Alright, I'm off the iPad and on a PC now, so buckle up 😁
Context:
I work at EA, I have
my own channel in my spare time, and
it's literally* my job to be "good at YouTube".
I don't have all the answers because this is a field of study that's constantly evolving, but hopefully I can help with this post 🙂
I've been trying for a long time to make it relevant and entertaining, especially lately Since October. I've been watching professional video editors, etc. to make sure that the production quality of my content is as good as I can get it to be with my limited time, etc. I use Premiere Pro, have bought asset packs for transitions and stuff, etc. Feel that I'm pretty personable and not boring to watch.
Having production skills is good, well done on that. Ultimately though I feel your problem is a little further back the chain; it's not the "making the video" part, but the "what video do I make" part.
Have a watch of this:
I've also been trying to promote myself in any way I can (don't worry, I won't self promo here - I know better than that), but I just can't reach an audience. It's maddening. Absolutely head-bashingly defeating. I'm hammering SEO, I'm watching videos about increasing viewer retention, I'm trying to do all I can to make sure my Thumbnails stand out, I've subbed to TubeBuddy to keep an eye on trends in the industry, etc.
As above, these are good things on their own, but personally I feel it's a case of trying to optimise a video after you make it instead of before.
For this, take a look at this video. The key point to Dream's success is that he constructs a tense narrative throughout his videos that's more interesting than "Welcome to Episode 102 of....". Most Let's Players don't do that, they think it's as simple as "boot up game, hit record, then upload". That strategy may have worked in 2012 but it doesn't work in 2022.
It's mostly Let's Play content so I know what I'm up against, but I'm struggling to get 20 views a video at the moment despite pouring everything I can into this, trying to make sure that the views I do get are retained or found organically using YouTube's search features but with zero luck.
In my opinion, a Let's Play isn't a video one would/should typically search for, it's the kind of thing that gets recommended to people. Making a video that pops off in Search is very different to one that pops off in Browse or Suggested. When somebody is searching for a video, they are after a very specific thing and often don't know (or care) who you are. The potential viewer's question when seeing a title/thumb is "is this what I want"?
This is why (good) tutorials do well, because lots of people are searching for the answer to a question and that answer is very clear. Also, a good Search video will rank high in Google as well as YouTube, doubling your traffic.
Looping back to your content, if you want something to do well in Search, it needs to be built for search. In other words: tutorials, best strategies etc.
I just want to find some way that I can gain a small, core group of people who keep coming back. There is one guy who is commenting on every video I've ever released pretty much, and that feels amazing. He seems like a really cool dude too. I just want to find a couple more people like that somehow.
What worked for me when I was a smaller creator was that I would reply to every single comment. Doesn't matter if it was nice or mean, if they found the time out of their day to send you a comment, you can do the same in return.
It gets unsustainable once you break past 20,000 subscribers, but by then you should hopefully have enough momentum for videos to roll off on their own.
As I mentioned in my previous post however, the goal is to create content people want to watch, although figuring what that content is in a niche is
very difficult.
I'm just wondering if anyone here has a good grip on YouTube and can offer advice or even just encouragement tbh.
Here's something to think about: over 99.9% of YouTube channels are under 100 subscribers (or 1,000, I forget which). The fact that you've gotten where you are should still be considered an achievement even if it's not setting the world on fire.
Instead of competing with the top of YouTube, compete with yourself. With every video you make, try to find at least 1 thing that you can do better than the last one, be it title, thumbnail, retention, audio quality etc. It'll snowball over time.
Also, watch this:
Look into the Youtube Algorithim. Chances are you're not doing anything wrong, but rather, you aren't doing things in a way that makes Youtube's backend want to push you into feeds. I belive it also tends to favor shorter videos. The shorter the video, the more likely you are to have eyeballs on it all the through, the more Youtube makes on ads, the more it wants to promote you. Engagement is pretty important, at least from what I remember.
I would argue against "chasing the Algorithm", and instead, chase the audience.
Dig deep into what kinds of videos they like to watch, what emotions they expect to get from a video, and see how you can deliver on those in a fun and interesting (and preferably unique) way. Don't copy Dream's format directly, or MrBeast, or whoever. Learn from them but put your own spin on things.
