iJustine has built up an incredible brand presence across all the major social media platforms. She's always evolving, always staying that one step ahead, and making the content she creates absolutely relevant to today's audience.

, she knows what it takes to succeed on YouTube and she’s here to give us some golden tips. Such as why collaborations are amazing but not essential, how bringing your personality to the content you create is a winning formula, and how creators can help their community during this current pandemic.

Click on the podcast to listen, or read the full show notes below.

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iJustine - How to Rock Your YouTube Channel: Full Transcript

Liron Segev: Today I am super, super excited to be joined by one of my personal favorite tech YouTubers. I've been watching her content since way back when I lived in South Africa. She was actually part of my inspiration for moving to the US - so I’m a bit of a fanboy. She has over 6.3 million subscribers on YouTube, 1.4 million subscribers on Instagram and absolutely killing it on TikTok. She brings us this amazing tech content. She does it in her own way. iJustine, welcome to TubeTalk.

 Thanks for having me. This is so exciting.

Liron Segev: For those who've don't know, how would you describe iJustine in a tweet?

 Oh, I would say my content is basically me. So when people are coming to my channel, there's nothing really specific that you're going to find. It’s mostly tech stuff, but I also love cooking, travel, my dog. My channel is based on my interests, but also around finding a community of people who also love the same things. But for the most part, I love tech, so that's what I've been focusing a lot on the past couple of years.

Liron Segev: How long have you been uploading content for?

 For about 10 years. Well, it's maybe 14 at this point. It was 2006 but over the past couple of years I just kind of stopped the daily vlogging because it was just beyond exhausting, and it just was not fun anymore.

I always said when I'm doing something that isn't fun anymore, I have to pivot and shift to find something else, and creating more consistent tech content was great because it was still topical. You have a quick turnaround time but I'd still be able to infuse personality into it while covering tech in a really fun way. It's been really fun and it's just crazy to see it all kind of come to this point.

Liron Segev: And it's evolving all the time. I mean if you look at your content from years ago compared to your content now, it's completely changed but it still has you. You've always been the pivotal part of your own content. Do you find that you naturally tend to evolve your content or has this been something to appease the YouTube algorithm?

 I think it's natural. I mean, obviously, we focus on the algorithm. We think about it, we blame it for everything, even though sometimes I know it's like, "I know that video wasn't that good," so it was technically my fault, but I'm going to blame the algorithm. But I think it was just a natural progression because I've always created content about things that I liked and enjoyed.

I've been loving TikTok so much because I can actually sort of go back to being like my crazy weird self, which is always what I started doing on my channel, and then I started taking it a little more seriously to cover tech in a more serious way, but also really fun.

But I think just making content that is fun is just really what's important, especially now. It's just finding something you're passionate about and just going back to, making it fun, and not worrying about the production as much because it's like, let's just get the content out. It doesn't even matter at the end of the day sometimes.

Liron Segev: Yeah, it's a great platform. It gives you the ability to express yourself and just create stuff that you love. I mean, you've seen a lot of creators who really put out so much content just trying to appease that YouTube algorithm and more content and more content. Getting those views, it's absolutely draining.

 Yeah, I mean back in the day I used to have four or five different channels. I mean I ran a gaming channel, which I posted and edited three videos a day, and a daily vlogging channel, and then a daily iPhone video channel, and then my main channel, which I was posting on three times a week. So I was posting 40 or 50 videos a week, by myself, with zero help. So that's when I was like, this is crazy. It got to be too much.

Liron Segev: That's the kind of commitment you have to have your channel to be able to grow that.

 But I realized it wasn’t healthy. I think when you are younger you do take your health and energy levels for granted. Now I'm like I can't stay up all night and edit. I really try but I can't.

I think it's knowing when you have to take a step back and you have to focus on yourself that’s really important. And sometimes I'm like, I'm not going to meet this deadline. I'm not going to meet the embargo, and if I do I'm going to make myself sick, and I'm not going to be able to function tomorrow. So I think it's just realizing do what you can but you have to come first or you're not going to be able to be present for your audience or your work.

I definitely have ups and downs as most creators do, and what I will do is if I'm feeling great, I will shoot a bunch of videos, some of them which won't be timely.

I just posted a video on my channel that I shot back in June of last year. I was like, well, I might as well just post it because we were making lattes at home. So even just having those spare videos for times when you need it is really crucial. I can breathe because I know I have a piece of content to put up.

