Thomas Frank – Getting nerdy about YouTube and why he created a second channel Creator Science

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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Thomas is a YouTuber, podcaster, and author who helps people become more capable and productive. His main YouTube channel has nearly 2.5 million subscribers and more than 160 million views! 
In 2020, Thomas began producing a lot of content about how to use Notion, a popular project management and note-taking software. But instead of publishing those videos on his existing channel, Thomas created a SECOND channel called Thomas Frank Explains, which itself already has nearly 80K subscribers and almost 3 million views.
So in this episode, we talk about Thomas’s YouTube journey, why he built a second channel for his Notion content, how he’s thinking about short-form video like Shorts, and how intentional he is about all of the details that go into building his business.
Full transcript and show notes
Learn more about Thomas Frank
Subscribe to Thomas Frank on YouTube
Subscribe to Thomas Frank Explains on YouTube
Follow Thomas Frank on Twitter / Instagram

TIMESTAMPS
00:17 - Today’s guest
01:01 - When Thomas took YouTube seriously
01:49 - Thomas’s early inspiration
02:38 - What we learn today
03:39 - YouTube vs Wistia
05:27 - Why don’t Thomas’s old videos suck?
06:36 - The “true” start of Thomas Frank
07:14 - Using Reddit to grow on YouTube
08:23 - Thomas goes viral
10:26 - What changed after the viral video?
11:41 - How Thomas was making money to focus on YouTube
12:32 - Thomas didn’t turn on AdSense until 100k subs
15:40 - Creator self-doubt
16:53 - Thomas’s approach to criticism
18:09 - What took 2200 subs to 2.5 million
19:25 - Importance of platform discoverability
21:35 - YouTube podcasts
22:15 - How does Thomas think about his business today?
23:13 - The Notion Arc
26:18 - AdSense + Brand Deals vs Direct Monetization
31:18 - Why make a second YouTube channel?
32:58 - What’s the plan for the main channel?
34:41 - How does the YouTube algorithm work?
36:50 - How to think about short form video
39:20 - Looking at content through the “Jobs to be done” framework
41:39 - Why Thomas makes everything FREE
45:45 - Thomas’s skillshare hack
48:50 - Team Thomas Frank
51:15 - Every creator should hire an editor sooner
52:20 - Art vs Ego
53:19 - What is currently frustrating Thomas Frank?
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