Tara and I have been building her YouTube channel for about five weeks. Our goal was to put out two comedy sketches per week, which we’ve done. And our consistency is starting to slowly pay off.

We just passed 100 watch hours on YouTube and now have 37 subs. So, here are 5 things I’ve learned 5 weeks into our YouTube journey. While these lessons are specific to YouTube, they apply generally for any content you’re creating.

Table of Contents

• 1. Tell YouTube your niche.

• 2. Use ChatGPT deep research to get better, faster …

• 3. Make production as easy as possible to stay con …

• 4. Start with YouTube shorts to grow your channel.

• 5. Have fun creating content.

1. Tell YouTube your niche.

The first thing I did when I created our YouTube channel was watch a quick video about YouTube shorts. This gave me a bunch of useful info, but most importantly, it showed me how to label each video I upload in the correct niche… comedy.

In your YouTube channel settings, you can tell YouTube what niche you’re operating in:

This first filter is critical to make sure YouTube is sharing your videos with the right people who will be interested in your content.

You can also use channel keywords to do the same thing:

This is all about getting your content in front of the right people. Even the best video in the world won’t get views if it’s not served to the right audience.

And this goes for whatever assets you’re creating. You need to position your content correctly so that it filters for the kind of person you’re trying to engage.

I cover a lot of this in my article, build an audience, so check that out for a refresher on identifying your niche.

2. Use ChatGPT deep research to get better, faster.

The best thing about our channel right now is that two of our most recent vids have the most views. This tells me we are getting better at cutting the videos and learning what the algorithm likes:

And what did I learn? Well, I used ChatGPT’s Deep research feature to do a deep dive on the characteristics of viral comedy videos:

After I answered these questions, it did the research for me, and came up with a simple checklist I can use when I’m cutting every video.

Here’s the checklist (feel free to use for your own purposes!):

✅ Viral Sketch Comedy Video Checklist (TikTok + YouTube Shorts)

✅ LENGTH

• Under 35 seconds — 20–30 seconds is the viral sweet spot

• Never exceed 60 seconds, even with great material

✅ HOOK

• Hook within 2 seconds — punchline tease, absurd image, or a bold first line

• Viewer should know “what this is about” by second 3

✅ STRUCTURE

• One clear scenario or joke — no extra subplots

• Start fast, escalate quick, end with your strongest punchline or twist

• End abruptly or with a loop to encourage replays

✅ PACING & EDITING

• No dead air — remove all filler, pauses, or slow reactions

• Use jump cuts to speed up the flow and create punchy rhythm

• Final video should feel “fast” — aim to cut raw footage time in half

✅ CAPTIONS & TEXT

• Burn in subtitles for every line of dialogue

• Add punchline words in bold (e.g. “I QUIT!”)

• Optional: use on-screen text for extra jokes or commentary, but don’t clutter

✅ VISUAL PERFORMANCE

• Big facial expressions and physical reactions — readable even on mute

• Differentiate characters visually (props, hair, outfits, posture)

• Use zooms, snap cuts, or visual punchlines to enhance moments

✅ AUDIO

• Use clear, clean dialogue — no muffled lines

• Optional: add background music or a trending sound, only if it fits

• Add sound effects to punch up key moments (whoosh, ding, record scratch)

✅ SHAREABILITY

• Is this relatable to your core audience (women 18–34)?

• Would someone want to tag a friend? (Ask: “Would I share this?”)

• Optional: End with a subtle engagement hook (e.g. on-screen “Who else does this?”)

✅ EXPORT SETTINGS

• Export in vertical (9:16) format

• High resolution (1080x1920 minimum)

• File under 100MB for quick uploading

✅ POSTING

• Post to both TikTok and YouTube Shorts individually — don’t cross-post with watermarks

• Use 2–3 relevant hashtags (e.g. #sketchcomedy, #relatable)

• Write a short caption or title that sets up the premise or punchline

Watch this vid and you tell me how many of these we hit:

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3. Make production as easy as possible to stay consistent.

Video production is a lot more work than writing a weekly newsletter. That’s why you want to keep your production workflow as simple as possible, at least in the beginning. Many of our videos are straight to camera, one gag for 30-60 seconds.

Now, I anticipate our productions to get more advanced as we grow. I wrote here about how I see this YouTube channel as the ultimate creative playground, expanding into short-films, full-blown TV series and even feature films.

But for now, consistency is the most important attribute of our channel. And we can only be consistent if we make it easy on ourself to upload.

So keep it simple. And keep publishing.

4. Start with YouTube shorts to grow your channel.

The early returns on this are extremely powerful. YouTube started shorts as a way for new creators to get subs. And while it’s the longer videos that eventually make you real money, it’s shorts that will get you subs in the beginning.

Think of Shorts like your cold open. You’ve got maybe 15 to 45 seconds to hook someone with a strong premise, land a punchline, and make them wonder, “Wait, who is this?” If it hits, that one Short can put thousands of new eyeballs on your channel overnight.

And the crazy part? You don’t need any followers for that to happen. YouTube’s algorithm wants new creators to win with Shorts. Every upload is a fresh shot at going viral. If the content’s tight and relatable — especially in those first few seconds — you’re giving it a real shot.

Here’s the analytics behind our latest short:

But don’t just post and dip. The creators growing fastest are the ones using Shorts to push to longer form content. Pin a comment to the full video. Tease the next part in your caption. Mention your series mid-sketch. Shorts are the entry point — your job is to make sure there’s somewhere to go next.

P.S. here’s the long-form video all these shorts push to:

5. Have fun creating content.

The person who has fun creating content will always outlast the person who doesn’t. And really, this is a marathon, not a sprint.

So make sure you’re having fun. Take it seriously, but don’t lose your sense of play.

If you don’t like what you’re creating, you’ve chosen the wrong niche.

If you hate the video creation process, you’ve chosen the wrong medium. Start writing instead.

If you’ve burnt yourself out, just take a break. Get off social, go out into the real world and remind yourself this stuff isn’t life or death. Then come back with fresh energy.

That’s what I’ve learned over the first five weeks of YouTube. And I can’t wait to share what I’ve learned after 50.

Start now, and thanks for reading.

-Thomas

P.S. This is how I…

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