Hello! Right now you’re reading “The Creator Confidential”, a blog where famous and successful YouTubers share their stories and tips they have for growing a YouTube channel. Over the past week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Shan, and here is the finished result. Enjoy!
Shan Rizwan started his YouTube channel freshman year of college. In just 2 years, his channel has gained almost 50,000 subscribers and over 4.2 million views! Two of his videos (“Guessing Majors at Boston College” and “Guessing Majors at Harvard”) blew up and each have over 1 million views! In addition, he has recently started a podcast called “Something Creative”. In today’s blog post, Shan shares his tips for balancing YouTube videos and college, his reaction to the “viral” videos he created, how to deal with haters, and much much more!
What inspired you to create your YouTube channel? When did you start? Are there any YouTubers that inspired or inspires your content?
I started the channel I have right now the summer after my freshman year of college. I wasn’t working a summer job or internship, I was just bored at home. So, I was like “I want to start a YouTube channel”. It wasn’t exactly out of the blue, I think I’d always wanted to try creating a YouTube channel, but middle school and high school I was really insecure about myself and what other people would say if I had a channel. However, in college, I realized that it was now or never. I cared a lot less about what other people would say. Also, I think it was easier for me because I was in college- not surrounded by highschool friends.
I remember watching Casey Neistat's daily vlogs before I did YouTube. It was just so cool the way he told a story and lives life to the fullest. It was really inspiring! Even now, I find myself watching his videos all the time. I’m taking notes… how can I learn from what he does and apply this to my own videos? Since I started my YouTube channel, I’ve never looked back, I realized I love making videos and entertaining people!
Two of your videos, both of which were “Guessing Majors at Colleges” blew up with over 1 million views, which is insane! Was this success overnight? Do you remember your reaction?
Those videos were crazy! The first one of that series I posted was “Guessing Majors at Boston College”. I actually had both videos recorded already at both Boston College and Harvard, not knowing if my audience would actually like it. Then, I posted the Boston College video. At first, it got a standard amount of views for my channel. Within a week, the algorithm recommended the video to more people and it started exploding. It got 10,000 views a day, and it just kept getting bigger. When I posted the second video, I was already getting momentum from the first video. So, when I posted the second video (Guessing Majors at Harvard), it exploded right away. It got 200,000 views in 24 hours! I’d never seen anything like that before. It was crazy.
What are your top 3 tips you’d give to small channels trying to start a YouTube channel and grow as fast as you did?
I think the main reason I grew so fast on YouTube is because I got lucky. It all happened so fast- I didn’t expect it at all. I was hoping for it… but I never saw it coming. For people starting out, I would say to not focus on the growth and numbers! The people that are successful on YouTube are people who have an inherent passion for making videos and social media. If you don’t have the passion, it’s going to be hard for you to post consistently especially when no one is watching. But, if you enjoy the process and love making videos in itself, you’ll be able to persist through whatever adversities you have. You just have to keep posting consistently and getting better, then the numbers will come.
What motivates you to continue making videos?
I just love making videos- it’s my creative outlet and my dream is to do YouTube full time. That’s what I’m working towards by the time I graduate. Right now, I have some momentum so there’s a good pressure for me to keep posting. It also feels good when I can provide information that can help people. Whether it’s showing a raw side of college or giving tangible information (for example: how to be productive or how to do well in your classes). It’s a mix of a bunch of reasons.
Can you talk about the process of starting your podcast “Something Creative”? What inspired you to create it?
The podcast was born out of being in quarantine. I can’t really meet new people, and I miss talking to people and having cool conversations. In quarantine, you also have so much free time. So, I decided to start a podcast. It was something to do, an opportunity to connect with other creators and entrepreneurs, have some cool conversations.
How do you balance college and making YouTube videos? Do you have any time management tips?
Honestly, I feel like I prioritize YouTube over college, so I don’t think I’m the best example for time management. But, I think it’s important to schedule out and plan out what you want to accomplish. So, for example, whether it’s posting once a week or having designated times to work on videos, it’s all just about planning, balancing, and scheduling YouTube with your coursework.
How do you find opportunities with brands?
Usually, brands come to me. I’ll get an email from brands that will want to work with me. I think that’s the case with most YouTubers (unless you’re signed to an agency). I don’t usually seek them out- I probably should, honestly.
What is one of the best opportunities you’ve received because of your channel?
I think the community I’ve built and the experiences I’ve had is the best part of my channel. YouTube has allowed me to do so many cool things and meet so many cool people. It has sort of made me shift my career path- I want to do YouTube full time. It’s allowed me to live a lot more fun and cool life.
Have you ever met one of your subscribers in real life?
I make a lot of college videos , so a lot of people at college watch them. (Especially people that go to my university or are thinking of going to my university.) A year ago, at the beginning of the semester, a bunch of freshmen were coming up to me, saying “I watch your videos, they helped me decide to come to Boston College”. One time, someone saw me in Boston and told me they watched my videos. That was really cool.
How long typically does it take you to edit your videos?
It usually depends on the length of the video. The Guessing Majors videos took 30-40 hours to edit. That’s one of the longest lengths of time it takes me to edit videos. But, usually, a typical vlog takes 8-10 hours, maybe less. I’m usually side tracked a lot!
What’s your favorite video?
I like the video where I went rooftopping with my friend in New York- it didn’t go viral or anything, but I think I like the videos where I’m able to document something cool the best. A memory with friends, for example. I love being able to look back at that moment and relive it.
What is your experience with hate (either in real life or online) and do you have any advice on how to deal with it?
I don’t think I’ve ever met a hater in real life. I’m lucky that I don’t really get that many hate comments online. I have gotten a few however- some racist things or just mean things. Usually, however, the comments are so poorly written or they don’t even make sense that I don’t take them seriously. Another thing about dealing with hate is understanding that you know who you are, and that random person commenting on the Internet just wants attention- they don’t know who you are. Who are they to judge you? They don’t deserve your time and, at the end of the day, just want a reaction.
Thanks for reading! A huge thanks to Shan for taking the time to answer all the questions. Here are the links to all her socials:
Instagram: @shanrizwan https://www.instagram.com/shanrizwan/
YouTube: Shan Rizwan https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeFg1xr6-mWCZM4mzyZUfIw
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