- These are seven painful truths I learned as a YouTuber.
You'll progress faster if you learn them early
or realize that YouTube isn't for you.
Sorry.
YouTube's algorithm is not responsible
for the failure of your low-quality content.
Poor-quality content will not gain traction
no matter how hard YouTube pushes it.
99% of the time, if a video flops,
there's a legitimate reason why.
Here's a video I posted.
It absolutely flopped.
If you asked me before I posted the video,
I would've told you it was a banger, but the data is clear.
There was a poor click-through rate on this video
indicating no interest in either the topic,
title or thumbnail.
The video got over 90,000 impressions.
YouTube showed it over 90,000 times.
Still, the title and thumbnail
failed to get viewers to click.
Even worse, the video's retention
shows that 50% of viewers abandoned it before 30 seconds.
That's horrible!
These are signs that the video failed,
not YouTube's algorithm.
Many creators attribute their video's underperformance
to YouTube's algorithm
without fully examining the analytics.
The truth usually lies deeper in the data.
Content is queen, thumbnails are king.
I know the community is pretty divided on this,
but here are my thoughts.
The best content in the world
will always be held back by a poor title or thumbnail.
Just like the tastiest food in the world
won't be eaten if it looks unappealing.
Now, this is not giving you permission
to make a garbage video
and make a banger title and thumbnail for it.
That's not gonna work.
But don't think that great content alone
will attract viewers.
We've produced and analyzed countless videos,
and I rarely see videos
with high retention and watch time
combined with a low click-through rate do well.
Regardless of how many people
YouTube recommends the video to,
viewers decide to start watching
by stopping or clicking because of your title and thumbnail.
Then they continue watching because of the content
and don't be deceived by the view count.
A highly viewed video
with a below average click-through rate
is only an indication
that the video had so much more potential.
Like I said, content is queen, thumbnails are king.
It's a marriage. Both are important.
You should optimize for both.
Your analytics are more reliable
than your family, friends, or gut feeling.
YouTube Studio provides a comprehensive view
of how your audience is engaging
and responding to your videos.
Regardless of how you feel,
the data shows how your viewers feel,
and don't be offended by the facts.
Poor video performance is not a reflection
of you as a person.
It's a reflection of how well you execute it on that video,
and that piece of content is not your next piece of content.
When you look at the data objectively
and make changes accordingly, your content will improve.
You see, the analytics helped me post my next video
after I posted the one that failed.
I looked at the data, determined how to improve,
then made a better video.
The video I posted directly after that flop
already has 2.6 times higher than average views.
A click-through rate that passed 10%
which is great for our channel
and is on track across a hundred thousand views.
Every smart YouTube creator is part artist and part analyst.
Artistic creativity is necessary
for creating content that is engaging,
unique, and memorable.
But analytical skills are needed
to deeply understand your audience,
measure the success of the content,
and identify growth opportunities,
but creating better thumbnails, creating better content,
digging into data, all this sounds like a lot of work.
It is.
If you thought that YouTube was just a post-and-go thing,
you will quickly realize how much work it is,
which is why any creator will tell you,
you won't escape hard work by becoming a creator.
This non-traditional job is not easier
than a traditional job.
In many cases, you will work harder.
Small channels have to wear a lot of hats
to keep their channels running smoothly.
Yes, you are a YouTuber,
but you're also a filmmaker, editor,
researcher, graphic designer, writer, and so much more.
YouTube is a real job,
and it takes real work and commitment to succeed.
Be prepared to put in 10 times the effort
you thought you would.
Subscriber counts are just pretty.
Views, watch time, and engagements are profitable.
Okay, so you're gonna need a thousand subscribers
to get into the YouTube Partner Program.
That's a non-negotiable.
But outside of the YouTube Partner Program
and some fancy play buttons,
your subscriber count really doesn't do much.
You're gonna need views to make money.
You're gonna need watch time to get recommended,
and you're gonna need engagement to build a community.
A channel with 5,000 subscribers
can pull more views than a channel with 50,000.
A channel with 1 million subscribers
can have less engagement
than a channel with a hundred thousand.
Here's the thing:
Current subscribers do not reflect current interest
in a channel.
And with so many niches, CPMs, and ways to make money,
it's a terrible way to gauge income to.
Friends, the truth is, longevity on YouTube
has little to do with your subscriber count.
People won't like you. (exhales deeply)
That is the painful truth.
You're not for everybody, and that's fine.
If you post videos expecting everyone to like them,
you'll quickly be humbled by all the dislikes and comments.
Don't take it personally.
This is the nature of being a public figure,
but be prepared for it.
You will work hard to produce content.
You will post that content
and then you will receive public feedback.
I hope most of it is positive.
The negative feedback is unavoidable and will happen,
but don't let the feedback discourage you,
especially when you're new.
You're building in public.
To be great at YouTube,
you have to practice in public, video by video.
And not gonna lie,
the video you thought was a banger this year,
even you will cringe at next year.
Ideas are overrated, execution is everything.
Listen, as a content creator,
the single most important thing you can do is press publish.
Your ideas are useless if they just sit in a notepad.
If you're waiting for the perfect time to execute,
you'll get outdone by somebody else who doesn't wait.
Just post.
A good plan, violently executed now,
is better than a perfect plan next week.
The triangle of growth is posting content,
getting feedback, then iterating.
Now, tell me a painful truth that you learned
as a YouTube creator in the comments below.
And if you're still determined to win
despite everything I just shared with you,
go ahead and smash the subscribe button, smash like,
and get to creating.
(gentle upbeat music)