Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Denny Akpolat—self-proclaimed “video-obsessed,” 26-year-old creative with a head full of curls and a mind full of editing genius. Denny’s not just any editor; he’s worked behind the scenes with some of the biggest names on YouTube, helping them craft the kind of content that captures millions. Curious about what it takes to succeed in the fast-paced world of online video? Here’s what Denny had to say about his journey, his process, and what it’s really like working in the YouTube industry.
How has YouTube changed the marketing game?
YouTube levelled the playing field. Totally democratized the marketing game by taking it from the monopoly of big companies with big budgets. Now anybody with a camera, a solid plan, and a great idea can turn their YouTube channel into a business that makes a ton of money. I’ve always joked that with the amount of power YouTube gives creators and how easy it is to just “create a channel”, I’m scared they’ll make it a paid thing one day. YouTube gives you a direct connection to your audience. This connection allows you to talk about, promote, use products you want to promote in an authentic way. If I decide to buy a product that’s most likely not from the high-budget TV commercial they’re running, that’s probably because I saw my favourite podcast host talk about it a dozen times.
The shift towards long-form content creation
While the audience on Instagram quits your video if they’re not visually stimulated every second, on YouTube your video might do less views if it’s below an hour in length. I’m surprised to witness this every time. This shift has some very surface level, and obvious benefits such as a bigger watch time bringing you more revenue. But there might be more nuanced takeaways behind it. Longer form content creates a bigger connection between the creator and the audience simply because of how much time the both sides invest into this arrangement. Educational content is a big player driving this shift and it’s safe to say this shift is only going to get bigger because educational content isn’t going anywhere. Jon Youshaei is a creator who previously worked at YouTube producing their YouTube Rewind videos. He says that from the YouTubers picked out for 2014 YouTube Rewind, only ones who stood the test of time and are still relevant are the educational creators.
Why do you think YouTube often becomes the preferred platform for content creators over time?
This is a fact, and I love explaining this with the example of Vine shutting down. When Vine announced it would be closing down, almost everybody on it started making their way to Instagram. This was a clever move and kept most of their hard-earned attention. However when we look at the bigger picture, all of whom really paid attention to long term monetization opportunities and more ambitious branding, made their way to YouTube and really took it seriously. One big example is Logan Paul who never took YouTube lightly, and now he’s the co-founder of one of the biggest creator-led products ever in the world, not to mention his strides into the other forms of entertainment. YouTube is consistently the biggest, most watched social medium even on TVs. That’s why whenever I see a famous TikToker who only has like 400 YouTube subscribers I ask them “What are you doing?!”. It’s a huge opportunity for any type of creator to start getting into YouTube. You can reach new people and cultivate a loyal audience. “The most loyal fans exist on email newsletters”, “The most effective discovery algorithm is on TikTok”, well YouTube has the best of both worlds.
5 biggest lessons you’ve personally learnt from doing YouTube
1- Audience is the boss. Get clear on who you’re serving and serve them well. This will make you irreplaceable within the niche you create content in. Create a close, deep connection with your audience. They gave you constructive feedback? Implement it in the next video.
2- Attention is the new gold. It’s one of the hardest things to gather an audience that is big enough to have an impact on what you do and how you do it. Once you have that attention, you can direct it to places that’ll benefit both you and your audience. Is it a digital product? Is it a course? You name it.
3- Be consistent. The difference between the person who makes it on YouTube and the one who fails is something very simple. The one who made it never stopped trying. Consistency is key when it comes to YouTube because almost always you’ll look back on yourself 6-months ago and say “I knew nothing back then.” Consistency and a growth mindset allows you to consistently improve.
4- Be patient. The Internet is made up of trends and pendulum swings. I’ve learnt that if you want quick growth you should follow trends, follow the pendulum swing. But it comes at a cost. You’ll find yourself outside of the trends soon when the pendulum swings the other way. Your audience won’t be as loyal. You will not have exponential growth, no compound effect. Whereas if you’re patient, have systems in place on how you come up with content ideas, create the content, share and promote it, in other words if you just find your unfair advantage when it comes to content and stick to it, you’ll be ahead of the pendulum. When it inevitably swings your way, you’ll be ready.
5- Be data driven. I’ve made many mistakes back in the day when I operated and made decisions on things I’ve heard from other YouTubers and ignored the scientific data. Don’t fall into this trap. Although it might be hard to go against the grain, follow the data. Data doesn’t lie. Evidence doesn’t lie.
Do you think YouTube/Content creation is the future of entertainment?
It most definitely is. I even think it’s the present of entertainment in many ways. YouTube has been my main source of entertainment as long as I’ve been alive. I understand that I’m an outlier in this case but things are going in this direction with each year. We used to see high-production reality shows, contests, shows on TVs back in the day, now we have all of those on YouTube. Celebrities come to YouTube podcasts to boost their engagement or promote their new projects, they’re not going on the morning shows anymore.
How YouTube can impact your business.
Youtube can impact your business in major ways. I’ve had this client who was trying to save his business, and we started making interviews with his previous clients. We tackled their issues and how my client’s business helped their problems. Win-win. People loved the content, and the content drove a ton of sales to the business. That’s only the tip of the iceberg. I know people who started YouTube by making cooking videos, which turned into selling their own salad dressings, then ended with selling that brand to a food conglomerate for hundreds of millions of dollars. That’s Mark Sisson. Google him.
To wrap things up, it’s clear that Denny Akpolat is more than just an editor—he’s a creative powerhouse with a deep passion for storytelling through video. His dedication to perfecting every frame and understanding the vision of top creators is what sets him apart in the industry. If you’re looking for someone who knows the ins and outs of YouTube and can bring your content to life, Denny is your guy.
Want to learn more about his work or get in touch? Head over to Denny’s website and see for yourself how he’s helping creators level up their content. Trust me, you’re in for something amazing!
Theory of YouTube 