📚 Learn How To Grow Your YouTube Channel

This is the hardest phase of being a YouTuber. You’ve probably put off starting the channel for a while and you’re brand new to the game. It’s the steepest part of the learning curve, and you’re overcoming your demons to put yourself out there.

Your next steps - You’re at Level 1 of our 3-part YouTube Growth Framework. So your main job at this point is to Get Going. You’ve got to take the plunge, create the channel, and start making your first few videos. It’ll feel like a struggle, you won’t have any subscribers, and you might not even know what you actually want to make videos about. That’s okay - everyone starts from zero in terms of skill and traction.

How the course can help - The course will be most useful if (a) you’re committed to taking YouTube seriously, and (b) you’re joining the course for the accountability, community and support, rather than just the content alone.

If we’re being honest, most of the content in the course can be better applied when you’re a YouTuber with more experience. 50% of the material is around what it takes to make amazing videos, and the other 50% is around strategy, systems, expansion and monetisation. When you’re just starting out, this stuff could feel very overwhelming.

Unless you’re the sort of person who benefits from having all the information as they get started, and wants eyes, thoughts and advice on their channel from the very beginning, the course might feel a bit too much for you.

If you’re in this camp however, a huge beginner benefit is the accountability and the community around the course. It’ll make it endlessly easier to get you over that hurdle of getting started, and to encourage you to take YouTube seriously. The personalised video feedback will massively accelerate your learning curve, and the support from me and my team will get all the questions that start arising answered. The other good news is you’ll have the recordings of all the lessons and be in contact with us forever in the community, so you will always have answers and support when needed in the future too.

To get you ready to start filming from day one, you’ll get free access to my pre-recorded Getting Started with YouTube course, which you should watch and action before the live course starts. You’ll also get free access to my Video Editing with Final Cut course, so if you’re a Mac user that’ll be super helpful for learning the ropes of video editing. If you’d rather not use Final Cut Pro, that’s fine - any editing software will do, and we’ll signpost you to the best tutorials for efficient learning.

Oh, and we also have twice-daily Office Hours (Drop-ins) every weekday throughout the course, where you can jump on a call with one of our team members, to have any YouTube question that might come up answered on the spot. These are especially helpful for beginner YouTubers.

Congrats, you’re putting videos out but you’re still at the hardest stage of growth. The first 1,000 subscribers are the most difficult. You probably have some idea of what you’re doing right, but you might still not be entirely sure why you aren’t getting the views you want from YouTube. You might already be feeling the strain of balancing making videos consistently with your day-to-day life, and you might be grappling with the age-old question of “what’s my niche?”

Your next steps - You’ve passed Level 1 of our YouTube Growth Framework (Get Going) and you’re now working on Level 2 (Get Good). Your main YouTube gains will come from improving at the craft of making videos, while spending a small amount of time thinking strategically about your niche, target audience and competitive advantages.

How the course can help - The first 50% of the live-session content is focused on how you can Get Good at making videos - titles, thumbnails, hooks, structures, branding, production value etc. Lots of our guest workshops are focused around this goal as well. These will definitely be very helpful for you.

The second half of the course content around expansion, distribution, monetisation etc, might not be fully relevant to your stage just now, but it’ll be useful to get an idea of what’s possible. If you end up falling behind, don’t worry - there’s a lot of content. You’ll have access to the recordings and us forever, and we can definitely help you out with questions as they become relevant to your channel.

Another huge benefit to you will probably be the personalised video feedback. You’ll be getting a mini-audit on the 6 videos you’ll publish during the course, with specific advice and suggestions on what you’re doing right and what you can improve on. This will hopefully massively accelerate your improvement process.

You’ve probably also racked up a few questions about your channel, your content, your strategy, the YouTube algorithm and viewer behaviour already. Let’s get those all answered and clarified in multiple Q&A sessions with me and the team :)

Oh, and we also have twice-daily Office Hours (Drop-ins) every weekday throughout the course, where you can jump on a call with one of our team members, to have any YouTube question that might come up answered on the spot. These are especially helpful for beginner YouTubers.

This is where it starts to really get fun. You’ve passed the 1k mark, you’ve clearly been making videos that work and you probably have an idea of what’s good for you on YouTube. But, you might not be entirely certain on how to get yourself to the next level. You’re not yet making the money you want on the platform, and you’re not sure you’re spending your limited time in ways that maximise your results. We’ve got you.

Your next steps - You’re probably at Level 3. You know how to make ‘good’ videos that you don’t cringe at, and your videos are clearly resonating with some sort of audience. Your biggest gains are now going to come from Getting Smart - from treating your YouTube channel more like a business.

How the course can help - It’s time for you to take things to the next level. But first, the basics. We need to make sure your videos are actually the best they can be. The first 50% of the course is focused on video quality: it’s time for you to make sure you’re fully up to speed with the best practices and strategies on YouTube for video hooks, titles, thumbnails, content, structure and topics. It’s always valuable to re-approach your target audience and niche and make sure you’re actually making the right videos for the right people, even if you’re a ‘bigger’ YouTuber.

