The YouTube Formula

1Try, Fail, Analyze, Adjust: A YouTube History Lesson

Have you ever watched the first video uploaded to YouTube?

It's an important question. No really, it matters. I don't think it matters just because I'm a YouTube expert and think it's high‐quality content (spoiler alert: it's not). I think it matters because it's history, and we can learn so much from history. As a video guy, I love documentaries and biopics. They fascinate me because learning about the past helps us understand and navigate our world in the present. When we explore history, we see how decisions and events affect people, whether for good or bad, and how they impact people's families, communities, and ultimately, the entire world.

But why the heck am I talking about the impact of history on the world in a book that's supposed to be about YouTube and making you money? I'll tell you why: studying the history of anything can benefit someone who wants to learn more about that topic and succeed in that space. It should be obvious that the same applies to YouTube creators as well. I truly believe that if creators and businesses will take the time to learn from YouTube's history—how it became the mega‐platform that it is based on decisions that lead to failure and success—they will become better content creators and businesses and be more equipped to generate their own success on the platform.

So how did YouTube start, and how does that affect you and your content?

In July 2002, the prestigious start‐up company PayPal ...