Liron Segev: Well, that's a great golden tip right there.

 Yes, it’s good to try to just have a couple of extra videos.

Liron Segev: Okay, we have to address the elephant in the room. One thing we hear time and time again that it's too late to be a success on YouTube. It's too saturated, I've missed this boat, I should've done this years ago.

 I should have joined TikTok a long time ago, and I didn't. But it really isn't ever too late because you really don't know what's going to happen.

I think being able to find that audience, especially around something that is heavily searched for, you could hop on that, and make content that answers people's questions, especially in the tech space.

If you have that same question of how do I pair my Nintendo Switch Pro controller to my Nintendo Switch, somebody else has that, so simple things like that that you can create content around, it ends up being evergreen content. I don't think it's ever too late. I mean it's definitely more difficult, so I think just keeping consistent and really enjoying what you're making is a huge part of it.

Liron Segev: The one problem that a small channel is going to face is they're not going to be first, right? We all know that the bigger channels, the bigger influencers, get invited to the events, get access to devices early, and therefore by the time a device launches, they're going to get those initial juicy eyeballs and views right off the bat. How does a small channel try to compete in that space at all?

 I mean, I think a lot of the bigger creators do get things. There are even products that I won't receive and I know my friends will get it. So sometimes I'll be like, okay, "Well if I know I'm getting this phone after them, I might skip the unboxing because, yeah, you've seen it. Sometimes you can even make jokes and be like, I know you've seen a bunch of videos, but here's my take on it.

Adding that personal spin and opinion I think is really important. And then find something else fun that you can do. For me, a lot of times for some of the new Samsung devices or some of the newer phones, everyone has done an unboxing. Everyone has already seen that.

So I'll take it out and actually use it, and I'll use it either for a week and I make a video vlogging, actually using the device. I think just showing what it can do as opposed to just reading off some spec sheets and stuff like that that people have already seen and heard. People want to see what it does and how it actually works.

Just try to do something different than what everyone else has already done.

Liron Segev: And make it personal. That's what I love about your channel. It's always been about you. It's all about how technology fits into your life. So if you can't be first, well, bring it back to you. What do you bring to the device? What do you bring to the table? What do you bring to whatever your channel is about that's not a copy of somebody else, but it's you, and therefore that's what the audience connects with.

 For sure. Yeah. There are even some lenses that I was trying to find, and I was like, "Why is no one using the lens? I want to see it zoom. I want to hear what the lens sounds like if it's on the body of the camera and there's a microphone attached. It's these weird things that I will end up testing out that I'm searching for myself. I was like, "Man, this lens would have been so cool. Why is no one just giving all the weird information that you wouldn't."

I want to know what this auto-zoom sounds like if I'm not using a microphone on it. It's strange things like that that you're just answering the questions that you would probably have. I guess that is the bigger tip.

Liron Segev: I love that because if I have that question, probably thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of other people have that same question and don't make the mistake thinking that, "Hey, it's obvious. I know how to do this, therefore everybody knows how to do this." That is absolutely not the case.

Let’s shift gears slightly and talk about collaborations because that has to be one of the number one questions we get asked time and time again. You've done a lot of these collabs with a lot of big people, and a lot of small creators. What is your take on this whole must-do collaborations? Are they absolute must or are they kind of nice to have?

 It definitely helps, but I feel bad because I think people will think, "I have to collab. I have to collab." But at the beginning of my channel, I didn't really collab with anyone. It's surprising, I'm an extreme introvert so I'm like if I can just sit in my house. This whole isolation quarantine thing? I'm thriving. This is what I love. It's hard for me to go out. So I'm like now that thing that I was forcing myself to go outside, I'm like, "Oh, great."

I don't want people to think that you have to collab because I think building your channel yourself, you don't ever want to be like, "Oh my gosh, well, I owe my entire channel to so-and-so for giving me all these views and subscribers." I think that sometimes it is hard too because then that person I guess feels like, they're like, "Oh, well, I made that person," if that makes any sense at all.

But I think collaboration is definitely fun, and to be able to work with people that you look up to and people that you enjoy creating content with is, is amazing.

