Key to success is to give your viewers content they want to see. It's like running a business, fulfilling people demands will bring you a lot of money. And when the growth becomes real, you can consider hiring people to help you run your channel more efficiently. The most difficult part is starting and growing of course, but patience and hard work (with a little bit of Famester to help) will always pay off at the end. Good luck to everyone, I really hope you are all going to succeed one day.
I literally only found out about you a month ago because another creator was talking about how so many creators had left Instagram. Shortly after there was this buzz around you because of your return, so it seems I found out about you right on time! I'm glad I found you during your more authentic era. Loving the content you've put out since you've been back. Thank you for what you do ⛅💜
@@VanessaLau Thank you Vanessa, by the way I also just find you, the funny thing is I am not interested in open a YT Channel Business Model really, BUT I am very interested about TIME MANAGEMENT TOOLS because I want to change some personal goals, and I would love you make a full Video about your NOTION GOAL SETTING! Please🙌🏼 PS: I just found another YT CHANNELS specialized in the matter with Million of followers, BUT honestly I prefer your “QUICK & DIRECT TO THE POINT STYLE”. I used to work in the Corporative World in my native Country (San Isidro, Lima, Perú) and that is how I am more used to do things: Warm but quick, clear and direct to the point🫣 so I can keep moving on and go with my tasks of the day.
I’ve been watching your videos for a few years now. Even during your year off I still searched for your content 😅 and yes I watched just for fun as well. I’m so glad you are back, I feel like I really am resonating with your fresh take on life and business. Thank you for everything you share it is very much appreciated
Silent subbie but I felt compelled to leave a comment today! I too have just recently read the 12 week year. I am 4 weeks into my 12 weeks. This book is LIFE CHANGING and it seems it has given you the same peace of mind. You are absolutely right, there are things that are simply out of control! Just removing that pressure alone allows you to breathe freely! I am really glad you did this video! More people need to know that trying to work 23 hours a day everyday is not the way to live! We can all reach goals, still have balance, and avoid burnout!
Yes! It really taught me the importance of focus and also knowing what's within my control and what's not. Thank you so much for being a subscriber and for being here!!!
I was so focused on growing on all my platforms, RU-vid, IG, and Facebook. Since I seen this video, I'm focusing on RU-vid. I'm going all in, the only people that believe in me is my God, my mom, and a few others. This makes sense and I do have that book, the 12 week in a year. I'm not giving up, I'm going to continue until I reach my goals. This is very helpful, thank you.
I LOVE! the new, calmer, more mature version of you ❤❤❤ You were already awesome back then but now you are even much more awesome! Happy to see you back 🥰
Can we just take a moment to appreciate how EPIC the visual representation of you explaining your scorecard is? My jaw literally dropped and I'm not even 4min in. LOVE THIS SO MUCH! Cheers to more creative freedom and less chasing metrics! 😍👏🏼
@@VanessaLau definitely! Makes looking at a checklists for me as a creative person waaaay more appealing! Exciting for this version of you, your content style + your editor! 😍
its crazy how much buzz the 12 week year has gotten! I also came across that book at the beginning of the year to maximize efficiency, discipline and creativity. I love how the creators I feel aligned with are also talking about this book. so encouraging and excited to see how we all grow
Often with social media strategy creators, it can just be a large echo chamber of "post more often", "niche down", and "consistency is king". I really appreciate how the insights in your video are unique and balance out some of that mainstream advice. There is so much value in this video - I found myself critically re-thinking my own approach to content. I'm thankful to the algorithm for suggesting your "Why I Quit" video on my homepage. I just binged your last three videos and hungry for more. Thank you 🌞 !
Yes - and those advices are there because they do indeed work. But at what cost? I think it's always up to the creator to decide what's worth it and what's not, plus have the freedom to test and change course! So glad you're here and thank you for leaving your perspective!
thank you! yes, over my time off I've gotten A LOT better at navigating notion! I'll have that ready sometime in April probably!! thank you for being here!
From a silent follower and a creator myself, THANK YOU VANESSA! I couldn’t agree more to your first video back and this video! I want to continue to make ENOUGH to live the life I dream of, not more with more responsibilities. I love love love the strategy you talked about in this video and it empowered me to implement it myself 💛
I love this for so many reasons. As a consumer, if I’m being bombarded with emails, for example, I end up not reading them and eventually unsubscribing. It’s too much! If someone emails occasionally and with valuable content, then I’m all in! If we could also get creators to stop doing lengthy sales pages with no prices too…That would be great. Be upfront, genuine and value your customers time too.
