Dan Vineberg is a travel video creator from Canada. His popular YouTube channel, The New Travel, has been viewed 11 million times and has over 100,000 subscribers. More than anything, Dan believes that the world is full of kind, generous people who are proud of their countries.

Traction: Dan initially used his vlogging as a way to add videos to his travel blog so that he could have better content. When he realized that his videos were starting to perform better than his blog, he realized that there might be something there. He started to focus strictly on his vlogging and honed in on the content, the commentary, and the quality of the videos. That focus in combination with regular and consistent updates allowed for his channel to get to his first 1000 subscribers, but that took about a year. The improvements made to his videos and content really helped him get there. 

Growth: By the time that Dan got to his first 1000 subscribers, he was doing a lot of the same things that he does today — provide regular, quality content that is usually around 10 minutes of useful information. There were two things that really caused a spike in his growth, however. He started answering questions on YouTube, meaning that he started providing guides, bullet point videos, or summaries of locations. Those videos helped get his channel on the map because he started providing a lot of value to his viewers. Second, Dan achieved local resonance and virality, which gave him an incredible viewer base. He did this by highlighting something that locals were already passionate about, but that was rarely covered — Chapultepec park. He became the champion of that park for locals of Mexico City, because he brought to light something that they already knew, they had a hidden gem. By tapping into something that was present, but not shared, he tapped into the emotions of the Mexican people in Mexico City, and his videos started to go viral. 

Income: Dan didn’t make his first money until about a year after he started, and even when he did, it was very minimal. He had to wait a few more years before it actually became something substantial. When it did, however, it got him to the point where he could live full time on that income. It started with ads from YouTube, but he found that income to be too unpredictable, so he opened himself up to other sorts of income streams. Around that time, a brand approached him to do branded partnerships, where he features products in his videos. They haven’t all worked out swimmingly, however, but they have created a new stream of consistent income. Now, Dan will make sure to alternate between branded and un-branded vidoes for his audience’s sake. The takeaway here, though, is that you don’t always have to wait to approach companies to propose branded sponsorships. Dan ended up being targeted because of his audience, but ultimately, you can target brands yourself that you think would be beneficial for both parties.