Should You Quit YouTube? The Brutal Truth
Most YouTube channels fail in their first year. That’s not just a statistic—it’s something I’ve witnessed firsthand after producing hundreds of channels over the last decade and transforming struggling creators into six-figure earners.
After helping over a thousand women grow on YouTube since 2017, I’ve identified exactly why some succeed while others give up. Today, I’m pulling back the curtain on what you really need to know if you want to make YouTube work for you in 2025.
The Garden Analogy
Think of YouTube like a garden. At the beginning, there’s just empty soil. You plant seeds (your first videos), but see absolutely no results. You’re excited—buying equipment, learning techniques, envisioning what your channel will become—but the growth happens underground first.
This is why I tell new creators: don’t even look at analytics for your first 15-20 videos. Instead, focus on understanding YouTube, understanding yourself on camera, and establishing a consistent routine. Those initial videos are just you figuring out the basics—where to position your camera, what happens when you run out of SD card space, how to plan your filming day.
The Four Phases of YouTube Growth
- Planting Seeds (1-20 videos): No visible results, but essential learning happening beneath the surface.
- First Sprouts (20-50 videos): Some traction begins. Maybe one or two videos start performing better. Now you can analyze what’s working with your audience.
- Growing Season (50-100 videos): You’re gaining confidence and understanding. You have systems in place. But with more eyes on you comes more pressure. This is often where creators reevaluate their niche and ask themselves: “Is this what I really want to be doing?”
- Mature Garden (100+ videos): You’ve established your channel. Now you’re deciding: Do I expand? Pivot? Hire help? This is where you leverage what you’ve built.
The Brutal Truth: Sacrifice Is Required
The hard reality is that YouTube demands sacrifices upfront with no guarantee of results. You’ll invest hundreds of hours before knowing if it’s “worth it.” You might take a “YouTube vacation” from your job to film content. You might sacrifice sleep or social events.
Every successful YouTuber you see—every single one with over 100,000 subscribers—has made significant sacrifices. They’ve had seasons where they worked their asses off before they ever saw meaningful results.
Is It Worth It?
That’s the question only you can answer. What I know for certain: the sooner you start on YouTube, the sooner the algorithm starts working for you. The sooner you build an audience. The sooner you develop the skills needed for success.
Instagram, TikTok, and podcasting may seem like easier lifts, but I was shocked to learn many top Instagram influencers pay significant money for ads just to get their content seen. Meanwhile, top YouTube affiliate earners don’t need to do that—they’ve built sustainable, long-term income assets that work for them.
The first milestone isn’t subscriber count or views—it’s simply getting started. The second milestone is consistency: 5 videos, then 10, then 20, then 30. Each upload makes you a better creator and helps you understand the platform better.
Yes, YouTube is hard. But for those willing to put in the work, it remains the most powerful platform for content creators in 2025.
Resources
- Register for my FREE Masterclass
- CLICK HERE to get the Audience Attraction System
- Add your name to the YouTube Bootcamp waitlist so you are notified when space becomes available!
- Add your name to the 1:1 Coaching waitlist!
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, and being asked all the time what equipment I recommend for YouTubers, I created a list! Click here to see all my recommended equipment for YouTubers!
Podcast Music Credit: Boop by x50 @x50music
Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs youtu.be/o52xQkQWzyU
*Erika Vieira is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to www.amazon.com.
**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.
