The Football Manager YouTube Life
A few notes on the world of Football Manager content creation
The Football Manager YouTube Life
I didn’t start this project intending to create a YouTube channel. It just sort of happened.
I wanted to treat this as a blog, first and foremost. However, I discovered Substack’s video features early on, and put it to the test, as you can see in this early post:
We’ve gone a long way. My YouTube channel now has just under 10,000 subscribers, is fully monetized, and has been growing at a very steady pace.
I’ve learned a few things over the last 2 years that might be helpful to others who want to start a Football Manager content creation project.
Here are some lessons I’ve learned:
Don’t stick with a single format. Some of the better known Football Manager content creators still create videos that feature two matches every day from their most recent save. While the most successful get something like 20,000 views per episode, the amount of time required is daunting. The recent trend has been going towards longer videos featuring fully completed projects — and there are some hour long videos out there with view totals in the millions. I recommend experimenting.
Script. Even if you’ve got the most magnetic and open personality in the world, chances are that you’re going to make tons of mistakes if you just wing it. Make a plan for your videos. Organize them, create a script (or at least an outline), and create a comprehensive and polished product.
Make evergreen content. I learned this early on. YouTube rewards content that remains relevant as time goes on. Episode 87 of your nomad save is not as likely to constantly attract views as a well-written, well-edited comprehensive video about your entire nomad save. In particular, many well-known YouTubers fall in the trap of covering the latest news from Sports Interactive. This tactic requires them to spend a lot of time and energy following the latest trends — and the small boost they get for their efforts doesn’t do much in the long run.
Make content that matters to others. It’s hard to get people interested in your latest imaginary football story. It’s a lot easier to get them interested in things they can tweak in their own saves to have more success.
Edit. Editing is the key. Many well known YouTubers hire editors. I actually recommend learning to do the process yourself. Video editing is not difficult nor particularly time consuming, provided that you’ve gone in with a good plan. However, if you don’t edit at all, you’ll pay the price. Your videos need to be competitive, and they can’t be competitive if they’re a mess.
Be patient. Some videos are successful immediately. Others require weeks, or even months, to reach numbers you find acceptable. Stop yourself from obsessing over your numbers.
Spend time on the title and thumbnail. Every YouTube guru tells you to do this. The truth is that it really makes a difference. Viewers will forgive you for having lame stories, for bizarre logical errors (something I see frequently on true crime channels), or for saying things that are just flat out wrong. However, if you don’t have an attractive title and thumbnail, you simply won’t get viewers.
Use shorts. YouTube shorts are the true key to success on the platform. It’s not only a shortcut to getting more subscribers. It’s a way you can constantly create content that is directly fed to a wider audience. If you aren’t releasing at least one short per day, you’re giving yourself a disadvantage. You can also make quite a bit of money off shorts once you are monetized.
Above all — have fun with it. The worst channels are the ones that follow a specific formula. Make your channel your own.
You don’t have to be loud and flashy. You do need to be engaging, however. But, once you figure out the engaging part, the sky is the limit.