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.

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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 

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!

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?

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.

Once you're down that spiral, the next one is the most unfortunate which is the flat line. If you think of the EKG, you have flat lined and that is you've lost all ability to create due to the numerous and previous factors that I talked about. Burnout is a key factor in the lives of almost every creator.

Everybody is on this timeline somewhere right now. My job is to help them move through those timelines or those different timelines and hopefully bring them to somewhere where they start to notice those symptoms and be able to address those before things start to go downhill quicker.

Liron Segev:	Before we get to the flatline

Liron Segev:	As creators, we're always on, we don't take a break. We're always thinking of the next content. We're thinking of this thing called the algorithm. We're constantly always on this hamster wheel of constantly, constantly being on.

I mean, it's not like you go to work, you do your shift, you go home and then you're done. This creator life almost follows you wherever you go. Are there any specific causes that you know that causes us to start saying, okay, I'm starting to hit the first stage of burnout?

Josh Zimmerman:	Well, what you just said is exactly correct. I would take it a little bit of a step further. What a lot of people don't understand is that being a creator, just like you said, it's not a job where you get to, you know, at five o'clock, six o'clock, seven o'clock you get to turn the lights off and go home.

The thing that people really don't understand outside of the industry and even inside the industry is that you don't turn off, because what you're putting out there, even if it is just a sliver of your life, that's you. That is you are always on.

There is nothing that is sustainable when you are constantly on. You just can't turn it off, especially when it is a part of you that you are putting out into the world at such an intimate level. One of the first things is to be aware of that.

If you're tired and if you start to stress, which this job is extremely stressful, and you start to lose motivation, that's when it's good to take a step back and to say, okay, what's going on? What am I feeling? What is happening that is causing me to not want to do what I normally do or lose enjoyment in that?

Liron Segev:	Right. Well, I think that's an important point. One of the first question I always say is, are you passionate enough about the subject or are you doing it for the views? There's a big distinction between the two.

Because those who love what they do and they can wake up every morning cannot wait to get in front of that camera or cannot wait to write that blog post or post those pictures, those are the people who've got the right mindset coming in and, probably, longevity versus the people who are living to the algorithm. What are people into today? I'll make those videos today. I'm going to try build up my channel based on a trend because then you're on a very fast pace to that burnout.

Josh Zimmerman:	It's an ego thing, right? It makes you feel good. The bigger you get, the more numb you become to them but those numbers do equal your income. I highly encourage everyone to also branch out and diversify your income just in case something turns with the system. I'm using big air quotes, "algorithm."

Liron Segev: Not in case, because it will change.

Josh Zimmerman: It will change. Right. I know someone who went from making $50,000 a month to five overnight. That's going to shake you to your core. Anyone that is chasing views, you know, I haven't really worked with anybody who is... I wouldn't advise anybody to ever start a channel just to chase views.

The people that I work with, and the creators that have huge success are people who are creative at their core and ended up starting on YouTube just because it was an outlet. It wasn't to get famous. If you are out there and you are trying to do that, there's other ways to do that.

Liron Segev:	People do fall victim to those vanity metrics at a point.

Josh Zimmerman:	All the time. 100% and they are corrosive because of the fact that it is these numbers that... Here's the big thing, people forget that those numbers are actual people.

Liron Segev:	Yes, yes, yes, yes. Absolutely.

Josh Zimmerman: Right? When you take a step back or you lean in and you look at, you know, somebody says, I only got 40,000 views on this video. I go, okay, well, do you know how many people Madison Square Garden holds? They'd be 50, 60, 70,000. I said, try 24. I believe 24, 25,000 people.

I go, how long did it take you to get those 30,000 views? Well, it took me a day or two. You're up there at the top of selling out Madison Square Garden. You've surpassed most celebrities that have events at Madison Square Garden.

Liron Segev: Completely, on that point, on the subscriber numbers as well. I often see in our chats where people say, I only have 300 subscribers. I only have a thousand subscribers. I say to them, great, if a thousand people were coming for dinner tonight, is that a lot or a little?

When you start making it real and we tell them that when we speak on stages in front of a thousand people is considered a big stage, it becomes real because those are eyeballs. Those belong to people. It's not a number, it's a person.

