I want to give a very special thanks to Darren at Judventures for writing this wonderful article for us to host on the site.
Hi, I’m Darren — the face behind a small but passionate brand called Judventures. While I primarily create content on YouTube, you’ll also find me on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Over the past few years, I’ve been working hard to grow as a theme park content creator, but it hasn’t been easy.
There’s no shortage of advice out there from YouTube gurus promising growth tips for smaller channels. But more often than not, that advice feels repetitive — and typically only applies to specific “sit-down” style niches like tech reviews, tutorials, or commentary channels.
In my own niche — which, honestly, I’m still figuring out — things work very differently. The closest I can come to describing it would be a mix of theme parks, attractions, travel, and general adventure… basically, a nerd channel for curious minds and thrill-seekers.
So instead of rehashing the same advice you’ve probably heard a hundred times, I want to share some of the real lessons I’ve learned — the things I truly wish I knew when I started this journey. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been grinding for a while, I hope this helps you feel seen, supported, and maybe even a little better prepared for the road ahead.
Amazing, but Hard Work!
Being a theme park content creator (or any content creator for that matter) is incredible — if you’re lucky enough to do it full-time, it really can feel like a dream job. But make no mistake, it’s far from easy. It involves thousands of miles on the road, countless hours of planning, organising, editing into the early hours of the morning, engaging with your audience, and constantly promoting across multiple social platforms, you never really get to turn off.
For some, like myself, that’s often on top of a full-time job, family responsibilities, and personal health challenges. This isn’t always the case. Some people have it easier, yet some have it much harder — but for everyone, it’s a huge commitment.
YouTube has genuinely been one of the best things that’s ever happened to me, but if you’re thinking about being a theme park content creator or taking it seriously, don’t go into it expecting an easy ride. It’s a high-effort path that demands almost all of your spare time and energy.
Replace the Word Algorithm with Audience
There is an algorithm — but not in the way most people think. I see a lot of creators say, “The algorithm hates me,” and while that might be true in very rare cases, the reality is much simpler: the algorithm is driven by people.
If YouTube isn’t promoting your video, it’s probably because it showed your video to a small test group — and those viewers just didn’t click, watch, or engage the way you’d hoped. So the platform didn’t push it any further.
It’s not about beating the algorithm. It’s about connecting with people. Stop thinking in terms of “how to hack the system,” and start thinking in terms of your audience. What will make them want to click? What will make them stay and watch even longer? That’s the real key to growth.
Subscribers aren’t as Important as you Think
Subscribers might look impressive — but in reality, they’re a vanity metric. Having a million subs doesn’t mean your videos will get views. It’s actually the other way around: you earn a million subs because people are consistently watching your content.
The three most important metrics on YouTube are click-through rate, watch time, and engagement. If people are clicking your video, watching most of it, and taking the time to like or comment, YouTube will keep pushing it. That’s how you grow — and that’s how you gain valuable subscribers.
Trust me, I have videos that hit thousands of view when I had a less than 100 subscribers, and now I have over 2,200 subscribers, I’ll have videos that barely hit 300 views, the reality is, my videos that hit those small view number, likely just weren’t good enough, and no amount of subscribers will change that fact.
Engaged subscribers are gold. But having a large number of inactive or disinterested subs can actually hurt your channel’s performance. Which brings me to my next point…
Use YouTube Promotions with Caution
As tempting as it might be, do not treat YouTube Promote as a shortcut to gaining subscribers. I see more and more creators falling into this trap. Technically, it’s not buying subs — since it’s YouTube’s own tool — but the outcome is often just as damaging.
Sure, your promoted video might rack up thousands of views. You might even see a spike in subscribers. But look deeper and you’ll see most of those views will have a watch time of just 2–3 seconds, and the video is unlikely to grow organically once the promotion ends.
Why? Because the subscribers you gain from promotion are usually unengaged or even worse, bots. They won’t watch your future content, and that’s a real problem. Remember how YouTube tests your videos by first showing them to a sample audience? Well this includes a good chunk of your existing subs? If those subs don’t click or watch, YouTube assumes your video isn’t worth pushing further, and it dies before it even has a chance.
So in chasing quick wins, you might actually be damaging your long-term growth. Focus on building an engaged audience — not just a bigger number of subscribers.
Why would YouTube off the service if it’s that broken and how do you even know all this is true?
Well, that’s because I made the mistake myself.
Back when YouTube Promote was still new and no one really understood the risks, I gave it a go. I spent just £10 on a promoted video — and for the next two nights, right at midnight, that video received around 1,500 views and about 100 new subscribers each night. Sounds great on the surface, right? It sure does, but it doesn’t really sound organic does it!
Here’s the reality: The average watch time was about 2 seconds on the video I promoted, there was virtually no engagement at all, and the video never grew organically beyond the promotion.
Worse still, those subscribers? Completely unengaged, and most not even from countries whose native language was the same as my own. It hurt my channel badly. It took me over a year to recover — to see these bot subs drop off, see my stats level out and finally start building an audience that actually cared about my content, but despite it getting better, I still feel the damage it did with every video I post.
