---
title: '6 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting YouTube (Beginner''s Guide)'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=_nKaxsfgRME'
video_id: '_nKaxsfgRME'
date: 2026-08-09
duration_sec: 530
---

# 6 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting YouTube (Beginner's Guide)

> Source: [6 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting YouTube (Beginner's Guide)](https://youtube.com/watch?v=_nKaxsfgRME)

## Summary

Matt Parr, a successful YouTuber with millions of subscribers and over $10 million in earnings, shares six critical mistakes he made in his YouTube journey. He offers advice for beginners, emphasizing the importance of faceless channels, tutorial content, niche focus, and proper monetization.

### Key Points

- **Start with Faceless Channels** [00:02] — Matt wishes he had started faceless YouTube channels earlier, as he was awkward on camera. Faceless content can use stock footage, screen recordings (OBS), slideshows, whiteboard animations, or AI-generated visuals. YouTube is investing in AI, and tools like Vid.AI can generate full videos up to 20 minutes long.
- **Don't Wait to Start** [00:28] — Starting at 14 instead of 12 was a significant difference, representing lost time to learn and grow. He encourages viewers not to delay starting their channels, regardless of age.
- **Focus on Tutorials, Not Entertainment** [02:55] — Matt regrets focusing on entertaining videos (like top 5/top 10) instead of tutorial-based content. Tutorial channels are more valuable because they allow you to sell products and build a deeper connection with the audience.
- **Avoid Too Many Niches** [04:17] — He started over 50 channels but wishes he had focused on fewer, related niches. Complementary channels (e.g., AI tools and YouTube growth) can cross-promote and benefit each other.
- **Implement a Symbiotic System** [04:55] — A symbiotic system involves creating an ultra-long video on your channel that serves as a hub, with shorter videos linking to it. This strategy can turbocharge growth and increase revenue.
- **You Don't Need to Be an Expert to Sell** [05:23] — Matt thought he needed world-class expertise to sell courses, but you only need to be a few steps ahead of your audience. Being an 'information DJ'—remixing information in new ways—is key to going viral and building a business.
- **Monetize Properly** [06:46] — He didn't know about the YouTube Partner Program until age 15. Once he signed up, he went from $0 to $3,000/month. He also advises promoting digital products over Amazon affiliate links, as they offer higher commissions (e.g., 50% of a $1,000 sale = $500).

### Conclusion

Matt's key message is to start early, focus on educational content, and monetize strategically. By avoiding these six mistakes, beginners can build a more profitable and sustainable YouTube business.

