How I Got 66,000,000 Views Doing ASMR On YouTube
The Secret to a Successful ASMR Channel
Istarted making ASMR videos in 2015 before ASMR was a semi-household name. Back when ASMRtists (what we call ourselves) were looked at as the “weird side of the Internet” that you’d find during one of those YouTube rabbit holes you go down at 2am. I just liked creating, I always have. I was an avid fan of ASMR and watched it every single night since 2012. Little did I know it would change my life and eventually become my full-time career.
ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response and is best described as the calming or relaxing feeling of someone drawing on your back or the chills you get when getting a haircut. Millions of people all over the world watch and listen to ASMR for a vast array of reasons including falling sleep, calming down, chilling out while studying and even anxiety relief.
In what may seem like a “trend” to some, ASMR has consistently been one of the most searched terms on the internet. According to Google data, there are 11 million global Google searches for ASMR every month and hundreds of millions of views on YouTube per month. Safe to say, ASMR is here to stay and is only getting bigger.
Since 2010 (wow, that’s a decade, HOW?) ASMR has grown exponentially. From an ASMR Super Bowl Commercial to a Full-Length Movie and even television appearances (I was lucky enough to be featured in a segment on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (see video below) . . .
ASMR has exploded in popularity over the years because of the natural benefits, media exposure and longevity of uploads. Below is a graph of YouTube searches for ASMR according to Google Data and as you can see, it has done nothing but grow over time.
So you’re probably wondering, “Wait, how do I get in on this? I can whisper and tap on things”.
Well, the simple answer is, “YES, you absolutely can”.
If you’re reading this you have some form of internet and I’m assuming you have a cell phone (aka camera and microphone). Look at you! You have everything you need to start an ASMR YouTube channel.
The truth is that anyone can do it. There are many variables and of course, being a personality on the internet isn’t for everyone but as a self proclaimed “veteran” of creating AMSR videos, my opinion is that you indeed can do it if you want to. ASMR videos range from tapping on a box to whispering ear to ear or even just sitting down and eating on camera. My point that the genre is still so open and no idea is a bad idea honestly. I can say from experience that some of my most popular videos were ideas I thought wouldn’t work.
So how did I get 66,000,000 views doing ASMR?
I’ll give you five things that will help. The rest is truly in the hands of the almighty Youtube Algorithm (that’s a whole other article to write):
- Find a niche. What are you good at? What are you interested in? What can you do consistently without getting bored or burnt out? Find it and run with it.
- Follow Trends. It is a huge advantage to know what’s going on and what’s trending online. If you can time your uploads accordingly, it may trigger the algorithm or specific traffic to you.
- Upload Consistently: Once your viewers find you, they will always want more. Find a balance and what works for you but don’t leave them hanging too long.
- Thumbnail: It’s all about the thumbnail game. It’s simple. YouTube is primarily a visual platform and viewers will look at thumbnails before they read the title of your video.
- Be Genuine: This is a rule for any genre on Youtube. You do not want to wake up and have to be someone you’re not everyday but with ASMR, it’s especially important. Your viewers will grow to trust you and you want to come across as genuine as possible. Trust me, they will know if you’re not.
