Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
Publish Twelve Videos and Reach 500 Subscribers
12–20 weeks (filming, editing, publishing)
Publish twelve complete videos on YouTube in your chosen niche over at least twelve weeks. Each video must be a minimum of three minutes long with deliberate editing, a clear title, a description, and a thumbnail. Grow to 500 subscribers before milestone 2.
Proof required
Submit: links to twelve published YouTube videos with publication dates spanning at least twelve weeks; a screenshot of your channel dashboard showing at least 500 subscribers; and a 100-word note on the niche and content angle — what specific audience you are trying to reach and what they get from your channel that they cannot get elsewhere.
What gets checked
- Twelve videos are published across at least twelve weeks — not twelve videos published in a single batch
- Each video is at least three minutes long with a custom thumbnail, title, and description
- Channel dashboard shows at least 500 subscribers — not total views
Common mistakes
- Publishing on an undefined niche — channels that try to cover everything attract no specific audience
- Uploading twelve videos with auto-generated thumbnails and no descriptions — discoverability requires metadata
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Do twelve videos span at least twelve weeks — not a batch upload?
- Does each video have a custom thumbnail, title, and description?
- Does the channel dashboard show at least 500 subscribers?
Implement a Growth Strategy and Reach 3,000 Subscribers
4–12 months (after milestone 1)
Implement at least two active growth strategies beyond publishing — cross-promotion with other creators, collaborations, consistent posting schedule, SEO-optimised titles and descriptions, or community engagement. Document what worked and what didn't. Reach 3,000 subscribers.
Proof required
Submit: a channel dashboard screenshot showing at least 3,000 subscribers; a 200-word growth analysis documenting at least two strategies tried with specific actions and estimated subscriber impact of each; and a YouTube Analytics screenshot showing average view duration above 40% across the last 10 videos.
What gets checked
- 3,000 subscribers on the channel dashboard
- Growth analysis names specific actions for each strategy — not 'I posted consistently' but what specific schedule and how many posts
- Average view duration above 40% across the last 10 videos — subscribers who do not watch are not an engaged audience
Common mistakes
- Buying subscribers or using follow-for-follow schemes — these inflate the count without building an actual audience
- Optimising for subscriber count without tracking watch time — a 10,000 subscriber channel with 15% view duration is not growing
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Does the channel dashboard show at least 3,000 subscribers?
- Does the growth analysis name specific actions for each strategy with estimated impact?
- Does the Analytics screenshot show average view duration above 40% across the last 10 videos?
Reach 10,000 Subscribers with a Public Channel Retrospective
1–2 years (after milestone 2)
Grow the channel to 10,000 subscribers. Maintain average view duration above 40%. Write a public retrospective (at least 600 words) documenting the channel growth from zero to 10k — what content worked at different stages, what growth channels scaled, and what you would do differently starting over.
Proof required
Submit: a channel dashboard screenshot showing at least 10,000 subscribers; a YouTube Analytics screenshot showing average view duration above 40% across the last 10 videos; and a link to or the text of a public retrospective (at least 600 words) covering the growth journey.
What gets checked
- 10,000 subscribers on the channel dashboard
- Average view duration above 40% across the last 10 videos
- Retrospective is specific about what content and channels worked at which stages — not 'consistency and value'
Common mistakes
- Reaching 10k by purchasing subscribers or using automated schemes — these produce channels with sub-10% view duration
- Retrospective that attributes growth to generic advice rather than specific content and channel decisions
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Does the channel dashboard show at least 10,000 subscribers?
- Is average view duration above 40%?
- Read the retrospective: does it name specific content types and growth channels at different stages?
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