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Selling your brand as the “best-in-class marketing tool” for a specific channel?
Bring receipts.
Bold claims like these need a visible and consistent presence on said channel, with a demonstrable track record of showing your target audience exactly how your tool helps drive results for your own brand.
But it’s not a tall order: Ahrefs does it with SERPs. Hootsuite does it for Instagram and Facebook. MailChimp does it through email.
And today, we’ll look at how vidIQ took a similar approach to owning YouTube by doing YouTube — and doing it well.
Of course, as with Ahrefs and Mailchimp, there’s a symbiotic “fit” between YouTube and vidIQ, so choosing the streaming giant as its main channel feels like a no-brainer.
VidIQ’s main offering focuses on helping YouTube creators optimize video content through features like keyword research, video analytics, and SEO tools to enhance their channel’s growth and subscriber or watcher engagement.
So what better way to demonstrate their expertise…than to use their in-house tools and tactics to build up a behemoth channel?
As they say, the proof is in the pudding — or, in vidIQ’s case, the numbers. And they’re nothing to sneeze at. Their strategies have earned them:
- Hundreds of millions of views
- Over 2 million channel subscribers
- Dozens of videos with over 1 million views
So, what’s the secret behind their success?
That would be a combination of Rob Wilson, their YouTuber-in-Residence, and laser-focused content strategies that double down on what’s working — fast. As a seasoned creator, Rob helped vidIQ prove just how effective the product is for every creator with a goal of total YouTube domination.
Get out your notebooks — we’re diving deep.
A Closer Look at vidIQ’s YouTube Content Engine
It’s no secret that video content creation has become the key to engagement on social media. Whether it’s TikTok or YouTube, long-form or short-form, high-production or user-generated content, people simply love to consume video content.
But there’s a big caveat — post-pandemic, we’re saturated with video content. So, to stand out, content needs to be done right.
Too many companies rush into video content creation without taking the time to plan their strategy. But make no mistake: YouTube isn’t a free-for-all. Just like you would plan content campaigns for paid ads or organic search, YouTube demands the same level of strategy and intention.
The medium alone isn’t enough to drive engagement, let alone conversion.
This is why you’d be wise to take a page from the vidIQ playbook. Since the channel started in 2013, vidIQ has built an impressive content engine that’s putting up some impressive numbers on YouTube:
- 2,011 videos published
- 192 million total views
- 2.1 million subscribers
- 96% of social referral traffic
Not too shabby for a SaaS product.
VidIQ’s YouTube channel is a massive content moat. Their content library includes over 140 playlists, making their content easy to navigate for every type of creator. As for content strategy, vidIQ uses a mix of evergreen and timely content, including:
- Informative tutorials on highly searchable, long-term growth topics like How to Get Monetized on YouTube and How to Start a YouTube Gaming Channel
- YouTube algorithm and growth hacking strategies for creators like How to Use the YouTube Algorithm to Work FOR You and The Fastest Way to Make Money on YouTube
- Industry news and real-time updates on YouTube changes like YouTube Just Launched a Major Update—Here’s What You Need to Know
- Case studies and trend analysis on high-interest, viral topics like “How MrBeast Conquered YouTube and Netflix is DEAD
- Community engagement through livestreams, channel audits, and podcast episodes like The Boost by vidIQ (Podcast) and Channel Audit Livestreams
Looking at the most recent videos on the vidIQ platform, you’ll notice an interesting trend: there’s no direct mention of vidIQ products or services. They’re all on creator-centric topics that are likely to gain the attention of aspiring YouTubers.
VidIQ has already unlocked content-market fit, and they don’t want to mess with that formula by overtly plugging products or services.
Instead, they bring in views by targeting the most relevant topics to their creator audience (because it’s what’s likely to get the most eyeballs on it), providing them with entertaining and educational content, and then weaving in product mentions and CTAs where relevant.
There is still plenty of vidIQ-related content on the native site, including multiple playlists they’ve built, which are dedicated to growth on YouTube and TikTok.
But when you look closer, only one of these videos actually makes it into the channel’s top 20 videos: their Complete Beginner’s Guide, which still has over 1.2 million views. And that’s by design.