But, at the beginning don't focus on trying to get a collab because if you're a smaller channel and you reach out and you say, "Hey, I'm going to be starting my YouTube channel soon. Do you want to collab? I mean most likely, I'm like, "Okay, cool. What kind of content are you going to make?" I feel like as a bigger channel you have to be careful with who you collab with because you don't know what that person is going to do.

Will they have a scandal in the next week? Will they do something crazy and then put your reputation on the line? So I think people do have to take that into consideration. Is this a risk? Is it a liability? It's weird because a lot of people don't think about that, and it's something that I do really think about a lot.

I love collabing, and I definitely have a close collab circle of people that I continuously work with. I think they're fun and I think it's just trying to find a fun way to do them,. But don't feel like that's the only way to do it. It's helpful, but you can do yourself.

Liron Segev: You don't have to. That's the message. It's nice to have. It's awesome if you do it with your friends and you're really adding value to each other and that's great. But is it a make or break thing? Definitely not.

 No. I mean, I think there are people that can go their entire careers and not have to collab. But if you can, I'd definitely recommend it. But if somebody turns you down or doesn't write back? Nope. Keep trying.

Maybe try in another five months or another six months depending upon how your channel is doing. Because again, you got to be careful, too, about who you collab with.

Liron Segev: When it comes to YouTube, it's kind of divided into those two sections. You've got the entertainment and you've got the how-to, right? Now entertainment's obvious - we subscribe because we want more of that content.

But it's not so obvious when it comes to the how-to channel. I mean, once I've told someone how to unblock the toilet, there's no real reason to subscribe to me, right? So especially in the tech space, once you've told someone the 10 best settings for the Galaxy S10, well, they've got it. That's pretty much they're done. So what would make someone stick around in how-to channel and actually subscribe for the rest of those videos?

 If they're doing it in a fun way. I mean, if somebody is teaching me how to do something and they're really funny, I'm like this is great. This is good content, it’s fun, and you're getting an answer. But a lot of these channels you can base it strictly off search. Even if you don't have a lot of subscribers, you can continuously be getting that content through recommended videos through search.

I actually don't look at my analytics that often because it stresses me out. It's really funny because years ago when I first started, I mean, I was obsessed. I would look, I'm like, "Oh these are down. This isn't working out." And then, finally, when I stopped looking, things started looking up.

I mean, I check every once in a while just to see, "Okay, monthly views are down. That's okay. It's like a slow tech time." I think just not becoming obsessed is really a difficult thing, especially when the analytics are all there. But with analytics, everything changes every single day, so you can't ever really pinpoint a specific thing. You just have to be able to change and pivot.

Really speaking to your audience and reading comments, I think, is the best way to gauge what they like, who's watching, and how they found your content.

I think one of the joys of having a smaller channel is you can actually have those dialogues. You could really get that feedback and actually have conversations. Whereas now, I mean, I try to respond to a lot of the comments, but then you get a lot of spam. You see those same people continuously commenting, so you can engage with a lot of people that are consistently there. But it gets harder as the channels get bigger, and you do sometimes feel disconnected from your community.

That's why I'm always active on Twitter and just always reading comments. I think it's just trying to value those moments with your audience because a lot of those people that have started watching me from the beginning, they're still there. I still see them and we have this bond from back in the day when I used to live stream.

Liron Segev: Your community is your audience, and it's really important to serve your audience, to serve that community. At the end of the day, they're the ones who are going to watch your videos. They're the ones who are going to comment. They're going to be the ones who are going to share, and those are the ones that you build a relationship with.

The more you engage with your community, the more you ask them questions, the more you put surveys up, you put polls up, those are the viewers who are going to tell you what they want to see

iJustine: For sure. Yeah. And I think you can develop this audience that has the same interests as you. I mean, I probably have made the mistake of making a lot of different content. Since I've been doing that from the very beginning, I think it helps my channel. It's helped, but it's also kind of hurt because I think a lot of people that have that one consistent thing, people know what to expect. Whereas mine, I mean, they don't really know.

But, I just think sometimes we all think too much about what we're doing. Just create and have fun. And I think TikTok, again, it's crazy and weird, but it helps me go back to that simple way of creating. Whereas now, I mean, we'll overthink a YouTube video. We shoot for an entire day, like 12, 18 hours doing an iPad review and then edit for like another 20 to 30 hours and then post it. I'm completely dead, and then I make a 15 second TikTok. I was like, yeah, that was fun.

