Is it too late to spread your conservation message on YouTube?
A portrait of the author. ©Kike Calvo
By Kike Calvo, Safina Center Fellow
Maybe you have a message you’d like to share online about your project or organization, but for months you have been struggling with how to do so. It is not easy to know where to post, what to post, and when to post content online. This article will share my personal experiences and decisions I’ve made with The Adventures of Pili and my personal brand, in order to spread the messages that I believe should be heard far and wide.
I once had a dormant YouTube channel. Yes, you heard me right. I had posted two or three videos to YouTube several years ago, and that was that for me. Why would I waste my time on one more social media platform diverting my attention from what’s right in front of me—life?
And the answer was given to us a while ago by American author Zig Ziglar, who for more than 40 years traveled the world as a motivational speaker,¨You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”
If you are passionate about your project, you are probably an expert on the subject matter, or you are on your way to becoming one. By opening a YouTube channel you can become an authority on your topic—if you put in the work. When I started my own YouTube channel I was confronted by the fear of being associated with all the superficial content that gets uploaded every second onto the many social media platforms in existence today. More than 720,000 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every day! Hence, it is your mission to create content that will stand out and will support your organization’s mission.
YouTube is not just a website, as it may seem; it is an extremely user-friendly search engine, the second largest in the world, after Google. By 2017, YouTube was already processing more than 3 billion searches a month. And as of 2021, it has 2.3 billion users worldwide.
Over the past few years, I decided to re-open my YouTube channel to raise awareness about conservation and multicultural diversity while inspiring people to reach for their dreams. Basically, what I wanted to create was a platform to share The Adventures of Pili mission and goals, and my own personal brand—exploring my many ideas and interests.
So how do you get “seen” on YouTube amid so much content being posted every day? Here’s what you might consider to optimize your videos:
1. Learn about metadata and the importance of choosing the most effective keywords.
2. Like with everything else, research what comparable YouTubers are doing to promote their videos.
3. Don't underestimate the importance of being you. Don’t be afraid to show the world your true interests and personality.
None of us will live forever, and while I think that’s a pity, British singer and songwriter Freddie Mercury has reminded us that the show must go on. The way I see it, by posting to YouTube, you are curating your own legacy. Having a curated YouTube channel could well be a way to share your legacy and your ideas for generations to come. So answering the eternal question, Is it a good time to start a YouTube channel? I would humbly say yes. And please, if you enjoyed this article, follow my channel for more inspirational content on conservation and creativity.
And if there is something else I have learned during my YouTube journey, it is that patience is essential. As the adage goes, “Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.” Also, I feel you can achieve your goals in raising awareness by dedicating love to your craft and practice. And this is true because you will need to withstand the emotional rollercoasters of fighting against an algorithm, or I might say, your deep neural network, as YouTube tracks viewers' history and perceived satisfaction by generating a personalized stream of recommendations. And that is “deep learning.”
Have I reminded you to “Never Stop Dreaming?”