The Biggest Regrets of My YouTube Journey
When I first started my YouTube journey, I had no idea how many mistakes I’d make along the way. Like most creators, I jumped in with excitement and passion, but that didn’t protect me from costly errors. Looking back now, I can see exactly where I went wrong — and I’m sharing these lessons to help you avoid the same pitfalls.
Whether you’re a new YouTuber or struggling to grow, this list of mistakes might just save you months (or even years) of frustration. Learn from my missteps, and you’ll be on a faster track to building a successful channel.
Mistake 7. Creating detractors’ videos that do not align or serve my current audience
Not starting a second channel earlier was a big one. I had ideas I wanted to talk about that were totally off my niche, and in hindsight, I should have separated those topics from the start.
Mistake 6. Prioritising retention editing over the video idea and storytelling
Focussing too much on retention tactics during editing often distracted me from the core message and storytelling. While retention is critical for YouTube growth, viewers will stick with a video with strong idea and interesting narrative, even if it is a no-edit video, which is a trend on YouTube now. Slight editing works better for some niches than flashy edits.
Mistake 5. Choosing a too-small niche
Actually, the niche chose me. I started the freelance channel because people who read about my Upwork successes on LinkedIn kept DMing me asking if I have a channel they could learn from.
Most of my family, friends, and people around me aren’t interested. My niche wasn’t broad enough. In fact, the biggest YouTuber in this space only has about 100 subscribers, which clearly limited my growth potential. I have two options, to experiment with other topics and pivot the channel or start a new channel on the side.
Mistake 4. Not Utilising Analytics to Refine Content.
I was not revisiting and adjusting my content after posting videos. YouTube gives you all the data you need to make smarter decisions — like how long people are watching, where they drop off, and what videos are driving traffic. I wasn’t diving deep enough into these insights to tweak my videos and content strategy, which meant I was missing out on opportunities to refine my approach and grow faster.
Mistake 3. Not having consistent thumbnail branding
As simple as this may seem, a consistent thumbnail style with my face makes it easier for my audience to recognise my content when it’s suggested to them. I didn’t prioritise this early on, which hurt my click-through rates and returning viewers.
Mistake 2. Promoting my videos to the wrong audience
While some of my audience found my channel this way, it attracted poor retention. Many would only play a few seconds out of curiosity rather than genuine interest. Once I realised retention rate is key to organic growth, I stopped sharing my video links in unrelated WhatsApp groups.
Mistake 1. Not diversifying income streams early enough
I was waiting for YouTube monetisation, and when I got into YouTube Partnerships Program, ad revenue is not so great for Nigerian creators like me. Relying on YouTube AdSense alone wasn’t sustainable. In fact, I was running my channel at a loss. Since starting my coaching package on Selar, I’ve made 4X my total YouTube revenue in less than two months.
In conclusion, mistakes are inevitable in any journey, and YouTube is no exception. The key is recognising them early and adapting fast. I’m hoping my experience can help you avoid these common traps and accelerate your growth.
If you’re looking to level up your YouTube content creation, subscribe to my YouTube education channel, where I dive into all things YouTube growth.
