Inbound

September 23, 2025

MKBHD at INBOUND: Why Truth, Focus, and Audience-First Thinking Win

If you spend any time on YouTube watching tech reviews, chances are you’ve stumbled across a video by Marques Brownlee—better known as MKBHD. With nearly 2,000 videos, millions of subscribers, and a reputation as one of the most trusted voices in tech, Marques has built an empire by doing one simple thing: telling the truth.

At INBOUND 2025, HubSpot’s CMO Kipp Bodnar sat down with Marques to unpack exactly how he’s built that trust, what it takes to stand out in a crowded digital world, and why audience-first thinking always wins.

TRUST COMES FROM TELLING THE TRUTH

For Brownlee, building trust isn’t complicated. It comes down to one thing: honesty.

“As long as I tell the truth and the whole truth, ideally, that is all it takes to build trust over time.” — Marques Brownlee

That honesty goes hand in hand with having a clear hierarchy of loyalties. "My responsibility is entirely to my audience, and not to anyone else, in any companies sending me stuff or anything like that," Brownlee emphasized.

Even when it means calling a product “trash,” he doesn’t hold back because his loyalty is to his audience, not to the brands sending him gadgets. And, companies actually appreciate his honest feedback. When he called out the Razer phone's vibration motor in a review, the next version addressed exactly that issue. Truthful feedback creates better products, which creates better experiences for everyone.

That honesty has created a track record of credibility. When you prioritize your audience over short-term gains, you build the kind of trust that drives long-term growth.

KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING

With so many opportunities and distractions, Brownlee has one guiding principle: "Keep the main thing the main thing."

For him, that main thing is "getting really good at making the best videos that I can about tech." Everything else gets filtered through that lens. Speaking opportunities? Sponsored content? New platforms? The question is always: does this help the main thing?

In his case, that means making the best possible tech videos. For the rest of us, it’s about knowing your north star and letting it guide your decision-making process.

It’s tempting to chase new projects, but growth comes from focusing on what you do best. When opportunities align with your core mission, say yes. When they don't, it's easier to say no.

STANDING OUT TAKES SPECIFICITY

Tech launches are noisy. When a new iPhone drops, thousands of videos hit YouTube the same day. So why do millions of people still click play on Brownlee’s reviews?

Because he makes his content different and distinct. Sometimes that means using a six-foot-tall robot arm to get a single shot. Other times, it’s carving out a specific niche:

“Ten years ago, it was enough to just be ‘the Android channel’ to stand out because there were only three of them. Now there’s 3,000 of them… you have to be like the high-quality Android channel that focuses on the ones that charge fast, or you have to be the one that hates Apple but only talks about cameras.”

Differentiation doesn’t always require massive budgets, it requires intention. Whether you lean into unique visuals, personality, or hyper-specific expertise, finding your lane is the key to standing out. And in a competitive market, audiences reward the creators and companies that are willing to stand for something specific rather than trying to be everything to everyone.

EVERY PLATFORM SPEAKS A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE

One of Brownlee's most valuable insights for marketers was his evolved approach to multi-platform content. He used to think of other platforms as funnels to YouTube, but now he sees them as distinct audiences with different languages.

“I’m talking to different audiences on each platform, and I almost assume no overlap.” — Marques Brownlee

He even measures success differently depending on where he’s posting:

TikTok: Fast-moving trends, quick adaptation
Instagram Reels: Optimized for shares and DMs
YouTube Shorts: Bridge content to long-form videos, focus on watch-through rates

Each platform has different success metrics, different audience expectations, and different content formats that work best. Invest time in understanding what makes each platform tick, then create accordingly.

STOP OBSESSING OVER ALGORITHMS

Creators (and marketers) love to complain about algorithm changes. But Brownlee had a piece of advice:

“Replace the word ‘algorithm’ with ‘audience.’” — Marques Brownlee

If you focus on what your audience wants and how to serve them better, you’ll naturally find yourself on the right side of the algorithm.

It takes the pressure off constantly needing to “game the system.” Instead of chasing hacks, Brownlee leans into serving his viewers and the algorithms reward that. After all, algorithms are designed to amplify what audiences engage with most. Put people first, and the platforms will follow.

SCALE LIKE AN OCTOPUS (WITH THREE HEARTS)

As Brownlee scaled from solo creator to team leader, he developed what he calls the "octopus analogy." As a solo creator, "you kind of feel like an octopus in that you are doing a bunch of different things at once. You are on camera. You're also controlling the camera. You're also the editor. You're also managing the inbox and you're the accountant."

His solution is to, "cut off the arm” and hand it to someone who can do that task way better than you because they can dedicate all of their time to it.

The important part is identifying your "three hearts” which are the core things only you can do that drive your business forward. For Brownlee, that's using the tech, reviewing it, writing scripts, and being the voice of the brand.

Growth requires letting go. By trusting others with what they can do better, you preserve your energy for the work only you can do. And more importantly, you prevent burnout to scale sustainably while keeping your creative spark intact.

DIFFERENTIATION IN CROWDED MARKETS

In a world where thousands of tech videos drop daily, how do you stand out? Brownlee's approach combines the tactical with the philosophical.

Tactically, he invested in unique tools like a six-foot robot arm that creates shots no one else can replicate. But more importantly, he focuses on delivering distinct value. When asked about setting audience expectations, Brownlee pointed to his channel banner: "Quality Tech Videos." That's it.

Differentiation is about being meaningfully better. Find your unique angle, then execute it consistently and excellently.

THE LONG GAME WINS

Perhaps the most important lesson from Brownlee's journey is about patience and persistence. He started making videos in high school when there was no YouTube partner program, no revenue sharing, and no clear path to making it a career. He just kept making videos he wanted to watch, telling the truth about products, and serving his audience.

Fifteen years later, he's one of the most influential voices in tech.

Whether you're building content, products, or companies, Brownlee’s principles remain the same: serve your audience first, stay focused on what matters most, and never stop improving.