Why Your YouTube Channel Is Probably Bigger Than You Think

(The figures in the article are from 26th April 2024.)

Most creators underestimate the size and success of their YouTube channels. When my own channel, Guitars Are Hard, passed 15,000 subscribers on 16 March 2024, it got me wondering: How big is that, really? We all know the mega‑channels with tens or hundreds of millions of subscribers — but what about the rest of us?

After digging into the numbers, I realised something surprising: If your channel has around 10–15k subscribers, you’re already far bigger than you think.

Let’s break it down.


🎯 How Many YouTube Channels Actually Create Content?
YouTube has 2.6 billion active users, but only a small fraction upload anything at all.

• 4.4% of users — roughly 65 million people — upload at least one video per year.
• That includes everyone from casual uploaders to serious creators.

So the moment you upload anything, you’re already in a relatively small group.


🏆 Hitting 10,000 Subscribers Puts You in the Top 10%
Here’s where things get interesting:

• 90% of all creators never reach 10,000 subscribers.
• If you’re at 10k–15k, you’re already in the top 10% of all YouTube channels.

That’s a huge achievement. Most people never get close.


💰 Monetisation: Who Actually Makes Money?
Only a tiny slice of creators ever reach monetisation:

• Less than 6% of channels are monetised — around 3 million in total.
• Monetised creators keep 55% of their ad revenue.
• Typical ad revenue is $3–$5 per 1,000 views, depending on niche and audience.

But here’s the real kicker:
Sponsorships matter far more than ad revenue.

Even small channels can earn hundreds — sometimes thousands — from a single sponsored segment. I haven’t had one yet, but I’m ready when the universe is.


📈 How Big Is a “Small” Video?
Creators often beat themselves up over “only” getting 1,000 views. But the data says otherwise:

• A video with 1,000 views is already in the top 12% of all YouTube videos.
• 88% of videos never reach 1,000 views.
• Videos with 5,000–8,000 views sit in the top 5–8%.

So if you’re consistently hitting 1k+ views, you’re doing far better than you think.


🎸 How Big Are Guitar Channels?
Since Guitars Are Hard is a guitar channel, I looked into the niche.

• The biggest guitar channel is JustinGuitar with around 1.6 million subscribers.
• That’s tiny compared to the mega‑channels with 50–200 million subs.
• The 10th‑largest guitar channel has roughly 400,000 subscribers.

That means:

• A channel with 15,000 subscribers is already well up the long tail.
• You don’t need millions to be in the top tier of your niche.
• Guitar YouTube is big, but not that big — which is good news for smaller creators.

If you’re starting a guitar channel, I’ve got a few videos with tips on growing past your first thousand subscribers — stick around to the end of the original video for the link.


🌍 General YouTube Facts That Put Everything in Context
A few more stats that surprised me:

• 60% of YouTube content is in English.
• In 2022, YouTube generated $29 billion in revenue — likely more today.
• 70% of what people watch is recommended by the algorithm.
• YouTube Shorts get 50 billion views per day.
• YouTube is the second most visited website in the world (after Google).
• The audience is 54% male, 46% female.
• The biggest age group is 25–34.

All of this shows just how massive — and competitive — the platform really is.


⭐ Final Thoughts
Most creators think they’re small. But the numbers tell a different story:

• If you upload regularly, you’re already ahead of most users.
• If you’ve passed 10k subscribers, you’re in the top 10%.
• If your videos get 1k+ views, you’re outperforming the vast majority of uploads.
• And in niche communities like guitar YouTube, even 15k subscribers puts you surprisingly high up the ladder.

So keep going. You’re doing better than you think.

Thanks for reading — and as always, you’re amazing.

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