case study | Jordan Schwarzenberger
broadcasters assume that success on YouTube can simply be manufactured with production budgets and TV thinking. “TV came from a captive audience,” he says. “You’d put content out and people would find it. That’s not how this works.” He sees YouTube as fundamentally different from traditional media because audiences expect a two-way relationship rather than a one-way broadcast. “Media 1.0 was one-way,” he says. “Media 2.0 is relationship-driven.” That explains why many brand deals still feel awkward online. Schwarzenberger has spent a number of years balancing the tension between editorial integrity and commercial partnerships, first in publishing and now in creator culture. “The most effective partnerships come from finding the sweet spot between what’s best for the audience and what’s best for the brand,” he says. Too often, brands still approach creators with outdated expectations. “Some briefs are terrible,” he laughs. “You instantly know it’s not going to work. Viewers can sense inauthenticity, especially younger audiences raised on Viewers can sense inauthenticity, especially younger audiences
While that sounds exhausting, Schwarzenberger believes it also creates opportunity. “YouTube is a relationship with your audience,” he continues. “That should be obvious, but people still miss it.” That relationship-first thinking sits at the centre of everything he and Arcade build around the Sidemen. The group’s enormous scale did not happen overnight. “They’ve served their audience for years for free,” he says. “There have been Sidemen Sundays since 2018 and they’ve barely missed one.” Consistency matters more than people realise. “The wealth creators have is a product of the relationship they’ve nurtured over time,” he says. “You become a business after that relationship exists. Not before.” The sweet spot That’s one reason Schwarzenberger becomes frustrated when traditional
creator-led media. And British creators especially hate selling things,” he says. “There isn’t naturally that expectation from audiences.” That means creators increasingly need to think like media companies – protecting audience trust while still building sustainable businesses. “My role is to find the sweet spot,” he says. “The creator understands the commercial goal and the brand needs something out of it. But you have to respect the audience.” Ten years in the making For newer creators, Schwarzenberger believes the biggest mistake is viewing YouTube as a money-making opportunity. “YouTube is a ten-year journey,” he says. “Everyone I know who has done really well has probably been doing it for around a decade.” He points to MrBeast, who made hundreds of videos before anything meaningful happened. “I think it was like 450 videos before it started working,” he says. “The creators who survive long enough to succeed are usually driven by
Jordan’s rules for winning at YouTube
Think multi-platform, not single uploads Build relationships before businesses Consistency beats occasional perfection Passion survives burnout Followers matter less than audience interest AI makes authenticity more valuable Start now, improve later
From all angles For podcasts, face- to-face interviews should be part of a strategy to grow both your audience and influence
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July/August 2026
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