Josh Zimmerman:	Right. That's the thing that makes this journey really difficult because a lot of the time when you start to really grow, there is a wall that goes up of everybody wants access to me.

Being a creator can sometimes be pretty lonely because you're just staring into a camera. What people don't understand is on the other side, what we call is breaking the fourth wall, you're looking right into the camera. That person, that viewer, that fan that is watching you is having a one-on-one dialogue with you. You have somebody who is creating content on their own and there's a lot of eyeballs. It's an isolated life.

Then when you go out into the real world, you're bombarded with all these people. That's a shock to the system as well. Going back to your point, what I encourage everybody to do, anyone who says about subscribers, it only takes one. It only takes one.

I can't illustrate that better than, you know, in 2014 I was at YouTube Nation, which was the official daily show of YouTube. When that came to an end and people were, you know, our fans were really upset. I read a comment and I didn't read comments a lot on the videos, but one of them was from this little girl who said, this was a daily show. She said, I don't know what I'm going to do every day when I go to get chemo. That knocked me over.

Josh Zimmerman: I've never forgotten that to this day. That's the power of somebody making a comment or watching you, you as a creator or as a other viewer have no idea how much you are helping people that are watching your content.

Liron Segev:	It's funny how those comments stick with you. There's a person that I interviewed a little while ago, Joe Scott. He's got this amazing science and question channel. His story is very much the same where he made videos and he stopped for a while, and then when he made his new video, he said, I'll never forget it. It was mister electric popsicle, something like that, some username that he knows.

He said, "Where have you been, man? I've been waiting for you." He said from that day onwards he made every single video for that user. That's how he had it in mind because he made that connection because at the end of the day, it's a person watching your content.

Then, once we have that amount of stress on top of us having to deal with brands, and having to deal with monetization and algorithm changes, and thumbnails and titles and, and, and, and, and... that stress becomes ridiculously compounded and compounded and we do not take a break. Is that one of the causes of burnout?

Josh Zimmerman:	Yes, but there's another big piece of it and it's actually chemical related. When you're stressed, adrenaline is released. You only have so much adrenaline in your system. When that happens and you run out of adrenaline, it sort of taps out. It's like we don't have any more and the chemical that replaces it is cortisol.

Cortisol is the chemical that induces fight or flight or freeze. When that happens, blood rushes from your extremities and goes to those core organs that you need to survive. What it also does is it usually goes to the right side of the brain. I mean, it goes all over, but the right side of the brain is the creative side.

The first thing that it does is it kills creativity because that's not something you need to survive. You need to know how to climb a tree if a bear is chasing you. This is what's happening. You get stressed, your adrenals are empty, your cortisol is in there and is literally blocking you.

The chemicals are literally blocking those neurotransmitters from being able to have you create. Now you stress even more because you can't come up with any ideas. More cortisol is released. You can't think of any more ideas. You get more and more frustrated and you start spending so much energy trying to take one step and you're putting even more stuff in front of you that's blocking you from taking that first step.

That's when burnout happens because you have no more energy left because there are actual chemicals in your brain that are stopping you from being creative.

Liron Segev:	Almost becomes that deer in the headlights situation where you just don't know what to do next.

Josh Zimmerman: Because you can't move forward. My job is to help bring those cortisol levels down, help with relaxation which also distresses and flushes that cortisol out, which then allows those neurotransmitters to start sparking again. That's one of the biggest things that people are not aware of is that, and what feeds into all of that is not having boundaries and not having some kind of structure because the creative life, the creator life is really structureless.

Josh Zimmerman: I say that with a big asterisk because you do have, there's different things that you need to do. Listen, when there's a TV show, when there's a movie, anything else in entertainment, there's something called the hiatus. It's when you go on break.

The industry has built that in on the entertainment side, on the traditional side, because you can't be running all the time. If you can, you just need a huge crew to be able to do that. The other piece is that everybody on set knows that they have a specific job and they know what they're supposed to do, and when they're done, and when they get paid.