Liron Segev: It's a lot of work. People really don't see that.

 A lot of the tech stuff is a very quick turnaround time. I'm so grateful, though, that I've been working with my friend Tyler for the past, I guess, a year now. He edits maybe about half of my videos now, which is great.

For the most recent iPad review one, we'll kind of tag-team a video where he'll start the rough edit, and then he'll be halfway done, and then I'll work on the first half, fine-tuning that, and then he'll be working on the back half. He sends me the back half and then I put them all together. I was like, okay, that's just definitely saved a lot of time. It's just interesting to see these different ways of working.

And it's not even sometimes about the gear that you have. It's storytelling. This was a really fun test. For my birthday this year, I was quarantined, so I thought, "What am I going to do?" So I filmed my day and then I wanted to teach myself to edit on LumaFusion on the iPad. So I'm like, "I'm going to shoot this entire video. This is my birthday treat to myself. I'm going to learn how to edit all on the iPad, shoot everything with the iPhone.

It was actually the best birthday ever because I just learned a skill, learned how to edit with an iPad and basically proved to myself that if you want to have a YouTube channel you just need a phone. You can create everything on that.

Granted, I did edit on the iPad, but LumaFusion is on the iPhone so you can do anything just with an iPhone. It really, I don't know, it just kind of like brought me back to, wow, this is a really powerful device. I mean, it was a 14, 15 minute video that I edited, added voiceover all on iOS. It was like, this just proved you don't need to have everything. Just get yourself an iPhone, you're set.

I mean, I'll sometimes have a crazy expensive camera and I'll be like, "Man, I've messed up the settings. I'm just going to use my phone." And it works.

I think a lot of things, obviously, lenses do make a difference but, for the most part, you really can do everything on the phone. I don't know. I'm just really excited about the future of mobile tech because it's amazing.

Liron Segev: We've spoken a lot about your channel. We've spoken about some amazing tips that you can give creators to be really inspired to understand it's not about the gear, it's not about the collaboration. It's about good content. It's about bringing yourself to the party. It's about sharing good value and engaging you with your community.

Liron Segev: As we’re wrapping up, if you could put something up in Times Square or a tweet for the whole creator community would see, what message would you give us?

 Be kind. I think that's just such a huge answer. I mean, especially right now, I think just being kind to people. A lot of us tech people have the knowledge to help homeschooled kids who don't know how to set up their computers.

And for elderly people who don't have access to a computer to be able to talk to their family who are now in isolation. That's been something that I've been focusing on right now is trying to find the easiest way to get this tech to the people and get the knowledge to them on how to use it.

So I think, right now, if somebody out there has an extra webcam, an extra microphone, or an extra computer, reach out to your community and find somebody who can use that.

That's been my big personal project, just reaching out to people around and just trying to be kind and help, because I think right now is a time that we really all have to be kind because that's really the only answer I think.

I'm definitely excited for the future of tech, and I think everything that's happening right now, I think it's really going to change the way that we interact. I mean, the technology is going to change and adapt to the way that we need it.

I mean, I'm excited about the future, and I'm just really just humbled by how kind people have been to everyone. It's been really cool to see. And then, again, if there are people that you know that you can help with any extra video tech that you have because some of these people can't be connected.

That's where it's breaking my heart because if they don't have the means to get this tech, they're not able to do their homeschooling. So it's like how do we get this tech in the hands of people that need it?

If you want to take your YouTube channel to the next level and 

 then make sure to download vidIQ. Join over 1 million other users and use vidIQ to help you research YouTube, analyze videos, audit your own channel, and take actionable steps 

And if you’re really serious about growing your YouTube views and subscribers, sign up for exclusive access to the 

 and learn how to launch a successful YouTube Channel in just 30 days.

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YouTube OG iJustine has been publishing content since 2006 so she knows what it takes to succeed as a creator. She gives us her advice on collabs, how to build a community around how-to channels, and how creators can help others right now.

YouTube Superstar iJustine Interview: How to Rock Your Channel

We're all currently living through a brand new reality. We're on lockdown for both our own safety, and that of our families, friends and wider community during this coronavirus pandemic.

I have seen plenty of creators asking if they should still even be creating content. Something doesn't feel right to them about it in the current climate. And that's totally understandable given the stress and uncertainty facing the world right now. So on this episode of our TubeTalk podcast (

just click the play button above to hear it in full

) we’re going to talk about being a creator in a time of crisis, and we have one of the world’s best experts to talk us through what that means for your content.

