Most companies fail on YouTube because they treat it like a hobby—not a strategy.
They post irregularly. They use the channel as a dumping ground for repurposed webinars or TV ads. And they cross their fingers, hoping something goes viral. Spoiler: it doesn’t.
But when YouTube works? It really works. Channels become acquisition engines. Brand reach expands. Sales grow. And behind nearly every success story is one underappreciated role: the YouTube Strategist.
In this article, we’ll break down what a YouTube strategist actually does, why this role is a cornerstone of effective content marketing, and how you can hire or become one yourself. Along the way, we’ll touch on the skills required, salary expectations, and what separates the best strategists from the rest.
Why YouTube Still Gets Treated Like an Afterthought
Let’s be honest—YouTube is often misunderstood by companies.
It gets lumped in with "social media," so it’s passed off to the social team. Or it’s treated like a storage space for old videos. That’s like treating your homepage as a Dropbox folder. And when there’s no clear strategy, results don’t come. Cue the “YouTube doesn’t work for us” narrative.
In reality, the businesses thriving on YouTube aren’t lucky. They’re strategic. And somewhere in the background—whether it’s a full-time employee, a freelance consultant, or a scrappy founder moonlighting as one—there’s someone playing the role of YouTube channel strategist.
What a YouTube Strategist Actually Does
A YouTube strategist is the architect of your channel’s growth. They connect dots across business goals, audience insights, creative planning, and performance data to ensure your videos do what they’re supposed to do: drive meaningful results.
Their work typically follows a full-stack cycle:
Research → Strategy → Planning → Production → Distribution → Analysis → Optimization
Let’s break it down.
1. Research, Strategy & Planning
The first job of a strategist? Audit what’s already there.
Which videos are performing best?
Where are viewers dropping off?
What does your audience care about—and what are your competitors doing better?
They use tools like TubeBuddy, VidIQ, Ahrefs, and YouTube Studio, as well as SEO data and analytics platforms, to gather insights. But the key skill isn’t just data collection—it’s turning those insights into strategy.
A good YouTube content strategist will map your content calendar to your business goals. Maybe you need search-driven videos to generate leads. Maybe you're building brand affinity at the top of the funnel. Maybe you're doing both. Either way, your strategist should tell you what content to make, how often, and why.
They also make sure YouTube isn’t working in a silo. That means collaborating with content marketing, paid media, email, and even product teams to maximize impact across the entire funnel.
2. Production & Distribution
Strategy without execution is just talk. So once the plan’s in place, the strategist shifts to production and publishing.
They:
Coordinate writers, editors, and videographers
Create briefs and approve scripts
Build out workflows to batch filming or outsource editing
Ensure every video supports a strategic objective
They’re not always the ones behind the camera—but they own the content from concept to upload.
A great YouTube channel strategist is also distribution-minded. They know how to optimize thumbnails, titles, tags, and descriptions. They ensure videos go live at the right time, with the right hooks, and the right CTAs. And increasingly, they repurpose long-form videos into Shorts, Reels, or clips for newsletters and social posts.
3. Tracking, Reporting & Optimization
Finally, the strategist closes the loop with data.
They track performance using YouTube Studio and third-party tools, analyzing:
Click-through rate (CTR)
Average view duration
Retention curves
Suggested vs. search traffic
Viewer demographics
Revenue attribution (if applicable)
Advanced strategists build dashboards or use automation tools like Make or Zapier to track performance at scale. They also use qualitative signals—like audience comments and engagement spikes—to guide editorial changes.
And then? They rinse and repeat. A channel without iteration is a stagnant one.
Where Do YouTube Strategists Sit in a Team?
This is where things get interesting—and sometimes political.
In small teams, the YouTube strategist may be a freelancer or marketing generalist. In larger orgs, they might sit on the content team, brand team, or growth team. In our view, the most effective YouTube strategist roles sit at the intersection of brand and performance.
They need the long-term mindset of brand marketing, the experimentation mindset of a performance team, and the editorial chops of a content leader. It’s a hybrid role that bridges video production with strategic planning—and ideally, they’re empowered to own the results.
In a startup setting, we often see the YouTube strategist wear multiple hats. But as the channel scales, so should the team around it—videographers, editors, even producers or content writers focused solely on scripting and repurposing.
The strategist remains the conductor.
What Makes a Great YouTube Strategist?
If you’re hiring for this role—or considering becoming one—here are the traits that matter most:
🧠 Strategic Thinking
This isn’t just about uploading content. It’s about tying video content to growth objectives, and communicating that vision across teams and stakeholders.
📊 Data Literacy
You don’t need to be a data scientist. But you must know your way around retention graphs, CTR benchmarks, and funnel metrics—and what to do when numbers drop.
✍️ Editorial Judgment
Strong strategists have a nose for content. They understand narrative. They know how to package a title and hook a viewer. They get what’s interesting—and what’s not.
🧩 Technical Familiarity
While you don’t need to edit or shoot yourself, a basic understanding of editing tools (like Descript, CapCut, or Adobe), CMS platforms, and tagging best practices is essential.
🧰 Tool Fluency
Top strategists use tools like:
TubeBuddy or VidIQ for competitor research
Ahrefs or SEMrush for keyword insights
Google Sheets + scripts for workflow automation
Descript, Restream, Make, and more
They might even build custom GPTs or use AI tools for scripting, title testing, and data prep.
What Does a YouTube Strategist Salary Look Like?
It depends on geography, company size, and whether the role is in-house or freelance. Here's a rough snapshot:
Location | Avg. Salary (USD) |
|---|---|
San Francisco | $125,000 |
New York | $115,000 |
London | $90,000 |
Berlin | $75,000 |
Toronto | $85,000 |
Sydney | $95,000 |
Freelancers often charge day rates between $400–$1,000 depending on scope.
Many companies start with a part-time YouTube strategist consultant before bringing the role in-house full-time once ROI is proven.
Why YouTube Strategy Is Non-Negotiable
If you're still wondering whether this role is overkill, consider this:
Would you run a paid search campaign with no strategy?
Would you build a homepage with no copywriter?
Would you launch a new product without a plan?
Exactly.
So why would you treat a channel with the reach and influence of YouTube like a side project?
Investing in a YouTube strategist isn’t just about growing your subscriber count. It’s about creating a sustainable, evergreen growth engine that serves your brand 24/7.
When I tried to do it all—strategy, scripting, editing, promotion—I was overwhelmed and ineffective. But when I focused on strategy and let a team handle execution, everything changed. Our results multiplied. We built momentum. We saw revenue tied directly to the channel.
And that’s the point. YouTube isn’t magic—but with the right person steering the ship, it’s one of the most powerful platforms in your marketing arsenal.
Final Thoughts
If your company is sitting on hours of video content, or if you're publishing videos without direction, it might be time to rethink your approach.
Whether you’re hiring for a YouTube strategist job, exploring the YouTube strategist salary range, or simply trying to better understand what a YouTube channel strategist actually does—know this: the role is real, it’s growing, and it matters.
And if you’re ready to get serious about your channel’s performance, you know where to find us.
