Y’all. YouTube is hard. That is actually a gargantuan “under” statement. I have such confidence that my YT content is strong (funny, inspiring and actually very helpful to a broad audience of social media users), but I’ve quickly discovered that driving folks there to subscribe is no less than a Herculean feat.

Prior to my launch, I wouldn’t have described myself as a regular YouTube user. I used the platform occasionally for “how to” purposes. How do I alter margin settings on Redbubble? How do I add a photo gallery in WordPress? The videos that appeared after my queries were always so miraculously on-point and incredibly helpful. Another humorous one that I’ll admit to y’all now – How to apply make-up…on me. That’s right. Yours truly doesn’t have and in-house stylist (shocker, right?) and so I’m doing my own hair, wardrobe, and, yes, make-up. You see, when I watched my demo recordings for Thirst Trap 101, my face looked ridiculously shiny. Uncomfortably shiny. So, I searched, “Basic make-up for men on camera.” The next thing you know – after watching just a few tutorials on YouTube and taking a trip to CVS, I own Clean & Clear oil absorbing sheets and Revlon Blurring Powder. Now, prior to filming each episode I have a little Marilyn-Monroe-Hollywood-moment in my bathroom. And honestly y’all, I don’t even have the time to look down from above and congratulate myself for going outside of my comfort zone. I just need to get this done to the best of my ability. It’s business.

I am frequently celebrating *small* victories and that does include my surpassing 100 subscribers yesterday. I ran a few contests in my Instagram stories and presto ~ my total number of subscribers doubled within one day. Flirtation is like money on Instagram and I’m extremely well-stocked in that currency. 😉 I am also spending time researching and reading articles on how to gain more subscribers. Currently I’m checking off the seventeen tips listed in How to Get Free YouTube Subscribers (the Real way) by Paige Cooper. I’m thankful for resources like this because they not only give inventive tips that I never would think of but also, they provide basic, obvious ones that I’ve neglected. Hello…until today’s blog I’ve yet to embed a YouTube video on my website. But thanks to a little research – mission accomplished.

Here’s the thing – I do know that my current YouTube programming is lengthy. You need to block a little time on your calendar. But I am compelled to tackle each topic thoroughly because my goal is to become a true thought leader in the field. When guys across the world are wanting to build these types of pages, I want their friends to say, “You know who you need to watch…the Thirst Trap 101 guy on YouTube.” While I could think of countless show topics, Thirst Trap 101 will likely wrap in a dozen episodes before I move on to a new series. Will there be a Thirst Trap 102 one day? Possibly. While my next series will likely have a broader topic, I know I will always benefit from the fact that my original content is comprehensive and will forever exist as a phenomenal industry resource.

One more thing before I wrap…after the advice from 100+ friends, I am now one of the newest participants on Tik Tok. Omg. Y’all. I’m about it. I don’t think I’ve been this genuinely excited about a social media platform since my friend Holly called me when I was working at the law firm and said, “Hey – there’s this thing called Facebook and it was meant for you.” If you are resisting Tik Tok, stop. Get on it, y’all. Unless you need to be productive, you won’t regret it.

Kindly click here and then subscribe to my YouTube channel. Thank you! And next, click here to follow me on Tik Tok. Then keep checking back. I need to get the hang of a few things…but I’ve got some fantastic ideas. Executing them will be cool, challenging and tie very well to my other platforms – I cannot wait to watch it grow.