The song was written entirely through crowdsourcing, with its every aspect, such as the title, lyrics, melody and singers, having been solicited from YouTube users.

Members of the online community were asked to submit various song ideas on the YouTube channel "ChartJackersProject", with the aim that a single could be written, recorded and then released on 9 November 2009.

[5] Viewers submitted 51 melodies as video responses,[6] with the entry from Jonny Dark, a 19-year-old musician from London, being selected as the winner.

[7] A new YouTube video was uploaded to "ChartJackersProject" on 25 September, offering viewers the opportunity to audition to sing "I've Got Nothing" on the final release.

[8] These ten finalists auditioned in person at the Wellfield Working Men's Club in Rochdale,[9] where Miranda Chartrand, a 19-year-old au pair from Stroud, Gloucestershire, and Adam Nichols, an 18-year-old musician from Essex, were chosen to perform "I've Got Nothing" on the single.

Dowding learnt about the opportunity through a video posted to the YouTube channel "ChartJackersProject"[11] and was offered the job after e-mailing his CV to a BBC Switch producer.

[14] As Swinging Mantis was a small record label, the budget for "I've Got Nothing" was limited, so a physical version of the single was never made available.

[19] David Balls of Digital Spy gave the single three stars out of five, predicting that it was "unlikely to make much of a top 40 impact".

Music felt that the song had "fallen a long way short of" the goal of reaching number one because it had not been able to "guarantee mass public support".

[21] Record producer Mike Stock said that the song had "no killer melody"[22] and singer VV Brown suggested that "the lyrics could be better".

[31] Shots of Chartrand and Nichols with an actor dressed as Children in Need mascot Pudsey Bear were filmed in a park.