We’re joined again by our friend Josh Zimmerman from 

. Josh has already helped an enormous number of creators who suffer from 

, and is in a unique position to guide us through these extraordinary times.

Josh will talk about what it's like to be a creator or a creative in this new normal, and how you can navigate some of uncertainty or anxiety you may be experiencing right now.

Young man with glasses on dark background next to blue TubeTalk logo graphic

Many YouTubers are struggling with heightened anxiety and stress right now. On this episode of TubeTalk, we discuss the importance of looking after your health as a creative.

Coronavirus Anxiety: Tips for YouTubers from a Top Industry Coach

Now that summer is ending, we’re officially over the midyear hump and sliding toward the end of 2020. Considering everything that’s been going on – 

, the social isolation, and the financial uncertainty – how are you, as a YouTube creator, doing these days?

We’ve noticed that many of you are still creating on the platform and sharing your interests with the world. We’ve seen your at-home cooking tutorials, which have helped people feed their families during lockdowns. We’ve watched hours of your quarantine fitness videos to make sure we stay healthy outside the gym. 

And perhaps most importantly, we’ve absorbed your positivity during hard times, aiming to shift our perspectives just as you shifted your content to help others.

With that being said, you can’t continue to do for others without checking on yourself first. Creator burnout, especially on YouTube, is a real thing. If you’ve been pushing through stressful situations to upload non-stop, it’s time to take inventory of where you are right now, both mentally and physically.

 CEO Josh Zimmerman spoke to us about the 

 and urged stressed creators to take the time to recalibrate.

vidIQ: Thanks for joining us, Josh. What are some of the things that may be contributing to creator burnout, particularly during COVID-19 and everything else that’s happening in the world right now?

Josh: COVID-19 has really just magnified all the circumstances that would normally lead to 

. All of us have had our routine and normalcy taken away from us (which has been a good thing because it's helping us protect others.) However, that’s forced many of us to blend our work-life balance in a way we’ve never had to before.

For creators, their work-life is already blended. So, a lot of people would assume, well, hey, this is not going to affect them, but it does because of a few things. CPMs are down, brand deals have been off the table, but at the same time, those creators still have expenses that need to be covered. The bigger channels may have a production team or a manager or agent that still needs to be paid. And of course, the need to pay taxes on income earned from YouTube never goes away.

What I’ve been seeing over the past few months is that YouTube views and watch time is up because people have been watching more content, but potential ad revenue has decreased so there’s a huge disparity happening here. Now, for creators to make up that deficit, they’re having to turn out two or three times the amount of content, just to make the money they were getting last year.

This is a hugely stressful position to be in. And when you get stressed, your body releases adrenaline, and there's only so much adrenaline in your body before your adrenals are tapped out. Once that happens, your brain and body go, "Oh, we got to replace this with something." So, it replaces it with cortisol, a chemical that induces fight, flight or freeze, but also blocks neurotransmitters of creativity. It’s a vicious cycle for any creator to find themselves in.

vidIQ: What are the early warning signs of burnout?

Josh: That's a really, really great question. One of the things that is most important when identifying whether you're burnt out is, if you think you are, then you probably are. You need to start letting that cortisol drain out by doing things that help calm and relax you. Perhaps you’ve done that in the past by socializing with friends or going to the gym, but of course, those things have been out of bounds.

I know a huge number of creators are caught on the hamster wheel right now, but I stress that if you keep going and you don't take a month or so off, how's that going to look for you? Taking a break is more than OK, otherwise, it may take you two, three, four, or even five months to fully recover from the stress. What's the worst that can happen if you take a break now.? Would you rather just step back and take care of yourself and work with a coach, or would you rather keep going and suffer and watch your channel spiral?

vidIQ: Being a YouTube creator can be quite a lonely business, can’t it?

Josh: It's one of the most lonely existences because you're often just looking into a camera, editing and uploading all by yourself, and then you do it all over again. Often, the only interaction you have is with people that you don't know. For the most part, subscribers won’t even comment, they’ll just watch then jump straight to another video.