You’ll also really benefit from our personalised video feedback. Getting some critical eyes on your videos will help point out what you’re currently doing that’s working well and can be improved. And then we’ll show you how to make those changes in a systematic way that won’t require hours and hours of time and effort.

But it’s really the second half of the course that’s key for you. We’ll show you exactly how to put systems in place for doing what you’re currently doing faster, more efficiently, more effectively and eventually better. We'll teach you the ins and outs of outsourcing, so that you can get editing (and maybe other aspects of your process) off your hands so you can focus on the really fun stuff. And you’ll also get to have a transparent look into what monetisation, numbers, and communication with brands looks like at various stages of growth to help you take up financial opportunities you might already be overlooking or are building towards.

Finally, our guest workshops and Q&As with me and other large creators will be a great chance for you to deep dive into what’s working for other successful YouTubers. And you already probably have a bunch of questions and concerns that you’ve racked up from all your time on the platform. There’s endless opportunities during the course for me and the team to directly answer these for you. We’ll help take you to the next level.

Bonus - You'll get access to our invite-only "1K Sub Club", a private Discord channel for YouTubers of your size. The group will also meet once a week (1900 GMT on Tuesdays) during the course, for special sessions hosted by Pete Matheson (30k YouTuber, PTYA alumnus). It'll be a great way for you to meet other YouTubers of similar experience, and share struggles and tips with like-minded peers.

You’re a pro (and we hope it feels like it). You’ve been publishing videos for a while now and got videos that have worked very well with your audience. You’ve been making some money on the platform and have probably been doing this thing for a while, but you might be in a bit of a rut. You’re not seeing the results you really want: views, engagement, money and growth. You’re not sure what the best next step is for you and your channel.

Your next steps - You’re squarely in Level 3 of our 3-part YouTube Growth Framework. You know how to make decent videos, your videos are resonating with your audience, and you want to treat this YouTube thing as a business. At this point, you want to focus on optimising your content-creation workflow (through strategy and systems), figure out good ways to monetise your existing audience in a non-scammy way, and work on outsourcing the aspects of your production process that don’t excite you anymore.

How the course can help - Content-wise, the first half of the course is aimed at levelling-up your videos, in terms of titles, thumbnails, hooks, structure, branding, storytelling, production value and vibe. You’ve probably got most of these fundamentals down, but improving video quality is always a work-in-progress and you’ll hopefully pick up some interesting techniques that you can start to apply to your work immediately.

The second half of the course should be particularly interesting and applicable for you - that’s where we focus on expansion, distribution, monetisation and systemisation. We’ll teach you how to syndicate your content to multiple platforms, how to build a team around your business so that you’re not having to do grunt-work yourself, and how to think about monetisation beyond Adsense and brand deals.

The personalised video feedback you’ll get on your videos should be pretty helpful too - especially as experienced YouTubers, it’s easy for us to forget that there are always things we can do to level-up our video quality. The feedback from our team should give you a somewhat objective extra-pair-of-eyes on your videos to tweak their quality.

Our guest workshops with large creators will be a great chance for you to deep dive into what’s working for other successful YouTubers. And you already probably have a bunch of questions and concerns that you’ve racked up from all your time on the platform. There’s endless opportunities during the course for me and the team to directly answer these for you. We’ll help take you to the next level.

Bonus - You'll get access to our invite-only "10K Sub Club", a private Discord channel for YouTubers of your size. The group will also meet once a week (1900 GMT on Tuesdays) during the course, for special sessions hosted by Elizabeth Filips (130k YouTuber, PTYA core team member and instructor). It'll be a great way for you to meet other YouTubers of similar experience, and share struggles and tips with like-minded peers.

You’re in hallowed company - you’re one of a handful of pro YouTubers who join the cohort. Your content is clearly resonating with your audience, you’ve probably been doing it for ages, and you’re looking for ways to level-up and take your entire business to the next level in a sustainable fashion.

Your next steps - Most of your gains at this point are going to come from actively treating your creative hustle as more of a business. By building systems to optimise your workflow, and eventually by building a team to leverage your own time and attention, you’ll be able to take things to the next level.

How the course can help - The first half of the course content around making better videos (titles, thumbnails, hooks, structure, branding, personality, vibe, production value) should be a useful reminder of the foundations of decent videos. Most of it won’t be mind-blowing stuff, but you’ll probably come across some interesting ways of looking at content that you hadn’t before. This is a good space to also make sure you’re sticking to YouTube best practices for videos and it’s always valuable to re-think and strategise your niche and target audience to make sure you’re making the right content for the right people.

The video feedback will also really help with this. You’ll get trained eyes on your channel (potentially for the first time) giving you mini-audits on 6 videos you’ll publish during the course, with some ideas on what you’re doing right on YouTube and what you can potentially improve on.

The second half of the course, around building systems, distribution, expansion and monetisation, should be very relevant to you. At your stage of experience, you could definitely be making a large amount of money on YouTube, if you approach monetisation in an entrepreneurial fashion. I’ll show you exactly what I’ve emailed, thought, done and earned on my end during my YouTube journey.

