Kan Do Creators Newsletter
Stop wasting time on YouTube advice that doesn't work. The Kan Do Creators Newsletter is written by Andrew Kan and Ike Do, co-founders of The Kan Do Creators Community (The KDCC). Andrew Kan grew TubeBuddy's YouTube channel from 6,000 to 530,000+ subscribers, he's helped earn 12 YouTube Play Buttons, and has shaped YouTube strategy at brands like StreamYard. While at TubeBuddy he consulted for the NFL, BBC, and Nickelodeon. Every week you'll get real YouTube SEO tactics, the KANDO Method growth framework, and a free creator guide when you join. No fluff. Unsubscribe anytime.
YouTube just made $60 billion for the US economy - here's how
YouTube's 2025 Impact Report just dropped, and the numbers are staggering. In 2025, YouTube's creative ecosystem contributed over $60 billion to the US GDP. That's over 500,000 full-time equivalent jobs supported across the country. Here are a few other interesting data points: YouTube has been number one in streaming watch time in the US for three years now All 50 states have at least 10 channels with over 1 million monthly views 67% of viewers say they discuss a YouTube video together with...
Do you have this new Shorts feature yet?
YouTube Is Finally Bringing Custom Shorts Thumbnails Back to Desktop When Shorts first came to YouTube, creators had the option to set custom thumbnails on their desktop. But then YouTube decided to remove it since they figured custom thumbnails weren't needed since the majority of views would be from the Shorts Feed. Ever since, creators have complained and pleaded with YouTube to bring custom thumbnails back... and they did. However, you can only change it in the YouTube mobile app, which...
YouTube Cracks Down on AI Slop
Following YouTube's 2026 priority to reduce AI slop... YouTube have taken down several AI slop channels. Whether this is YouTube trying to save itself from the recent backlash of AI-gen or if YouTube wants people to use its own AI more than a third-party AI... or a little of both... we'll just have to see. But it is nice to see YouTube doing what they say they'll do. According to Kapwing, one of the most subscribed AI slop channel (CuentosFacinantes), and the second most subscribed (Imperio...
YouTube's 2026 Priority And Where You Should Stand
YouTube's Goal in 2026 is to reinvent entertainment... and managing AI slop It's that time of the year again for YouTube to provide us their goal for the year. And here are the four things they're focusing on: Reinventing entertainment Building the best place for kids & teens Powering the creator economy Supercharging & safeguarding creativity with AI If you're unaware, for almost 3 years, YouTube is #1 in streaming watchtime according to Nielsen. Analog TV have their eyes on YouTube because...
What's New on YouTube in 2026
Happy New Year and here's to your success! We hope you've had a great holiday season and you're charged up for 2026! What's your plan for your YouTube channel for 2026? Let us know by replying to this email or via our Discord server! If you're feeling a little lost or need guidance, use our KANDO Method. It is our philosophy for growing on YouTube and it works for creators at every level. Learn More About The KANDO Method Here's what YouTube's got coming in 2026! 👇 Starting February, YouTube...
YouTube's Image Experiment on Shorts
Image Posts in Shorts Feed could change the posting game YouTube has been trying to be a little bit more like other social media as they encourage you to use their Community Post, while giving more surface area. If you're not sure what "surface area" means, think of it as reach in analytics. When you see videos in your Home page, or in search, or in suggestions, those are considered surface area. The first that we've seen is with showcasing posts in your Home page. 👇 Next, YouTube added the...
This Custom Feed Could Change How Viewers Find Your Video
Something has changed in YouTube's home page... The first thing you might have noticed (or will notice) is the missing Subscription feed. A question for you: Do you actually use the Subscription feed, or do you use the Home feed for all your needs? Ever since YouTube revamped their home feed, showing you videos from channels you're subscribed too along with videos similar to the ones you're watching... there isn't a need to click on your Subscription feed. It seems YouTube's solution is to...
YouTube Tools You Might’ve Missed (But Shouldn’t)
50MB thumbnails and Super Resolution are coming to YouTube! A big complaint when it comes to thumbnails was that you could only upload up to 2 MB. This meant thumbnails couldn't get any clearer than 720p. However, with the rise of YouTube TV, the next logical step was to allow people to upload 4K thumbnails (up to 50MB!) so that it'd look amazing on the big screen. No more having to downscale your thumbnails! YouTube says it's coming soon... which usually mean they're experimenting it in...
See Your Subscribers in a New Light
It's easy to look at the numbers on your screen and think... "Those are just numbers." "That's only 100 views." "5,000 views isn't that much." "I only have 10,000 subs." This is something a lot of creators struggle with. We saw it firsthand at VidSummit. Creators like Darcy's Business would be shocked by the idea that their audience could fill the Roman Colosseum! This can fill up to 50,000 people! How would you react if the 100 people who are subscribed to your channel suddenly came to your...
What TwitchCon Taught Us (Without Attending)
A story about (not attending) TwitchCon. We didn't plan on going to TwitchCon this year, and technically, we didn't. But when we were invited to some of the events happening around it, we decided to say yes. And that yes ended up teaching us something we should've expected. We know YouTube and its community well. Twitch? Not so much. These events gave us the chance to explore a world we kind of knew... but not really. What we thought would be a quiet recovery weekend turned into something way...
Stop wasting time on YouTube advice that doesn't work. The Kan Do Creators Newsletter is written by Andrew Kan and Ike Do, co-founders of The Kan Do Creators Community (The KDCC). Andrew Kan grew TubeBuddy's YouTube channel from 6,000 to 530,000+ subscribers, he's helped earn 12 YouTube Play Buttons, and has shaped YouTube strategy at brands like StreamYard. While at TubeBuddy he consulted for the NFL, BBC, and Nickelodeon. Every week you'll get real YouTube SEO tactics, the KANDO Method growth framework, and a free creator guide when you join. No fluff. Unsubscribe anytime.