If I had 0 followers again, I’d do this differently
I had no idea what I was doing.
I had no idea what I was doing.
When people reach around 100k followers, something strange happens. They suddenly become very good at giving advice. “If I were starting again, I’d just do this.” Which is interesting, because most of them didn’t do that when they actually started.
So instead of pretending I had a perfect plan, I’ll say something less impressive. I had no idea what I was doing.
My early videos were… pointless.
Not terrible, but pointless. I would replicate camera movements I saw on Instagram, try something that looked cool, film it on my phone, and that was it. No idea behind it, no message, no reason to exist. Even I didn’t want to rewatch them. I just liked the process. Which is not a strategy, but it is at least honest.
If I had to start again, the first thing I would pay attention to is not creativity, but value. Every video should do at least one of three things: teach something, entertain someone, or feel relatable. Ideally two. If it does none of them, there is a very high chance no one will care. That sounds obvious now. It wasn’t obvious to me then. I thought “this looks cool” was enough. It isn’t.
“If your video doesn’t give something to the viewer, it gives nothing.”
The second thing I would change is my expectations. People love asking how long it takes to grow, as if there is a polite timeline where effort is followed by results. There isn’t. It might be your next video, or your 100th, or somewhere in between when you least expect it. This is the part nobody enjoys, because it requires something very unfashionable: patience. So the only reasonable strategy is to stay long enough for something to finally work.
Another thing I understood much later than I should have is that content is not about you. It’s about the viewer. Which sounds simple, but changes everything. When you create for yourself, you focus on what you like. When you create for someone else, you start asking different questions. Will they understand this? Will they care?
“You’re not making videos for yourself. You’re making them for someone else’s attention.”
People also assume that at some point it becomes easy. It doesn’t. I still struggle. The only difference is that instead of 10 views, you get a few thousand. Which feels better, but doesn’t remove uncertainty. You still question your ideas and post things that don’t work and you still sit there thinking, “is this actually good?” The process doesn’t become easy. It just becomes more familiar.
What does change is how much you overthink. At the beginning, everything feels important. Later, something shifts. You get your first paid collaboration, someone leaves a meaningful comment, someone asks for your advice, and suddenly you feel a bit more real. And that helps you relax a little.
There is also one advantage beginners don’t appreciate enough- you have no expectations: no audience to disappoint, no style to protect, no pressure to perform. You can experiment, try things that don’t make sense and figure it out as you go. Ironically, this is exactly the freedom many people lose once they start growing. If I started again, I would use that more. And I would definitely overthink less.
There is also a slightly uncomfortable truth. If your only motivation is to become popular, this will be very difficult. Because there will be long periods where nothing happens. No growth, no recognition, no feedback that suggests you are on the right path. If you don’t actually enjoy making videos, those periods will feel unbearable. For me, it was always simple. Even if this didn’t work, I would still do something related to video. Shooting for brands, working on projects, making something. Because I like the process. And that makes everything easier.
Which brings me to the only conclusion that actually matters. If I had 0 followers again, I wouldn’t try to be smarter. I would try to be clearer. I would focus on making videos that give something, making them for someone instead of myself, experimenting more, overthinking less, and staying long enough for something to finally click. Because growth is unpredictable, but quitting is very predictable. And it usually happens right before things start working.
Next time, I’m gonna share how much money I spent on all of my equipment and what turned out to be a waste of money for me.
Consider this your warning.
Warmly,
Al Shogenov.
