The promises being sold
"The first 10 views determine if your video will explode!"
"$5,000/month guaranteed in 3-6 months with YouTube Automation"
"CTR >8.9% + retention >40% = 95% chance of going viral"
"You won't find this information anywhere else"
If you're a YouTube creator — or dream of becoming one — you've already heard these phrases. Maybe you've even believed them. Maybe you've invested $500, $1,000, even $2,000 in a course that promised to "reveal the algorithm's secrets."
You're not alone. Millions of aspiring creators worldwide receive these "secret tips" every day. In English, French, Spanish, Portuguese — the script is identical. The promises are universal. The business model too.
Our Investigation
Over several weeks, we analyzed dozens of "YouTube advice" videos in English and French, confronted their claims with official YouTube sources, and studied the business model of these online courses.
Result: a $13.3 billion global industry built on three pillars:
Myths
Claims debunked by official YouTube
Half-truths
True advice but dramatized to sell
Empty promises
Expensive courses with 0 proven results
The most troubling part? Most creators selling these "secrets" have only one revenue source: selling courses on "how to succeed on YouTube." Their own channels? Only videos about... how to make YouTube videos.
It's like learning to cook from someone who never cooks, but sells cooking courses.
I. THE PROBLEM
The same marketing script, everywhere in the world
The universal 5-step pattern
From Paris to New York, from São Paulo to Lagos, the script is identical:
Create a sense of urgency and exclusivity from the first seconds.
Typical examples:
- "You won't find this ANYWHERE else"
- "Google and ChatGPT don't know about this"
- "What I'm about to reveal is FORBIDDEN on YouTube"
Position the information as rare and valuable. Imply that successful creators intentionally "hide" these secrets.
Typical examples:
- "Secrets that big YouTubers DON'T want you to know"
- "What they NEVER tell you in official courses"
- "MrBeast uses this technique but refuses to talk about it"
Display external signs of wealth to "prove" the method works.
What they show you:
- Luxury cars (Ferrari, Lamborghini)
- Revenue screenshots (easily fakeable)
- Houses, exotic trips, "free" lifestyle
Create artificial time pressure to short-circuit critical thinking.
Typical examples:
- "Limited spots: only 50 people can join"
- "The algorithm is constantly changing, you must act NOW"
- "This offer expires in 24h" (spoiler: it always comes back)
After 10-20 minutes of "free content" revealing nothing concrete, the real offer arrives.
Typical structure:
- "Basic" course: $997
- "VIP" community: $2,997
- "Personalized" coaching: $9,997
- Promise: "You'll break even in 3-6 months"
The scary numbers
Online self-help market size (2024)
Thousands of "How to explode on YouTube" videos published daily
Average price of "YouTube success" courses
Failure rate (channels never reaching monetization)
II. THE ILLUSTRATION
What they're selling you
Analysis of 10 popular tips
We compiled the most frequent advice in these videos. Here's the top 10 with our verdict:
| The advice | Frequency | Our verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Don't publish directly to public | NUANCED | |
| NEVER share with close contacts | EXAGGERATED | |
| NEVER buy views | TRUE | |
| CTR >8.9% + retention >40% = viral | MADE-UP NUMBERS | |
| Don't delete an underperforming video | NUANCED | |
| Misspelled tags = more views | FALSE | |
| Publishing time doesn't matter | DEPENDS | |
| Wait 3-4 days before checking Analytics | ARBITRARY | |
| Create thumbnail/title BEFORE the video | GOOD PRACTICE | |
| Don't ask people to subscribe | NUANCED |
The real business model
The revenue pyramid:
YouTube "advice" videos
Email capture
"Basic" course
"Premium" community
"Personalized" coaching
"Gurus" selling dreams
- No clients with proven results
- Recent channel (< 3 years)
- Views only on "how to YouTube" videos
- Only one income: selling courses
Real consultants (e.g., Paddy Galloway)
- Clients generating 750M views/month
- Public and trackable results
- Total transparency on methods
- Revenue: $50-100K/month WITH client results
Portrait of a victim
"I invested $1,500 in a 'YouTube Automation' course. Promise: $3,000/month in 6 months. Reality after 8 months: 47 subscribers, 2 videos with over 100 views. The 'coach' responds once a month with generic messages. I feel stupid and I'm too ashamed to talk about it."
