Most people start a channel by picking video topics.

We start by picking the one keyword the entire channel gets built around.

Get that wrong, and every video after it pulls in the wrong audience.

Here's what we'll cover today:

And if you want us to position your channel for you, book a call here →

Before you plan a single video, pick the keyword the whole channel stands on.

Run your niche through vidIQ and pull the search volume for every angle you could target.

Anchor your top-of-funnel around the highest-volume keyword that still speaks to your ICP.

Then tier the rest. Broad and high-volume up top, specific and buyer-intent for your middle and bottom of funnel.

Most people pick video topics one at a time.

We pick the keyword the channel is built around first then everything hangs off it.

Get this step wrong and every video attracts the wrong viewer, no matter how good it is.

The framework is simple.

TOF = broad, high-volume keywords.

MOF/BOF = specific, buyer-intent keywords.

This way, you know exactly what keywords to use in every video title

We onboarded a client targeting accounting firms.

He had three ways to position:

So we ran it through vidIQ.

"Bookkeeping" and "accountants" had the highest search volume

So those become the top-of-funnel anchors, right alongside AI automation.

Then "accounting firms" and "firms" become the middle-of-funnel, case-study-driven content aimed at buyers.

Simply because the search volume was about 10x lower but the intent is likely 10x higher as well, since it’s his direct ICP

The second client is a UGC platform (a SaaS) so the ICP is wider.

In this case, we are looking for a few different keywords. We’re looking for:

And from the jump, we could tell there was a clear difference between the three.

UGC creator was attracting more biz op type of audiences, whereas influencer marketing was clear on the brand of play

This means that we can use influencer marketing for the more middle-funnel topics, whereas for UGC creators, we need to find a way to weave that into higher-level concepts without attracting the wrong people.

What I mean by that is, instead of saying "how to become a UGC creator,"

It's something like "how to never hire a UGC creator again."

We're targeting the same keyword, but two completely different audiences

→ Book a free strategy call here» and we'll map out your content system

→ Check out my YouTube channel where I break down this stuff in more depth here»

→ Access our 50+ page guide on how to find YouTube ideas that actually generate leads here»

Talk soon,

Braden