It doesn't mean that you didn't make a difference, but you don't know. So it's very easy to be like, "Oh, I didn't do anything meaningful.” But just because they didn’t leave a comment doesn't mean your content didn't affect them. They had to log into YouTube, they had to see there was a new video, they made the decision to click on it, and perhaps sit through a couple of ads. So, they went through all of these steps just to watch. That is a huge feat in and of itself.

What people need right now is to feel connected to one another at a safe distance. And so, creators of any size have a great opportunity to spread that happiness and joy of their creativity, but they have to take care of themselves first.

vidIQ: What advice would you give to new creators who are just starting out? Perhaps those who were very enthusiastic at the start of the pandemic, and saw an opportunity to control their career and generate revenue from YouTube. But maybe two or three months into it, they're feeling demoralized or demotivated by the effect the pandemic has had on their lives and creativity.

Josh: Stay healthy. Because if you love creating and people like watching your content, you're helping more than you think. And that's the big thing; it doesn't matter how many subscribers you have, and it doesn't matter how many views you have. It only takes one view or one subscriber and suddenly there’s somebody out there in the world who’s connected with what you're saying and what you're doing.

And it's so easy to say, "Oh, only 100 subscribers, or only 100 viewers." That's 100 people! Imagine that amount of people sitting in your living room or bedroom, waiting for what you have to say! Keep going, because those 100 people are watching YOU. They're watching you for a reason because you make them happy. You give them something. And so, I would encourage those creators that are starting out to keep going.

Sometimes it takes years and years to be a success on YouTube, and unfortunately, we have a pandemic that has put a damper on everything. But what you're putting out there is helpful. So, read those comments, and engage with your audience. You’ll be amazed at why they're watching your videos, and that's going to give you the energy to keep going.

vidIQ: What advice would you have for someone who knows a creator who may be struggling right now?

Josh: I would say that the best thing that anybody can do is to reach out and check in with people you care about (whether they are a creator or not) and ask them, "Hey, how are you coping today?” Also, I would highly encourage creators to reach out to each other, and to their communities. The most successful creators are the ones who started to build their community almost from the get-go, so they know they have a section of their audience that now has their backs.

Many thanks to Josh for his insights. You can connect with him via 

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We know the last few months have been tough for many online video creators, so we're checking in to see how you're doing.

Hey, YouTube Creators – Are You Doing OK?

Every single YouTube creator has their very own unique story. Each YouTuber has a tale to tell about the first time they picked up the camera, hit record, then posted their content on the platform.

For some, being a YouTube creator is still just a dream. And we understand that it can seem daunting when you are first starting out. It can be a challenge to push yourself, especially if you're unsure about your content or how you will look on screen. However, many of you push through and continue to create and share your vision with the world.

vidIQ was founded on a mission - to help creators. We wanted to provide you with the tools and knowledge it would take to grow a successful channel. We are so lucky to have some incredible creators inhouse who diligently publish video content that educates and informs creators on every step of their YouTube journey. Now we want to turn the camera on YOU!

Let us know how and why you became a YouTuber!

 for a chance to be featured on our channel and receive some cool vidIQ swag!

Let's hear from some of the vidIQ team on what inspired them to become a YouTube Creator.

 is not only a skilled editor but also a passionate YouTuber! He turned to YouTube in college and found his niche in gaming. Listen to his full story here:

 started YouTubing long before he was “the face” of vidIQ. He did his first video 12 years ago and hasn’t stopped creating since! Over 2000 videos later, he tells us what 

 is a YouTube Certified Expert who offers YouTube tips and tricks for Small YouTubers looking to grow their channels. Listen to what led him to become a 

 and let the world know YOUR unique story!

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YouTube is full of wonderful creators who each have their own story to tell about their journey. Now vidIQ wants to hear those stories! So tell us why YOU YouTube #WhyIYouTube

Tell vidIQ Why You YouTube! #WhyIYouTube

As a YouTube creator you have a huge number of things to take into consideration - your video and audio set up, 

, thumbnail design, content ideas, and SEO for example. But there’s another piece of the puzzle that all creators have to consider - the legal side of content creation.

