Victor Potrel, SVP of partnerships and creator services at digital first giant TheSoul Publishing has advised newcomers to YouTube to prioritise niche offerings. Speaking during a wide-ranging podcast interview with TellyCast’s Justin Crosby, Potrel advised digital first newbies: “not to be too broad to start with because it’s more difficult to compete for attention with existing if it’s a very general topic”.
While conceding that companies with large IP catalogues are a special case, he said: “YouTube has been around for 20 years, so it’s really hard to come up with a broad concept that hasn’t been done. If you go with something that is very niche, you are more likely to find your audience – and I think there are still some unexplored niches.”
Other advice included the importance of working with experienced digital-first partners and the potential to use shortform as a way to connect with audiences: “Shortform offers a different route to growth,” he said. “Because it is algorithm-based and usually feed-based, you have a chance to get discovered with this kind of format. We see shortform as a kind of trailer that allows you to build consistency over time. You can then expand into longer form instead of going straight there.”
TheSoul Publishing is a digital pioneer and now has 2bn subscribers across channels and platforms. Drilling down into the company’s own plans, Potrel said key priorities in 2025 included getting to grips with AI’s potential, exploring membership models and extending the company’s localisation strategy. He cited an example of how dubbing some content into Portuguese increased audiences by 30-40%. During the podcast he discussed the relative merits of manual localisation vs AI-powered localisation.
Among key trends, he told Crosby that he expects to see more brand channels launch. TheSoul currently works with brands like Crayola, and Potrel said this offers a new way of connecting with audiences. “Brands want to be present on these platforms because that’s where the consumers are – and engagement is very strong because it’s organic content. So it’s definitely a trend that I see continuing.”
