This tiny channel (930 subs) made this viral video: - 7.1 million...
Paddy Galloway@PaddyG96
74 views
Apr 28, 2025
~3 min read
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This tiny channel (930 subs) made this viral video:
- 7.1 million views
- 2,000x their average view count
- 11,500 new subscribers
But then…
Their next video only got 3.5k views. Another struggled to break 1k.
Here’s the crazy story (and how we turned it around):
- 7.1 million views
- 2,000x their average view count
- 11,500 new subscribers
But then…
Their next video only got 3.5k views. Another struggled to break 1k.
Here’s the crazy story (and how we turned it around):
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This is one of the most fascinating case studies you’re ever going to see with a YouTube channel…
The creator: Liam Stevens
In 2022 he was a small snowboarding creator, slowly growing.
Then he uploaded the most viral video his niche had ever seen. How?
The creator: Liam Stevens
In 2022 he was a small snowboarding creator, slowly growing.
Then he uploaded the most viral video his niche had ever seen. How?
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The answer is simple. Liam made a video that was destined to go viral…
- Unique and novel idea
- Amazing packaging
- High effort video
- Delivered, high satisfaction
Liam told me he worked for hours on this thumbnail to get it just right…
- Unique and novel idea
- Amazing packaging
- High effort video
- Delivered, high satisfaction
Liam told me he worked for hours on this thumbnail to get it just right…
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So everything seemed to be going great.
Millions of views, thousands of new subscribers… this was Liams big break.
Right?
Well this momentum was very short lived…
Millions of views, thousands of new subscribers… this was Liams big break.
Right?
Well this momentum was very short lived…
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His videos directly after this video struggled, hard.
How could a channel go from millions of views to 3-5k views per video?
What was he doing so wrong?
How could a channel go from millions of views to 3-5k views per video?
What was he doing so wrong?
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This is a pretty damning picture.
6 months after making a multi-million view video, Liam was struggling to break 1,000 views.
He needed a new strategy….
(And spoiler for later in the thread, it worked)
6 months after making a multi-million view video, Liam was struggling to break 1,000 views.
He needed a new strategy….
(And spoiler for later in the thread, it worked)
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This is when we came in.
In 2023 we accepted Liam into our accelerator program.
I saw a super talented creator who just needed the right strategy and frameworks to grow.
I remember telling him: “you know how to make a great video, you just don’t know how to identify one”
In 2023 we accepted Liam into our accelerator program.
I saw a super talented creator who just needed the right strategy and frameworks to grow.
I remember telling him: “you know how to make a great video, you just don’t know how to identify one”
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So let’s diagnose the issue.
First enter our framework, CCN.
We believe each channel has a:
Core, Casual and New audience.
The best creators make videos that hit all three, Liam did that with his viral video.
His others, simply didn’t…
First enter our framework, CCN.
We believe each channel has a:
Core, Casual and New audience.
The best creators make videos that hit all three, Liam did that with his viral video.
His others, simply didn’t…
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I mean look at these two examples.
They are the definition of “core ideas”
Why would a casual viewer or a new viewer click on them?
They are the definition of “core ideas”
Why would a casual viewer or a new viewer click on them?
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Liam realised he needed bigger ideas…
Then came the second issue, how could he ideate more ideas like the first one?
This is where he was stuck… he struggled to find ways to double down on this success.
Then came the second issue, how could he ideate more ideas like the first one?
This is where he was stuck… he struggled to find ways to double down on this success.
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Enter: The adjacent niche ideation method
Often people get caught in a bubble with their own niche.
We teach people to
1. Identify adjacent (similar) channels in different niches
2. Take their outlier videos
3. Ideate around ways to adapt it to their niche
Often people get caught in a bubble with their own niche.
We teach people to
1. Identify adjacent (similar) channels in different niches
2. Take their outlier videos
3. Ideate around ways to adapt it to their niche
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Liam used this framework along with the other ideation methods we taught him…
He noticed different formats working for older channels.
No one had really done them in snowboarding, but that’s not a reason not to try them.
So he did.
He noticed different formats working for older channels.
No one had really done them in snowboarding, but that’s not a reason not to try them.
So he did.
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Liam had started to solve his biggest problems.
Throughout the cohort we also helped him with his thumbnails, retention, storytelling…
The community of other creators held him accountable.
Here’s his first upload after the accelerator. Beautiful.
Throughout the cohort we also helped him with his thumbnails, retention, storytelling…
The community of other creators held him accountable.
Here’s his first upload after the accelerator. Beautiful.
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This time, Liam didn’t fall victim to the same mistakes after a viral video.
Right now he’s averaging 30k-300k views per video.
Yes it’s not the millions of views of his first cideo, but just two years ago he struggled to crack 1,000!
Right now he’s averaging 30k-300k views per video.
Yes it’s not the millions of views of his first cideo, but just two years ago he struggled to crack 1,000!
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This is a great lesson.
A viral video won’t save your channel. It’s not enough to launch your career.
You need a consistent system and philosophy around ideation to produce banger after banger.
A viral video won’t save your channel. It’s not enough to launch your career.
You need a consistent system and philosophy around ideation to produce banger after banger.
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I hope you enjoyed this thread and this story!
Please like and RT the top tweet to share this message.
I’ll pick someone who does and give them a free scholarship to our next accelerator.
Also if you want to join our waitlist, fill out this form: forms.gle/WuVyThg2xH5AF2…
Please like and RT the top tweet to share this message.
I’ll pick someone who does and give them a free scholarship to our next accelerator.
Also if you want to join our waitlist, fill out this form: forms.gle/WuVyThg2xH5AF2…