## Transcript

what I would tell my past self back in 2014 that was sitting on the edge of maybe doing YouTube, maybe I shouldn't. I'm so thankful that I took that leap of faith and I went allin on YouTube. And honestly, I wish I would have started
YouTube channels over the years, getting millions of subscribers and making over $10 million off the platform. But what I'm most proud of is the fact that I've been able to help over 11,000 people start their own channels. But all of
these great things didn't come without a lot of failures along the way. I made almost every single expensive YouTube mistake that you could possibly make. And I wish that somehow I could get this video you're watching right now in the
have saved me and it probably would have made me hundreds of thousands if not that, I would have structured my entire YouTube business and journey completely differently than I did. So, this is going to help you a ton if you are
thinking of starting a YouTube channel, a faceless YouTube channel, or even a as someone who has done all of those, Now, for the first thing that I wish I
to when I was 12 years old and I was posting videos to YouTube just for fun. These were just videos like backyard stunts, videos with my friends, and views. I had zero strategy. Yes, it was fun making some of these videos, but I
genuinely wanted to be a YouTuber and I wanted to do YouTube as a job at that point. So, I wish I could go back to 2012 and tell my past self, give faceless YouTube channels a shot because back then, I was super awkward on
would be talking to a camera. And those videos with my friends, there was never any talking in them whatsoever. And they had zero chance of getting any views. time that there were huge Faceless channels, even though I watched a bunch
two together that wait a second, I could potentially do this. So, I wish I would have known about faceless content and I wish I would have known about all the generate faceless content. You can use stock footage. You can do screen
recording tutorials using something like OBS. You can do slideshow presentations. do that. You can do whiteboard animations. And you can even do AI generated visuals. In fact, YouTube is going allin on AI. And I actually
started a software company called Vid.AI AI for that reason that helps people generate full YouTube videos up to 20 minutes long. But you have to make sure not going to get you banned. And I have multiple videos on my channel talking
saying, Matt, you still started YouTube at 14 years old. I mean, was that really that big of a difference 2 years? And as crazy as it sounds, yes, it actually was. That was a lot of time that I could have been spent doing this. And I just
business model a little bit sooner. And I'm not saying that to make you feel bad have people of all ages within our training programs that are starting sorts. I'm just going over what I wish I knew through my personal journey. Now,
wish I would have known when I was starting YouTube is I wish I wouldn't have focused on making entertaining videos. Now, you might be saying, Matt, isn't the whole purpose of YouTube to make entertaining videos? And if you're
doing top five and top 10 videos, which was the first type of video that I be trying to make those entertaining? Is that not the point of YouTube? My point different type of content. I wish I would have focused on more
tutorial-based channels. Now, I had a few tutorial-based channels back in the I uploaded some videos about how to install Minecraft and other videos like that that actually got a few hundred,000 views and then I just quit on them. I
wish I would have gone more in on doing more tutorial-based content, screen recording videos, as well as even just general tech tutorials and videos up faceless YouTube channels and showing what I learned along the way. That was a
big mistake I made just focusing on entertainment. And through focusing on me, you know, millions of subscribers. So, obviously, I'm very grateful for those channels. It also made me a lot of money at a very young age. However, I
would have made even more money focusing on educational channels because with educational channels, you can sell something. You have a much deeper third mistake that I wish I wouldn't have made was focusing on too many
different niches. Throughout my YouTube journey, I've started over 50 YouTube a dozen or so that I've really gone allin on and really focused on. And I wish that the channels that I did focus
on were a little bit more related to each other. Instead of having a general subject and then another random subject, I wish I would have thought it through a little bit more and had channels that all complemented each other so that when
channel about AI tools for instance, and YouTube growth, both of these are benefited as a result. And I wish I a little bit more like that. And that actually brings me into the next mistake
I made, which was not implementing a symbiotic system into my main channel. A symbiotic system means making an ultra-ong video on your channel that a whole script template for doing this. I've talked about this on my channel
numerous times. I'm sorry if you're hearing this for the 50th time, but on my first channel. Having that symbiotic system in place and then videos to that, it would have turbocharged my growth even more. And
money from YouTube. Another mistake that I made was thinking that I had to be some world-class expert in order to sell any type of my expertise. I saw people selling courses back in like 2016, which at the point I was making between 10 and
then I saw ginormous YouTubers that were way bigger than me making millions and know what, I'm not at that level. So I don't really feel qualified to teach anybody. Whereas if you really look at it, all you have to be is a few steps.
even just 1% better than most people or a pool of people big enough to be able to then buy your product and make you potentially millions of dollars while wouldn't have had that limiting belief that I had to have some crazy results in
from making my personal channel that you're watching right now, Make Money Matt, until I was 18 years old. And also another point on that is that you don't run an educationalbased channel. One of the best ways to learn is actually to
teach. And I like to tell my students if they're doing an educational channel to look at yourself as being what I like to call an information DJ. Basically, you take information, you remix it in new and unique ways, and then you package it
in a new way using proven formats, and that is how you go viral consistently on YouTube and build a large business out of YouTube, especially if you sell next mistake, which was not monetizing my channels properly. In fact, I didn't
even know about built-in YouTube monetization until I was 15. So, I ran knowing I could make any money from them. But I knew there was some way to make money. I just didn't know exactly how. I saw YouTubers living their dream
and everything else. And I thought just eventually if I just make big enough videos, YouTube will just be sending checks to my house. But that's not how it works. You have to actively sign up for the YouTube Partner Program. And
15. And I had to ask my parents at the time to help me sign up. And once I did that, I went from making zero money to 3,000 a month. I wish I would have known have turned on monetization sooner. But that's just the tip of the iceberg
the better ways of monetizing your channel by promoting things like an affiliate products you can promote from YouTube are not Amazon affiliate links. That's a huge mistake. Do not make that mistake. Instead, promote digital
products. You'll make a lot more money per sale, and you charge more for them fulfillment cost associated with it, like there is a physical product. So, if you promote somebody else's online course and you get 50% of a $1,000 sale,
that's $500 a sale. Sell 12 of those a month, you're making $10,000 a month. purposes. Obviously, I can't guarantee you'll make that much, but this is how I That award actually back there was for making over $5 million from a platform
YouTube. Also, I wish I would have focused on the right niches instead of just doing general entertainment videos. I wish I would have focused on the right type of educational videos in order to make as much money as possible. And I
actually go over those correct best educational niches in this video right here where I also go over my complete faceless YouTube strategy that's working right now updated with the best information, the best niches, the best
way of getting tons of views and my secret for doing so and also the best right way. Check out this video right here. You'll get a ton of value from it. here. You'll get a ton of value from it. My name is Matt Parr and I will see you