel Setup
can you have more than 1 youtube channel or account?
3:51
Should you have more than 1 youtube channel or account?
0:00
Mara May: Can you have more than one YouTube channel? Yes. May: I don't have that myself except for a very different topic. I I have a channel which I'm very barely managing called mindful politics. But I talk business in my one channel as well as spirituality, which most people nobody wants to pay me for, but I still talk about it.
3:29
The algorithm knows you based on based on what you engage with. Not just from my channel, but everyone else's channel. If you watch spiritual videos, you might even start to see mine.
6
How to upload a video to YouTube...
6
YT Description field -- what to put in there?
6
How to share YT video and have correct thumbnail show up on social media?
6
YouTube Playlist: how to create + other tips
6
Additional random tips
Youtube Monetization - get notified when you're eligible
5:48
Youtube Monetization - get notified when you're eligible
What's the value of going viral on YouTube?
5:02
What's the value of going viral on YouTube?
6
To reclaim an old YouTube account/channel...
YouTube technical support? Use Fiverr
2:17
YouTube technical support? Use Fiverr.
6
YouTube "Premiere" setting
YT ordering of content on channel homepage
3:40
Let visitors to your YT page see what you want them to see first...
When to make a Intro Video, at the start of your YT channel or later?
1:13
When to make your Intro Video... at the start of your YT channel or later?
Already recorded a bunch of videos, and what's the frequency of dripping it out on YouTube?
2:36
Already recorded a bunch of videos, and what's the frequency of dripping it out on YouTube?

Module 1 -- Welcome + Start Experimenting

1 Warm Welcome
4:22
Welcome to the YouTube course! + Our Community Values
0 Mara course helper
1:09
Our Course Helper -- Mara Clear Spring Cook
2 Questions? See basic segments first
1:20
Any questions thus far?
3 Search Youtube for tutorials
4:28
How to search YT (since youtube tutorials are one of the most popular topics on YT!)
4 Beast make 100 vids
5:27
🤩 Advice from the #1 YouTuber of all time
5 100 Challenge
6:15
🤗 Our Community Challenge
6
Our private FB group to bravely post as many videos as you'd like :)
6
Video tools - keep it simple! - lighting, audio, visuals
6 YT features small creators
3:48
YouTube regularly features "small" creators -- so keep creating to increase your chances!
7 The experience of uploading first YT video and finding flow for regular creating - Shoubhik's example
6:51
The experience of uploading first YT video and finding flow for regular creating - Shoubhik's example
Naming your YT channel
3:33
Naming your channel -- you name, your company name, or your proprietary method?
0:00
Naming your YouTube channel can be tricky if you've got your name to decide or your company name or the name of your modality that you've created or something else. What's more important than your than your channel name is your channel handle.
8 Should your videos be in Portrait or Landscape mode?
4:13
Should your videos be in Portrait or Landscape mode?
9 Ai tools for auto-editing long videos into shorts?
2:26
Ai tools for auto-editing long videos into shorts?
10 Why do I use Zoom and not better recording software?
2:52
Why do I use Zoom and not better recording software?
11 How important is video editing?
2:53
How important is video editing?
Is there an optimal time to publish to YouTube? Does the algorithm value your consistency?
4:03
Is there an optimal time to publish to YouTube? Does the algorithm value your consistency?
0:00
George: When is the best time to upload YouTube videos? George: That's a trick question because it's completely different depending on the audience. George: In my experience, I don't think the algorithm cares that you're consistent or not.
3:37
So in other words, long story short, I mean, algorithm or not, I want you to be consistent because if you're not consistent, if you'd have you can't. So it's more for the habit that I care about consistency. So I hope that helps.
6
🎬 Module 1 Homework

