Why is Agadmator so popular? The secret to success
Agadmator is so popular on youtube since he can break down complicated games from chess professionals and present them in a simple way. He has been on youtube for a long time and people have trusted his brand. He also displays humility and is an overall likable guy.
Agadmator is a massive Youtuber with over a million subscribers having a loyal fanbase that loves everything that he does with his channel, he is so popular in the niche of chess. There are some though that question his reputation.
After all, there are many other YouTubers out there who are actually titled players that do not gain the same traction that Agadmator did. I am going to try to solve this mystery, the question of why Agadmator is so popular on youtube.
I have been following his journey for a long time since he has just over 100,000 subscribers, he has come a long way. I am going to tell you the reason why I think he has become so much more famous than other chess YouTubers.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
Agadmator is popular because of his articulate analysis
Agadmator’s channel is so popular because he has the ability to convert super complicated games from very strong players and break them down enough that they can be understood by the common man.
Of course there are also many excellent YouTube channels that do analysis. Agadmator though focuses on the beginners and how he can help them. This is what makes his channel so attractive.
If we are going to talk about watching chess in general it is actually pretty boring for the most part, analysis of the games that is. It is something that you cannot appreciate unless you are already a chess player yourself.
Agadmator’s channel is so popular because he’s able to break down really convoluted games of grandmasters and be able to deliver it in a simple manner.
He made it so people who are not even interested in chess will understand what is going on, something that other chess channels fail to deliver.
If you’re going to try to take a look at a video made by a grandmaster, you are very likely to be confused if you are not already a chess player yourself.
Agadmator makes it so everyone is welcome as long as they are interested in the game. His main audience are beginners which makes up the majority of youtube viewers.
The popularity of Agadmator, giving a background to the games
I personally believe that what separates Agadmator’s youtube channel and what made him so popular is he treats chess bigger than its moves.
The backstory of the game, the background of the players, the aftermath of the game, etc. are something that a lot of his competitors ignore. I think this adds to the overall stickiness of his channel.
When you are able to watch one of his videos talking about a specific player, you just can’t help but be intrigued with the player and the story that they have.
Other chess channels will only focus on the moves and their continuation without giving the background to the game, most of the time, the history is actually better than the actual moves.
People will come back if they heard a good story, he doesn’t just perform a good chess analysis, he is also a good storyteller which is I think what made him so popular.
Agadmator is so popular because he retains attention
If you actually watch Antonio Radic’s videos he has the incredible ability of sustaining the attention span of his audience.
He will tell when there is a completely new game, pause the video moment, and even create a freaking Morphy Head just to make sure that you don’t click off. There are many examples of this.
Most YouTubers actually have the same problem, they need gimmicks so that you will have the motivation to actually finish the video and accomplish a huge watch time (which helps with the algorithm).
Agadmator is incredible in this, even during the middle of the video he will tell what the player does even if it is mundane (standing, making a face, showing emotions, etc.).
Other things that he does is tell if one of the players is in time trouble, or how much remaining time that they have. Plus he also explains the general background of the tournament and what the game means for its players.
This incredible format really makes it hard for you to click off the video, which contributes to his overall popularity over time.
Agadmator has become so popular because he is consistent
Agadmator’s youtube channel has become so popular because of his consistency, he already has hundreds or potentially a thousand of videos and he still covers current tournaments like lightning.
Like seriously, if you look at his donations and his ad revenue, he is making so much that you think he can just publish a video a day and just relax with his tons of cash.
But this is not the case (even a video a day is incredible now that I think about it), he produces some 3-5 videos a day that are some 10-20 minutes long.
Plus, during major tournament chess tours, he covers all the interesting games so fast that he uploads them before the games actually finish.
That is nuts! He starts recording the video as soon as he knows that the game is about to end, making him capable of uploading even before the game is actually finished.
If that is not the pinnacle of consistency to you then I don’t know what is, the guy deserves the popularity that is currently getting.
Agadmator has become so popular because he puts in the effort
One of the biggest reasons why Agadmator is so popular is because he does a lot of research for his videos.
I still remember the Bobby Fischer saga where he bought entire books just to confirm the story and maintain the accuracy. Even the Capablanca saga and Paul Morphy Saga have the same treatment.
He consistently watches tournament games live in order to be updated on what to cover (although he got some already from his subscribers).
There was even a time where he had a heart surgery and was still able to upload a video the next day.
I can imagine that finding the appropriate lines for a super grandmaster game is actually quite difficult but he just has the experience to make it easy, he really puts in the effort which made people like him.
Agadmator has become so popular because his brand is trusted
Another reason why Agadmator has remained so popular is that he has turned his channel into a huge brand that people trust and want to watch.
It is hard for his loyal fans to give other channels a chance since they have been following him for a long time. He is one of the original channels that people used to go to for a long time.
This is the same reason as to why people like PewDiePie became so popular. They started years ago and people have grown to like them so much that they will prefer his channel over the competition.
In agadmator’s case there are so many chess analysis channels that have sprouted since this game is becoming popular in general, however there will always be a room for his chess analysis.
His channel is one of the classics, a place that you go to if you want a guarantee that you will have a good time.
Agadmator has become so popular because he is likeable
Part of the reason why Agadmator has become so popular is that he is an extremely likable guy.
His net worth is incredibly huge but you never see any trace of ego, he stays humble no matter what his achievement is. In fact, he is not that much different from who he was years ago when he is just starting.
There are many influencers who blow up because people hate them, however, the ones that stay for a long time are those that are actually likable for their personality.
People can sense authenticity, that whatever the thing that you portray is something that you take to the heart. Agadmator’s channel really fits that description, I think the popularity is well-deserved.
Agadmator has become so popular because he is relatable
Agadmator has become so popular because he is relatable on the things that he does, his videos have humanity in them. He regularly shows his dog on camera and shares some stories about his life on his youtube channel.
This is the thing with youtube, people come not only to view what you say about a particular subject but also to how you behave as a creator.
People will keep coming back if you share stories about yourself since they will not only want to view the content but also to be updated on what is going on in your life.
This can work extremely well if the creator is likable like Agadmator is since he is able to connect with his audience and be relatable.
His channel gives the vibe that he is just a simple man making simple youtube videos on the internet, you can’t be more relatable than that!
Agadmator is so popular because he listens to his audience
Agadmator’s fans like him so much because he actually listens to his audience. He even allows regular everyday commenters to suggest games that he should cover or what saga should go next.
There are a lot of other channels that stop listening to their audience when they become popular, they start treating their youtube account as a mere revenue banking machine.
People that continually connect with their audience (like interacting with the comments of their videos) are really the ones that people like the most.
Agadmator is popular because he responds to the needs of his audience by actually connecting with them and communicating his ideas.
Agadmator is so popular because of his contributions to chess
Agadmator has become so popular because he also contributed other things to chess other than his main videos.
He live streams, plays games against his subscribers, promotes chess tournaments/other YouTubers and has even made a manga/comic about chess. This is how you can tell that the guy genuinely loves the game.
I think this is one of the underrated aspects of Agadmator’s channel, he genuinely does good things for the chess community at large through working with his audience.
I think the biggest example of this is the manga about chess that he has created, definitely a project that doesn’t give him revenue and can be argued as a waste of time. But he does it anyway!
Sorting through the potential writers, filtering through ideas, and actually going on with the project. He even spends some money on the manga if it is needed even though it is not really a source of income for him.
There are many examples but I think that is among the biggest ones, when you have this much authenticity it is just hard for people to not like you.
Final thoughts
Agadmator’s channel is really a good example of how far you can take something with enough effort and consistency. His niche (chess) was not even a popular one on youtube when he started, but he goes with it anyway.
He has a massive following plus millions of dollars in revenue through his youtube channel but has remained the same simple guy that creates simple youtube chess videos.
He is an inspiration for me actually, I suck at chess for the majority of my life (I hate it so much). That all changed when I landed on his channel on some random day and ended up getting caught in the spiral of chess videos (this was many years ago!).
Now I am using him as an inspiration to be consistent in producing chess content on this blog and hoping for this to grow into something. I don’t know if I will ever get there though, I will try, sleep well and play chess.