I read the book, 12 week year and would like you to do a video on How you use “Notion” please and thank you so much for all you do and your transparency… You are an amazing person Queen 👸🏽 and I am so happy you shifted for the betterment of your overall well-being.
This is my favorite video of yours so far! As small content creators, we were joining all the master minds, and paying for training from the big companies/brands (some of which you showed on screen) and it felt like we could NEVER keep up, and were always spending more money because "that's the way you had to do it." We spent a year shutting out what everyone else was doing, and got creative with what felt fun and exciting for us to make, but was also still relevant to our audience. We launched a vlog, and our engagement, followers, and brand deal offers went through the roof. (we also stopped tracking metrics at this time too, and it was SO freeing)! On a personal note, I have really be struggling with my health recently, and this strategy makes me feel inspired to focus on what I can control toward my goal of being the healthiest version of myself. ❤ SO 👏GLAD 👏YOU'RE 👏 BACK 👏
So glad to see you back online! I started following your content strategy and I’ve already grown my channel to 135 subscribers :) thanks for the tips and advice - especially vibe over niche!
In a world where everyone is trying to get more, do more, earn more, it's a refreshing feeling having you speak about slowing down and really focusing on what matters ie you. If the creator falls, everything falls like a domino. I've been struggling with the appear everywhere part too and the drop of quality of life is real. I will be focusing on videos; ie short and long form. Dropping text + image post. Thanks for sharing and the tips Vanessa. Not many people especially a guru dares to admit that they've changed and declare their direction so boldly to the world too!
I really appreciate how you're considering mental health and burnout and choosing a sustainable approach. I have a tiny following, but I got some burned out that I left for an entire year too, and I dreaded coming back. Now I'm having fun with my content and finding ways to make it easier vs. a grind. Thanks for being a breath of fresh air in this space! IG is not designed to promote mental health, and it's up to us to protect our well-being without taking things too seriously.
You are such an inspirational girl, you failed, you strived, you showed us the true life lessons. And that's make your RU-vid so Precious to me. Thank you Vanessa.
What shifts do you think you'll be making in your own social media strategy this year? Comment below and let me know! PS: It's definitely been quite the adjustment being back on social media, but I'm excited to see how things will unfold in the next couple months! :)
@vanessalau, is there any chance you would be open to sharing *your specific* Action-Based Scorecard Notion template that you shared with us at 3:49? I ask because I think that switching to this scorecard (from a KPI based one) will really help me in terms of both stress and sustainability. Thank you 🙏🏾
This video is right on time! I have been struggling with how to do alL ThE ThInGs and this was a refreshing take. I appreciate the idea of focusing/growing on one channel, which I've been doing. I have someone trying to encourage me to do Instagram, but it's not really worth the effort. I want to focus on where I have the most engaged audience and that's here on YT. I just discovered your channel and yours is a cautionary tale for all of us. I respect that you're sharing your experience and lessons learned with us. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing many of the tools you are using and sharing as always, a very informative video. I have implemented many of your lessons in my life and will reinforce FOCUSING.
Thank you for this video! Your one year sabbatical has given you insights that includes a maturity that few offer in this niche. We've learned that we can't do it all, and there are two of us working at it. It was nice to hear someone confirm what we were feeling ourselves. Keep growing and enjoying what you do! John & Bev
I've been checking this from time to time. As solo creator, I can totally relate to everything you just mentioned here. Thank you so much for taking time to rest for a year and give us insightful and relatable contents!
This video is great and SO refreshing, a completely different take on how to handle social media. I feel like this pressure to be constantly pumping out new content on all platforms burns out not only the creators, but also the audience, because there is always a constant overflow of content (and most of it is not as good as it could be, thanks to this need to always keep posting). I have an Instagram account that grew somewhat quickly (from 1,000 to 42,600 followers in about 5 months), and the more it grew, the more I felt pressured to post more and more and more and to expand to other platforms - all of this while maintaining my regular job. Of course I burned out. I really loved watching this video and having insight to a different mindset when it comes to social media.