Only the most valuable content for beginners makes it through. Though they exist, related videos that expand the “universe” of beginner YouTube growth are self-serve and tucked away in playlists that audiences will need to take the initiative to look for and access.
This works really well because a beginner YouTuber who receives value from their “complete guide” will then take action themselves—and so a relationship for trust is born.
In other words, vidIQ develops a ton of content, but they’re extremely strategic and selective about what gets featured. Steal this play for yourself and adapt it to your own strategy — which content pieces capture your own target audience and are most likely to send them down a rabbit hole of content consumption?
How a YouTube Creator Became vidIQ’s Secret Weapon
Remember: vidIQ’s goal is to prove the efficacy of their platform to such a great degree that they become the no-brainer solution for any aspiring YouTube creator.
However, the path to that goal is building up and supporting YouTube creators’ own goals for one thing: monetization.
So, what better way to create content that speaks to their target audience (and boost their own bonafides) than by bringing in someone who has dedicated over 17 years to YouTube creation?
That’s exactly what vidIQ did over 7 years ago when they brought freelance creator Rob Wilson in-house as their official YouTuber-in-residence.
Before joining vidIQ, Rob was a successful independent tech YouTuber. His channel Video Gadgets Journal started out as a passion project where he could play around with different video production tools — from smartphone reviews to in-depth how-to’s.
Most importantly, running his own channel gave Rob plenty of time to perfect his craft in the video medium. Since starting the channel in 2008, Video Gadgets Journal has collected:
- 118,000 subscribers
- 1,203 videos
- Nearly 43 million views
His deep understanding of both the YouTube algorithm and its vast creator community made him the perfect fit to lead strategy and execution on vidIQ’s most important channel. But he also stands out as a great candidate for a few more reasons:
- Authenticity: He speaks the language of creators because he is one.
- Engagement: His content isn’t corporate — it’s conversational, light-hearted, and relatable.
- Expertise: He understands what makes videos go viral and knows how to convey that information.
Operationally, Rob also brought a wealth of experience in all aspects of video content creation, from pre-production work with writing scripts to shooting footage and then putting everything together in post.
Instead of spending thousands of dollars on influencer marketing or hiring talent they’d have to spend train, they worked with a creator who had deep expertise ready-to-go. While Rob’s insider knowledge helped him speak more authentically to creators, for vidIQ, his background also meant he could hit the ground running, focusing purely on developing and producing content at a high volume without sacrificing quality.
This strategic move worked for two reasons: First, Rob knows exactly what he’s doing. Second, vidIQ is capitalizing on Rob Wilson’s brand recognizability, translating his original fans into their own. Not only do his followers “follow” him to vidIQ, but the goodwill generated between Rob and his followers translates easily, by association, to vidIQ’s own subscriber base.
Another advantage of having a prolific creator lead strategy is that they’re always documenting what works and what doesn’t, creating a level of transparency that feels central to the culture of the vidIQ brand.
Since joining the vidIQ team, Rob has done this type of tactical analysis twice: once in 2020, when the channel eclipsed 450,000 subscribers, and again in late 2024, when it surpassed 2,000,000.
Now, let’s look at how vidIQ, via Rob, made this growth rate a certainty, not a shot in the dark.
1. Focus on Thumbnails and Click Through Rate
When Rob took over full-time in 2017, he began by redesigning VidIQ thumbnails. He created high-contrast thumbnails with minimal elements, a mobile-first design that ensured visibility even at small sizes, and eye-catching, curiosity-driven titles that complemented thumbnails.
And it worked—these seemingly small and simple adjustments increased vidIQ’s click-through rate from 2.5% to 5-6% by 2020. So Rob continued implementing the “tweak what works, leave what doesn’t” approach to consistent success.
Fast-forward five years, and vidIQ’s approach has evolved. The majority of their views come from non-subscribers browsing or searching on YouTube. This has shifted their focus beyond just improving CTR to placing greater emphasis on increasing metrics like watch time and retention with content that encourages viewers to return.
The team still invests heavily in thumbnail design, but they’ve realized that initial clicks are the first step in building a sustainable channel.
Key takeaway: Growing a successful channel starts with YouTube SEO, but long-term success requires optimizing for deeper engagement metrics.
