I recorded 100 videos, this is what I learned

The Challenge

My name is Allan Nascimento. I’m Brazilian and I set out to record 100 videos in English over 100 consecutive days, from April 30 to August 7. One video was shipped every single day. Some days I was delayed, some videos were shorter, and a few didn’t get any views at all. Now the challenge is over, and I’m looking at three possible paths: stop recording, keep the daily pace, or change the game.

What I Gained

The biggest thing the 100 videos gave me was confidence, both in recording and in speaking English. I’m not a native speaker; I have an accent and I make dumb mistakes. At the start I was afraid people wouldn’t understand me. Recording daily proved that fear was unfounded. Now recording feels like a habit that doesn’t require a decision. I can open OBS, load my slides, and start talking without hesitation.

Planning each video in advance also turned the process into a production machine. I’m learning how to build content for a long‑term audience, cutting the videos into Instagram reels, and using AI as my video editor. Before this challenge I only used AI for coding; now I’m experimenting with it for video editing, even though my edits are simple enough for any junior editor.

Evolving the Format

My first videos were “talking head” style, just my face on camera. I often got lost, spoke only about my own experience, and received feedback that I needed better storytelling and quicker pacing. In July I switched to a “deck” format with live sketching. I use an HTML canvas to draw slides on the fly, which fits my front‑end developer background and avoids installing extra software. This format feels more engaging and lets me illustrate ideas in real time.

Two weeks ago I started cutting the deck videos into short versions. I’m considering publishing those as YouTube Shorts, though I’m still researching how that will affect the algorithm. A recent article by Gary V suggested that Shorts on YouTube can boost discoverability because they’re indexed by Google, so I’ll give it a try.

Results and Insights

Over the 100 days I gained 121 subscribers. On day 50 I had 94, so the growth was modest but satisfying. I received many positive comments, though I still don’t feel I have a real community because I don’t know my viewers well. The channel accumulated over 2,000 views. Interestingly, the video titled “I post every day and almost no one watches” became one of the most watched, with 124 views.

In the talking‑head era (69 videos) the average view count was 21 per video. In the deck‑plus‑live‑sketch era (30 videos) the average rose to 26, showing that the format change improved performance despite fewer videos. Most of my views (about 80 %) come from YouTube’s suggested feed, but retention is low, most videos keep less than 15 % of viewers. Better videos, not more videos, seem necessary to improve retention.

The data also showed a dip in views during the World Cup, with a rebound afterward. My most‑viewed video, “They said AI would take half the jobs. It didn’t,” got 218 views, mostly from suggestions, confirming that suggested traffic is key to growth.

Next Steps

The daily era ends today. I’m moving to a weekly schedule: one video every Wednesday. This gives me time to prepare, record, and edit each video for at least half an hour during the week. I practice jiu‑jitsu on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so Wednesdays work best. I also want to reserve Sundays for rest, family, and church, and Saturdays for my girlfriend. I may still record on weekdays, but the focus will shift from volume to quality.

I plan to keep creating longer, higher‑quality videos and then repurpose them into shorter clips for the algorithm. The habit of recording daily won’t disappear; it just changes its purpose. I believe you earn the right to slow down by shipping first.

Final Thoughts

If you’re considering a similar challenge, know it’s not easy, but it forces you to learn a lot. On day one I admitted my English wasn’t perfect and I was uncomfortable on camera. Today I’m still not perfect, but I’m far less uncomfortable. The discomfort has moved from the idea of recording at all to the desire to make each video better. I’ll keep studying, improving, and sharing. You can follow me on Instagram for more content, I don’t post often, but I’ll try to share more. See you in the next video.