Why I Started Two YouTube Channels in 2026

I think YouTube has advanced English learning in several ways, but most importantly, it has made free, good-quality English lessons accessible worldwide. Second, YouTube works like a search engine, so if you search for phrasal verbs, there are thousands of videos waiting for you. Lastly, YouTube brings audio and video together, making English lessons visually pleasant, which is especially important for getting the attention of children.

I was thinking, what can I offer if there are already thousands of videos out there? Let's start with what I cannot offer. I won't repeat content that has already been explained a thousand times online. If a topic has been covered well elsewhere, I'd rather point you to it than add noise. This says something about my willingness to acknowledge solid content rather than copy it, even though, with AI tools, it's now so easy to copy the same content. I also won't promise fast English methods, because they don't work. Learning a language takes time, repetition, and real engagement, not a shortcut. If a video promises fluency in thirty days, I'd be sceptical of it too.

Where I can offer quality content is through my English language research skills. One niche is offering an authentic English story alongside a lesson explaining vocabulary or how to use English collocations in practice. Here, I feel very comfortable, because this is what I genuinely enjoy doing. Second, I can offer reviews of English textbooks, since I have been researching them for over fifteen years, whether through my own English education or through teaching others. Third, I can offer academic English lessons, since being a scholar is something I always carry into my pedagogical practice of teaching English.

Will I get any followers?

I don't know. Maybe some people will click Subscribe, but that will take time.

Where to find the channels?

The first channel, English Solved - Tutor Martin, is on YouTube, Substack, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music, because the content works equally well as audio, so all four platforms make sense. On Substack and YouTube, you can watch a video showing the text of the lesson, so you don't need to rely on automatic captions, which are often unreliable. On Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music, you can simply listen to the content and still get tremendous value. 

Each lesson is thoughtfully researched, prepared by myself, and takes hours to finalise, and I feel there is real value in these lessons.

The second channel, The Reading Cat - English for Kids, is on YouTube only, because audio alone wouldn't offer children much value. They need to see the content to visualise it properly. I have prepared all the lessons with a particular focus on realistic content. For animals, for example, I don't use illustrations or cartoons, but real photographs, so children can learn the names and see an actual photo of each animal.

Two channels, two audiences, one honest approach.