Typical victim profile:
III. THE VERIFICATION
What YouTube really says
Our methodology
We confronted each popular tip with:
- Official YouTube (Growth & Discovery team, public statements)
- YouTube Creator Academy (free documentation)
- Legitimate consultants (proven client results)
- Technical studies (analyses of millions of videos)
Simple principle: If official YouTube says otherwise, it's a myth.
The 5 biggest myths DEBUNKED by YouTube
MYTH #1: "The algorithm is mysterious and unpredictable"
Source: Todd Beaupré, leader of YouTube's Growth & Discovery team (March 2024)
"The algorithm isn't a mystery. It's a logical system: show people videos they like to keep them on the platform as long as possible."
In plain English:
- No "hidden secrets"
- Public and documented criteria: watch time, CTR, satisfaction, engagement
- System based on machine learning that learns from user preferences
- Simple goal: maximize time spent on YouTube
MYTH #2: "Tags are crucial for discovery"
Source: Official YouTube documentation + help page
"Tags can be useful if your video's content is often misspelled. Otherwise, tags play a minimal role in your video's discovery."
Real impact: Less than 5% according to studies
What really matters:
- Title (70% weight)
- Thumbnail (CTR impact)
- Description (context for the algorithm)
- Video content (automatic recognition)
What's really free and useful
Paddy Galloway & Colin and Samir
Free YouTube content from legitimate consultants
Search for their channels on YouTube
YOUR own data
YouTube Studio Analytics
Most important! Your data is unique
Total cost: $0
IV. THE RECOMMENDATION
What you should really do
Realistic action plan: 90 days
MONTH 1: Learn (100% free)
Realistic expectations:
- 10-100 views per video = NORMAL
- 0-5 subscribers per video = NORMAL
- Goal is to LEARN, not to blow up
MONTHS 2-3: Experiment
- Publish 8 more videos
- Test 3 thumbnail styles
- Test 3 intro formats (0-30 sec)
- Note patterns in YouTube Studio
- Analyze all 12 videos
- Identify which thumbnail style works
- Identify which intro format retains
- Double down on what works
Metrics to track:
- Average CTR (understand your baseline)
- 30-second retention (do people stay?)
- Total retention (do they finish?)
- Main traffic source (browse, search, suggested?)
DAY 90: Evaluate
- Did I publish regularly? (12-16 videos minimum)
- Are my videos improving? (compare video 1 vs. 12)
- Are my metrics improving? (CTR, retention)
- Am I having FUN? (crucial for long term)
Realistic benchmark:
100-500 subscribers
Excellent start
10-50 subscribers
Review strategy but CONTINUE
0-10 subscribers
Fundamental problem
The uncomfortable truth
There is no magic formula.
- Create content people REALLY want to watch
- Be consistent for 2-3 years minimum
- Analyze your own data
- Continuously improve
- Understand your specific audience
- Provide real unique value
- Looking for "secret hacks"
- Buying $2,000 courses
- Copying MrBeast exactly
- Buying views/subscribers
- Spamming sub4sub
- Quitting after 10 videos
"If you knew what I know, you could get 10 million subscribers in 6 months. It's purely knowledge. But this 'knowledge' isn't secret: it comes from 10+ years of daily experimentation, failures, analysis, and constant improvement. Nobody can sell you that in a course."
CONCLUSION
THE PROBLEM
A $13 billion global industry sells myths and empty promises.
THE ILLUSTRATION
Same marketing scripts everywhere. The paradox: those who teach only do that.
THE VERIFICATION
Official YouTube sources debunk most "secrets."
THE RECOMMENDATION
Free resources + patience + your own data = the real formula.
The final message
The YouTube algorithm isn't a mystery you need to pay $2,000 to understand.
It's a logical and documented system that favors content real people really enjoy watching.
All "gurus" telling you otherwise have a product to sell.
Take action now
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Take action
Open YouTube Creator Academy now. It's free and it's all you need to start.
Free resources mentioned
- YouTube Creator Academy
- Paddy Galloway (YouTube)
- Colin & Samir (YouTube)
- YouTube Studio Analytics (in your account)
- Official YouTube documentation