Thank you for being so real! I am so grateful I found you at this point in my content creation journey. I’ve only just reached 14K subs on YT and already started to feel overwhelmed with trying to balance my in-person classes which I love to teach and running a solopreneur business. Looking forward to learning more from you 🙏🏼
I'm mostly here to say I'd love a full notion tour, but also felt like I'd hop on with everyone complimenting the editing in this video. Super cute and engaging mix of styles. ❤ glad you're back and being more suatainable with yourself and your business ❤
thank you so much! and yes - i still love to. geek out on the strategy side and make sure things are performing, but i definitely do think integrating that balance is important as well - if not more important!
This is my favorite video editing style Vanessa has used in a long time (my opinion from a viewer's perspective). Before her break the editing felt stiff and made the video boring even though the info was amazing. This is an amazing improvement and compliments her energy perfectly. I would personally prefer shorter videos (15-20 minutes) but so happy she is back!
Just want to say that Vanessa that love seeing your face online again, your voice has always been something that I always came back to even after you went away.
I have a moleskin calendar, I write my income intention for the month, then write 6 tasks for the day I need to complete. It’s that simple for me and the funny thing is I usually hit my income goal on the month so my only issues comes with how do I do more in less time lol
Loved your insights! Thank you so much! I have also decided to stick with RU-vid as my main platform. Growing on RU-vid is much more satisfying in my opinion.
that's amazing! yeah, youtube is a tough nut to crack but i also do enjoy making long form vids. i find short form soooo difficult. like how am i supposed to tell you everything in 15 seconds!?!? *cryyyyyyy
thank you so much for being here! and noted! will probably have that filmed once I'm back from my trip. unfortunately (and fortunately) i already pre-batched videos for when I'm gone, so the goal setting/notion request will have to be done when I'm back!! :) thanks for your patience!!
I'm happy for you, Vanessa. Seems like you're finding your own way through this internet jungle madness haha I recently decided to pull back from major platforms to invest in smaller ones. It's been giving me over 10x ROI -and about 10X all the average stats too (views, comments, etc). To each, their own! Finding our own path is definitely the way to go.
hahah social media truly is jungle madness. i flip flop between "I LOVE THIS" to "i fkn hate this" HAHA. congrats on the results you've been getting, that's awesome!!!
I've recently found your channel and have been loving it, and then I found you are a Notion girl too! As a Notion Consultant, this video is AMAZE to see you tracking your goals like this. Love it!
22:27 this part right here! This was the best part of the entire video! I used to think that I had to be on a consistent schedule because that’s what a bunch of influencers recommended and I decided not to do that and be OK with it. Now that you say it makes me feel so much better 😊😊😊
Is there a notion goal-setting video as of yet? I'd LOVE to see one! Okay, I watched this video to see the action scorecard portion mentioned in your behind-the-scenes video. I kept watching past the notion part. I want to genuinely thank you for discussing the focus on one platform approach. Seriously lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. I do not resonate with IG, and I love RU-vid, yet every coach I've had has pushed me to use IG. I even hired a coach to create content for IG for me, and it backfired horribly. I kept saying, I want to do RU-vid! I haven't started anything yet here, but you've significantly changed my mindset and have pushed me towards a potentially happier future full of passion. Thank you again!!
OMGOODNESS. Needed this message. I definitely feel so much pressure to post daily, and even challenging myself to post 2-3x a day for the next 30 days. So working to be realistic since I do not have a team!
2-3x a day!? woooosh! i'm so glad you are learning whats more realistic for you! and yes - i totally feel you lol. i only have a video editor now and I'm so grateful to have one in the first place. content creation is a lot of work for sure!
Damn! Thank you so much for this video Vanessa! Super happy RU-vid showed me this! I totally agree with everything you've said. Especially the niche thing! Hearing "NICHE DOWN" all the time is super exhausting. And while I too agree there's a good point in it, it shouldn't be promoted as strict as it usually is. I didn't follow a super specific niche and I am still growing, *maybe a bit slowly, but it's steady and it's totally acceptable for me). It's totally about the vibe and the energy you radiate, even though it's virtual! :D So, once again, thank you Vanessa, you've earned yourself another person in your tribe! ;)
Right now I am just trying to stay consistent and post content. My life is so busy with college, full time job and a family plus trying to build my audience that I am just trying my best without burning out. I think I need to sit this weekend to narrow down where I want to focus my growth and why because posting on all platforms is not helping me. I feel like I am biting more than I can chew. Thank You for your wise words and tips.
