If you look at some of the top creators on YouTube, something you might not immediately realize is that many have more than one channel to their name. As it turns out, there are several reasons for this — many of which might impact you as a creator as well. But, like with most things, there are some pros and cons to this secondary channel strategy.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the reasons why starting a separate YouTube channel may be a good idea, what the downsides are, and why I personally just started a second channel of my own.
Reasons to Start a New YouTube Channel
Explore new interests or topics
A common reason why YouTube creators decide to launch new channels is because they want to try making content that doesn’t really fit their core channel. Oftentimes, this means making videos on new and different topics. These could be tangentially related to your main channel or cover completely different interests.
Some examples of secondary channels I’ve seen creators launch include vlog channels, podcast channels, Shorts channels, clips channels, and many more. There are even creators with channels so different that the overlap of subscribers must be extremely small. Each of these formats is perfect for a second (or third or fourth) channel, which is why multiple channels are so popular among creators.
Keeping your core channel focused (and pleasing the algorithm)
So, exploring new topics is great… but why not just publish them on your main channel? Well, the short answer is “the algorithm.” The problem is that, if your channel does start making different types of videos that fewer of your current subscribers show interest in, it could limit the number of people YouTube serves your videos to in the future. For that reason, unfortunately, it’s often better to lean into what’s already working.
To be clear, the YouTube algorithm is a secret, so I can only really speak about it anecdotally. I don’t know about you, but there have definitely been times when, if I don’t watch a couple of videos in a row from a creator I subscribe to, YouTube will stop showing me their content. Honestly, I’ve completely forgotten about some channels I follow because of this! Given this risk, starting a second channel instead of “polluting” your main one could be a better path.
Have a chance to experiment
In addition to covering different topics on your new channel, you can experiment in other ways. This could include editing styles, calls to action, or whatever else. Then, if you find something is working well on your secondary channel, you may even be able to adapt it for your main one — making this a potential win-win.
Downsides of a Second Channel Strategy
Starting from (near) scratch
In my opinion, the biggest downside to starting a secondary channel is that you’ll basically need to start over in terms of building a following. While you can announce your new channel on your main one (both in videos and via Community posts) and promote it on your other platforms, it’s hard to say how many of your current subscribers will join you over on your new venture. Because of this, you’ll need to be patient when looking to grow your secondary channel. As frustrating as it can be to have to start back at 0, just remember why you’re doing it — and what you did to build your primary channel in the first place.
Lack of monetization
If you’re part of the YouTube Partner Program for one channel, I’m sorry to say that this status won’t carry over to any other channels you create. Instead, you’ll once again need to reach the eligibility requirements before you’ll be able to monetize the videos on your second channel. As a reminder, these are the current Partner Program requirements:
- 1,000 Subscribers
- 4,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months OR 10 million valid public Shorts views in the past 90 days
Divided attention
Lastly, since consistency is important on each of your channels, having two means you’ll have more work on your plate. In turn, you may find that your attention is divided — which could then cause you to miss a step with one (or even both) of your channels. For this reason, before you decide to take on starting up a new channel, make sure you have a plan to handle the increased workload and remain as consistent as possible on all of your channels.
Why I Started a Second YouTube Channel
A few months ago, not too long after rebranding my Money@30 channel to Fioney, I also launched a second channel: Fioney News. As the name implies, this channel was created so that I could talk about timely credit card, FinTech, and finance news. Prior to this, I actually tried doing monthly news roundups on my main channel — which I enjoyed making but didn’t end up fitting my channel as well as I had hoped. So, I decided to take on a second channel strategy with the idea of exploring this format while leaving my core channel focused on reviews and travel videos.
Speaking of format, in order to manage the workload of having two channels, I decided to try something different with Fioney News. Rather than script my videos like I do for Fioney, my news videos are largely unscripted and, instead, feature me just talking about the topic at hand. Furthermore, instead of busting out my camera, tripod, and other equipment, I record my news videos using my computer’s built-in webcam. These changes in production make it so editing a Fioney News video takes far less time than a regular Fioney video — meaning that I can more easily manage to create content for both channels.
Of course, as I noted, the big downside here is that my new channel has very few subscribers and no monetization. Yet, a couple of my videos have done pretty well, which suggests to me that there is a market for this type of content. So, while it may be a slow climb, I think I can make Fioney News a success as long as I stick with it.
Starting a second YouTube channel can be a major undertaking — leading some wonder why they should even bother. However, given how fragile your standing in the YouTube algorithm can be, sometimes it’s best to bring your new ideas and interests to a new home rather than take your current channel in a new direction. Although there are some major downsides to contend with, ultimately, having a second channel could be a great chance to try new things, explore different types of content, and keep yourself creatively fulfilled.