On this episode of TubeTalk we’ll focus on the legal aspect to brand and sponsorship deals. We’re joined by 

, an attorney who specializes in intellectual property law and contract law. What a perfect guest to discuss the legal issues that every YouTuber should be aware of. In this podcast you will learn:

How to protect yourself as a YouTuber in a brand deal

Why a solid contract is the basis of every successful brand deal

How to ensure you receive the money you were promised

Why US YouTubers need to set up an LLC to protect their personal liability

That, yes, even if you are a single creator, you need a legal entity behind you

What an operating agreement is and why it's so important

What are the rules of 'Fair Use' when using other people's content

What 'Intellectual Property' is and how it's protected

The Legal Issues All YouTube Creators Need to Know About: Podcast Snapshot

Liron Segev: What do all YouTubers need to understand about contracts?

 Nobody looks at a contract when everything's going well. It's only when things go wrong that everybody scurries around and tries to find a copy of the document to read it. You know what contracts really are in a nutshell are the rules for what happens when things go wrong. You have to make contracts your policy. Do not deviate from that. No handshake deals.

Liron Segev: You are an expert in intellectual property law, can you take us through the meaning of ‘Fair Use’ when it comes to using content that you didn’t create yourself?

 First thing to mention, since this is an international audience, is that fair use is not a thing everywhere in the world. Don't assume that just because you understand what fair use is or you think you understand what fair use is in the United States, that it's going to fly everywhere. That's the first one.

The second one is fair use is always going to be interpreted in the most conservative manner. Just because you slapped a filter on a painting of a storm trooper pointing his finger at you saying, "I want you for the Imperial Navy." Does not mean that that's a fair use of Disney's intellectual property. Just because you didn't get a cease and desist from Disney doesn't mean you are not exposing yourself to risk.

There's a four prong test for whether use is fair. There's commerciality, the amount and the extent of the stuff you take. Did you take the heart of something? Did you take a bunch of it or do you just take a couple of little pieces?

There's also a piece that deals with the effect on the market. For example, no one is going to walk into a supermarket looking for some soup and walk out with Andy Warhol's Campbell soup cans. There's no effect. There's no market effect on that use. That's another way we check to see if use is fair.

Now, the most common ways that we figure out whether use is fair or not, is to determine whether there's a educational exception, a parody and satire exception and a news based exception.

Regarding the educational based exception, If I am teaching you either remotely or in person, I can use pieces of other people's intellectual property to teach you about that intellectual property. That's why documentaries work. I don't need to go get Disney's permission to do a documentary on Disney. They're probably going to sue me anyway but if I'm smart, I bought a rider on my insurance policy to defend myself against a frivolous lawsuit by Disney.

Liron Segev: Can I take a Taylor Swift song and create my own version of that? Then things are just not so clear anymore.

 That last sentence is exactly it. If you take nothing away from this part of the conversation, understand that fair use is always a question of law. Whenever anyone says to you, I have a right to fair use, you know they're full of crap.

There's no such thing as a right to fair use. What you have is assert an exception to someone's absolute right to control their intellectual property. And you can always, always, always, always be dragged into court and forced to prove that your use is fair and that's usually a losing prospect because if you're a small business, great, you've spent $20,000 to have a court decide this use is fair.

Go ahead. Where are you going to get that $20,000 back? You're not, you just blew it. It's gone.

*Liron Segev: With fair use, who needs to prove that?

 The onus is on the user - to prove the use is fair. Disney does not have to prove that they own that content, you have to prove that the use of it is fair. Of course, they also have to prove they own they do that by submitting to YouTube a copy of the trademark filing or the copyright filing.

The way that this is applicable to content creators is that I see people use clips of stock footage or background music and I know those things aren't licensed. I recognize songs every now and again and I'm confident beyond doubt that this person did not license a that song for their content.

Odds are good if you're flying under the radar, nothing's going to happen to you but the problem is once you start to grow your business and hopefully that's what you're trying to do, you are no longer going to be flying under the radar and that strategy is not going to wor. Quite frankly, it's going to hurt you because if you're trying to get a brand deal, that brand is going to make you sign a contract that says you have properly licensed or own every single thing in that piece of content and they're going to require you to go out and get errors and omissions insurance. Here's how that works. If you lie, not only are you in breach of your contract.

Liron Segev: Let’s talk about intellectual property and trademarks

 Here is the best way to understand copyright and trademark in 30 seconds. Think about what the words mean. Copy right. It is the right to make copies of something. If you have the copyright, you and only you have the right to make copies of it or to authorize someone else to make copies of it.

Trademark is exactly what the word says as well. It is the mark of your trade. The Nike swoosh is a mark of the trade.

