Ludwig makes secret YouTube channel to prove internet stardom is “99% skill”

“Is success on YouTube mostly luck or skill?” Twitch star Ludwig asked himself that question and put it to the test, making a secret YouTube channel to try and prove that internet stardom is “99% skill” ⁠— and his tactics worked (with a bit of luck).

Becoming a YouTube star like MrBeast, PewDiePie, or even a top streamer like Pokimane or xQc requires a healthy dose of luck, right? While quality content is a big plus, you can still create amazing videos and still only get a fraction of the views.

So, Ludwig set out on a quest to answer the question: “Is success on YouTube mostly luck or mostly skill?”

Jimmy ‘MrBeast’ Donaldson, who Ludwig consulted at the start of his project, believes it’s skill. And if he has a YouTube empire with over 100 million combined subscribers, his word has some weight to it.

“It’s 99% skill. If you know what you’re doing, you could do that [make a big channel],” he said.

Ludwig started a fresh YouTube channel to try and hit 1,000 views in 24 hours to prove his point, outlining his process in a November 5 upload.

He did set some rules: He couldn’t use his face or voice ⁠— they’d be too closely tied to him. He had to get a bit creative, hiring a voice actor on Fiverr to read out a script he wrote, and then an editor to put together the video.

However, the Twitch star knew what he needed to do. He chose a topic he knows well ⁠(streaming, of course), and found the most engaging way to get people hooked. Who better than Mizkif for a bit of classic content?

• Read More: How does MrBeast make money? 

“The reason I did it on Mizkif is because I have a decent amount of knowledge on this so I’m speaking as an authority,” Ludwig said.

I also know one thing about streamers and it’s the same thing that got me to sell merch using TTS before ⁠— they have huge, inflated egos.

“If I somehow get this video uploaded and get Mizkif to click on it, he’ll probably watch it. If I can get Mizkif to watch this in front of 45,000 people, then I think that’s a win.”

After he got the three-minute video back, he uploaded it onto the new Online Lore channel, using some basic branding to polish up the channel. He pushed it on Mizkif’s subreddit and even donated to Mizkif’s stream to watch the video ⁠— waiting until he just ran out of content to ship it.

Mizkif was hooked by Ludwig’s $50 donation, despite the chat calling it ‘self promotion’ because it had 22 views, and watched it in front of thousands.

He was pleased too, and knew the guy behind Online Lore wasn’t new to the content rodeo: “You don’t even have any other videos dude. You know what you’re doing.”

By the time Ludwig posted his YouTube video about the saga, the Online Lore video had over 11,000 views ⁠— including 30% generated from “the algorithm,” so it wasn’t all Mizkif.

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It’s now sitting at 68,000 views, and the channel is pushing 10,000 subscribers.

“I’m really happy with it. Once this video [Ludwig’s one] goes out, I’m sure it’ll end up with 100k views. It kind of got a little out of hand, but I really believe in this video. It’s not millions [of views], it’s not enough to go full time, but it’s better than 95% of YouTube videos uploaded,” Ludwig said.

“All it came down to was good content, good thumbnailing, good titling, and admittedly, a good way of getting it in front of people who are interested in this type of content.

“This could feasibly be done with anyone for just $50 [for promotion].”

Of course, now that it’s known Ludwig is behind the channel, it’s going to explode. Not only that, but Ludwig had some pretty close knowledge about Mizkif and his stream. However, the points about being engaging and creative still ring true.

Finally, if you think Ludwig is going to leave the Online Lore channel to rot now, think again: He is considering keeping it alive, so be on the lookout for more “Ludwig” content there.