078: Why I removed 100+ YouTube videos from my channel
It can be surprisingly hard to let go of things that you’ve put a lot of time and effort into, even when they aren’t currently serving you.
So I wanna talk about something that I did earlier this fall - I removed ALL but two of my Youtube videos. We’re talking over 100 videos that I created over the course of about 1.5 years, starting in fall of 2019.
I thought that sharing why I did this might help you with some decisions you’re making in your business when it comes to letting go of the stuff that’s been around for a while but isn’t serving you anymore – whether that's long-form content, an offer you've held onto forever, or something else that took a lot of time and effort.
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It can be surprisingly hard to let go of things that you’ve put a lot of time and effort into, even when they aren’t currently serving you.
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So I wanna talk about something that I did earlier this fall; I deleted ALL of my Youtube videos. We’re talking over 100 videos that I created over the course of about 1.5 years starting in the fall of 2019. Actually, I left two videos up – one about my Skillshare class and one where I explained why I left Youtube. But otherwise, I deleted them (or I made them private so people can’t find them.)
I thought sharing why I did this might help you with some decisions you’re making in your business when it comes to letting go of the stuff in your business that’s been around for a while but isn’t serving you anymore.
I don’t know about you, but for me at least it can feel like everything I’ve done or created so far is contributing to my current results, so why would I let stuff go?
What it means if I keep the videos on my channel?
I was getting email subscribers regularly from the videos. But the problem is, the videos weren’t for business owners in particular. They we’re mostly about self-care, minimalism, and intentional living – so I wasn’t actually getting people onto my email list who’d enjoy the stuff that I’ve focused on since I stopped making videos. They may not enjoy the stuff I talk about on the podcast and, as a result, talk about in my emails.
So these people would subscribe, and then unsubscribe within a couple of emails. All those unsubs made Google classify my emails as spam at one point this year.
My youtube followers we’re steadily increasing, I had a few videos that got thousands of views and were consistently growing my channel. But again, these weren’t the types of videos and subscribers that fit what I’ve been doing for the past year and a half – so those growing numbers were just something that made me feel good in like a vanity-metric way, but the growth was not actually benefitting me.
If someone wanted to hire me for what I do now, but stumbled across that Youtube channel, they might think “Oh wait, this seems different?”
What would it mean if I take the videos off my channel?
I would no longer get as many of these unaligned subscribers, who shortly unsubscribe.
Aaand… I could really not see any con to deleting them. Whether I kept them or took them off my channel, I had already spent the time on them. I had “wasted” just as much time, whether I kept them or not.
I feel like this is where I "should" say that it was really hard to let go, but it actually wasn't. Sure, it kinda stung deleting some of them – especially the ones that had gotten several thousands of views and that brought me followers and email subscribers.
But I know that those numbers didn’t actually mean anything in relation to what I want to do, they are just vanity metrics that I clung to maybe a bit too long.
Would I return to YouTube?
I do think about making a few videos that would be more aligned with what I do now, but it’s not something that feels necessary or like I *have to* do it. If I at some point get really excited to do it, if I get an idea for a set of 4-5 videos to create, I might add them on there. (Now that I say this, I’ll probably have ideas pop up really soon and have some videos up before you know it.)
Did I waste my time creating all those videos?
Something I didn’t touch on yet, but I think is important to talk about, is that sometimes letting something go can make you feel like that means it was a waste to create it. But I 100% know that the Youtube channel did serve a purpose. I was helpful to a lot of people, but it also helped me evolve my business. Creating all that content helped me solidify many of the things I believe in, which still affects how I approach my 1:1 work today – even if the content wasn’t a full match to what I do now.
What could you let go of?
I hope this youtube channel purge inspired you to consider if letting go of something in your business would benefit you more than holding onto it, or doing more of it.
If there's something that you're doing in your business right now that feels draining or causes resistance every time you do it – can you do a little analysis of the pros and cons of holding onto it vs letting it go?
And the decision doesn’t have to be so black-and-white. I always like to think about the nuance, and as a Finn I’m big on repurposing and recycling things – so maybe it’s not just about holding onto something or letting it go. Maybe making just a tweak to it could make that thing work for you again if it isn’t right now.
Speaking of letting go –
I’m offering these one-off pop-up sessions to help you declutter your to-do list because I know just how busy and overwhelming this time of year can get, when you wanna have time to enjoy the holidays, be present with your family, make time to plan business things for the next year and still have time to breathe. I’ve heard a few business owners feel like they need to either work through the holidays or they need to just put their business on hold for the next month or two – but I’d love to help you find a middle ground you feel good about so that you can enjoy this time of year without having to feel like the business is gonna crumble.
In just 60 minutes, I’ll ask you questions to identify which tasks are actually helping you make progress, and together we’ll make a plan for what to take off your plate right now and what you can get off that plate in the next 3-6 months, so that 2023 has a lot more space and ease than 2022
If you’re listening to this in Nov 2022, I’ve got 6 pop-up sessions available for $250 USD over the next couple of weeks. So if you'd like to have a decluttered workload, like BY THE END OF THE WEEK, grab your spot through jennahellberg.com/declutter (all one word). If all 6 slots get taken, I might still offer this but at a higher price point, or I might just close up the calendar – I haven’t quite decided honestly.
And if you’re listening to this after Nov 2022 or after the slots have been taken, no worries! This is for sure something we can do through my regular coaching offers as well, which do come with more support and accountability than the pop-up session does.
That’s all I have for you today – thank you so much for spending your valuable time with me and I hope you have a beautiful week. Bye.