YouTube · Creator Academy
Creator Academy —
Learning Platform Content & IA
YouTube had various offline learning materials on how to use its different assets but lacked an online training portal with instructional videos and knowledge-testing tools. I developed the content strategy and authored the full learning layer for a platform built to teach creators how to grow.
The challenge
YouTube One Channel had launched and needed to be evangelized among content creators and channel owners. The Creator Academy had to serve as both a training and marketing vehicle — built on an accelerated schedule, on top of Google’s open-source Course Builder platform, extended to meet functional requirements.
The content had to work for creators at every experience level — from beginners learning the basics to experienced users aiming to expand their reach. It also had to hold up in a live, interactive course format with Hangouts and forums, then transition into a self-paced mode after the course completed.
The work
Lesson titles, module descriptions, mastery checklists, activity prompts, assessment questions, and resource copy. The course structure itself is writing — “Lesson 3: Land Your Brand” is a content decision, not just a label. Each prompt had to be specific enough to produce useful reflection, simple enough for a creator checking in between uploads.
Beyond individual lessons, I shaped the information architecture — how content was organized, sequenced, and surfaced across the six-week course. I also authored all announcement copy, CTA messaging, and the admin interface content that YouTube’s team used to manage course updates.
Click to enlarge · Lesson view with mastery checklist and activity prompts
Impact
The pilot two-week course “Maximize Your Channel” registered nearly 40,000 students with active YouTube channels, who learned from videos, training content, and other creators. When the course completed and transitioned to self-paced mode, YouTube visitors continued to benefit from the training videos and learning materials — and continued testing their knowledge with the online assessments.