Three months after starting this channel, the goal is clear: achieve monetization within the next 90 days. It's a challenging objective, but necessary. This marks Day 1 of pouring everything into this YouTube growth effort.

Day 1: Setting the Stage

Watch the video that kicked off this ambitious 90-day journey towards YouTube monetization, outlining the goals, the starting point, and the initial content strategy.

Understanding YouTube Monetization Requirements

To get monetized, you need acceptance into the YouTube Partner Program, allowing you to earn 55% of ad revenue. There are two primary paths:

• Achieve 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours on long-form videos within the last 365 days.
• Achieve 1,000 subscribers and 10 million public Shorts views within the last 90 days.

Current Channel Status (Day 1)

As of July 10th (start date), the channel stands at:

• Subscribers: 559 (Need 1,000)
• Public Watch Hours: 329 (Need 4,000)
• Shorts Views (last 90 days): 12,000 (Need 10 Million)

While far from the goal, there's a game plan focused on strategic video creation.

The Game Plan: Targeting Watch Hours for YouTube Growth

Based on current progress, the primary target is the 4,000 watch hour threshold. The 10 million Shorts views target seems much further away. Furthermore, past experience with Shorts showed low conversion rates to subscribers. Since gaining subscribers is also crucial, focusing on longer-form video creation seems the better bet for overall YouTube growth and monetization.

Strategy Details: Content Cadence and Format

To gain 441 subscribers and 3,761 watch hours in 90 days, the strategy involves:

• Increased Cadence: Uploading two long-form videos per week to maximize opportunities for algorithmic discovery.
• Shorter Videos: Shifting from ~15-minute videos (which are time-consuming to create) to shorter, 6-8 minute videos. This allows for faster production.
• Editing Adjustments: Moving away from expensive professional editing. Videos will be a mix of self-edited content and potentially using a less expensive editor to balance time and cost. This requires adapting the video creation workflow.

Content Strategy: Fame Jacking and Building in Public

For the first month, the content strategy will heavily feature "fame jacking." This involves leveraging the reputation of well-known figures.

For example, instead of "My Thumbnail Process," a video titled "MrBeast's Thumbnail Process" is likely to attract more viewers who already know and trust MrBeast. This requires deep research but has potential for increased visibility.

Alongside this, regular "build in public" videos (like this one) will document the journey, sharing analytics, strategies, and progress in real-time.

The Journey Begins Now

This is Day 1. The 90-day countdown to achieve YouTube growth and monetization starts now. Success isn't guaranteed, but the commitment is absolute. Subscribe to follow along this monetization challenge!