Module 2 - Mindset + Content Prompts

Module 2 - how's it going?
0:51
How’s it going with making YT videos? Got any questions or updates?
YT hat manual
6:43
✍🏽 Template for a Hat Manual as a YouTube Creator
YT expectations
5:20
Your early expectations...
Small audience gives you an advantage
4:15
Practice embarrassing yourself now...
goal of YT?
3:43
What's the goal of your YouTube channel anyway?
YT key tips
2:49
Courage to really express your energy signature...
If it slows you down, let it go..
1:36
If it slows you down, let it go...
Talking head videos
6:08
Examples of "talking head" channels (...what most of us are creating!)
FB Live? Just start talking..
1:13
FB Live? Just start talking...
1st prompt
2:17
💡 Content Prompt: What energizes you right now?
2nd prompt - brings audience alive
1:45
💡 Content Prompt: What energizes your ideal audience?
3rd prompt - FAQ
1:35
💡 Content Prompt: What do you need to share often?
Beware the teleprompter mindset..
3:51
Should you use a teleprompter? Forgive my strong opinion, but no...
6
Are you making videos outdoors? My tips...
6
Q&A: Video/Audio not synchronized
Is there an ideal length to your videos?
3:42
What's the ideal length for your videos?
Can you change your YT handle or username?
1:55
Can you change your YT handle or username?
6
🎬 Module 2 Homework

Module 3 - Your Process of Recording

Y course Module 3 check-in point
2:59
Module 3 Checkpoint -- How’s it going?
YT Thumbnail & Title is not magic
4:07
Thumbnails & Titles aren't magic... the content matters more!
energy prep for recording
2:27
Pre-recording energy prep ✨
By the time I press record, I still don't feel ready
4:14
Normalize the feeling of "not ready"... and recording anyway.
Your process of making videos? When where how why?
5:35
🎬 Your creating process: When ... Where... How... and Why?
0:00
When is ideal for you? It's important for you to answer that question. And what's the optimal time? Now, that time is not always gonna be perfect every day, right, or every you know? So it's gonna have a backup time to say, alright.
3:24
Get clear on how to make and then upload the video. Do not wait for inspiration, practice creating it, creating inspiration. When you start speaking and when you get into it, I call it generating flow instead of waiting for flow.
vulnerability hangover after recording video
1:31
Normalize the vulnerability hangover... "post, then get therapy!" 😆
0:00
After you record, you might feel what some people call a vulnerability hangover. It's normal to feel the jitters and the oh my gosh. You can transform into gratitude, transform into ride of accomplishment, you can transform that energy.
Is your video good enough to publish?
3:31
"Is the video good enough to publish?" 🤔
0:00
After you've recorded, you may doubt whether your video is good enough to publish. You have basically 2 choices to practice. You can either practice self doubt. Or you can practice being agnostic about whether a video is going to be benefiting someone else.
3:24
So you just upload from there. Just upload. Practice doubting yourself down.
Youtube playlist Q&A
2:52
Q&A: Playlists
0:00
The more videos they watch in order, the better for their algorithm with your channel. You can put a single video can be as many playlists as you want. The name of everything is important for search and search engine optimization. Don't let that slow you down.
Video prompt - after client session
1:08
💡 Content Prompt: Response to an energizing moment...
0:00
I've got another content prompt for you for YouTube videos. When you feel energized after a client session. It's a great time to make a YouTube video.
Overall content plan for making YT videos?
3:11
Do you need an overall Content Plan for your video topics?
0:00
Do you need an overall content plan before you start making 2 videos? No. No. Nobody No. This is not a thing on YouTube for people to go to your channel and start by the oldest video on what no. There's no such thing. Record randomly, which I I recommend that you do.
Let each YT video stand on its own
1:00
Let each video stand on its own...
0:00
A quick segment here, it's just say, try to let each of your YouTube videos stand on its own. Unless you're famous, don't say this is part 1, part 4, please go back and watch part 2 first. Once you've got several tens of 1000 of subscribers, 50, a 100,000 subscribers. Then I understand. You've got enough people who are, like, passionately following you.
Assume the viewer has enough background knowledge
1:51
Assume the viewer has enough background knowledge...
0:00
A lot of us here are air taking type of people, or you could say also perfectionists or people pleasers. Assume that your viewer has enough background information for you to say whatever you were going to say in this video. Use use jargon. Use acronyms. Use concepts that only people in the know would know.
how to remember what to say on video?
5:10
🖐️ How to remember what to say on video?
0:00
The more you worry about it, it's kinda like worrying that you won't fall asleep. If you worry, you're not gonna remember what to say. It's not in some of those videos do really well because again, the energy is more important.
3:11
I try to, like, look at 1 or 2 words per point to say, okay, this is authentic expression. And for each point, I'm not gonna try to remember Okay. I better say this entire sentence just as it is. Otherwise, use a teleprompter, which like you've already heard me say, it's not my favorite way.
Stop introduce yourself at the beginning of the video
2:52
Don't introduce yourself at the beginning of your video...
0:00
George Cowell: Don't introduce yourself at the beginning of the video. Don't go in your life or whatever. Experiment with how you begin. If I have to do any kind of intro and you're gonna lose me after 3 seconds.
framing yourself on video
1:45
Framing yourself 😊
0:00
Raymond: A lot of people, they're camera or their webcam naturally. Let me see if I can naturally, it's like this. Is there accurate, you know, same space on your left and right? About the same about the same space.
audio is important for video
5:28
Audio is surprisingly important for Video, especially for talking-head videos...
0:00
Audio is surprisingly important for good videos. The closer the mic is to your mouth, generally the audio is better. When your audio is good, it feels intimate.
3:37
The sound waves are bouncing off of the walls and going back into your mic, that's what causes reverb. To those of us who are more trained, can hear the reverb, which is why a lot of people record audio in a closet full of clothes.
external webcam vs built-in laptop
2:25
Why external webcam instead of just the built-in camera?
0:00
An external webcam is better than your built in camera on your laptop or desktop computer. webcam is so that you can make your screen look more comfortable to you without looking really, really short.
Video lighting
4:09
☀️ Lighting? Make sure your face is clearly seen... don't be backlit.
0:00
Lighting for a video is important. I don't think it's as important as audio. If you can face a large window, that's probably the best lighting. I the thing I recommend is something like 30 to $40 on Amazon as of this recording, maybe even lower.
3:31
That's not true for everybody. I I have some people who use ring lights who don't have the ISR in effect, and that's great. Depends on the back I mean, it depends on a lot of lighting factors.
befriend the camera lens
5:04
Befriend the camera lens - the soul of your ideal audience 🤗
0:00
Really important skill to develop when you make videos is to learn where the camera lens is. Practice, practice, be friending. The soul of your your ideal viewer, imagining them.
3:07
It's not natural until you do it like dozens of times, and then it becomes natural. I feel like now I have this sort of like this in instinctive effect where I look at the camera lens, it puts me at ease.
6
Video editing - how I use Kapwing to lightly edit and add colorful subtitles
6
🎬 Module 3 Homework
YouTube Mastery Tomar Session 1
57:47
(Optional) Community Session with Tomar Levine

