This post was originally published in [2025] and has been fully updated for 2026 with new data and tools.
You’ve done everything the “gurus” told you to do: you optimized your tags, you made your thumbnails bright red, and you shared your link on every subreddit possible.
Yet, your view count hasn’t budged. The truth is, most of the advice circulating online is built on outdated YouTube growth myths that simply don’t apply to the 2026 algorithm.
Here are some of the top myths that are NOT true.
- “I Need to Wait Until Everything is Perfect Before Starting.”
- “You need expensive equipment to succeed.”
- “If my content is good, people will find it.”
- “More views = more money.”
- “Subscribers = success.”
- “You don’t need to promote your videos outside YouTube.”
- “Only new videos get promoted by YouTube.”
- “Tags are the key to SEO.”
- “Organic growth is free.”
- “You can’t succeed in 2025 without Shorts.”
- “Paid growth is bad or unethical.”
- “You need a huge budget to see results with YouTube Ads.”
- “YouTube ads will make my video go viral.”
- “You can buy your way to the top.”
- “Paying for views helps organic reach.”
Keep reading, and I’ll go into WAY more detail on these myths.
Plus, a way to make paid traffic on YouTube easier than getting emotionally attached to a TV character.
Why You Shouldn’t Wait for Perfection to Start a YouTube Channel
This is a common, limited belief that holds many back. Many times, perfection is tied to someone’s ego.
Instead of failing in front of people, some people would rather overprepare! The truth is that waiting delays learning and progress.
You grow by uploading, experimenting, and adjusting. Your first 20-50 videos are your training ground. It’s sort of like surfing.
You can only watch so many videos before you go out to the ocean and fail. Then fail some more and more until you get better.
I recommend just starting, no matter how bad it is. Then just try to make very small improvements to continuously improve.
Try to focus on learning and not so much on results. Also, celebrate EVERY victory, even if it’s 1 view.
Can You Succeed on YouTube Without Expensive Equipment?
Let’s be honest, it can be intimidating watching some YouTubers with the best thumbnails, mics, editing tricks, and backgrounds.
The truth is, “storytelling and your message” is more important than your gear. Sure, there are things you can do to your thumbnail to improve, and a free guide that walks you through how to do this “step by step” is HERE.
Your equipment doesn’t have to be super expensive to start. You can do “very well” with an inexpensive camera, mic, and natural lighting. To know the equipment I use, check out this post HERE.
Oh, and I’ve grown a MASSIVE YouTube channel (millions of views) with a cheap web camera, no editing, and “the worst” thumbnails. (Of course, that was 10 years ago).
Why Good Content Isn’t Enough to Get Found by the Algorithm
You can have the single BEST video in the world, but if you mess up the SEO, Title, Thumbnail, and your channel SEO, the video could stay hidden.
YouTube is a machine!
This means you have to make content for people first, but also for the machine (the algorithm), so the machine puts the video in front of the right people.
To learn more about how to fix your settings to help your videos get found, check out this post HERE.
💰 Daily Income Estimator
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Does More Views Always Mean More Money on YouTube?
This is a belief I’ve held for a long time.
There is “a lot” more to monetization than just view counts.
If a YouTube channel has TONS of views, but the engagement is off, and many people drop early, then that channel will have a hard time earning money.
Next up is niches.
The truth is, some niches are going to be hard to monetize. This is why one of the most important parts of choosing a niche is making sure there is some money in it.
If your niche is in “beetle fighting” and no products are sold in that niche and nobody wants to advertise, then it’s going to be hard to make money.
Sure, you can design some shirts and mugs with beetles, but you have fewer options. For a detailed guide on choosing a niche, you can view this post HERE.
Monetization also depends on….
- If someone is growing a list or not
- How good is the landing page
- How good is the email marketing
- How good are the products
- The CPM of the ads on your YouTube channel (Cost Per 1,000 impressions)
There are TONS of variables that determine the income of a YouTuber, NOT just views.
The truth is, if you know what you’re doing with email, you don’t even need that many views to make great money.
I know one guy who knows “nothing about getting traffic“, and he makes “insane” money because he is SO good with email.
To learn how to do email correctly and make the most money from it, you can check out this free guide HERE.
Organic Growth Auditor
Find out if you’re falling for a myth or hitting a real bottleneck.
Are Subscribers Still the Best Measure of YouTube Success?
There are many creators with fewer subs that earn MORE money due to targeted content, better monetization strategies, and better traffic ideas.
Subs honestly don't mean as much as they used to. They still matter - don't get me wrong. You need 100 subs to get a custom URL and 1,000 subs to put ads on your videos.
Plus, it looks good and adds credibility to your channel.
The truth is, if someone watches 2 or more of your videos in a certain amount of time, YouTube already considers them a subscriber.
This means your video will more likely be shown to them.
Should You Promote Your YouTube Videos on Other Platforms?
YouTube is a giant and one of the first places I go to post a video. However, there are TONS of places you can post the same exact video.
The secret to making money online is leverage.
This is getting more done with less effort. We only have 24 hours in a day, so the more you can leverage, the better.
Repurposing your videos and content is a great idea to get WAY more done for less work.
To get a complete guide to repurposing your video, check out this post HERE.
"Only new videos get promoted by YouTube" is a Myth and not true!
The first 24–72 hours after upload are critical for promotion.
YouTube looks at a bunch of things like CTR (click-through rate), retention, watch time, engagement, and others.
If your video does well, then YouTube expands promotion (to Home, Search, Suggested, and more).
Evergreen content can gain views months or years later with....
- Search Traffic: Older videos still rank in search if they match user intent and keywords.
