If there’s one thing you could probably guess by all of my recent posts about automotive YouTubers, it’s that…I watch a lot of YouTube. I’m always on the lookout for entertaining car channels to watch, and one of them that I recently came across is called “ChrisFix”. In a nutshell, it’s about a guy named Chris who fixes cars.
But there’s a lot more to it than that. As I eluded to in my post about the goonzquad brothers, I’m not into DYI car repair. At all. However, I am totally into entertaining automotive content, and Chris is one of the most entertaining mechanics I’ve ever come across. Not only on YouTube, but in real life as well.
Heck – just last night I sat down to watch his latest video about replacing a water pump on his dad‘s Jaguar from beginning to end. Never in my life have I ever wanted to do something like that on my own. Not only that, it blows my mind that I actually sat through the entire 14 minute video feeling entertained. Chris is a master presenter of complex information, which is even more impressive since he’s so young and relatively inexperienced in the business world.
Analyzing the success of ChrisFix
The fact that Chris has been able to capture the attention of viewers like me (who have absolutely no interest in car repair) is fascinating. What’s even more impressive is the fact that each and every one of his videos gets millions of views.
For example, that water pump replacement video I mentioned above had 1 million views in a little over 48 hours. Think about that.
If I were to create a video explaining how to replace the water pump in my 2012 Mustang GT, it would get 15 views. Tops. And I don’t mean just the first 24 hours. That’s likely the lifetime viewership I would get for such an effort.
How is Chris able to pull off such a massive viewership numbers on relatively dry content? There are quite a few ways actually, beyond just being able to present information clearly. Let’s take a deeper dive into 6 of the things that have made ChrisFix a massive success. Note that all of these things can be replicated by anybody with a lot of determination and time.
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1. Good videography is the backbone of the ChrisFix YouTube channel
I’ve watched a lot of tutorial videos on YouTube over the years, if there’s one thing that 99% of them have in common, it’s the information isn’t shown as clearly as needed. It’s extremely obvious that Chris takes the time to plan each shoot.
For example, he shoots with a full-size DSLR camera as much as possible with LED lights such as these (on Amazon) to make things extremely bright. Not only that, he takes the time to place the camera fixed position as much is possible (which greatly enhances the viewing experience).
If there’s one thing that I can’t stand when watching YouTube videos, it’s when the person holding the camera whips it around with no consideration of being smooth and consistent. It’s literally nauseating.
By taking the time to plan out each shot for the optimum viewing angle, ChrisFix is leaps and bounds above the competition.
2. First person perspective means that his channel is about the content – not him
There are a lot of things that fascinate me about the ChrisFix YouTube channel, and one of them is the fact that he never shows his face. Yeah, we’ve seen a glimpse or two in a window reflection, but he’s never given us the full Monty (so to speak).
Strapping the camera to his head and giving us a first person perspective of what he’s doing is absolutely perfect for these kinds of automotive tutorial videos. It shows us exactly what he is seeing, which makes us more prepared with what to expect if and when we attempt the same procedures on our own cars. It’s genius actually.
If you’re curious as to how Chris is able to film his videos with a camera on his head, it’s a lot easier than you might think. He shoots those portions with a GoPro, along with an adjustable head attachment such as this one (from Amazon). I’ve used this particular attachment while filming cycling videos in the past and it works perfectly.
And unrelated to the success of this channel, I personally find it very interesting that he’s built up such a large audience without showing his face. Not even once. However, he speaks extremely well and his personality shines through in the way that he explains everything. Which leads me directly to my next point…
3. The success of the ChrisFix brand is built around presenting the impossible as possible
Thinking back on it, one of the reasons why I’m so fascinated with ChrisFix is the fact that I feel extremely motivated and inspired after watching one of his videos. I’m normally that kind of guy who feels anxiety when it comes to something as simple as replacing a car battery. Before watching any of Chris’s videos, I honestly thought that there would be no possible way that I would be able to drop a transmission and replace a clutch on my own.
But after watching his 32-minute tutorial on how to replace the clutch on an SN95 Mustang, I felt an overwhelming urge to go buy a set of tools and start wrenching on my own car.
It was also at that exact moment that I felt kind of bad for selling my 1996 Mustang GT two years ago. Chris’s masterful way of presenting complex information in an easy to digest way showed me how easy it was to get in there and make repairs of my own.
Chris is a naturally gifted speaker, which doesn’t come easy for most people. I fully admit that I’m terrible on camera and I often find it difficult to get the words out (check out my own channel if you don’t believe me). But Chris is able to explain the most complex things effortlessly in a way that like even complete dolts me can understand.
Not only that, his tone of voice is extremely encouraging and inspiring. This has the effect of drawing people in to his personality, and the result of that is a massive subscriber count. If you’ve got a YouTube channel and you’re trying to build an audience for it, it helps immensely to be as encouraging and inspiring as you can.
