Around three months ago, I started documenting my life and work online with two intentions:
- Just document for the sake of it (I love working visually and sharing what I work on).
- Grow an audience that is truly invested in my journey.
Now, a few months in, I've learned one thing: whether a video captures new viewers depends on how well you answer one simple question.
What do people want to watch?
That’s all that matters. Yes, you can break it down into many variables that affect a video’s reach and engagement, but ultimately, they all aim to measure how much someone wants to watch what you’re talking about.
This question sounds painfully simple, yet it’s extremely hard to answer well. To do so, you need a clear understanding of who your audience is—and a deep understanding of what they want.
There are two ways to figure this out. You can either talk to many people in your audience and learn from those conversations, or you can radically create for yourself. I am choosing the latter approach. However, when reviewing your own work, there is a natural bias: I love what I do, yet the market tells me that I haven’t answered this question well.
If you remove that bias and explore what you actually enjoy watching from others, powerful answers begin to emerge. This is the key to gaining traction, interest, and attention with the work you share.