By the end of the 6 weeks, you’ll hopefully be re-inspired, out of any potential content creation slump you’re in, buzzing with new ideas, have a bunch of improvements for your channel lined up, have a monetisation roadmap that should have you super-excited and most importantly, have a system in place that will allow you to do all this part-time if you want to.

Bonus - You'll get access to our invite-only "50K Sub Club", a private Discord channel for YouTubers of your size. The group will also meet once a week (at a time that works for most students) during the course, for special sessions hosted by me (Ali). It’ll be a fun small-group mastermind-type experience where, because of the small group size, we’ll be able to dive deep into everyone’s channels and struggles, and I’ll share everything I know that might be helpful.

In the first week we establish the foundations of content creation on YouTube in two live sessions where among other things we’ll cover:

• What it takes to succeed on YouTube and the trajectory of YouTube success,


• The importance and role of production value on YouTube,


• Specific gear recommendations at every level for: audio, video, lighting, and editing.

In the second week, we’ll tackle two main YouTube concerns: what to make videos about and how to find video ideas. In the two live sessions we’ll cover:

• Understanding both who we are and who our target audience is, and how to combine these in picking and refining an appropriate niche,


• Establishing the value proposition of our channel, both implicit and explicit,


• The Idea Generation Machine and how to create 5 Months of Content in 5 Minutes.

In the third week we’ll break down the two most important steps of YouTube growth - getting people to click on our videos and then keep them watching. Among other things, we’ll cover:

• What makes a good YouTube title and thumbnail, and how to improve and test your own,


• Understanding how to design effective hooks for your videos,


• How to structure and script your videos using the HIVES framework.

In the fourth week, we’ll focus on how to create a unique and lovable online brand and how to apply business strategies to maintain and grow a sustainable online business. We’ll cover:

• The ABCDEs of Personalisation: aesthetic, branding, confidence & delivery, editing,


• Strategies for systemising idea generation, writing, filming, editing and publishing,


• Creating and growing content buckets for your YouTube channel.

In the fifth week we’re going to focus on growing your empire by building your audience and your team. We’ll cover:

• Why you should be repurposing your content across multiple platforms and how to effectively do this using our copy-righted technique → the Artery Method,


• The 8 Levels of Content Repurposing,


• How to outsource editing effectively - where to find editors, how to select them and how to train them to be able to recreate your ‘unique’ style.

In the last week we’re going to deep dive into all aspects of YouTube monetisation and integrate everything we’ve taught so far in two live sessions. We’ll cover:

• Understanding all methods of YouTube monetisation (with numbers) from ad-sense and CPMs to affiliate links to sponsors to personal products,


• Understanding how Proof of Work influences YouTube growth,


• And finally a summary of all the lessons we’ve delivered so far in the PTYA.

Lifelong access to the PTYA Community where we hold weekly events to help and support you long after the course has finished.

The course lasts 6 weeks from 14th March to 22nd April 2022.

No, it's not compulsory but I'd recommend that you set up a channel before the start of the course.

No. We do recommend that you have a channel set up but in the first four cohorts we've had a whole range of people from those with zero subscribers to channels with over 200k. I hope this course helps everyone move their channels forward regardless of what stage of the journey they're at.

No past experience of YouTube is required, you just need a desire to make YouTube part of your future

Of course :) The course is aimed at everyone of all abilities. Having 100 videos provides you with a really solid foundation to grow, monetise and scale your channel and we hope we can help you do that through the lessons on the course.

The course is not tailored to any specific genre/style of video. That being said the educational channels (think my channel, Matt D'Avella, Mayuko) are ideal for this course. Still, if your videos try to provide value to your audience, the exact type of your channel won't matter. In fact, I think the system and processes in the course can be applied to any genre of video and we'll be on hand to help make sure that you feel able to apply these methods if you encounter any issues.

There are no requirements for equipment and gear. All you need is something to film with so your phone is perfectly fine, that's how I started back in 2017.

I'll host all the live sessions. And on top of that we also have additional workshops (both live and recorded) where some of my internet and YouTube friends will provide extra teaching.

Absolutely. Each package should give you an option to pay in 3 instalments if you're unable to pay the full amount up front. A slight head's up - you end up paying slightly more if you go for the instalments option.

Yes and no ? You do need to edit your videos so prior experience will be beneficial but for everyone that doesn't have editing skills, we'll run a video editing crash course during the onboarding week. Plus, you'll get access to a free video class - 'Video Editing with Final Cut Pro X - From Beginner to YouTuber'

Live sessions will be hosted on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 16:00 to 18:00 UTC. On top of that, we'll host Guest sessions and workshops on Wednesday at 16:00 UTC and Friday Panels from 16:00 to 17:30 UTC.

Definitely not. This is a Part-Time Academy and therefore it's designed in a way that you can fit it in your already busy calendar and get the most out of the course without attending all of the live sessions. We'll encourage you to pick the ones that strike your interest and attend those. You can always watch the rest using your lifetime access to session recordings.

No problem, just let us know during the enrolment and we’ll send it over.