YouTube Isn’t Social, It’s Search: Build A Channel That Wins Like JD Sports’ (With 0-500k Subscriber Credentials)

18/06/2025 35 min Temporada 2 Episodio 7

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Episode Synopsis

YouTube has been around for nearly two decades. So, why are most brands still so bad at it?For this chat, Paul & Verity sit down with Chloe McCullough (YouTube Lead @ JD Sports & consultant to brands like SheerLuxe) to ask what building a real brand channel looks like.From scrapping paid media to focusing on organic reach, from creator-first strategies to serialized formats that cut through; Chloe’s taken JD from a confused content mix to a media powerhouse. In this episode, LIVE from the Brand Advocacy Summit: London, she lays out exactly how she did it.What you'll learn:Why YouTube Isn’t A Social Channel – And how brands should treat it instead. Chloe explains how its long-form depth, search behaviours, and retention-led success mean it plays by totally different rules.How JD Built Hit Series, Like ‘The Masked Rapper’, That Scaled Reach & Community – Replicating TV-style content can create cost-effective, bingeable formats that grow your channel.Why Most YouTube Strategies Fail –  Hint: they’re borrowed from TikTok. Hear what marketers get wrong when they treat Shorts like other short-form, and ignore long-form fundamentals.What Metrics Actually Matter – Learn how to read them like a strategist, so you can optimise your thumbnails, titles, and audience retention with clarity.When Creators Are Worth The Budget – And what to do if yours isn’t huge.Why Thumbnails, Titles & SEO Aren’t Afterthoughts – They are the strategy. See how Chloe tests & tweaks to unlock consistent growth, even before you’ve built an audience.This episode isn’t about gaming the algorithm. It’s about building an audience that stays.Chapters00:00 – Why Brands Still Don’t Get YouTube02:50 – What Makes a Brand Channel Actually Work05:42 – YouTube SEO, Community & Creator Thinking13:41 – Titles, Thumbnails & the 1% Rule15:07 – Serialized Content: Why It Cuts Cost & Builds Audience19:40 – Shorts Strategy & What Drives Real Growth23:33 – Community Building & Sentiment Shifts at JD26:40 – The 3 YouTube Metrics That Actually MatterRate & review Building Brand Advocacy:Apple PodcastsSpotifyConnect with Chloe:On LinkedInOn JD Sports’ YouTubeSubscribe to Chloe’s Newsletter

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