Riley Cardwell

Your gaming channel isn't too small. You're just fighting the big creators for the same clicks with the same videos. Challenges, news, spectacle. They own that lane. But there's one kind of video they almost never make, and it's wide open for you. Here's the lane I'd take today. It's videos that help people get better at the game. "You're doing this wrong." "Every trick tested." "Horrible advice I wish I knew." The big creators almost never make these. So when a small channel makes a good one, it isn't fighting the giants for the click. And people click what helps them, even when they've never heard of you. A creator we reviewed on our coaching call this week proved it. His best videos were advice videos: 340K, 117K, 106K. Pick your game. Then teach it. Teach the game. The big guys won't.

No one is clicking your gaming videos. It's not because your content is bad. It's because your packaging is boring. On our free coaching call, we took a Rocket League YouTuber's video and built the title and thumbnail from scratch together. Here's the 7 step process we used: 1. Get everything out first GroundZero brought a video he'd already filmed. He challenged a 10 year old Grand Champ to three challenges to see if he has what it takes to go pro. So I pulled up a whiteboard and asked everyone on the call what they found interesting about it. We ended up with 5 things. The challenge. He's 10 years old. He's top 1% in the world. He's an aspiring pro. And he could be compared to Zen, one of the best players in the game. 2. Pick the 2 that matter most Then I had everyone vote in the chat. 10 years old was unanimous. The second spot was split between pro and top 1%. We talked it out and pro won. Top 1% is just a rank. Pro says he wants to be the best. 3. Write titles before thumbnails Thumbnails cost time and money. Titles are free. So I gave everyone a couple minutes to write titles and drop them in the chat. We read them all out loud and landed on "The Youngest Pro in Rocket League." 4. Use fewer words Someone pointed out that the title never says he's 10. That's on purpose. "10 year old" is three words. "Youngest" is one. And now you have to click to find out how young he is. 5. Stretch the gap The title says he's the youngest. The thumbnail text says "THE BEST EVER?" One sets the floor. The other sets the ceiling. How can a kid that young already be the best? That question is the click. 6. Show the most clickable thing GroundZero's idea was to have the kid staring down Zen. We all agreed it was the strongest. It puts the kid front and center, and Zen is someone even casual fans recognize. 7. Package for people who don't play your game Most of us on the call barely knew anything about Rocket League. By the end, GroundZero said it opened his eyes. He'd been so focused on Rocket League fans that he forgot everyone else on YouTube could click too. He left with a title, a thumbnail direction, and a clear next step. Start with abundance. Chisel it down.

Years ago, I made this ad but never posted it. Didn't feel like the right time. Now it is. Today, we launch Full-Time Gamer. A program for gaming creators who are done being told they're not good enough. Your audience is waiting. Link in the replies.

“I’ll figure it out on my own.” Almost every gaming creator I’ve talked to this year has told me this. And I get it. Most of us started YouTube alone, doing every job ourselves. But it’s the most expensive belief in gaming YouTube. Here’s how to tell if it’s costing you 👇 What “on my own” looks like two years in: → Uploads come in bursts → One video pops, the next ten flop → You can’t tell why → The channel still isn’t paying you The problem isn’t effort. It’s blind spots. When you’re alone, you’re grading your own work. So you fix what you can see: the edit, the intro, the script. But the real problem usually sits earlier, in the idea or the packaging. Here’s a quick test: Pull up your last 10 videos and sort them by views. Is the gap explained by how well each one was edited? Or by what the video was about and how it was packaged? For most creators, it’s the second one. They just can’t see it from the inside. That’s exactly where Qorvik was. Once someone helped him see it, things moved fast. 48 days later: → Channel monetized → A video closing in on 800K views Tomorrow I’m opening something for gaming creators who are done figuring it out alone and ready to make this their career. Before then, find out what’s actually holding your channel back. Free assessment in the replies 👇

BOTTED AGAIN!! 😂 I'm grateful that someone values the mic giveaway so much, they went through the trouble. But please, stop. But anyway, today is the last day to enter. I'll decide the winner tomorrow. Link in the replies.

You can make gaming your career. But wanting it badly enough isn't going to make it happen. You can spend years making gaming videos, trying different ideas, studying YouTube, and working harder than ever. Yet still feel like you're no closer to going full-time. The problem isn't always a lack of effort. It's not knowing what to focus on, what to do next, or how to turn your work into consistent results. That's why we built Full-Time Gamer. A proven process, a clear roadmap, and a community of gaming creators working toward the same goal. To help you go from making gaming videos in your free time to making gaming content your career. And after months of preparation, we're finally opening the doors. Full-Time Gamer launches Wednesday, October 28th, with early access starting tomorrow! Serious about going full-time? Take our free Full-Time Creator Assessment to get started. Link in the replies. 👇 P.S. Our gaming microphone giveaway also ends Wednesday! Check the replies for your chance to enter.

"I need to figure it out myself first." I've heard this from gaming creators who want to make YouTube their career. They believe they need to master everything before asking for help. But what if trying to do everything yourself is the very thing holding you back? Think about it. You're probably great at something. Maybe it's your personality, your gameplay, or your ability to entertain people. That's your strength. But what about your titles? Thumbnails? Storytelling? Editing? Strategy? Are you equally great at all of those things? Probably not. And neither am I. Yet you're competing for attention with creators who have entire teams of people specializing in each one. Some have world-class editors. Others have incredible thumbnail designers, strategists, and producers. And you're trying to become all of them. The problem isn't that you lack potential. It's that you're limiting your potential to what you can accomplish alone. And sometimes, that's pride. We overvalue our own understanding and undervalue the wisdom of others. Proverbs 4:7 tells us that the beginning of wisdom is to get wisdom. And Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 reminds us that two are better than one, because when one falls, the other can lift him up. There's a reason we need other people. Someone who can challenge your thinking. Someone who can see what you can't. Someone who can help you improve where you're weak. You don't necessarily need to hire a team tomorrow. Start by humbling yourself enough to ask for help. Find creators who are better than you at something. Seek their advice. Invite feedback. Learn to collaborate. And as you grow, surround yourself with people whose strengths complement your own. Because reaching your potential isn't about becoming great at everything. It's about becoming great at what you're called to do and allowing others to do the same. You don't have to build alone.

I think someone botted my giveaway 😂 I got excited for a HUGE increase in newsletter subscribers. Then, I realized they all had sus emails. Anyways, great opportunity to sign up. You get a free full-time creator assessment plus daily lessons. I'll drop the link the replies. Sign up 👇