The length of a video isn't critical; if a video is engaging enough, it can be several hours long. Let's Plays typically aren't that engaging.
If somebody is trying out short-form content however, I would recommend looking into YouTube Shorts. Look up your chosen game on TikTok, find the videos of that game that are popular, and make your own spin on them in a YouTube video.
The honest advice I can give you is that this is largely stream content. Your leading competition is NOT youtubers - it's streamers, and slightly streamers cutting their equivilant content into longform videos or 10-20m recaps of a stream (see: Atrioc speedrunning super mario 64). Are you playing niche games or new trendy games? What do you offer that I can't get by mindlessly watching XQC play through it as the game of the week. And yes - this IS your competition. Because end of the day, me playing inscryption streamed to a half dozen friends has nothing on a big streamer playing it and going it's not a stream game and moving on.
The other advice I can give you is honestly ask yourself if you'd watch your content if you weren't the one creating it. The answer of "well no, because I'd just play those games myself" isn't good enough anymore - if your answer isn't a yes, you probably fail the test that everyone else is failing. Your content NEEDS to be relevant to the average person wanting to watch it, or else you're just SOL for entertaining anyone.
tl;dr watch ludwig on streaming - I really would argue your contents not youtube content in 2022. Clickbaity as shit, but I watched him at 20 viewers and it was obvious he was going to blow up from year 1.
This is good advice, if you're a Let's Player you need to be better/different to the top channels, and do it in a way that excites people. Unfortunately, not everybody is exciting, but that's okay. There's other ways to make engaging content that doesn't require a "streamer personality".
Tbh anything I can find that looks like it has a bit of interest around it, primarily short games that are rising up on Itch.io are the main bulk, but I'll try a AAA game from time to time only to find that the viewership for them is ALWAYS rock bottom 😅
I think a lack of focus is a legitimate problem here.
- Let's say somebody watches a Minecraft video from a creator. They enjoy it and sub for more Minecraft content.
- Next week the creator's playing GRID Legends, the week after they're playing Elden Ring, the week after that they're playing Halo Infinite.
- That Minecraft subscriber may like the creator's personality, but ultimately they came there to watch Minecraft, so when they're presented with the other videos on their feed they won't click on them.
- YouTube assumes the audience won't like those videos, and pushes them out less.
Variety only works for a handful of people, and the way most will grow on YouTube is to focus on 1 or 2 things. Find the type of game/video you're super passionate about and become the expert on it, whether that be as a top-tier player, a loremaster, a news reporter, a comedic creator etc. If you have that one thing you become known for, and it's something that informs/excites people, you'll have a better chance of success.
Obviously I haven't seen your stuff, but fundamentals of being articulate and having a strong, clear voice also go a long way. Probably needs a decent measure of genuine humor too. All these things can be learned and it's worth considering your strengths and weaknesses.
Agreed.
I found the best way for me to build that camera presence was to start up
a Twitch channel.
I had zero intention of turning it into a career (in fact, its never been monetised), but I showed up every week, played my chosen game, tried to turn it into a "show" (ie: something with a little bit more structure than simply hitting record while playing) and tried to improve on something with every stream.
I also turned the view counter off in my dashboard; I wasn't aiming for views, I was aiming to get good at presenting and interacting with chat. Eventually it did grow and I was able to build a small following within a few months, but more importantly I can now speak more confidently in my videos (and funnily enough, my Zoom calls at work).
I didn't really get any eyes on my YT channel until I randomly decided to record gaming tutorials. Threw up a Metroid sequence breaking tutorial last year when Dread came out, and went from 450 subs to 1k+ in like, 2 days. Though I guess the algorithm helped there as well.
You gave people something they wanted and were actively looking for, YouTube noticed this, and you were able to gain momentum. That's the way to go 🙂
Hm, don't YouTube actually prefers longer content instead of shorter? That's why people tend to pad their videos with unnecessary stuff.
YouTube only "cares" about what people want to watch, and they measure that through multiple factors.
The reasons people pad out videos are:
- They haven't developed the skill/desire to aggressively cut unnecessary content.
- They're not working from a script or outline.
- They're trying to get their video above 8 minutes so that they can place midroll ads.