Module 4 - Promoting your videos

Concerned about judgment from potential clients?
3:12
🤔 Concerned about judgment from potential clients?
Selfie sticks and stabilizers
2:48
Stabilizing your walking videos / selfie sticks
video backdrop
2:59
Video backdrop / backgrounds
Live vs Prerecorded?
2:51
Live vs Pre-recorded
The ways to do Live videos
2:59
The ways to do Live videos
You don't have to watch yourself on screen
1:53
You don't have to see yourself while recording...
Live engagement?
3:14
Live videos -- don't worry about live audience engagement
how do you time yourself when making video?
2:35
How do you time yourself? ⏰
Get their YT homescreen screenshot
5:39
✍🏽 Ask your audience to show you their YT home feed...
YT video long lifespan
4:08
YT videos have long lifespan! It's like compound interest...
Promoting YT videos outside YT
1:07
⭐️ Promoting your YT videos outside of YouTube...
Info & End Cards
6:54
Info Cards & End Cards
FB doesn't like YT links?
3:35
Is it true that FB doesn't like YT links?
Collab with other YT creators
2:13
🤗 Collabs -- proven way to grow on YT -- start experimenting asap 😊
Uploaded video not as sharp as you expected? Not HD?
1:58
Uploaded video not as sharp as you expected? Not HD?
Eye Contact on video -- needed?
6:31
Eye Contact -- important? 👀
0:00
The question ultimately is your ideal audience. What videos do they prefer to watch, especially when it comes to talking videos. Ask your friends who are like your ideal client type of person. Who are their favorite YouTubers that talk like this.
3:59
"It's kinda weird to look at the camera lens. It's more natural actually look at yourself on screen," he says. "You can tell I'm not looking at you in the in in the eyes"
Create a playlist of other people's videos -- is it good for netcaring?
2:21
Create a playlist of other people's videos -- is it good for netcaring?
Concern about using copyright content in your videos?
6:36
Concern about using copyright content in your videos?
YouTube Promotions (ads) -- easiest way to show your YouTube videos to more people
11:50
💸 YouTube Promotions (ads) -- easiest way to show your YouTube videos to more people.
6
🎬 Module 4 Homework