Vanessa, pls make a video on all the internet “coaching” programs & how they all are a regurgitation of the same principles… cold dms, self blame if you aren’t cranking out volumes of messages & IG content… would love to hear your opinion & what you’ve learned being in that space. ❤
Great episode. Would really love to hear and see more about your notion template and the way you keep you keep implementing your weekly goals. Having the access to this simple notion template so that we could apply the same weekly scoreboard would be awesome. This would definitely make a great new episode. Share the notion template to grow your email list and share the way you apply it to your content creation journey!
I'm sooo happy you're back 😍 Your videos are always value backed! Just a note: I listen to you like a podcast, so I rarely see the lovely edits your editor makes 🤷🏾♀️ But I'm glad you got the help you need. Thanks for the permission slip to slow down & focus 💕 Welcome back, V!
Can I just tell you I'm so happy your making videos again. Years ago I was using your tips and built a decent fan base but then got lazy 😅 I want to do it right this time! Please keep making more, happy you're here ❤
thank you! and you didnt get lazy! you needed a break. Building a community takes a lot of work from one person so I completely understand. You set your pace :)
I resonated with this so much. After being devoted to social media for years, and posting it was becoming something I no longer wanted to do. I had my daughter and priorities shifted, and then I chose to come back and do things differently. I took huge chunks of time off from platforms I’d built up, came back and it was crickets. I could no longer do the same so I had to change. This video summed it up perfectly!
Love the action based goals, makes so much sense. Focus on one repurpose the rest is my strategy and only if I can set with click of a button haha.I missed your RU-vid videos. I actually love the no niche... but I think it's more about focus on a person, this has been working well for my clients. Can we expect some vlogs?
To us here in our circles you look healthier and sound more grounded than before. It feels better to listen and watch, it does. The unpredictability to us is a clear yes to sharing stuff that you find important aka Quality. If there's 2 weeks or any length of time where you got nothing you find important enough to really share, > please - breathe, shut the brain, and have sun and jogs in the park. We really like you look and sound healthier
It's so wild, because I just referenced my copy of the 12-week year for the first time in awhile, right before this video. So much of what you said has felt intuitive to me, but not supported by what people ahead of me are saying to do. So, this was validating to hear your points. You also are so good at summarizing many ideas into tangible examples that resonate. Thank you! Appreciate you and happy you're back.
looks like divine timing! and thank you so much for the compliment! i got a few critics in my last video saying i talk too much, so I'm trying to find a way to be concise while also giving enough context so it hits home. thanks again!
@@VanessaLau No, not too much. Sometimes too fast for me, so I have to relisten because I'm trying to process what I'm hearing, but that's a "me" problem. You're fine. Be you. It's worked so far. XO
So glad you are back, and I get why you left. Early on I understood I never wanted to build something so big I would be trapped by it. Small, agile, quality.
This is my favorite video you have made so far- it’s too mentally taxing to do all the things. My coach told me I was playing not to fail, but that I needed to focus on one thing and to play to win! Appreciate you Vanessa!
Love this mindset! 🌸 I stopped posting on social media to concentrate on RU-vid and my blog. In the last few days I came back to Twitter and now you’ve given me some things to think about.
Finally a video that makes me want to take part in social media again. I used to love the creativity of it but then like you mentioned the minute I put a schedule on it, I lost all interest. Love this. Thanks so much for a new perspective.
please post for every area of your life and sell the templates :D thank you for your amazing content!!! Since you're back I've been improving my life with your insights. As an entrepreneur, I needed this so much.
I think that this is the most realistic social media strategy that there can be, which I understood intuitively. I am glad that many more influencers like yourself are coming to this as well. "Do what's essential and leave everything else".
Hi Vanessa So happy to have you back on RU-vid. I would really really Love if you could do a video on how to hire and get the best results from a video editor (price range, how to let them know our vibe etc...) I have been trying to find one since a few months and none seem to understand what I need. I truly beleive that this is the only work that takes a lots of hour and should be delegated but it s not easy to do. Hope you'll see my message Lov from France 😇 Carole
Its good to see you coming back on your own terms. It will be fun watching this new season for you. I've been off social for my business for about a year myself . I'm a long way from feeling like going back. When did you know it was time to pick it back up?
oh hey jennifer!!! long time no see! i knew it was time to come back because i was so fkn bored lol. boredness was great, i loved doing nothing... but eventually i was just itching to create / do something. i also felt like i had established some pretty good habits that genuinely stuck, such as working out, eating better, getting consistently good sleep, feeling consistently happy. it took me over 6 months to form those habits and actually have it be a part of my lifestyle. long story short, i came back once i felt like my lifestyle had radically changed for the better, and that i knew i didn't "need" to come back, but that i genuinely wanted to because i wanted to work/create/make things again.