OP, looked at the channel, here are a few points:
You seem to play a lot of small itch.io horror games. First of all the aesthetic/vibe that you're going for doesn't really go super well with the style of games. Also I think the commentary isn't giving me a sense of your personality. It seems like banter that fills the air time but I don't really get a chance to relate to you through the content. I'd say that you should try to find games where you can express yourself a bit better and maybe do some videos that aren't let's plays so that you can establish what you are about. I don't feel that the early bits of your videos have a "hook" so I'm not super enticed to continue watching or learning more about you. i think you should try to draw viewers in a bit more. Clickbait gets people clicking on the video but you also gotta retain them as watchers. You can also look at other youtubers playing the same games you are and see how their thumbnails and the content of the videos are different to get some ideas.
Secondarily, the games are pretty small and niche games, though you've also tried Ghostwire. While the games are fine, I don't think they're exactly SEO fodder. You might want to focus a bit on "trending" games. Also if I were looking to learn more about the games themselves, your videos don't really give me that vibe either. I'd say either go for mini reviews or go full on on your personality.
Finally, your thumbnails/titles aren't really enticing me. I can see that you're trying to follow "the formula", but I don't think it works well. The reaction faces don't do it for me because I don't know your personality yet, and since you're playing blurry lofi horror games they don't make for good salient images in the thumbnails.
Overall, I can see that you're trying and doing a lot of the right things categorically, but I think you don't have the right mix of them yet. The bad news is that the current format just isn't right - the lack of viewership isn't because of the algorithm or whatever but the content isn't super enticing. But it could get there with some tweaks, that's the good news.
I do wish you the best, as I can tell that you do put a lot into the content.
This is all great advice 👍
I'm around 65k after 5-ish years. Not THAT much but I can give a few general pointers.
The first: CONSISTENCY. Consistency is the hardest thing to achieve but it works. YouTube "punishes" you if you stop uploading and the people that subscribed are left wondering what happened. Make a schedule and stick to it. One video a week, one every couple of weeks. Make it manageable to you and stick to it.
YouTube does like longer videos BUT they have to be longer videos that have watcher retention. Don't make 20 min videos just for the sake of it, they have to keep you watching. "Documentaries" work for this, and on that note:
Clickbaity content works, especially if you have a negative term in the title (ie "Is this THE WORST Mario game?")... It doesn't have to be negative content but make it appear like it is so they click it :P That being said, nostalgia works better. I can't tell you how many documentaries about Super Mario World I've seen pop up and they have more than 100k views. People like watching content about stuff they already know. I guess it's because not everyone has access to the latest game or console.
Let's Plays, unless you're already a popular YouTuber/streamer, from my experience, are falling behind. I'd stay away from Let's Plays and focus on content about you, like someone else already recommended. What do you like, why do you like it. That can take the form of reviews, analysis or documentaries. Add some personal experiences. People like to connect. I think one of the most important lessons I've learned is people are there to see YOU and what YOU have to say, not necessarily to see what's up with the latest game.
Now, thinking about what kind of audience you want is also important. Those giant channels? Most of their viewers are kids and with that comes the almost obligation of resorting to memes, humor, talking shit about someone, etc. Negative content gets the views but also creates a terrible community. Find the balance in all of those things.
One last thing, I don't agree you have to make it a full time job for it to work (unless you want hundreds of thousands of subscribers), mine is a side job and it's been doing "fine". Could be better, yes, but some of my subscriber plateaus are because I refuse to sell out and make content I don't want to or just because I take a break for mental health.
EDIT: last last thing. Neurodiversity and Gaming is a great topic that could 100% work in your favor but make the title and thumbnail something relatable, stay away from technical, educational or preachy titles. I know how it sounds but people tend to ignore videos if they think it's trying to teach them something. They prefer entertainment like someone else said.
I also get the "I don't know how you don't have more subs" and it's frustrating but I've come to make peace with it. The content YouTube wants to promote isn't the content I want to make. I try to adjust what I do and balance the things that "work" with things I like to do, but I know I'll never be one of those giant channels. From what you said, you're in the same boat, so hopefully these things help you out a bit.
This is all good, especially the point about consistency.
Pick a day of the week that a video goes out on, and stick to it. Try to never miss an upload. Make a few videos in advance if you have to.
Also unless you're a full-time creator don't go above 1 video a week (preferably a weekday), it'll destroy your work/life balance and burn you out.