Module 5 - YT Algorithm + The Importance of Commenting

How does YT fit into overall business strategy
5:21
Video-making in overall picture of biz strategy?
Celebrating YT progress
7:19
Inspiring examples of progress... part 1!
Commenting on small channels
9:59
😇 Comment on small-medium channels! Prequel to a collab + being an angel to other YT'ers :)
Managing comments
5:29
Managing comments (and your mindset)
Commenting on large channels
6:02
🔊 What about huge channels? Be one of the first commenters...
YouTube algorithm
14:37
📊 How the YT Algorithm probably works... and if you get low views, should you blame the algorithm?

Module 6 -- More Prompts + use Ai?

How many videos before you should expect traction or talking to me about your stats?
5:45
How many low-view videos before you say "I gotta change something..."?
How often to publish videos to YouTube?
3:10
Ideal frequency of posting on YouTube? How often is too much, or too little?
0:00
With social media, upload as as many as you can, as frequently as you could. Publish them all on the same day, but just schedule them to be tripped out on a regular basis.
Consistent time and place for YT videos
3:02
Consistent Time & Place?
Do you need to change clothes if you are batch recording?
4:59
Do you need to change clothes if you are batch recording? Join the low-wardrobe club 😂
"Routines are soul crushing!" (YT video)
4:34
(Optional) "Routines are soul crushing!"
Ai for YT Process
14:07
🤖 Ai chatbots as part of YouTube process
6
Adding "Chapters" (segments) into your YT video
YT prompt - book summaries
5:42
💡 Content Prompt: Clients' favorite books -- your favorite insights (or your critique)
YT prompt- emulate most popular videos from your nichemates
4:43
💡 Content Prompt: Most popular video topics from your nichemates
edit YT subtitles captions
4:48
Closed Captions / Subtitles (and how to edit them)
YT's own editing tool
8:01
YouTube Video Editing -- making simple cuts (front / end / middle)
Hyperlinks into YT descriptions?
3:32
YT Descriptions & Hyperlinks (clickable links)

Module 7 -- YouTube Keyword Research and SEO

YT TubeBuddy VidIQ?
9:06
YT SEO: do you need TubeBuddy, VidIQ, etc?
0:00
YouTube famously is the 2nd largest search engine behind Google. Keyword research means, hey, what are people typing into YouTube so that I can make my video titles align with what they're typing in so that my videos are more likely to be found.
3:28
Gong Ho: I tend to attract soul entrepreneurs to my to my audience, authentic soul entrepreneurs. Gong Ho: VidiQ and TubeBuddy are just too many bells and whistles and like, oh, man, they're like you feel the FOMO. Once you buy in, first of all, you're paying on a regular basis.
6:32
YouTube has now built in their own keyword research features. They are now competing directly with TubeBuddy and BiteIQ. YouTube's own data is from the horse's mouth.
YT Research Tab
14:44
YT SEO: The Analytics "Research Tab" -- content that your audience wants...
Should you wait for a bigger audience before using the Research tab?
1:02
Should you wait to have bigger audience before using the Research tab?
YT keyword research A-Z
11:00
YT SEO: Search bar suggestions (and A-Z)
0:00
YouTube is full of ideas that are actually being searched on YouTube, not just from your viewers now. We're gonna search all of YouTube to find out what everyone's searching so that you can reach even well beyond your viewers.
3:37
Using the search bar at the top of YouTube, type in a keyword that you're interested in making videos on. Press the base bar and see what it gives you. These are the trending searches right now, basically ordered.
7:09
You can do the star or the asterisk in front of it. You could try both. Asterisk or you could try just a space bar. These are the trending searches, mindfulness, and then whatever other word starts with a. Amitava, I guess that's like a Buddhist chant. Right? ASMR is a whole movement sound.
10:44
And you make videos on those, people are searching for that. So I hope this is helpful. Go and comment below if you have any other tricks for for using this kind of search bar thing on YouTube and any results.
Show more Show less
What to do with the keywords for your YT videos?
6:36
YT SEO: What to do with those keywords then?
0:00
Search engines have been battling spammers forever and will be for the rest of time. So search engines are always trying to figure out what do humans want. What humans don't want is to come across a video, what the keywords are looking for, and watch the video and they're not satisfied.
3:35
So it's really remarkable. It's gonna get get bet even better as AI gets even more implemented. And so, of course, put the keywords in the title and description, if possible, because if it does help the human, go, hey, I just search for that and it doesn't look and the thumbnail. So they will click through.
YT Google People Also Ask
4:26
YT SEO: Google's search results: look for "People also ask..."
0:00
SEO and keyword research can be done using Google. Go to Google.com and search the word that you're interested in researching. Scroll down until you find that people also ask section, and this is what people are searching on Google.
3:37
It might give me more ideas for my video. If I click on 1 of morals and politics, right, it gives me even more. So anyway, have fun. Playing around with this, and you will be astounded by how maybe it's easier now to make titles, good titles.
Other YT SEO tips?
0:26
Other Tips for YT SEO?
0:00
Alright. So I've given you some really solid tips for keyword research at the very least, which is basically the the major part of YouTube SEO. But if you have any other YouTube SEO tips that you've been following that you think are working, please give us do us a favor.
6
Ultimately, what helps more than YT SEO...
Tomar YouTube March 11 2024
54:26
(Optional) Community Session #2 with Tomar Levine and Mara Clear Spring Cook

