How Dr. Dray Grew to 700k Subscribers on YouTube WITHOUT an SEO Strategy: The YouTube Power Hour Podcast 221
“I felt like I could put myself in this space in a way that I could reach people that I can’t reach on an everyday, clinical, practical level, in terms of navigating skincare products.”
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Dr. Dray is a practicing dermatologist and YouTube content creator with over 700k subscribers to her channel, where she discusses skincare, health and wellness, and her life. Dr. Dray was an avid YouTube watcher before starting her channel. She quickly realized people were interested in skincare information, and as a dermatologist, saw potential for someone like her, with a background and education in skincare, to reach more people. She is able to balance her dermatology practice and her YouTube career, with an uncanny ability to commit to both.
Dr. Dray started her channel in September 2016. She was immediately hooked and took her channel seriously right from the beginning. Her channel first began as vlogs that she recorded on her phone. She didn’t even know about thumbnails at that point! As she started gaining subscribers, she started receiving more and more requests for her to talk about skincare. By January of 2017, she really started focusing on providing more skincare-related content. By May of 2018 (about a year and a half after starting her channel), she already had 100k subscribers. By September of 2019, she had 480k, and now, she has over 700k! What is truly incredible about her growth is that she does not pay attention to analytics or SEO. She doesn’t consider what people would search for, she just creates videos based on what people ask for, what she wants to make, or what she thinks her audience will benefit from.
“There’s a lot of trial and error in YouTube, and some things are not obvious for a long time. One day it just clicks that you need to be doing some things slightly different, and that slight difference makes all the change.”
Dr. Dray uploads DAILY to her channel, even though she is a practicing dermatologist. She batch records her videos, edits them herself (sticking to very basic editing), and then spends the rest of her time responding to the comments. It has taken a lot of trial and error to figure out what works or doesn’t work, and even today, is still working to improve her editing and lighting. She takes pride and a sense of ownership in the audience and community that she has created. The camaraderie and support of one another in the comment section, and the fact that her viewers watch videos that don’t even necessarily pertain to them, just so they can share them with someone else who will benefit from the content has solidified to Dr. Dray that her YouTube channel is about a deeper meaning and deeper purpose, and that is what fuels her. She feels as though she is making an impact, and that is what drives her to keep creating content. Even if just one person benefits from it, it’s worth it.
“My audience are the ones who support me, so that’s all I care about. So long as somebody’s watching, it seems to be helping people.”
3 Key Interview Takeaways
- Consistency is key. Show up, be consistent, and your audience will show up for you. Posting daily might seem daunting, but for Dr. Dray, she’s found a system that works by batch recording her content in the span of a day or two, and being succinct enough that her videos require minimal editing.
- Set boundaries. The cycle of content creation on YouTube never really ends. The labor of maintaining your channel is constant. When you have worked so hard to build and create something, the anxiety may set in of what may happen if you miss an upload. Life happens. Things happen. Will your audience still be there? The fear hanging over your head of disappointing someone can be stressful, but try to set boundaries. Delegate times to start and stop, and devote to certain activities, like engaging with your audience. Learn how to set boundaries and unplug.
- Trial and error. YouTube is all about trial and error. Dr. Dray has slowly chipped away at the details and probably will continue to do so. Sometimes things just click and you find something that works. Sometimes there’s no rhyme or reason why a video or channel does well. Keep plugging away at optimizing your videos and figure out what works for you.
Mentioned in the episode:
Videos:
DIFFERIN: TIPS from a DERMATOLOGIST ACNE SKIN CARE 💊
DERMATOLOGIST REVIEWS KYLIE SKIN INGREDIENTS| DR DRAY
A Dermatologist’s tips for enlarged pores
DERMATOLOGIST SHOPS FOR SKIN CARE AT THE DOLLAR TREE| DR DRAY
Connect with Dr. Dray
Resources
Add your name to the Zero to Influence YouTube Bootcamp waitlist so you are notified when space becomes available!
Watch my replay of my FREE Zero to 100k Subscribers Masterclass
FREE GUIDES:
Creating Content During Crisis: How to Create Impactful Content During COVID-19 Pandemic
Getting Started on YouTube: YouTube Niche Workbook
How to get onto PR lists and receive a TON of free product even if you have a small following: PR List
YOUTUBE OPTIMIZATION PLUG-IN I RECOMMEND
TubeBuddy [Use the code ErikasBuddy to get 20% off]
MY FAVORITE BUSINESS TOOLS
Course Creation: Looking to create a course? Kajabi is the BEST platform hands down. I use this for my course after extensive research on all the other platforms.
Live Calls and Interviews: I use Ecamm for my podcast interviews, both audio and for YouTube that you see here on YouTube. It makes it super easy to share my screen and create the split-screen with my guest. I’m not super techie and this software is really easy to use!
Webinars and Live calls: I use Zoom.us for my group coaching calls in my private membership group for female YouTube creators. It’s also the software I use to record my Road to 100k YouTube Subscribers Masterclass!
THE BEST YOUTUBE/PODCASTING EQUIPMENT
After interviewing HUNDREDS of successful YouTube creators, these are the pieces of equipment that hands down get mentioned time and time again. You can’t go wrong with anything on this list!
- 4k Camera: Great for starting out and vlogging
- Lens: This lens is recommended highly by many of my podcast guests, it gives the blurry “YouTuber” background look.
- Audio: If you want to upgrade your set-up, audio should be one of the first investments (after a good camera). This microphone is unanimously the favorite amongst my podcast guests.
- Podcast/Voiceover Microphone: If you are looking for a great microphone for a podcast or video voiceover, this is it! This is the one that you see in all of my videos and the one I’ve recorded my podcast on for years.
- Webcam: For my interviews, that you see in my videos, this is the webcam that I use. Super inexpensive and easy to set up!
- Inexpensive Lighting Kit: Need to pick up some lights but don’t want to spend a ton? This is a great set that will get you started and help improve the look of your videos.
- Ring light: Looking for that beauty look? Invest in a ring light! This is an inexpensive light that does that trick!
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Podcast Music Credit: Boop by x50 @x50music
Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs youtu.be/o52xQkQWzyU
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**Disclaimers: all opinions are my own, sponsors are acknowledged. Links in the description are typically affiliate links that let you help support the podcast at no extra cost.SaveSave