If you take only one thing away from this section, it is be really careful about using other people's intellectual property in your content unless you have permission.

Liron Segev: I'd love to hear your legal disclaimer right about now I just want to make sure we're above board and people do not misunderstand what we're saying in this podcast.

 Absolutely. There's two parts. The first part is the legal disclaimer. I am not your attorney. You should not rely on my advice to your detriment or otherwise based on anything you hear today. If you really need help in this area, I'm happy to have you as a client if you'd like to hire me but please seek a legal professional to help you. Don't try to do this on your own or Google it. I can't tell you the amount of people I've had to explain, well I'm sorry, your Google search is not the equivalent of my law degree.

Liron Segev: If people want to get more information, what's the best way to do this?

Man with long hair and beard sitting beside vidIQ TubeTalk logo on blue background

If you are publishing content on YouTube you need to know about copyright law, and if you are working with a brand you need to know about contracts. We discuss both in this week's TubeTalk.

The Legal Issues All YouTube Creators Need to Know About: TubeTalk 205 with Seth Polansky

If you're a YouTube content creator do you ever stop? Are you always thinking about the next video even before you've stopped thinking about the last one? Do you ever stop thinking about YouTube?

Phew! All this thinking (amongst all the actual YouTubing) can be exhausting.

We are always thinking and analyzing and at some point, we just can't seem to find our flow again. Every video is a struggle to create. The spark is diminishing. This is burnout.

YouTube burnout, mental burnout of any description, is a part of mental awareness that continues to make headlines as our digital worlds become ever more omnipresent.

Even YouTube's biggest star can struggle with 'switching off'?

"I'm taking a break from YouTube next year. I wanted to say it in advance because I made up my mind. I'm tired. I'm feeling very tired. I don't know if you can tell." - Felix Kjellberg (PewDiePie)

So on today's episode of TubeTalk let's unpack those questions with someone who provides a sounding board to those who feel the daily pressures of content creation. That man is 

, the first-ever life coach dedicated to creators.

What is the definition of creator burnout

Why the YouTube platform is a breeding ground for burnout

Why are creators much more susceptible to burnout

How To Beat Burnout as a Content Creator: Full Transcript

Josh Zimmerman:	Thank you. Thank you so much. It's great to be here.

Liron Segev:	Josh, let's talk about beginning Creator Coach, that sounds extremely, extremely specific. Give us the tweetable version. What is Creator Coach? What do you do?

Josh Zimmerman:	Wow. Tweetable version, is that 240 characters? I have a little bit more. Creator Coach is all about helping creators in their life as well as in, specifically burnout and helping them really move from point A to point B and see what's getting in the way.

One of the things that I realized when I had a lot of creators coming to me back in 2017, 2016 about burnout and reading all the articles was that everyone was talking about it and no one was doing anything about it. I didn't see anyone out there really addressing the issue and so I decided I was going to.

Liron Segev:	Okay, well, you hit the nail right on the head right at the get-go, which is burnout. We hear that word constantly. We hear it in the news, on social media feeds, when we speak to fellow creators at events. Let's just define what is burnout.

Josh Zimmerman:	Burnout is starting to become very common in every single circle but we're hearing it more and more with creators of all types. Really what that means, and it means a lot of different things to different people but really the baseline is that you just do not have any more energy or will to move forward with creating content.

Liron Segev:	Do you find these different levels of burnout could be: I'm a little bit burnt out? Can I be a lot burnt out?

Josh Zimmerman: Absolutely. I came up with a burnout timeline, right? There's four stages that we can really identify, which is preventative. That's really like, again, the baseline where you're managing stress and avoiding the symptoms of burnout. The next bucket is onset, right, where the stress and other factors begin to increase pressure and the symptoms of burnout.

Then we really quickly move to what I call the death spiral, which is where you really circum to the pressures that begis to alter the path, and you question directions and encounter more stress. That doesn't stop, because there are no boundaries in a lot of places.

A lot of creators don't have a lot of boundaries because that's what you do, you create. There are no boundaries to your creativity. When things start to spiral out of control, it's really hard to find something to grasp onto.

PewDiePie recently announced he is taking a break from YouTube because he is, "feeling very tired". Are you? On this week's episode of TubeTalk, we explore mental health around content creation, the dangerous of burnout and how to avoid it.

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