- [Rob] So you're a small YouTube channel,
but someday you wanna become a big YouTube channel,
and you figured that the best way to do this
is to beat the YouTube algorithm.
(ding)
(glass shattering)
Well, this in a nutshell is how you do it.
- [Rob] Now then, hey folks, I'm Rob!
Welcome back to vidIQ,
educating you on your YouTube journey.
Today's lesson is how to beat the YouTube algorithm
as a small channel.
Now, for those of you with the attitude
that this video is too long, didn't watch,
let me summarize.
It doesn't really have anything to do with algorithms.
(buzzer)
It's more about building an audience on YouTube.
But I'm gonna be honest with you,
if you haven't got the patience to watch this video,
you're going to get frustrated with YouTube
very, very quickly.
When it comes to growing a YouTube channel,
it's not about cheat codes, and hacks,
and ways to try and beat the system.
It is a large dollop of passion, patience, persistence,
all wrapped up in consistency over the longterm.
All of this begins by building a channel
around your intended target audience.
First of all, think about who is watching
your channel right now,
and if they are likely to be watching
in six to 12 months time.
And with that in mind,
can you keep them engaged
on a regular basis with your content?
This is why going viral
isn't always the best thing for your channel.
If you get tons of views from a single video,
when you don't even know who your target audience is,
then you're probably going to struggle
to retain that audience
and they will quickly move on to the next thing.
This is where return viewers can be a really valuable metric
over subscribers.
At a glance, this data will show you
when viewers are returning to watch more of your content,
and it's a great indicator
of longterm channel growth and sustainability.
As an example, our return viewers on the vidIQ channel
always peak when we make videos about 1000 subscribers.
What does this say about our target audience?
Well, you're likely working towards 4,000 hours as well,
and monetization.
And if you are on the journey
to the YouTube partner program,
you're likely considered a small channel,
hence the title of this video.
But if only it was that simple, because let's be honest,
this isn't the first video of titled
"How to Grow on YouTube as a Small Channel".
As much as we would love to hit this entire target audience
with every single video that we make,
so does every other YouTube education channel.
Let's face the harsh proof here,
and we're all to blame for this.
There is more content on YouTube,
and indeed the internet at large, than ever before,
and every single second that passes,
someone else adds more to it.
And so, if you start a channel with the intention
of doing what he does or what she does or what they do,
then guess what?
It's already been done.
Why should a viewer pick you?
This is where the question of finding your niche
starts to be answered.
The term "niche" can be used in many different ways
when it comes to YouTube,
be it channel focus or video topic.
But today, when we talk about niche,
I'm going to ask you about you as a video creator.
This isn't about playing only one game on your channel
or choosing iOS over Android.
This is about how you present your content
to your target audience.
If you are going to be a tech channel,
are you going to bring news to your audience
before anyone else on YouTube?
If you are going to play
one of the most popular video games in the world,
are you going to bring a standard of gaming excellence,
that no one else can compete with?
If you are gonna show us how to trade in stocks,
are you going to give us 100 financial pieces of advice,
rather than the five or six that your competitors do?
Or if you are a travel blogger,
are you going to interwine personal stories
that are going to move your audience,
like no one else can do in the genre?
Let's go back to that original obstacle.
Pretty much every topic already exists on YouTube.
So why should I, as a viewer, choose you?
Your answer, as a creator, is your YouTube superpower,
whatever that ends up being.
Fortunately, there is a fun, entertaining,
and educational way to start answering this question.
And it's to simply watch videos on YouTube.
Now for a little confessional corner,
Who here spends all of their time
making YouTube videos,
rather than watching videos on YouTube
to find out what's going on in their video topic?
I'm guilty of disappearing off into my creative bubble
all the time.
But when I stop to drink in some of the content
in my video topic,
I'm refreshed with new ideas,
new ways of filming and editing,
new ways to create from nails.
In the business world,
you might call this market research.
In the YouTube world,
I like to call this passive collaboration.
Come on, let's all admit it!
We watch other creators within our video topic,
and when we admire what someone has done,
we look at how we can recreate that video,
whilst adding our own unique YouTube superpower
to our own creation.
The interpretation and the execution of an idea
is what sets your content apart
from everybody else on YouTube.
And it also develops brand awareness.
You all know what vidIQ is, right?
The creator-obsessed YouTube education channel.
And you come here to get a thousand subscribers,
4,000 hours of watch time,
monetize your YouTube channel.
And you all know who I am, right?
Rob, your livable YouTuber in residence.
A man with a low-key love for wrestling,
and somebody who likes to drop secret code words
at the end of each video.
And as you watch more and more of vidIQ,
you become more familiar with our work.
You become more familiar and relatable with me.
You know who we are, and how we can help you
on your YouTube journey.
My goal over time is to convince you
to get the instant click on a vidIQ thumbnail,
and know that you will get value from the content,
even if you don't necessarily pay full attention
to the thumbnail, or the title when you see it on YouTube.
(mouse clicking)
That's brand awareness.
That's audience loyalty.
This is how you beat the YouTube algorithm,
that's a video you should watch next,
and this is your code word for the video.
Nutshells!
(nuts cracking)