Would you keep posting if your videos got 10 views a month for a whole year? 🤔
At WordCamp Bangkok 2023, I met Darrel Wilson, a WordPress YouTuber from Los Angeles who has lived in Bangkok for about three years. Kripesh introduced me to his work. 🎙️
Today his channel gets a little over a million views a month. Here’s how he got there. 🚀
📊 In this episode, we unpacked:
- 🥾 From a hiking blog to WordPress reviews
- 📈 Consistency: from 10 views to a million a month
- 🚫 Why he rejects crypto promos
- 👥 His 12-person team
- ⚖️ From law school to influencer
- 🤖 COVID, 2023 plans and AI
🎥 Watch the full episode:
🥾 From a Hiking Blog to WordPress Reviews
Darrel didn’t know WordPress at first. He wanted a personal blog for his hiking photos instead of Facebook, and that’s how he found WordPress. 🥾
When he looked for blog themes, he didn’t agree with the recommendations online, so he started making his own honest theme reviews on YouTube. 🎥
He’s from Los Angeles and loves Thailand’s food, kindness and customer service, just like me. 🇹🇭
📈 Consistency: From 10 Views to a Million a Month
His best business advice: consistency. In his first year, he got around 10 views a month. 📉
Around month five or six, one video got 200 views in a day, and real comments followed (not just family and friends). 🎉
“You have to just push through that slump and just keep doing it.” Today, he gets a little over a million views a month. For another creator’s story, read Jay Kapoor’s YouTube journey. 🔗
🚫 Why He Rejects Crypto Promos
The worst advice: go for whatever pays the most. Viewers can tell when you’re just after money. 🚫
He has turned down $10,000–20,000 offers to promote crypto because it would throw his audience “in the trash” and risk his reputation. ❌
He still likes crypto as an idea and pays one freelancer in stablecoins after PayPal raised its fees, so the payment value doesn’t dip. 💵
👥 His 12-Person Team
His team is about 12 people, including himself, Alan, two Facebook moderators and six translators. 👥
Having hated bosses himself, his focus is that everyone is happy, paid enough and gets along. ❤️
His first job was as a busboy at a Mexican restaurant. 🌮
⚖️ From Law School to Influencer
Darrel finished college and went to law school to become a lawyer. He started his blog on the side to do something he wanted. ⚖️
He graduated but didn’t take the law job, choosing to become an influencer instead. 🎬
🤖 COVID, 2023 Plans and AI
During COVID, his commissions doubled and tripled as people stayed home to build websites and online businesses. My own wealth was mostly created in those two years too. 📈
In 2023, he’s going back to basics: highly searched WordPress topics like the best themes, plugins and page builders, with deep research and production. 🔙
He loves Midjourney and ChatGPT and used AI for a video description for the first time. He thinks AI affects content sites more than YouTube. I shared that my team uses AI with human proofreaders because AI can get facts wrong. For more, read AI automation hacks from WordPress.com, plus Sujay Pawar of Brainstorm Force. 🔗
📝 Key Takeaways From the Darrel Wilson Interview
- 📈 Consistency beats a slow start
- 🎥 Honest reviews build trust
- 🚫 Don’t sell out your audience for a quick payout
- ❤️ Keep your team happy and well paid
- 🔍 Evergreen, highly searched topics still win
- 🤖 Use AI, but proofread
❓ FAQs About Darrel Wilson
How did Darrel Wilson start on YouTube?
He built a WordPress blog for his hiking photos, didn’t like the theme recommendations he found, and started making honest theme reviews.
How many views does Darrel Wilson get?
A little over a million views a month, after getting about 10 views a month in his first year.
What is Darrel Wilson’s top advice for YouTubers?
Consistency. Push through the slump and keep creating.
🎙️ More Inside A Hustler’s Brain Interviews You’ll Love
- How Darrel Wilson Makes 6-Figures With WordPress + Affiliate Marketing
- Kripesh Adwani Interview How He Makes 6 Figure Every Month From Youtube?
- Aigars Silkalns Of Colorlib Shares How Colorlib Become Largest Source For WordPress Themes
- Why 99% of YouTubers FAIL at Monetization 💀 ft. Milan Smets [Manages 30+ YouTube Channels]
Are you in your “10 views a month” phase? Keep going, and share this with a creator who needs it. 💬
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Jitendra Vaswani is a well-known expert in SEO and AI-driven digital marketing. He has spoken at international events and founded Digiexe, a digital marketing agency, and AffiliateBooster, WordPress plugin designed specifically for affiliate marketers. With over 10 years of experience, Jitendra has helped many businesses succeed online. His bestselling book, Inside A Hustler’s Brain: In Pursuit of Financial Freedom, with over 20,000 copies sold globally, underscores his influence and commitment to empowering digital marketers.