There is still creativity and there's still burnout in there, but if you are the star of a show, you know you show up to set at 6:00 AM, here are your lines. Hair and makeup is coming in. You can go get some food now. From this time to this is a call sheet. This time you're going to be doing this scene, this scene. It may be a extremely long day that you may burn out and run out of energy, but there's a structure to it. Our industry doesn't have that.

Liron Segev:	At all, and especially since a lot of us are... You know, we're rowing our own boat in the sea of YouTube and it's a lonely world. In front of the camera, usually from a little home studio, a little home office, sometimes even in the bedroom. There really isn't a separation of church and state. There isn't a separation of here's my work. I'm now physically leaving to go to my personal life.

Josh Zimmerman: Correct. You're operating in a vacuum. My job is to snap both of those ends of that... If you think of a vacuum, like a little glass tube and you're in there, my job was to snap both ends and to bring some oxygen in there for you to be able to look around and realize that there are things going on that you didn't even know were happening.

We can all talk about it with each other but until we get to the bottom of it and actually move into it and figure out what's going on, nothing's going to happen to move forward.

Liron Segev: Okay. Are there any warning signs that I should be looking out for to say, whoa, it's time to get off for a little bit. Take a little bit of a break?

Josh Zimmerman: It really is, and there is a worry of, well, I have to put this out. I have to get this out. As soon as, and that's normal but as soon as you start to lose that spark. You start to feel that candle light starting to dim a little bit, that's when red flags should be going off.

Everyone knows when that's happening. It's just whether you choose to be aware of it or not. Those signs are not wanting to upload, stressed, always being sick, not feeling motivated, not enjoying what you're doing. It's not that hard to figure it out, but it's really hard to do yourself.

*Liron Segev: Well, if I do want to take a break, how will my audience react? How will the algorithm react? Can I rebound from that? You get horror stories of people taking a break and never been able to rebound. On the other side, you hear people saying, I've took a three week break and it was the best thing I could ever have done for myself. Is burnout almost inevitable for everyone at some stage? *

Josh Zimmerman: Yes. Yes. All of those factors that you just talked about that you are experiencing are all little warning signs to examine it because none of those have boundaries on them.

Liron Segev:	The highs and the lows are quick. You're going to have an amazing video, it's going to get great reviews, lots of comments, lots of subscribers, lots of engagement. You're so pumped.

*You're going to make your next one. If the next one doesn't perform, you say, okay, maybe it's a glitch. Maybe it's the algorithm. Make another one. If that one, God forbid, tanks, this is it, I'm giving up. *

I don't know what I'm doing. Is the highs and lows that steep, which is maybe pushing a lot of us? Do you watch those metrics so carefully?*__

Josh Zimmerman: Yeah, because they're reflection on you.

Liron Segev: Okay. I like it. I think too many people, too many creators don't see themselves as a brand. They see themselves personally as a person all the time.

Josh Zimmerman: Which they should, and it's totally understandable, but there needs to be some perspective. You need to be talking to somebody that says, wait a second. What's really going on here? Some people don't want to admit it, and some people... That may not be the case.

Again, the reason I love what I do is that there is no right answer to every single question because everyone is individual. Just like every channel is individual because it's coming from a somebody. They are an individual. The solutions are really tailored to that person.

The most important thing though is that everybody, every single creator that I've ever talked to, I really don't like using the word creator even though that's... It feels like we're looking at a zoo. Every single person that is in the YouTube or digital world feels like they are the only ones that have this problem.

Even though they talk to all, they have a lot of friends or this or that. When it's one-on-one with me, it usually comes up as I'm the only one that has this problem, Josh. I'm like, wow, actually no, you're not. Those are those kind of aha moments where you don't feel so alone anymore because this is a very, very lonely job.

There's a lot of ups and downs, but it is for the most part, a lot of people have no idea. Your fans have no idea how long it's going to take you to produce this podcast.

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.

How To Beat Burnout as a Content Creator: TubeTalk 192 with Josh Zimmerman

We hear all the time about branding but is it really that important? Turns out it is! In this week’s episode of TubeTalk, the YouTuber podcast, we’re joined by Phil Pallen, a UK based strategist who helps people and companies position, build, and promote themselves. We discuss why have to position yourself or re-visit the positioning of what you're doing, who you are, and why people should care.

