If you’ve ever Youtubed anything related to rideshare, you’ve probably come across one of UberMan’s videos. He’s the most well known Youtube rideshare blogger and one of the main reasons why I started my own channel. And today he’s my guest on the podcast.
I’ve always had a friendly relationship with UberMan but recently we’ve been collaborating on a few cool project with lots more in the works. On today’s show though, I really wanted to give drivers a behind the scenes look into how UberMan gained tens of thousands of subscribers, developed a community and now makes a full time living off of his Youtube videos. Hope you enjoy!
If you’d like to read a transcript of this podcast, please click here.
Intro
- Interview with Randy Shear, the world-famous YouTube blogger UberMan
- Life updates: started working at co-working space in Long Beach called WE Labs
- UberMan Randy inspired me to start The Rideshare Guy YouTube channel
- UberMan is all about helping drivers and working smarter, which makes him a great person to interview
- Xero TaxTouch – it’s an easy and convenient way to track your self-employed expenses with your phone
- Thank you so much to the following 5 star reviews from: Serg 7777777, sking04, phred84044, jaronoid, jose diaz from puerto rico, debracadabra, danielpifer0331, frank harris
- Missed an episode of one of our podcasts? Click here
- Stay tuned to the end of the episode, when Randy shares with us his number one tip if you’re looking to start your own YouTube channel
Interview with Randy Shear
- YouTube personality who goes by UberMan
- Had a YouTube channel for several years doing cell phone, technology videos, etc.
- Currently an Uber driver whose goal is to help new and existing drivers maximize their profitability
Driving for Uber & What’s Changed
- Driving for the last 3 and a half years
- Many things have changed, including rates for drivers
- Verification process for Uber drivers has changed (sign up process was more rigorous)
- Keeps driving because of surge prices – weekend surge makes driving worth it
UberMan YouTube Channel
- Started as UberMan to provide information to other drivers, since information for drivers was scarce in 2013
- Didn’t expect to make any money, just wanted to help drivers figure out Uber
- Had around 1,000 subscribers at the beginning, but first YouTube videos were for technology, not rideshare driving
Growing the UberMan YouTube Channel
- Releases videos as information becomes available – no set schedule to releasing videos
- One of the easiest ways to learn about something is to YouTube it, which is why Randy began YouTubing what he learned while driving
- Helps that he’s passionate about the topic and a problem-solver: it’s one thing to see potential in a topic, but you have to be passionate about it too
Downsides of Running a YouTube Channel
- The biggest thing is the threats to family – people who disagree with you but take it too far
- In the past, would respond to those type of comments, but not anymore
- Most people have legitimate questions, and would rather help them than engage with unproductive people
- Being a successful YouTube personality is a job, but many people don’t realize how difficult it is to produce useful, well-edited content
- Used to get pulled over more by police, too, who didn’t understand the UberMan plate
Developing Topics for YouTube
- In most cases, recording passengers and putting it on a social media-type site without permission is not okay, but Randy does recap dramatic passenger experiences on his site
- Also looks for useful and updated information for drivers
- Keeps an eye on trends that drivers would want to know about
- Most popular video is A to Z Uber about driving for Uber
- Also reviews products Randy uses and recommend
Plans for the Future & Advice for Drivers
- Stick with producing videos for YouTube channel
- May need to hire someone with experience to moderate comments
- Find a topic you’re passionate about and that’s trending
- Topics that are popular and will remain popular plus content that’s interesting will also gather viewers – your videos don’t even have to be professional
Outro
- Randy shares a really interesting perspective on being an Uber driver and a YouTube personality
- Great to help people, but sometimes people don’t realize the work that goes into making useful videos and responding to people on a regular basis
- Check out Randy’s YouTube channel – links in Show Notes!
- Feel free to reach out to me at harry[at]therideshareguy.com or follow me on Twitter @TheRideShareGuy
- Leave comments, questions and feedback below!
Show Notes
If you’d like to read a transcript of this podcast, please click here.
Drivers, what do you think about Randy’s story and how he became UberMan?
-Harry @ RSG
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