Last Updated on April 20, 2026 by Kari
I’ve taken a LONG break from my websites to try and succeed on YouTube, among other things. I won’t say it’s a waste of time, but I will say that it feels damn near impossible to have any type of big success on YouTube… at least in the niches I’ve tried. And I’ve tried a lot of niches!
The One Niche That’s Kind Of Worked For Me
The only niche that has worked for me on YouTube is the court niche. This is where you focus on trials and live court and post videos either with commentary or text.
I had one channel that did very well on the Darrell Brooks trial. I was so interested in that trial and started a YouTube channel focusing on his stupidity and narcissism, among other things, and it got thousands of views every hour when I would put up a new post. Other people were as interested in the trial as I was, so it was easy to get the views, comments, followers, and monetization.
Once the trial was over, I had a very hard time getting any kind of interest like that again. It was during a time when I needed to make money, so I sold the YouTube Channel on Flippa and started focusing on other things.
I had made another channel, Misconduct Chronicles, focused on misconduct through live trials and court, but life caught up to me and I had to get an offline job for a few years. Once I focused back on it in 2024, I had some breakout videos, got the subscribers, and got monetized after a year. BUT, it’s been a long haul to get to 2.38k subscribers, and I’ve only made $670,73 for the year so far, which isn’t enough to justify it as a job.
5 Things I’ve Learned Being On YouTube For Years
All that said, here are 5 things I’ve learned being on YouTube.
1. Sensational Content Hits Hard
People are not as interested in everyday content as they are sensational content. They want drama, ‘Karen’ content, life or death, fighting, and shocking content.
I haven’t published that too much. When I do get a video that is somewhat shocking, it does well.
Moreover, sensational titles get clicks, which is why I’m not doing as well as people who started a month ago. They are willing to put up clickbait titles that are shocking. I’m not so inclined. When I do try, I get the clicks, but I get called out for it every time. And I don’t like the exaggerated titles or the criticism.
I wish I could find sensational content every day, but I can barely find one every month, so it’s hard for me.
2. Timing Matters More Than Effort
One thing I’ve noticed is that when you post matters just as much as what you post.
During the Darrell Brooks trial, I wasn’t just posting shocking content. I was posting at the exact time people were searching for it. The demand was already there.
When there’s a live case or something trending, people are actively looking for updates, reactions, and clips. If you can get something up quickly, even if it’s simple, it can outperform something you spent hours on.
But when there’s no big case happening, and you don’t have a lot of subscribers, it feels like a waste of time. You can put out a great video and it just sits there.
That’s been one of the hardest parts.
3. Titles And Packaging Are Half The Game
I used to think the video itself mattered most. It does, but not in the way I thought.
If the title and thumbnail don’t get the click, no one even sees the video. I think all the videos I post are interesting, but if no one clicks through, it doesn’t do me any good.
I’ve seen channels grow quickly just because they understand how to package a moment. They take something simple and frame it in a way that makes you NEED to click.
I struggle with this because I don’t like misleading people. But there’s a difference between lying and highlighting the most compelling part of what actually happened.
When I lean into that, my videos do better. When I don’t, they don’t.
4. Consistency Beats Motivation
There were times I posted regularly and times I disappeared completely. Every time I stopped and then tried starting again, it felt like starting over from the beginning.
YouTube doesn’t reward bursts of effort. It rewards consistency over time.
Even one video a day, or a few per week, adds up. Especially in the court niche where there’s always something happening somewhere.
The problem is staying consistent when the results aren’t immediate. It’s so frustrating. I can’t even explain how defeating it feels to spend hours a day working on something that yields little results. That’s where most of the struggle comes in. It makes you want to quit, and when you stop, the circle starts all over again.
5. The Niche Works… But It Needs A System
The court niche does work. I’ve seen it work firsthand.
But it’s not enough to wait for big, obvious cases like Darrell Brooks. Those are rare.
The real opportunity is in finding smaller moments that still have strong reactions. Arguments, attitude, entitlement, emotional outbursts, or anything that makes people feel something.
The creators who are doing well in this space aren’t just lucky. They’ve built a system to find those moments quickly and turn them into content consistently.
That’s the part I’m still working on. Even after two years of trying. It’s just not something I’ve gotten down.
It’s like my brain can’t come up with a plan for it.
I’m Going To Keep Trying, But I’m Going Back To My Biggest Passion
I’m just not breaking out as a leader in the niche. There’s so many new channels that are focused on old, but sensational content, and they are doing well. I can’t bring myself to do that because rehashing stuff doesn’t interest me.
So in the meantime, I’m going to revive this blog and do what I’m MOST passionate about. I love reviewing and writing, and I’ve been so focused on my channel that I haven’t been doing anything on this blog.
In fact, someone stole all my content because I even let my old domain go and, since I haven’t been posting, they figured they could snatch it and upload all my content on it. And Google hasn’t helped shut them down yet.
ANYWAYS…
One hardship after the other with the online game, and yet I’m still here, still trying, because in the end I love doing it.