Phil’s work has been featured in CNN, Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, and The Daily Mail, and he's worked with brands across all industries, including one of the sharks on Shark Tank, a number of politicians, and even a Nobel Peace Prize winner. He speaks at conferences around the world, including Tokyo, Dubai, Auckland, Helsinki, and LA.

How Important is Branding for a YouTube Creator?

Everyone defines branding differently, which makes it a valid question to ask, and a potentially confusing one to understand or to answer. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room, whereas my definition is a combination of things: branding is your control over the first impression you give others online, and the best branding re-creates the in-person experience. There should be nothing artificial about it. All we're trying to do is take what makes you in real life so great, and re-create that on the web, so it feels like technology is not so much sitting in the way between you and me. Very simple.

If you're a YouTuber or if you have some sort of an online personality, whether that’s on Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, whatever the platform is, it's you, and you have to remove any of those barriers between you and the audience.

It's much easier to connect with someone in real life than it is online. People who understand YouTube or understand social media as a means of growth, who are building a base or becoming an influencer are amazing, because it's much harder to do that online than it is to do it in person.

Phil confirms that the resource that YouTuber’s are chasing is people's time and attention span. Building out your brand based on your personality then becomes your competitive advantage. It's your secret sauce.

Humans love familiarity and routine. How can we inject personality into everything we do so that it feels more familiar and exciting? That's what anyone who's had success on YouTube, they are masters at that. They are masters in keeping us coming back for more, and wanting more, and making us feel like we know you even though, honestly, we'll probably never meet you in real life. If we do, great, but it's that ability to re-create the in-person experience.

The prospect of branding yourself on YouTube can be overwhelming but Phil’s advice is to either re-visit the positioning, or start from scratch. Sometimes people are building a brand new idea, concept, a product, a service from scratch. That's great. Or we're taking something that already exists and re-visiting the positioning.

The most important thing is looking at your goals. What is it you're trying to achieve? You’ve got to be crystal clear on what your goals are. Phil’s formula is to pair up something you love to do with something others need and are willing to spend money on. Because if it's something they need and they're willing to pay for, then you're going to have a lot easier time growing and marketing yourself without having to actually pay to get eyeballs to you.

Branding is all about your overall image. It's what you want to achieve, where do you want to be, what's the road map to get there, will they spend money and buy your stuff, whatever that stuff is? This is all part of the branding process. Even if you’re building a YouTube channel or a brand around a hobby, Phill thinks it's incredibly important to think of yourself as a business - and every good business satisfies a need.

Tune into the podcast to hear more tips on building a brand on YouTube from Phil Pallen.

 Huge thanks to Phil for his time and invaluable insights around personal and business branding. Learn more from Phil by 

TubeTalk has been informing video creators amd marketers since 2014, and is one of the most respected and listened to podcasts in the online video industry. Subscribe today so you never miss an episode! You can find vidIQ's TubeTalk at:

If you want to take your YouTube channel to the next level then make sure to download vidIQ. It will help you research YouTube, analyze videos, audit your own channel, and take actionable steps 

Developing your personal or business brand on YouTube is one sure-fire way to stand out from the crowd. Learn more about the art of branding in this week's TubeTalk podcast.

The Importance of Branding for YouTube Creators: TubeTalk Episode 161

Tax Day is April 15th if you are resident in the US, and If you're lucky enough to make any kind of income from YouTube you have just a few days left to file your personal income tax return including your Schedule C for any self-employed earnings you received in 2019. If you haven’t filed yet, we confirm 10 types of expenses you can deduct if you are a YouTuber in the USA.

We spoke with Devin Weber the VP of Operations for 

. Devin is a Certified Public Bookkeeper and Enrolled Agent with the IRS. She has managed the finances for Braille Skateboarding for 6 years and is one of those rare people who enjoys preparing taxes.

 This post is intended as purely informational. You should 

 consult a professional tax attorney or CPA if you are unsure about your tax filings.

3 Essential Things to Know About Filing Taxes as a US-based Video Creator

10 last-minute tax filing tips for US YouTubers - make sure you claim all your deductibles!

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