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- From Cat Videos to Billions: YouTube’s Secret Sauce
From Cat Videos to Billions: YouTube’s Secret Sauce
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Hey there,
Let’s go back to 2005.
YouTube looked rough. The videos were low quality, the site was basic, and most of the content was just random home videos and cat clips.
No fancy features.
No stars.
No money.
But now?
YouTube has:
2.7 billion monthly users
Over $40 billion in yearly revenue
500 hours of video uploaded every single minute
So what happened?
It wasn’t just luck or timing. YouTube grew because it focused on a few simple ideas that made it easier and more rewarding for people to take part.
Here’s what they did. You can use the same ideas to grow your own thing, too.
Step 1: Focus on the People Who Upload, Not Just the People Who Watch
Most companies want more eyeballs.
YouTube wanted more videos.
Because without people uploading, there's nothing to watch. And without something to watch, there's no reason to visit.
Back then, uploading a video online was a headache. YouTube made it easy. Just click, upload, and share.
That small change made a huge difference.
What to ask yourself:
Who makes your product work?
What’s stopping them from doing it more?
Can you make it easier?
Step 2: Make Sharing Easy
Before YouTube, if you wanted to share a video, you had to email it, or burn it to a CD (seriously).
YouTube gave every video an embed code. Anyone could post it on their blog, forum, or website.
This simple move spread YouTube like wildfire.
What to ask yourself:
Can your product be shared, posted, or passed around?
Or does it only live in one place?
Things that travel grow faster than things that stay stuck.
Step 3: Let the User Be the Star
YouTube didn’t try to be the center of attention.
It made the creators the stars.
They featured people’s videos on the homepage, let users earn likes and subscribers, and later, gave them a way to earn money.
That gave people a reason to keep uploading and to tell others about it.
What to ask yourself:
Who wants recognition?
Can your product give them a place to show off?
Can it make them feel seen?
People share what makes them feel proud.
Step 4: Get One Thing Right — Then Build From There
You might think YouTube took off because of its algorithm.
But the truth is, people were already watching and uploading before the algorithm existed.
The engine was running. The algorithm just made it faster.
They started small: make uploading and sharing videos easy.
Everything else: recommendations, ads, Shorts, came later.
What to ask yourself:
What’s the one thing your product really needs to do?
Can you get that part working by hand before adding more?
Start simple. Scale later.
TL;DR: YouTube’s 4 Part Growth System:
✅ Focus on creators first
✅ Make sharing simple
✅ Help people feel seen
✅ Don’t overbuild, start with what works
YouTube didn’t grow with tricks or trends. It grew because it understood what people wanted and made it easy for them to take part.
You can do the same.
Ask: What’s the one thing you want people to do and how can you make it feel as easy and rewarding as uploading to YouTube in 2005?
That’s your growth engine.
Go light the match.
Until next time,
Omar Waseem