2. Trending Topics and Platform Updates
In vidIQ’s early growth phase, Rob analyzed trends in real-time and created videos faster than competitors. For example, when YouTube launched hashtags, vidIQ was one of the first to publish a guide — that video now has 670K+ views.
Another pivotal moment was the PewDiePie vs. T-Series battle. Rob saw early traction on this topic and created multiple follow-up videos, pushing VidIQ’s reach beyond its core audience. Capitalizing on trending topics is an excellent strategy for generating large viewership spikes and is what attracts new subscribers quickly.
While vidIQ still creates content around trending topics, they’ve refined their approach based on years of data.
They’ve discovered that viral spikes from trends attract subscribers who later unsubscribe if the content doesn’t align with the channel’s core themes. To resolve that, they devised a more balanced strategy focusing on consistent, on-brand content alongside timely, trend-based uploads.
They’ve also expanded their toolkit to include newer YouTube features:
- YouTube Shorts: Rob has found that Shorts can be an exceptional subscriber magnet with very low unsubscribe rates, a feature that wasn’t available at scale during their early growth.
- Community Tab: The team has gained over 30,000 subscribers through thoughtful community posts alone, demonstrating the power of platform features beyond just video uploads.
Key Takeaway: While being first to trending topics still provides a competitive edge, building sustainable growth requires balancing trend-chasing with consistent, brand-aligned content and leveraging all platform features.
3. Doubling Down on Successful Topics
In the early days, Rob had a simple formula for content planning: if a video performs well, make more videos on the same topic.
For example, vidIQ’s How to Get 1000 Subscribers on YouTube spawned yearly follow-up videos from 2020 to 2025 and different title variations. They took a similar approach to platform changes, with every major YouTube Shorts update prompting a new YouTube Shorts Monetization Update video.
The strategy was heavily search-driven, focusing on SEO, how-to’s, and high-interest trending events to grow both views and subscribers.
While vidIQ still doubles down on proven video topics, their understanding of audience behaviour has deepened considerably:
- Over 70% of their views come from non-subscribers in browse and search, prompting a shift in focus from pure subscriber acquisition to creating content that performs well with both subscribers and non-subscribers.
- Watch Time and hooking returning viewers often matter more than directly pushing for subscriptions. The emphasis has moved toward creating content encouraging viewers to watch another video rather than forcing a “subscribe” CTA.
- Only about 2% of their total views come from bell notifications, reinforcing that content quality and discoverability through YouTube’s algorithm matter far more than telling people to “ring the bell.”
Key takeaway: Don’t just chase trends or even double down on successful topics. Understand that deeper metrics like returning viewership and watch sessions create more sustainable channel growth than focusing solely on subscriber counts.
4. Respecting Viewers’ Time
Rob has always stressed that time is the single biggest investment a viewer makes on YouTube.
That’s why vidIQ front-loads key information in how-to videos by immediately showing viewers how to do something instead of padding the intro with the backstory. They believed that if you could hook people from the opening seconds and provide immediate value, you’d earn subscribers more reliably.
VidIQ still respects viewer time — that’s not going to change. But, their understanding of viewer behaviour has evolved into what Rob calls a “Watch Next” culture: shifting focus from quick hooks to creating deeper relationships through extended watch sessions.
The team now emphasizes getting viewers to watch another video rather than forcing a “subscribe” CTA. vidIQ still front-loads value in their videos, but they also prioritize:
- Creating natural pathways to related content
- Designing content that encourages multi-video sessions
- Optimizing for returning viewers rather than just new subscribers
Key Takeaway: By optimizing around what viewers truly want — fast answers, trend updates, clear explanations, and a path to more relevant content — vidIQ has strengthened its reputation as a go-to resource.
Start Building Out Your YouTube Strategy Today
By leveraging the expertise of a seasoned YouTube creator, continuously refining their approach based on real data, and focusing on long-term viewer retention rather than vanity metrics, vidIQ has built a sustainable content engine that keeps growing year after year.
This is exactly what the “greats” do — and taking an intentional, strategic approach to their content is how they do it. To learn more about how Foundation supports brands like Canva, Eventbrite, and Mailchimp to grow their audience base, reach out and contact us.
