SL Geek: On the right track | Sunday Observer

SL Geek: On the right track

22 July, 2018

His YouTube channel is just two years old and he has created the highest number of videos by a content creator during that period. He claims that he cannot properly recall why he got interested in technology related topics and gadgets. However, this YouTuber believes that this is what he is destined to do and he is on the right track. He is Pasindu Jayasinghe, the owner of the YouTube channel, ‘SL Geek’.

Out of the many YouTube channels, Pasindu’s is among the most appreciated and sought-out due to its uniqueness. Currently he is doing a BSc degree in Software Engineering. When and why he started his channel is a pretty interesting story.

When and Why did you think of making videos?

If I can remember right, I was just 12 or 13 years old when I got interested in making videos. At that time I did not even have a proper internet connection. But I loved making videos. I made videos just because I liked doing so. Although I had a channel I did not have many subscribers. I then started my blog named ‘Pariganaka Wedakaali’to write on technology related topics and got a good response. Sometime later I stopped the blog as I figured that there are things in technology we need to properly explain through a video. Then I started another YouTube channel named SL Geek. I started doing videos in English because back then most of the content was in English.

Why a YouTube channel?

The main reason for me to start the channel was because a lot of people used to contact me whenever they purchased a mobile phone or some technology related gadget. Once I started SL Geek, the subscriber count grew rapidly and I realised that I was on the right track. I continued making videos by researching on what kind of issues people face when it comes to technology. I wanted to cater to the most common problems faced by an average person. Once you teach them the basics then after that people can figure the rest. So that is what I do through my videos. I always make sure that my channel is more of an educational one and not much about reviews.

How do you choose content?

My videos are mainly based on what the viewers ask from me. More than what I like, I always try to create content on what the viewers like and a topic which I can talk about. And it has to be something educational for me as well.

The duration of my videos are mostly less than ten minutes. Because in Sri Lanka we have this issue on data. So I always try to keep it at that length. But as a content creator I will get more money if I create videos which are longer than ten minutes because then you get more advertisements. Not a lot of people know this. But I always keep in mind the issues people face when watching videos by spending so much of money on data. My main intention is to share my knowledge with others more than earning from it.

What type of content goes viral according to you? What are the most popular topics?

Talking about my videos, the ones I made about instant apps are the ones which went viral most. Out of my top five most viewed videos, three are such. Number one is the video I made about Imo which is also an instant app. Such App reviews have a good view count.

Another trending topic is - how to earn money from the Internet. I have spoken about it on my channel and it is on the top ten most viewed videos. YouTube tutorials are also among the most viewed.

How did the name, ‘SLGeek’ come about?

The term Geek might have come from one of my favourite YouTubers named Geeky Ranjit. When I watched his live videos, I always thought to myself that one day I will also be someone like him with so many responses from the viewers. When he goes live he gets 300-400 messages from his fans. And thousands of people are watching it live. I wanted the same response for my videos. I wanted a lot of people to watch my videos and in just two years I have been able to do that. I am quite happy about it.

One of the main avenues of earning money for a YouTuber is through endorsing brands and reviews. How did you get those opportunities?

At first, almost all the companies which contacted me were foreign ones. A local company contacted me to endorse/review their brands only after I passed the 50,000 subscribers mark. Until then only the foreign companies contacted me and showed interest. Depending on the path you decide to take, one can earn a reasonable amount by endorsing brands.

But you have to make sure that you choose the correct path. Affiliate marketing is another thing that YouTubers use which is quite good when considering commercial aspects.

How has things changed from the early days when you just started SL Geek?

Back then I had no one to ask about technology. It was even more difficult to find someone who knew about social media or YouTube. It was trial and error. Some things I learnt all by myself by researching about it, some I figured out from YouTube videos itself. It was actually a good learning experience for me and may be that is why I wanted to have a YouTube channel as well.

I started this with very little resources in comparison to others. I had no one to help me with the videos so I had to research and learn all that prior to making a video. With time I was able to overcome all the issues I had on making a video and now I have a good video setup.

How was the response from people around you to you doing a YouTube channel?

At first I did not tell anyone about the videos. I also did not know how to make another person understand about what a YouTube channel is. With time they realised the value of my work The response has been tremendous and that makes me going. It feels great to have good supportive people around me, especially my parents. I recently started ‘SL Geek Store’ to sell my own branded tech stuff. It is a shopping app. I have been able to explore new avenues only because of the encouragement and kind words of my viewers. I will need their endorsement in the future too. 

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