I absolutely looove when you show how you plan your week and where are you putting your focus and attention. Thank you so much! I also took a year break and I’m back, Missed you 🫶🏼
yes! i find it fun to also gamify it by scoring my actions - idk, something about it makes me even more laser focused. and also tells a good story of what my blind spots might be too! thank you so much for being here!
This video is so liberating, this year someone told me "is better to have 6 feet deep and one inch wide, than 6 feet wide and one inch deep" and that hit me because i was spreading myself so thin and i am going all in for youtube this year, i want 10k subs this year! - I have been following you for for ever and this was refreshing, beautiful and unique!!! Love you Vanessa!!!
I would love to see the notion goal setting video. I love this rebranded vanessa. I love how you are also focusing on making sure you take care of your health and sharing how you do it with us too. Thank you Vanessa ❤❤❤
thank you! yes - you can kind of see a bit of changes, although i still love to create more educational/strategic videos still. definitely still figuring out what i like/don't like by testing things out. appreciate you!
A really thoughtful video for entrepreneurs in any business. I just started educating myself on the RU-vid creator space and I am stunned at how much energy, effort, and money people are spending, often at the expense of their life and mental health. But I shouldn't be shocked because people do this in business startups all the time. Anyway, intrigued by hearing your new, very reasonable approach to content creation and I also really enjoyed your video on your equipment setup. Took lots of notes!
I recently started rebranding my content to be all in one variety to portray myself as a whole person. Your number 3 made me happy because it confirms I am doing the right thing!
the advice in this video is everything short of life changing when it comes to social media growth. This is the first video of yours I've seen, and you've got an instant subscriber!
I love you so much Vanessa. I have been binge watching your videos and still binge watching your tips even from 2years ago are bomb let alone the ones youre putting out now!! I can relate to the unpredictable posting even just on what's app like wow i have alot to say but... Thank you so so much❤ God bless you Amen
Ok… I know no one is going to mention but super cute and different editing you went with. I totally see you in this. The background of the pink and purple shooting star.. totally you. Even matches your past desktop when you first started RU-vid!!
I really admire every single video you make. Send thanks to video editor too. IT contains a lot of useful info as well as clear demonstration that make it easier to understand your ideas. Love your new vibe too. (as I commented before). I have never been so excited to comment on utube like watching your channel. Love it so muchhhhh
Love this video! I’m about a year into my journey as a social media creator and growing my personal brand and this was full of useful information! I feel like I’ve been making mistakes I wouldn’t have realised were mistakes if I hadn’t come across this video. Super helpful, thank you ❤️
Thanks for sharing, especially the earlier parts of your video about planning the weekly actions and the 12 week book. There is a lot of value here and not just for content creators, but anyone who wants to plan their life and avoid burnout. It reaches far beyond your core demographic - hope it will reach a wider audience. Please do post more about the longer term goals and planning.
I hope you like the book! it gave me some good perspective shifts on focusing. and yes! the content machine strategy absolutely works, but at what cost? we also need to factor in experience level too. a lot of the people who do the content machine strategy are also uuuuuber experienced business people, not necessarily regular creators like most of us!
Thanks Vanessa this is gold. I'm a new to starting a business as a life and business coach and noticing the burnout with social media postings, whiling trying to think of managing a youtube channel.
VANESSA!!! Are you in my head???? Seriously! This is the BEST video. 👏👏👏I cannot thank you enough for sharing your thoughts and helping the rest of us out!! 🩷
Thank you so much for this video I am guilty of falling into a niche… because I was told with RU-vid you have to stick with one thing. I joined the cleaning community and saw so much growth. Now I want to peel back other layers of my life my engagement has gone down. I would love to have a 1:1 with you if possible.
having a niche is not something to be ashamed of! tbh, I'm still sticking to a "niche" here on youtube because i want to see how the algo reacts since I've been gone for so long. if i switched up my niche like crazy, it would be so hard for me to see what happened if my vids started tanking lol. BUT - i think there's so many creative ways to still talk about other things and using other mediums/platforms to show your vibe and interests more! i think shorts is a great avenue for that! newsletters can also be a great way too! either way. - you got this and I'm sure you'll; find a balance between growth and happiness - i believe we can have both if we get creative and are radically honest with our people!