- Suggested Videos: If people watch similar topics, your old video can appear as a suggestion.
- External Boosts: If you promote an old video on social media or in a playlist, YouTube notices renewed engagement.
- Increased Channel Authority: As your channel grows, older videos may start getting more traffic automatically.
Many channels have older videos that suddenly take off months or years later. I know this because it has happened to me; some of my older videos do WAY better than my new ones.
"Tags are the key to SEO" is a False Belief!
Tags can be helpful, but thumbnails, titles, and retention matter WAY more now.
Retention is when viewers last longer than 15 seconds. The longer someone watches your videos, the better too.
Tags on YouTube used to be much more important in the past, but their impact has decreased "a lot."
Tags help with alternative names for things and misspellings. They also help with YouTube's understanding of your content in a "small way."
Is Organic Growth Actually Free? The Hidden Costs of YouTube
Organic growth is not free; it takes (time = money), gear & tools cost money, you still have to market your channel, there is an opportunity cost, and skill development has a cost!
You might not pay with cash, but you’re paying in hours.
Can You Still Grow a YouTube Channel Without Using Shorts?
The fact is, you can grow a YouTube channel without Shorts, but you may grow FASTER with Shorts.
There are thousands of YouTube channels that don't use Shorts. They still can do great with great thumbnails, good retention, and posting consistently.
YouTube Shorts have a unique algorithm perk.
Shorts are shown to non-subscribers more than long-form videos. Your videos can get thousands of views in a day from a short.
Shorts lower the barrier to entry. A 15-second clip can:
- Build awareness
- Show your personality
- Get people into your long-form funnel
I recommend doing both, but if you had to pick just 1, go with shorts. For a full guide on how to dominate with short videos, check this post out HERE.
"Paid growth is bad or unethical" is a Myth and Paid Ads can complement organic growth
Paid Ads have lots of benefits such as...
- Faster Channel Growth
- Highly Targeted Reach
- Increased Subscribers
- Promotes High-Converting Funnels
- Improves Organic Performance
- Improve your video’s watch time
- Boost click-through rate (CTR)
- Send strong positive signals to YouTube’s algorithm
- Build Retargeting Audiences
- Can be added to a YouTube remarketing list, letting you follow up later.
- Control Over Your Growth
- No more guessing you can guarantee traction and measure ROI.
- Testing Power
- Plus MORE
The truth is, I buy into the "shotgun" approach to traffic. This means (do it all). Paid traffic is part of the (do it all) approach.
The problem is that paid ads are confusing. How to start, what platform, when to change, and how to test.
Lucky for you, I have a way to start paid ads that is easier than finding a conspiracy theory on YouTube at 3 a.m.
Just make sure you have a landing page set up to collect emails and start "SLOW." Test the waters. Plus, this tool HERE includes some nice bonuses - like free credits.
"You need a huge budget to see results with YouTube Ads" is a Myth and even with a small budget, it can work
Some small businesses waste money because they focus on reach instead of results.
The smaller the budget, the tighter your targeting should be. Focus very heavily on targeting people who are specifically searching for your offer.
You can start with $5 - $10 a day. If you test wisely, run 1-2 ads max and compare performance. Let them run for 5 days to gather results.
Views don't matter; focus on..
- CTR (click-through rate of people clicking on your ad), 1-2% is good for discovery ads.
- CPV (Cost Per View) under $0.10 is good.
- Conversion Rate (you should be sending them to a landing page to collect emails). Most important thing!
Optimize the first 5 seconds with a strong hook (it's make or break). Discovery ads can show up in related searches, and in-stream ads can play before videos.
You can view this website for FREE training on how to get started easily.
Will YouTube Ads Make My Video Go Viral Instantly?
Ads only show to targeted groups, not the whole platform.
What ads do is buy attention, NOT interest. A video that gets 100k views from an ad still might get...
- Low watch time
- No engagement
- Not trigger the machine to promote it organically
A viral video still needs engagement, watch time, and other signals that money "can't" buy.
Ads can light a small match, but a viral video catches fire organically.
"You can buy your way to the top" is a Myth
The most important thing is engagement, audience trust, and quality. If you throw a bunch of money at a video that sucks as badly as...
Replying “you too” when the waiter says “enjoy your meal."
Then it's just going to be a waste of money.
Also, if your landing page sucks or your emails suc,k then you could be throwing money away.
This is why it's important to start small and test the waters. Make sure you have your landing page set up. Make sure you know how to send emails correctly. Here is free training.
"Paying for views always helps organic reach" is a Myth
Paid traffic, like all traffic, only matters if viewers watch and engage with the video. Thumbnails, hooks, and how good your video is still matter.
Paying for ads just amplifies things.
If you are going to pay for ads, start VERY small and test the waters. Also, make sure you have a landing page set up and collect emails!
Conclusion
Myths and limited beliefs can hold someone back. The worst is "learned helplessness."
Once there was a baby elephant chained to a "small" stake in the ground. Every day, it tried to break free, but the chain held firm.
After weeks of trying it gave up.
Years passed. The elephant grew massive and strong, yet remained tied to the same tiny stake. The HUGE elephant could easily break free with ease, but it never tried again - because it learned to be helpless.
The same happens with humans, and it's sad.
To overcome this, start small. Prove to your brain that success is possible.
Try to post 1 small YouTube short and celebrate every view! Also...
Limit your time with negative people - they have a problem for every solution
Abraham Lincoln
I hope this post might have been helpful. To follow the full 10 steps to monetizing a YouTube channel on day 1, you can view this post HERE.