How To Start A YouTube Channel The Right Way with Andrew Murdoch

The subject of how to start a YouTube channel has likely crossed the minds of content creators, businesses, and entrepreneurs around the world. In an era where video content reigns supreme, YouTube has become the cornerstone for digital engagement and growth. The latest episode of The Pod Files, hosted by Bogdan Bratis and featuring Andrew Murdoch, a leading YouTube marketing expert and the Founder of YTera sheds valuable light on exactly what it takes to grow a successful YouTube presence.

Through an engaging conversation, Andrew Murdoch elaborates on how businesses can leverage YouTube to become media powerhouses. He provides actionable strategies for starting and scaling a YouTube channel, while offering insights from his own life-altering journey with the platform.

If you’re wondering how to start a YouTube channel and use it to achieve successful growth, keep reading!

The Untapped Potential of YouTube  

"How do we actually go about growing a YouTube channel from scratch?" That was one of the central questions Bogdan Bratis addressed to Andrew Murdoch in this episode. Murdoch emphasizes that while YouTube might seem like an intimidating platform to enter, the process is not as complicated as it seems.

YouTube, as Andrew Murdoch aptly describes, is the world’s largest content resource library—often referred to as “The YouTube University.” Whether you're an aspiring creator or a business looking to expand your audience, the potential is unparalleled. Think of YouTube as more than just a platform for videos—imagine it as a global classroom, workshop, and marketplace combined. If you lack a YouTube channel for your business or personal brand, you're missing out on an unmatched opportunity to scale.

Keep It Simple: Speak to the Viewer  

To learn how to start a YouTube channel, Murdoch advises simplicity and viewer focus. As he puts it, the secret to YouTube success is summed up in one concise message: "Focus on the viewer, period."

What does that mean? This means developing a deep understanding of your target audience before you even begin creating content. While many businesses may have a solid grasp of their buyer avatar—the ideal person purchasing their products or services—not all think about the viewer avatar. The viewer avatar, as Murdoch explains, is essentially “a zoomed-out version of your buyer avatar.” Businesses should focus on creating content that appeals to a broader audience to ensure their channel gains traction.

Take, for example, Murdoch’s hypothetical case of a financial advisor whose buyer avatar includes high-net-worth clients with $500,000 ready to invest. When considering the viewer avatar, the financial advisor should aim for a segment with similar traits but a lower entry point, such as individuals with $100,000 to invest. This approach allows you to expand your potential reach while staying relevant.

Murdoch references Alex Hormozi, a YouTube success story, as a prime example of this principle. Hormozi’s videos engage millions of viewers, even though his buyer avatar—business owners generating $3 million annually—is much narrower. By targeting a broader viewer base aligned with his expertise, Hormozi created a successful, scalable channel.   

The Three-Step Framework: How To Start a YouTube Channel and Succeed  

Murdoch outlines a simplified yet effective three-step process to crack the YouTube code. While straightforward in theory, implementing these steps correctly is what requires effort and mastery.

Step 1: Get the Viewer  

Your first task is to capture the viewer’s attention. For Murdoch, this boils down to identifying the right combination of topic, title, and thumbnail. The topic must resonate with your audience’s interests, while the title and thumbnail act as the appealing gateway, compelling users to click. Without these components aligned, your video will struggle, regardless of its production quality or content value.

Murdoch emphasizes not to be boring. "Pick an interesting idea," he advises, "something that someone will actually want to learn more about." He offers an excellent example of creating a thumbnail and title so engaging that viewers save the video or revisit it later—even if interrupted upon first seeing it. The goal is to make people feel as if they can’t resist clicking from their feed.

Step 2: Keep the Viewer  

Getting viewers to click is only half the battle; convincing them to stay until the end of the video is step two. Successful retention relies on two crucial factors: content quality (what you say and how valuable it is) and production quality (how easy it is to watch and listen). 

For business-oriented YouTube channels, content quality should always take precedence. Murdoch underlines the number one production-related priority: audio quality. No one engages with content that sounds unpleasant. Viewers might forgive lower video quality, but not poor audio since it disrupts the core value being conveyed. For creators operating on tight budgets, investing in a quality microphone before upgrading to pricey cameras is advised.

Lighting is another underrated aspect. Murdoch explains how proper lighting, even with a basic smartphone camera, can outperform high-end equipment under poor lighting conditions. Content creators with limited resources or transient workspaces—like Murdoch himself—can rely on natural light from windows for great results.

We preach a lot about this at Saspod, so it was great to hear this from Andrew as well.

Step 3: Get the Viewer Back  

This is where many YouTubers falter. As Murdoch explains, retaining viewers goes further than keeping them engaged in a single video. The real magic happens when you persuade these viewers to return for more content.

At the end of your video, resist saying things like "Thanks for watching," which indirectly signals to viewers that they can leave. Instead, provide them with a compelling reason to continue watching another video on your channel. Refer to a related topic or tutorial, and explain why it's essential for them to check it out next.

Take cues from professionals like Murdoch and explore additional strategies, such as collaborations and shoutouts, to link your existing viewers with similar channels and grow through shared audiences. Partnering with another creator whose audience overlaps with yours can create a synergy that dramatically accelerates subscriber growth.

YouTube as a Media Business  

For Murdoch, a significant mindset shift is treating your YouTube channel as a miniature business embedded inside your main business. This means thinking beyond creating videos and considering revenue streams, expenses, and team contributions. Whether you manage the channel in-house or outsource it to agencies like Murdoch’s YT Era, resource management is key to long-term success.

Murdoch points out that YouTube’s business model is similar to that of any other enterprise. By helping YouTube achieve its goals—keeping viewers satisfied and engaged—you incentivize the platform to promote your content to larger audiences. This involves learning YouTube’s algorithms and aligning your actions accordingly.

The Paid Ads Dilemma   

The episode also touches on YouTube paid ads, with both Murdoch and Bratis weighing in on the pros and cons. While paid ads can be effective under certain situations, Murdoch strongly discourages funnelling paid traffic directly into organic YouTube videos. Why? Paid data contaminates organic analytics, making it difficult for you—or a consultant—to evaluate what's truly working.

Murdoch uses a poignant analogy from his mentor Darrell Eves, who likened trusting YouTube’s massive AI engine to trying to outsmart a machine with access to five thousand data points on billions of users. To truly learn how to start a YouTube channel and scale it organically, focus on earning viewers through valuable content, not shortcuts like paid promotions.

A Medium for Transforming Lives  

Murdoch’s passion for YouTube is personal. Six years ago, he credits the platform for helping him overcome a dark period in his life, providing free resources that reshaped his mindset, finances, and outlook. Today, Murdoch uses that knowledge to help others flourish in the digital creative landscape, empowering businesses to utilize YouTube to their advantage.

He views YouTube as more than just an entertainment platform; it’s a tool for change, a gateway to connect people with invaluable knowledge, and a way for businesses to scale their influence while fostering real-world impact.

Wrapping Up  

The insights from this episode of The Pod Files underline the immense opportunities that YouTube provides. For anyone wondering how to start a YouTube channel, Murdoch’s advice revolves around understanding your audience, creating consistently valuable content, and optimizing for long-term organic growth.

By breaking the process into actionable steps and focusing on the audience’s journey, businesses and creators can turn YouTube into their greatest marketing tool. And as Andrew Murdoch’s life story demonstrates, with passion, intent, and strategy, starting a YouTube channel can truly transform lives.