After 10 years of creating on it, I’ve decided YouTube is no longer my main platform. Here’s why:
It was the beginning of 2025. I started the year determined to keep my uploads as consistent as possible.
From Qabalistic frameworks to psychology, personal reflections, and overviews of my products. With a couple of omissions, I pushed a long-form every Tuesday, while shorts and aphorisms almost every other day. As they say, consistency is key!
I updated my gear, growing not just my skills and quality but also efficiency. Enough to finally become proud of all aspects of my videos, and even start batch producing. The former of which was my biggest challenge.
Nevertheless, around the sixth month mark, I decided to stop, limiting uploads to one per month or even less.
“Lazy,” “undisciplined,” or “not wanting it bad enough.” While “gurus” and “growth hackers” are free to label me however they the fuck they want. Neither of those is the reason for the change.
The Biggest Disappointment
I didn’t believe I’d ever say it, but after ten years, YouTube feels like my biggest disappointment for 36 years.
- Quitting drugs,
- Getting in shape,
- Saving and investing,
- Dabbling with coding,
- Freelancing and learning any of my skills, from turntablism and music production to writing in English and videography.
YouTube is the only thing in which the more I’ve put into it (both effort and money) and the better I became, the more it punished me.
The only real traction I got in that decade was with a few NoFap and OMAD videos, which actually are some of my worst. It seems that this is what the platform favors unless you are in the tech or camera niche, which are, in fact, excessively saturated.
While I decided to swallow this, pretending it’s a “humbling experience.” A critical detail unveiled the platform as useless for me. And no, it’s not the hard work.
As evident in my content, the amount of work I put into each piece far exceeds that of the typical discipline guru or growth hacker. Aw, and by the way, this is some of the least inspiring and worst-produced content I’ve seen. Maybe only topped by the occult and fitness niches.
Based on months of research and pressing on creator support, it turned out that, like TikTok and Meta, YouTube has a location-based algorithm, which I’ve been discussing a lot lately.
It first tests videos in the immediate physical environment. If they prove engaging there, it expands the reach further. If they don’t, it kills them prematurely.
Now, I genuinely believe that this is an “amazing opportunity” for those wanting to build a powerful local brand and business. Or if you are in a place that the whole world pays attention to.
- In the first case, “going hyperlocal” properly might put you into Forbes 30 under 30 even if you can’t write a semi-decent essay in English to save your life.
- In the second, it will eventually turn global as your “local area,” say the ATL has enormous leverage due to being a multi-cultural phenomenon and a melting pot.
Conversely, a platform pushing my content to my immediate physical environment automatically defeats the purpose of using it. My reason for learning English, let alone creating content and buying cameras, was not having to deal with that environment and finding like-minded individuals globally.
Not just for business and creativity, but simply to share ideas and interact with. Everything else comes next.
Furthermore, I’ve been asking my subscribers and customers whether they get notified whenever I upload. Usually, they reply that this happens only sometimes.
Up until recently, my girlfriend, who lives in the local area, told me that she didn’t get notified of my past uploads, which are some of the best I’ve produced.
Substack
Due to all this, and not the hard work or the constant spending a bit after my third and main channel‘s fourth birthday, I’m focusing on Substack. It is where my real work will be.
Based on my research, Substack keeps the original Internet’s essence, which is borderless and decentralized. Substack’s algorithm is based on actual interests and building relationships regardless of your location. Fingers crossed, Substack will stay that way.
Under my name, POTB, I write daily notes, reflections, and aphorisms, like I used to in the community tab of my channel.
My publication ElevenBeams is for long-form on Esotericism, culture, personal development, and the topics I’ve been discussing on the channel lately, like how global currents impact individuals. Especially, creatives.
The paid tier is for deep dives into Esoteric frameworks, existential themes, and personal reflections. The paid tier also includes graphics and diagrams like those my customers already appreciate. Speaking of that, I’ll prioritize topics suggested by those who cannot afford one-on-one coaching or don’t feel comfortable with calls and live chats.
Does this mean I am quitting YouTube?
Not necessarily. I’ll still use it for product overviews and maybe summaries of my longform, such as to announce things like books, courses, and merch. This implies product-videography and Broll, which are things I enjoy. I’ll do this as a six-to-twelve-month experiment as suggested by Anne-Laure Le Cunff. As my favorite psychologist said:
“Man constantly makes his choice concerning the mass of his present potentialities; which of these will be condemned to nonbeing and which will be actualized?”
— Viktor Frankl
At this point, I don’t really feel like actualizing yet another year of burning out just to be tested to the wrong demographic. Sorry, I just don’t.
If I feel like it, I’ll turn some essays into videos, like my last uploads. And if YouTube changes, or enables a different option, or another video-sharing platform pops out, I’ll be more than happy to give it a try. As another experiment. Until then, I’ll be mostly on Substack. So I hope to see you there, and thank you for your time.