The ChrisFix YouTube channel is all about giving normal people like me the confidence to get under the hood of their own car. As far as I’m concerned, the car repairs are secondary.
4. Chris has proven that you don’t need to upload every day to be a success on YouTube
I’m currently juggling three different YouTube channels at the moment (including DriveAndReview), and I spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to best build an audience for each one. Most of the gurus say that frequency is the most important thing, and if you’re not uploading every day you’re never going to succeed. Bull crap.
The ChrisFix YouTube channel is a perfect example of quality over quantity. At the time of this posting, Chris is uploading at a rate of about once a month. This is completely understandable considering how involved his tutorial videos are. However, these videos are not so complex that they take a month to shoot and edit. Probably a week at the most when you factor in the following:
- Coming up with the idea
- Planning the entire video shoot
- Writing the script
- Ordering the parts
- Filming
- Editing
Chris’s videos are extremely complex, no doubt. However, if he was doing this full time I’d imagine that he’d be able to do at least three of these tutorial videos a month. However, at the rate of just one video a month at the moment, he’s obviously not doing this full time.
This part-time approach is still working quite well for him, as he’s been able to continuously grow his channel by 100,000 subscribers every month. And as I mentioned earlier, each and every one of his videos gets millions of views – so she has certainly built a loyal fan base and audience.
So what can we learn about this? If you’re an aspiring automotive YouTuber, it means that quality is always going to beat out quantity.
Put all your effort into creating the most amazing content you can, and you will do well. Guaranteed.
5. Evergreen content is key for lasting success
Unlike many of the other automotive influencers I’ve written about recently, the ChrisFix YouTube channel has one massive advantage over all of them: evergreen content. That means that Chris is creating content that people will actually search for (and will be searching for over the long-term). For example, let’s take a look at some of Adam LZ’s latest video titles:
- MY NEW FAVORITE HOBBY
- Probably Shouldn’t Have Done That… FD ATL
- MY BIRTHDAY REQUEST
- THE COMEBACK
Now, let’s take a look at some of ChrisFix’s latest video titles:
- How to Install a Hidden Kill Switch in your Car or Truck (Cheap Anti Theft System)
- How to Install a COMPLETELY New Front Suspension in your Car or Truck
- How to Replace a Transmission (Full DIY Guide)
- How to Install a Performance Intake Manifold and Replace Gaskets (Dyno PROOF)
Notice how Chris’s content is actually stuff that people are going to type into the search bar for years to come? Guys like Adam and TJ Hunt are doing a massive disservice to themselves by creating vague content that nobody will be able to find six months to a year from now. Think about it. When was the last time you searched for “my birthday request”? In contrast, I’m willing to bet that there’s a pretty good chance that you have searched for a lot of tutorials over the years.
Because of this, the ChrisFix YouTube channel is going to continue to grow naturally with all of the useful (evergreen) content that’s already been posted. Unlike many other YouTubers who have painted themselves into a corner by needing to post content every day to stay relevant…
It’s all about working smarter and not harder
Never in a million years would I have thought that I would consider car repair videos as “entertainment”. The goonzquad brothers coaxed me to dip my toes into those waters, but it was ChrisFix who push me into the deep end.
Just to clarify, “entertaining” probably isn’t the best word to describe Chris. His superpower is being incredibly articulate and having the ability to explain complex processes in the simplest way. And there something oddly addictive about that.
The best way I can describe it is like flipping through the channels on TV late at night and you find yourself being fixated on an infomercial about adult diapers with a charismatic host. An entertaining personality is one thing, but having the ability to take a dry topic and make it sound exciting, fun, and easy is another.
As far as I’m concerned, Chris is going to go very far in life. Whether he chooses to continue with the ChrisFix brand, or pursue a different direction, he has the personality and presentation skills to be successful in anything that he does.
Speaking of which (and totally off-topic): did you know that Chris went to school for both marine biology and culinary training? That alone should tell you everything you need to know about how talented and educated this kid is. As long as he continues with his YouTube channel, we are going to be entertained and educated for a long time to come.
SteveTheCarGuy
The main reason Chris Fix is successful on YT is because he knows how to self-promote and makes vids of things most of us have done to save money, but he’s doing it to make money. He’s reversed the traditional paradigm of working on your car to save money and made it about making himself money, something I never thought of in the 35 years I’ve been working on cars. Probably it’s because he’s much younger and grew up in the video age. I used Seafoam 11 yrs ago, and never thought to make a video because that’s not the way the mind is naturally programmed and no cell phones to do that existed then. Chris makes the same exact video I could have made 6 years earlier, but it’s because he’s younger and we work with what we have technology wise when we have it.