Just Keep Uploading
A few years ago, I was one of millions who watched Casey Neistat’s three minute and three second video, Bike Lanes.
It was remarkable. Not in the “extraordinary” sense of the word, but more in the literal definition. It was the sort of video that you might remark on. To a friend, later that day, you might say, “Hey, did you see that video?”
That is, perhaps, what it takes to go viral. Not extraordinary effects, not outrageous drama, just a simple idea worth remarking on to others.
So, how does that happen? How did I, and millions of others, become familiar with Casey and his work? Was it because of Bike Lanes?
Without question, a viral video like Bike Lanes makes it easier to get name recognition and to attract new fans. But it’s not Bike Lanes that keeps those fans. It’s not Bike Lanes that gave me the sense that I “know” Casey Neistat.
I know Casey for two reasons:
I know Casey through his decision to upload a video every single day.
I know Casey through his work ethic to continue uploading a video every single day.
That’s it. At some point while watching his daily videos, I realized— Oh yeah, he’s the guy who made Bike Lanes. But Bike Lanes didn’t make me a Casey Neistat fan. Bike Lanes was just remarkable. To get a fan base, you need to be more than just remarkable.
Last week Casey Neistat passed three million subscribers on YouTube. His every daily videos consistently get over a million views.
The day he passed three million, Casey shared what he calls the best YouTube advice he’s ever heard:
“Just Keep Uploading.”
As I grow my own YouTube channel, I appreciate this advice in its literal sense. But it’s sound advice, no matter what you’re trying to achieve in life.
Want to be a writer? Just keep writing.
Want to be a programmer? Just keep programming.
Want to open a french bakery? Just keep baking.
There’s nothing remarkable about this advice. If it sounds incredibly simple, it’s because it is. But it’s very easy to forget when what you want seems far off and unattainable. When you look at the champions in your field, you might catch yourself thinking:
How did they get to where they are? I’ll never get as many views as Bike Lanes…
But remember: We don’t know Casey Neistat because of Bike Lanes. We know Bike Lanes because of Casey Neistat.
Without the work ethic and drive to keep making videos, day after day, year after year, Bike Lanes never would have existed.
Viral videos are remarkable. But to build a fan base, it takes more than being remarkable. A remarkable piece of work may unlock the door to success, but that door will only be pushed open by tenacity and consistency.
Many of Casey’s videos aren’t remarkable. They are glimpses into his day — and as you would expect from a daily vlogger, some days are more interesting than others. But they are the work of an extremely gifted filmmaker, and so they are consistently interesting.
Besides, through daily uploads, I now feel that I “know” Casey and the other characters in his life. This is the power of consistent content, a power that can never be reached through a single viral video.
We can’t decide to be remarkable. We can’t decide to go viral. But we can decide to follow a simple philosophy that might eventually lead to both:
Just keep uploading.
I’d like to leave you with a quote by Andy Warhol:
