My Response to COPYCATS: What to do when people copy your ideas, thumbnail and video on Youtube

5 months ago, I posted a video titled "My 1st Month on Etsy Selling Digital Downloads," and this was the video that helped my channel "blow up." I grew from 4,000 subscribers to 30,000 in 5 months, and during this time, I noticed that a lot of other people jumped on this trend and created their own "My 1st Month on Etsy" videos. This is the first time I've ever encountered people taking inspiration (and "taking inspiration") from any of my videos. And this definitely stirred up some feelings for me... I took some time to reflect on the situation and decided to make this video discussing the grey area between plagiarism and inspiration, the lessons and mindset shifts I've had to make, and how we as creators can continue creating content that expresses our true self in an original and authentic way. ***To be clear, I'm not accusing everyone who made a "My 1st Month on Etsy" video of copying me. Trend surfing is a real strategy on Youtube, and I've also created videos in the past on topics that were trending like "My 1st Paycheck on Youtube." I share screenshots of other people's thumbnails to show that a lot of people are jumping on this trend and creating their own version of the video. And some of them may or may not have copied elements from my title, thumbnail and description (You can see and decide for yourself what's copying and what's not copying.) I'm also not saying that I'm the FIRST EVER person to make a "My 1st Month on Etsy" video. There were a few people before who have, but it's quite clear that after my channel started blowing up because of that video, MANY other people created a video on the same topic. Even channels that aren't business channels. So that was quite interesting to observe. I hope that this can foster some meaningful conversations on the difference between plagiarism/copying and taking inspiration from other people. 👇 Let me know in the comments what you think! (But please watch the entire video before commenting). Where do we draw the line between copying and inspiration? 💻RESOURCES MENTIONED: Colin and Samir's videos about plagiarism: https://youtu.be/gbDunxRfbgg and https://youtu.be/WTbFceRobyw The Age of Average by Alex Murrell: https://www.alexmurrell.co.uk/articles/the-age-of-average FREE RESOURCES: 💻 Download my Canva template for your Etsy listings photos here👉 http://tinyurl.com/dinalistingphotos 💻 Download the Start Your Etsy Checklist here👉 https://tinyurl.com/dinaetsychecklist 💻 Download my Etsy Stats Tracker (Google Sheets) here👉 http://tinyurl.com/dinaetsystats 💻 Download my Business Plan Template here👉 http://tinyurl.com/dinabizplan 💻 Download my Start Your Youtube Checklist here👉 http://tinyurl.com/dinaytchecklist 🎉 [LIMITED OFFER✨] Get my Etsy listing photos course 👉 http://tinyurl.com/dinaetsycourse 🗓 Book a 1:1 coaching session with me to grow your business: http://tinyurl.com/dinacoaching ☕️BUY ME A COFFEE! If you've been finding my content helpful, buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dinadlu 👋Follow on Instagram for behind-the-scenes: https://www.instagram.com/dinadlu/ 📧Start an email list with Kit (previously ConvertKit): https://tinyurl.com/dinakit 🇨🇦Business registration in Canada: Get 15% off registration of your sole proprietorship or corporation with Ownr: https://partners.ownr.co/dinalu 🎥My fav Youtube growth tool: Use code DINABUDDY20 for 20% off TubeBuddy: https://www.tubebuddy.com/pricing?a=dinalu 💻Website hosting: Use code DINALU to get 10% off any Hostinger website plan (starts at $3/month!): https://hostinger.com/dinalu CHAPTERS: 00:00 Intro 00:44 Why I was upset 01:37 I'm not the first one to make this video 02:31 It's affecting my channel negatively 03:18 But Dina, you copied too 04:41 1 Be at peace with people copying you 05:33 2 They can't copy your brain 06:43 3 Old ways won't open new doors 07:22 4 Don't focus your energy on them 07:34 5 Making the pie bigger for everyone 08:22 Did I copy Ali Abdaal? 09:25 Or did Ali copy someone? 10:33 When is it ok to copy? 11:54 Why I'm hopeful about this TECH EQUIPMENT 📹 My camera: https://amzn.to/33SQIAD 📹 My lens: https://amzn.to/3If2G9m 📹 My lav mic: https://amzn.to/3xoGofY 📹 My Zoom H1n (I connect my lav mic to this): https://amzn.to/3MVS5zw 📹 My external microphone (for backup audio): https://amzn.to/3xQrsEe 📹 My ergonomic mouse (didn't bring it travelling): https://amzn.to/37JFooY (most similar to mine) 📹 My Youtube umbrella lights (didn't bring them travelling): https://amzn.to/3A3IzVQ 📹 My 67" phone tripod: https://amzn.to/3L5upJK (similar to mine) Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. Other links in this video description may also be affiliate links. Thank you for your support! Subscriber count: 30,772 #copycatsonyoutube #plagiarism