Trust me when I say: it’s not worth it. The short-term numbers might feel exciting, but the long-term damage is real. And yes — people are still doing it. Once you know the signs, it’s not hard to spot.
Obviously there are exceptions to this. YouTube promote will likely work wonders for business’s selling products rather than looking for views, and in the hands of a proper advertising and marketing agency, where ads can be properly targeted by professionals, it might work wonders, but expect to pay top dollar to access help from these professionals.
Not something that’s really viable for a theme park content creator YouTube channel or any Youtube channel unless you are seeing hundreds of thousands and views per day.
Failure is a Big Part of the Journey
“Why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.”, Thomas Wayne
I’m pretty sure Bruce Wayne didn’t have his own YouTube channel, but if he did, his dad’s advice would still be perfect, because the truth is, no matter how hard you try, you will fail — and you’ll fail a lot. That’s just part of the journey.
Success on YouTube takes time, consistency, and more than a little luck. But the road there is paved with setbacks, missteps, and videos that just don’t land. And that’s okay.
Those failures? They’re not wasted. They’re lessons. Every stumble helps you understand what doesn’t work — and that insight is what shapes better content down the line. So don’t fear the failures. Embrace them. Learn from them. They’re part of the process that leads to real growth.
Be Original
Yeah, I get it — that’s easier said than done in such a saturated market. So let’s reframe it: just be yourself.
When I first started, I got all sorts of comments. People said I was trying to be the next Theme Park Worldwide, that I wanted to copy Your Experience Guide, and — my personal favourite — that I was a “pound shop version of Lift Hills and Thrills.”, I’m sure it was meant as an insult, but honestly, it’s such a good line I kind of love it, and hey look where we are now!
But you know what? When I really looked at my content, there was probably some truth to it. I wasn’t copying anyone directly, but I was learning by watching others. And naturally, bits of their style crept into what I was doing. That’s normal when you’re starting out, but you’ve got to be self aware enough to know when you’ve stopped being you.
It wasn’t until I stopped trying to figure out how I should act and just started leaning into who I really am — a nerdy, occasionally grumpy, slightly offensive old bloke — that things started to click. That’s when the engagement came. That’s when people started to connect.
It’s absolutely fine to be inspired by others — just don’t lose yourself in the process. Let your personality shine. Be who you are, not who you think YouTube or other people want you to be.
The Internet isn’t Always a Nice Place – Expect Some Negative Behaviour
You’re going to meet a lot of people on this journey — some will be incredible, supportive, and genuine. But many won’t be.
The reality is, when you put yourself out there to reach as many people as possible, not everyone will have your best interests at heart. And trust me, people are rarely who they first appear to be. You’d be shocked at how some of the friendliest faces can make the nastiest moves behind the scenes.
So are you ready for this?
- To have your posts and stories screen-capped and shared in toxic online groups
- To see fake conversations created with AI or message generators to make you look bad
- To have people smile to your face while turning others against you in private
- To know there are entire forums thousands of pages deep dedicated to dragging down creators in this niche
It’s brutal. And it can seriously affect your mental health if you’re not prepared. I don’t say this as hearsay, these are first hand actions I’ve witnessed and people would be surprised by the individuals responsible.
If you’re planning to become a content creator, go in with your eyes wide open. Build that thick skin. Protect your peace. Because alongside the joy, creativity, and opportunity — there’s a darker side too. And you need to be ready for it.
But… Some People Are Amazing
That said, it’s not all doom and gloom — far from it.
Because just as you’ll meet some awful people, you’ll also meet some of the most incredible ones too. In fact, it’s often a complete mirror image of what I’ve just saide. Some creators who may seem distant or standoffish at first? They might turn out to be the kindest, most genuine, and trustworthy people you’ll ever meet.
There are a number of people I now proudly call friends — not just fellow creators, but true companions. They’ve supported me both creatively and personally. They’ll stay up chatting with you at 3am when you need advice. They’ll call you out when you’re wrong — but always with respect and honesty. They’ll cheer you on, pick you up when things feel heavy, and tell you the truth even when it’s hard to hear, some might even let you host articles on their websites.
Yes, the darker side of the creator space is real — and it’s important to be aware of it. But don’t let that scare you off. Because one of the absolute best things content creation has given me… is them. The people & the friendships, those things are priceless.
In Summary
I’m not claiming to be some YouTube oracle — if I was, I’d probably be a lot further along than I am. But what I wanted to share are the very real lessons I’ve learned along the way.
Things I wish I’d known when I started this journey — not just to help me reach the right audience faster, but to be mentally prepared for how tough content creation can really be, especially when you’re doing it day in, day out and not necessarily seeing an instant return on your hard work.
I’m certainly no expert. I’m just someone who’s living in this space, surfing the highs, and crashing through the lows, and everything else in between.
And I hope that in some way, this real and raw look at theme park content creation from someone who’s still going through the same experience as you all, might just help.