Tom Scott always posts a new video on Monday,
Wendover Productions every (second) Wednesday etc. Knowing this and generally liking their videos, they have built a habit in their audience to the point where people will go "it's Monday, Tom probably has a video up, let's see if he's uploaded yet".
At this point it isn't even "the almighty algorithm" that's pushing their channels, it's human nature. The fact that they then make amazing and interesting videos on top of that is a big plus.
So I'm no expert, don't even have my own channel, but as a viewer I think a few things to consider: What do you offer that bigger channels don't already? People have limited time, even if you do what you do well, if a bunch of other people are doing the same thing but they're already more visible people aren't going to be inclined to look for you that much.
Agreed. As somebody that's made racing game content in the past, I know I would fail if I tried to ape Super GT or Jimmy Broadbent. Why would people watch me instead of those guys who they know very well? When I started offering something new (tutorials) the growth came.
Every time I read one of these threads, I imagine someone saying "I've been playing basketball in my front driveway for 5 years, most days, and I still haven't made it onto a competitive team" or "I've been singing music in my bedroom and busking on streets for 5 years, and still haven't signed an album with a label".
Getting practice might be necessary to have a break, but it isn't sufficient. I think the first adjustment to make is to only do this if you get something out of doing it with the success you have now. If you're just grinding away for some promise of future success, you're wasting your time. Not because you're not talented... maybe you are, maybe you're not, but because it's a lottery ticket.
There are lots of skills and careers for which time investment puts you on a path to success, but there are also a lot of skills and careers for which time investment does nothing of the sort. There's also a pretty huge "X factor": charm, charisma, natural ease... and it takes a lot of humility to be able to soul search enough to know if you have it or not. It hurts to hear people say "you don't have it", but most of us don't. Thus, I definitely recommend beginning to make the mental transition towards "This is a hobby that I enjoy doing, and my time investment will be based on the joy I get out of it."
This is it. If something's not being working for a while (I'd say 1-2 months) and you don't change it, the results won't change either.
When you get to a certain point, it makes sense to focus on results, but until then, focus on the things you
can control.
- "Am I enjoying this?"
- "Am I learning something new?"
- "Would I be proud of this video even if it got 0 views?"
- "Am I adding a new/improved aspect to the production of this?2
Those are all things in your control, whereas viewcounts don't rely on what
you do (to a degree) but on how your audience reacts to it.
Shifting your goals towards things that you have control over vs the rest of the world will improve your mental health and mindset. If the views come after that, then great, but they shouldn't be the primary target until this is your career.
The second thing would be to be very cautious about following "what worked for me" advice. When you watch or read a "what worked for me" story, what you think you're getting is "if I do this, I will be successful", and what you're actually getting is "I am successful, and I once did this". Many successful people got lucky and over-interpret small actions they took as being the cause of their success when it was luck. Some successful people have genuinely good habits, but don't know which ones actually helped make them successful. So this advice is often neither necessary nor sufficient, and sometimes not even helpful.
Agreed. While some advice/learnings from others may be useful, doing what MrBeast does
now wouldn't work for a new creator, simply because they don't have 50 million subscribers.
tbh, I wouldn't make lets-play videos. Speaking personally, there's only two reasons I'd ever click on a lets-play video. Either its made by someone I already know and I'm watching for them rather than the game. Or its for a game I want to see gameplay of because I'm considering buying it, and even then there's at least a 50% chance I'll mute the audio to not hear the person talking.
You have to ask yourself, why would a random person click on your video over someone elses. What does it offer that more popular channels don't. If I see a video pop up in recommended that's a lets play of a random game by some random person I've never heard of, there's a zero percent chance I'm clicking on it.
This sums it up nicely.
I feel you OP - I've been trying to stream on Twitch for about a year now and organically, follows come in at a snails pace and I need to get lucky to get someone to chat.
Twitch doesn't have a functioning recommendation system. To grow on Twitch you
need to pull people in from other platforms.
Dumping your stream link in forums/reddit isn't the way either (and banned in most communities), but if you have an amazing/funny clip that can attract people, that clip's success can make people go "I want to watch more of this" and then you start to grow.
Also, be consistent with a streaming schedule on Twitch. Habit-building is key there.
* figuratively