Module 8 -- Shorts, Titles, Thumbnails... oh my! 🦁🐯🧸

Various video formats
3:03
Various Video Content Formats to experiment with…
YT Shorts
9:25
⭐️ YouTube Shorts... a Short lesson ;-)
YT Podcast
2:27
YouTube Podcasts
YT Titles & Thumbnails - how much time will you spend?
4:35
YouTube Titles & Thumbnails -- How much time will you dedicate to each one?
YT Titles
7:38
⭐️ YouTube Titles - How to write a better one, step by step...
Using Ai for creating YT Titles
5:35
(Optional) YouTube Titles - using Ai to help brainstorm
YT what the pros really do
2:11
YouTube Titles - how the PROs really do it...
Yes you can change YT video titles long after the fact
1:33
YES you can optimize an older video's Title and grow its reach...
YT Thumbnails
4:42
⭐️ YouTube Thumbnails: best practices
0:00
The thumbnail, I've I've noticed okay. I'll I'll tell you what's unique here. Right? Like like, you you won't get this elsewhere. I have looked at my YouTube videos that have designed thumbnails and my YouTube. videos that don't have any design thumbnails. That's the unique thing you're gonna get from me is the shocking statistic at least from and I want you to study your own videos.
3:46
If the video would have gotten 5 views and you go, oh my god, this thumbnail is so good. It doubled the views. It now has 10 views. Congratulations. It's an amplification. It't not it's not gonna save you.
6
Is it really worth making a "better" thumbnail, or is it a myth? 🤔
YT "rankings by views"
7:49
YT "ranking by views"

Module 9 -- YouTube Analytics (to help you make better videos!)

your Top YT videos - what are the keywords?
7:39
Study your top videos overall... what keywords?
use Ai to analyze keywords of top videos
6:06
(Optional) use Ai to analyze the keywords of your top YT video...
YT playlist - analyze top videos
7:47
Study your top videos by Playlist...
analytics of one of your top YT videos
7:05
Study your top videos' analytics -- suggested & search terms
YT retention graphs
11:21
Youtube Retention Graphs - best intros, top moments, and dips...
recent YT subscribers - potential collabs
4:41
Check out your recent subscribers... any possible collab partners?
when are you going to carve out time for YT analytics
1:40
Your rhythm of studying youtube analytics?
6
Post-Course Assessment

Your Updates & Lessons Learned ✨

6
Kaizen -- Lessons Learned as you make videos -- continuous gradual improvement!
6
YT tips and strategies that have worked well for you already...
6
YT tips and strategies you've heard of *but* haven't tried or it hasn't worked for you yet...
6
YouTube Mastery Mastermind

More course material is on its way...

6
More course material is on its way...
6
Live attendees -- fill out this feedback form 🙏🏼