The TRUTH about YouTube "EASY Mode" in 2025
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Hey Creators, ​ The latest craze to sweep the YouTube Community is YouTube "Easy Mode", and the idea that low effort content is winning in 2025 and giving Small YouTubers a chance. In this issue we will tackle whether this is real or just over-hyped or misunderstood by the community and what is really happening. We also have an update on the looming January 19th TikTok ban for Creators who are concerned about the future of short-form videos. If you're wondering if YouTube is "over-saturated" or nervous about AI content, you need to watch my recent video on this. ​ For anyone who is just starting a YouTube Channel read this 4 Minute breakdown on 6 Simple Steps to Start a Channel in 2025 . ​ My BEST FREE WORKSHOPS on Becoming a Full-time Creator
​ YouTube "EASY MODE" ExplainedThere’s a lot of buzz around the idea that “YouTube is on Easy Mode,” and honestly, there’s some truth to it—especially for smaller channels. Right now, YouTube offers more opportunities than ever for new creators to break through and build an audience. It’s not about luck; it’s about understanding how to play the game. The algorithm has changed. It doesn’t care if you have a million subscribers or none. What matters is keeping viewers engaged. If your content grabs attention and holds it, YouTube will show it to more people. That’s a huge win for smaller channels because you don’t need to be famous to get discovered anymore (though social proof and status only help you). YouTube has also added tools that make it easier for small creators to grow. Shorts are a great example of YouTube lowering the barrier entry and attention, since Shorts don't require the ability to create attractive thumbnails in order to be seen. While I wouldn't say YouTube is now on "Easy Mode", I would conceded that it's never been a better time to be a Creator!
For new YouTubers it has never been a better time to come to the platform. The tools available make it easier than ever to create and more importantly for working class creators, they allow for faster content creation than ever before. There is also more information about content creation that ever before and genuine education and opportunities like Awesome Creator Academy to lower the learning curve for aspiring content creators. With new opportunities for discovery with Shorts and Vertical Streaming, simpler tools like Opus Clip, Descript and Streamyard for content creation, tools for strategy like 1of10 and Creative Fuel, and an ever expanding variety of appetites for more and more content, as legacy media falls away and younger generations embrace independent creators, it can very much be said it is easier now to succeed, than it was at any other time on YouTube and social media as a whole. This will be the next "Golden Age of YouTube", but that doesn't necessarily make YouTube "Easy Mode" now, it just feels more accessible and less impossible than it did a few years ago, and has given new and small channels more confidence to create.
Inside the looming TikTok ban, and the Supreme Court Session January 10thThe ongoing saga of the looming TikTok ban continues, as the social media platform finds and unexpected ally in President-Elect Trump, who is advocating for the platform to remain unbanned in the U.S. This is an interesting reversal since it was his administration that initially raised concerns about TikTok. If the January 19 deadline is enforced TikTok would be banned across the United States unless ByteDance divest its American operations in a way the government approves of. This is something that would be difficult if not impossible for the company. The Supreme Court's Jan 10 decision could effect more than just content creators. For several manufacturers and suppliers as well as digital marketers the implications could be devastating if there are overly reliant on TikTok Shop to drive business. This case could also establish precedents for social media regulation overall as a whole. We will try to keep you informed of any more updates to this situation and what it means for Creators. ​ How Creator Can Prepare for TikTok Ban:
​ In general creators should always take a "platform agnostic" approach to content creation, and make content for an audience rather than for a specific platform. Your content should be able to live and thrive on any platform and should even be able to be translated effective to other formats. Prioritizing platform identities such as "YouTuber", "TikToker" or "Instagram Influencer", dilutes the value of your own brand and makes you a "digital sharecropper" rather than an entity all your own. For Creators to take back their power, they have to reject the idea of centralizing their content and audiences, and take a platform agnostic approach to content as well as ownership of their relationship with the audience. ​ Whether TikTok gets banned or ends up being taken over by an American company, the platform will never be the same after January, and it's creators will always have to be fearful of their future if they continue to rely on the platform. While creators shouldn't abandon TikTok and the audience they have built there, they should be realizing that the platform is not a stable home base for their brand and Creator business and should be looking towards future proofing their careers.
​ Key Takeaways for YouTube Success in 2025 for All CreatorsYouTube is as easy or hard as you want it to be. Low Lift content isn't the same as "lazy content". You can make content that fits the available time you have, and still pay attention to details without getting carried away or obsessed with perfection. "Easy Mode" is just way of giving Creators the breathing room to say that they can still succeed without copying what every Big YouTuber is doing or following the example of MrBeast and Friends. Which has always been the case. Calling it "Easy Mode" is just a way to turn this message into a movement to encourage creators who feel left behind or burnt out from pursuing extremely high effort and high quality content, and trying to go viral only to be disappointed, or unable to maintain it. If I were to give you specific guidance on what will succeed on YouTube for MOST content creators in 2025 it would be this:
These type of conversations are important and so is developing the skills to be a full-time content creator. New tools and the current culture may help with the barrier to entry, but you still have to learn how to cut through a lot of noise. ​ If you're not ready to join the Awesome Creator Academy Pro Group or even an Academy Basic Membership, consider taking our FREE Creator Foundations Course so you can understand the principles of attracting your tribe and not just building an audience, and how to put value for the viewer first. This course is a "pay what you can" course, which means you can pay $0 and get it completely free, but any contribution that supports the work of myself and my team is fully appreciated. |