YouTube consultant vs agency vs channel manager
Three kinds of help, three different jobs. Here is what each one does, when each one fits, and how to figure out which one you actually need.
A consultant tells you what to do and why, and builds the system. An agency does the work for you. A channel manager keeps the day-to-day running. The right pick depends on what you're missing: direction, hands, or time.
YouTube consultant
Strategy, diagnosis and creative direction. Audits the channel, fixes the packaging, shapes the format and topics, and gives feedback on videos. Your team or editor makes the videos.
YouTube agency
Production and execution, often end to end: scripting, filming, editing, thumbnails and uploads. Less work for you, but the know-how tends to stay with them.
Channel manager
Operations. Uploads, scheduling, descriptions, community and keeping the calendar on track. Great when the strategy is already set.
A mix of them
Plenty of channels use more than one. A consultant can set the direction that an agency or manager then carries out.
Pick a consultant if...
You already have someone making videos (a team, an editor, or yourself) and the results aren't matching the effort. Or you're starting a channel and want the strategy right before you spend on production.
Pick an agency if...
You have no one in-house to make videos and want them made for you. Ask who sets the strategy, and how they'll know what to change when a video underperforms.
Pick a channel manager if...
You know what to make and it's working, but uploads, scheduling and the admin around them are eating your time.
Use a consultant alongside the others if...
You're paying an agency or manager and want someone who knows YouTube to check the creative before it goes out.
Do we know why our videos are or aren't working?
If not, you need a diagnosis first. That's consultant work.
Who is going to make the videos?
If the honest answer is nobody, you need production help, from an agency or from hiring.
Do we want to own the know-how?
If you want your team to be able to run YouTube on its own one day, build the system with a consultant rather than renting it.
Is the bottleneck ideas, quality or time?
Ideas and quality point to a consultant. Time points to a manager or more hands.
I'm a consultant and creative director. I lead the creative and build the system: channel audits, packaging strategy, content and production strategy, and ongoing creative direction. No editing is included in any plan. I work with your team or editor, or help you hire and manage one. For bigger builds I work as a showrunner or executive producer.
Inside a company, that looks like ArcadeCloud at Omnia Media, where I built the channel from scratch and managed the animators and creators as it grew from 200K to more than 1 million subscribers.
David Alvareeezy
What is the difference between a YouTube consultant and a YouTube agency?
What does a YouTube channel manager do?
Can we use a consultant and an agency together?
Do you make the videos?
Which one is right for a business that is new to YouTube?
How to choose a YouTube consultant
What to look for, the questions to ask on a first call, and the red flags.
YouTube channel audit checklist
A self-check for packaging, retention, topics and strategy.
YouTube strategy for small businesses
A plain-English playbook for companies new to YouTube.
Not sure what kind of help you need?
Send a note about your business or channel and what you want YouTube to do. I'll tell you honestly what I'd do first.
matt@cobuzio.com