Dr. Smiti Nathan runs a YouTube channel focusing on archeology education. Since launching in 2023, she’s gained traction exploring topics like the influence of knitting in the ancient world and the history of jackfruit. She’s an educator who hopes to turn her passion for history into a sustainable business.

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Dr. Nathan is a great example of educators finding their own successful niche in online video.  She holds a PhD in Archeology from New York University, but has since left academia. 

We spoke to her about her creative process, the challenges of being a small creator, and the business of running a YouTube channel.

Finding her niche

Archaeology content wasn’t always Dr. Nathan’s plan. “I actually didn't settle on archaeology in the beginning,” she said, explaining she experimented with travel and book content as well. “In the beginning, we were just throwing things out there to see what landed and what would stick.”

“About eight months into the process, I got some feedback, and I decided that I probably wanted to focus on one topic.”

“I was always interested in educational content creation. I had some blogs, I did a bit of social media. It didn't necessarily have to be about archaeology, but I really liked sharing what I was doing and learning with a broader audience.”

Finding her ideas

Dr. Nathan sorts her ideas through a Notion brainstorming page, using three main categories. “The first part is just a bullet-point brain dump, like any shower thought that I would have.” The second contains what she calls “title frameworks.” “These are titles that have worked well in the past for us, that we could adjust in some ways, or titles we've seen other YouTubers use that we could re-imagine in our own way as a title.”

The last section combines the two, mixing random ideas and interests with different title formats. 

“We put a lot of thought into our titles. And we'll settle on a title before we even script out the video. Because essentially for us, our title is the hook.”

Finding her style

“We have certain elements that we keep consistent across videos, like graph paper, [which is] an homage to an archaeology notebook.”

Dr. Nathan also tries to keep her own style consistent. “I wear the same top and maybe a bold lipstick as my YouTube uniform. Those are some consistent elements that viewers might see that might make the video feel familiar. But then we really like to make sure that each video has its own aesthetic because that makes it fun for us.” “Each video gets a mood board where the team compiles visual ideas.”

Despite her deliberate style, Dr. Nathan prefers to stay off screen as much as possible. “I think what's compelling here are the visuals. And I want to visualize sometimes these maybe esoteric things or things that just lend itself to a visual really well. So B-roll is really important for us. In the beginning we were grappling with [how to make] static B-roll dynamic.”

Another challenge? Making academic citations visually interesting. “We're constantly tinkering with it,” she says.

Finding her voice

Dr. Nathan has been able to deliver her videos in a voice that feels authentic and engaging, something many smaller creators struggle with. She credits practice, something she gets from her Booktube channel that’s just for fun.

“[It] allows me to flex that muscle and just practice speaking on camera…I don't think I would just practice being on camera for fun. So having accountability with Booktube really helps.”

Dr. Nathan also meticulously practices reading her scripts before filming. “Every time I'm editing the script, I'm speaking out loud…It also helps that I'm really intertwined in writing the script. I'm trying to write them in my voice, which helps a lot.”

When it comes time to film, Dr. Nathan will record her lines until she has them just right. Descript helps her sort through those takes in editing—she says Underlord, especially removing retakes, has saved her a lot of time.

She also uses Studio Sound. “Especially if I'm in the field or outside, just dealing with that wind is so helpful,” she says.

I asked her what she recommended to other academics who are nervous about speaking on camera. “If you've talked to students and you try to refine that in any way, you have kind of the building blocks to do it,” she said.

The business of YouTube

Dr. Nathan wasn’t always set on YouTube as a business. Instead, content creation was one part of her overall career. “Through the past year and a half, I've been experimenting to see what I enjoy doing more. It turns out I really enjoy YouTube and that's what I want to focus on.”

Currently, Dr. Nathan is working off of her savings and breaking even on good months—but she has plans for a lot more. “I'm at this crossroads at the moment of thinking I am getting money from AdSense, which is great, but it's not necessarily reliable and the rules can change at any time. So how can I make this a viable and sustainable business that aligns with my values?

“There's different ways to monetize on YouTube. You could do sponsorships. You could, you know, launch a product. You could run a membership community. But I want to make sure whatever I do is resonant with my own personal values and wouldn't put off my audience.”

Advice to other educators

“You really have to change how you're writing and storytelling,” she says. “[Educators] probably want to write out something, make sure they have their words and facts correct, and I would tell them that writing for YouTube is very different than writing an academic paper. You need to learn some of the best practices for YouTube to start and it will feel far less daunting as you dive into it.” 

How YouTube changed her life

“[YouTube] changed my relationship with archaeology,” Dr. Nathan says, “I'm academically trained so I am used to focusing on something even if it's boring…But what I found with doing this channel, it was to my benefit to chase what's interesting. It needed to be interesting to my audience. It needed to be interesting to me. And I just got to learn about a lot of things in archaeology that I wouldn't have otherwise.”

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.