In the vast realm of digital content creation, achieving rapid success is a dream that many aspire to but few manage to accomplish. Imagine launching a brand new YouTube channel, posting just one video, and witnessing it soar to 1 million views and 20,000 subscribers in a mere three weeks.
What’s even more astounding? This achievement was entirely organic, without a hint of external promotion. Such an extraordinary feat has marked a historic moment in the world of online content creation. The driving force behind this remarkable accomplishment? AI, the very technology that’s reshaping the boundaries of creative possibility.
Join us as we delve into the awe-inspiring journey of a channel that has set a groundbreaking precedent for the power of AI and authentic engagement.
First of all, this video was NOT “made by AI” but “made with AI”. I didn’t find a magic prompt and *poof*, the whole video was made.
I used AI as a tool, just like you’d use a shovel to dig. Many people romanticize AI but it’s far from being as easy as they think.
I’m very experienced in YouTube strategy & content creation, and this is by far what weighted the most in the outcome.
1.The topic
I’m well-versed in finance, trading and economics. I know the subject well & can easily spot AI hallucinations (wrong or made-up facts).
I also consume that kind of content, so I have a good idea of what this market is looking for story/information-wise.
2. Ideation
I used ChatGPT 4 to assist me in the ideation process, and it is a game changer for me. I’m very good at spotting strong ideas, but finding them from scratch is another story. Not anymore with ChatGPT.
I can now ask precisely what kind of ideas I’m looking for with a specific frame and generate a list in seconds. All I need to do is select and execute the best ones, that’s literally it.
So, I’ve played with it, generated about 50 ideas and ranked them all on a spreadsheet.
3.The hook
I’ve made about 20 prompts for the hook, mixed them and added my own touch. Here’s the final version with editing.
4. Script
What I did was first build the skeleton of the story then build it paragraph by paragraph once the direction was clear. It took a lot of wrestling with ChatGPT to find the right style, but once I had it, it went faster.
About 70% of the script is prompt engineering & 30% manual since ChatGPT is really good at following a certain style. It saves a lot of time, but it still has a “GPT taint” to it, which quickly creates a recognizable & redundant pattern. I tried to break it as much as I could.
5. Voiceover
The voice is my friend’s voice but we used @elevenlabsio “voice cloner” feature for this project. It took quite some time to build a voice in the tone & style we wanted, and tbh the result is impressive (considering how early this feature is).
Unfortunately, the voice tone and intonation aren’t super customizable yet and still have an “AI” vibe sometimes. There’s nothing we can do about it, but I’m confident these tools will only get better. Surprisingly, the majority of people didn’t even notice it was an AI.
6. Editing
For the edit, I outsourced the job. This was by far what took the most time because I went through different editors and ditched a lot of content. Once I found the right fit, I still had to edit about 20% on top of it to be the way I wanted.
I’ve spent about $2k in total in editing (proofs of concept are priceless) but if we only take into consideration the final product, it was about $450.
7. The final product
Even though the final product wasn’t perfect (and I knew it), my goal was to build a proof of concept. I wanted to confirm the demand from my market research. I always build my channels with the market, improvement will be made iteration after iteration.
8. The packaging
Regarding the title, just like the hook, I prompt-engineered about 20 times and added my own touch. For the thumbnail, I used Midjourney to generate an avatar of “Mrs Watanabe”, and my personal design skills to create the thumbnail.
Conclusion
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital media, this achievement stands as a testament to the transformative potential of AI-powered content creation. With a single video, on a brand new YouTube channel, and fueled solely by organic engagement, a milestone that was once considered a distant aspiration has been turned into reality.
The horizon of creative accomplishments has expanded, showcasing the dynamic interplay between human ingenuity and AI capabilities. As we celebrate this historic moment, it becomes clear that the boundaries of what’s achievable are constantly being pushed.
The journey of this channel serves as an inspiring reminder that in the digital age, innovation knows no bounds, and the blend of AI and authentic content has the power to reshape the landscape of online success.
