- When we're talking about your goal
for reaching 1,000 subscribers on your gaming channel,
we really need to consider the focus that's going to take.
The focus is on the games in particular that we're covering,
the way we're covering them,
and then how we present that through our content.
So today I'm going to share my strategy
for staying focused as you reach
for that 1,000 subscriber goal on your gaming channel.
- VidIQ. - VidIQ.
- [Announcer] Vidiq.com.
- Hello, I'm Dan and welcome back.
Don't forget to subscribe because this is VidIQ,
the YouTube tool and channel (bell ringing)
that helps educate you along your YouTube journey.
And my question for you today is this.
How long do you typically strive
to make your gameplay content,
a typical gameplay video on your channel?
What's the length of that video?
And if you're not in a gaming channel,
just your run-of-the-mill video
you like to post on your channel regularly,
how long do you make that content?
And the reason I bring that question up in particular
is because today we are specifically going to start
by talking about watch time.
(upbeat music)
the reason 1,000 subscribers is such a coveted goal
is because that is one of the requirements
YouTube has for monetization on your channel.
That and of course, 4,000 hours of watch time.
Now, we have videos on how you would
obtain 4,000 hours of watch time,
so be sure to go check those out when you get a chance.
But the point I wanna make today is
that the 4,000 hours of watch time is something
you could be working on throughout your entire
YouTube journey on your way to that 1,000 subscribers.
So at this stage in the game,
I would say it's very important to focus on making videos
that are going to get you some decent watch time.
And in gameplay, we know that could be pretty easy to do
because well, what it takes is just playing the game longer
which can be a lot of fun.
But when it comes to watch time,
I want you to think about that for a minute.
YouTube is measuring your channel based
on the amount of time somebody sticks around
and watches your content, correct?
The reason I love this metric so much
is because it's YouTube's way of going,
"Okay, people stuck out through the majority of your video.
"They watched the whole thing just about.
"This must mean your video is high quality,
"and because of that, we are going
"to be pushing it more and more."
So simply making your let's play video
10 minutes longer than it probably needs to be
doesn't mean you're gonna get 10 extra minutes
of watch time from each person who watches it.
And that's the very reason you'll hear me stress
quality over quantity every time.
Uploading daily is certainly a thing you can do,
but how is that going to look for your watch time
if your daily 20 minute let's play videos
only get about on average two minutes of audience retention?
My point is you can't force videos to become longer
simply to improve your watch time.
You gotta put in the work.
I'll give you a great example.
There was a few nights ago where my family
was sitting down to play a board game.
It was "Sheriff of Nottingham."
We had played it before, but we kinda forgot the rules.
So I wanted to pull up a video real quick.
Instead of us all gathered around
reading the instruction manual,
I thought I'll pull up a video on this
and we'll see if people just lay out the rules
really quick so we can start playing.
If you search for "Sheriff of Nottingham," what comes up?
Well right at the top we have two videos.
A tutorial that goes over the game rules
in six or so minutes and another one that goes
over the game rules in about 20 or so minutes.
Now as viewers who were just trying to learn something
kinda quick, which video do you think stood out to us?
There's likely nothing wrong with the 20 minute tutorial,
but if that information has been condensed
into a more bite-sized format,
I'm probably gonna click that one,
and in fact, I did that day.
So as you can see, not every video is going to be able
to be 20 minutes long and have people click on it
and watch the entire thing.
However, there are plenty of other videos
that would make good long-form content.
You could do a listicle of perhaps
the top 10 "Cities: Skylines" mods.
During that listicle you could cover each one
in a bit of detail and that itself could be
a pretty decently-sized video,
but jampacked full of valuable information.
In "Cities: Skylines" you could cover the best strategies
for setting up your road network
so you don't 'cause a bunch of traffic jams.
Videos like this where there's multiple strategies,
multiple ways to tackle a problem,
it's a bit more forgiving in terms of length.
You can make these videos longer.
Always consider your audience when you're
making the content that you make.
Consider what you would like to watch,
just like I had to consider when it came
to my "Sheriff of Nottingham" conundrum.
If the physical quality of your videos
has been a problem for a while,
it's gonna be a bit tough to increase that watch time
and reach 1,000 subscribers without
first investing in your channel a little bit
and coming up with some upgrades.
And the first upgrade that any YouTuber should be
looking at is of course, a microphone.
Now since you have a gaming channel,
you're likely already using a PC that can play
and handle the games that you're recording,
I would assume because you are recording those games.
So, do your PC upgrades later on as needed
as games continue to improve
and you naturally need to upgrade your PC anyway.
Invest in a good sound setup.
People like to hear nice crisp audio.
I use an AT2020 Condenser mike.
I really love this microphone and it also has a USB version.
This is, as you can see, is an XLR,
it's kinda at the bottom here and I don't wanna,
the arm creaks, it's terrible.
But XLR microphone, there's a USB version of it.
This isn't sponsored.
I also recommend the Blue mikes, Blue Snowball, Blue Yeti,
things like that, this is the one I went with.
And I think it sounds pretty nice.
You can let me know in the comments if you feel otherwise.
But just don't forget to invest in your sound setup.
Microphones are not as expensive as you would think.
Other than microphones, if you're still recording
using software that has a watermark perhaps at the top
of the video, it's probably time to upgrade that too.
Luckily for you, programs like OBS and Streamlabs OBS,
are free, they are screen-capturing software
that record at a very high quality
and just about anyone can learn how to use 'em.
And the last software recommendation I have for you
when it comes to recording would be Nvidia Shadowplay.
I recommend this one because a lot of people
may not know they even have this.
If you have an Nvidia graphics card,
check and see if it's compatible with Nvidia Shadowplay.
It'll record your screen for you off of the video card.
It gets really high quality recordings this way
and it's very customizable.
(upbeat music)
On your way to 1,000 subscribers
you should be looking to build your community.
You've probably already started doing this
by answering comments that you're getting on your videos,
and if you're not doing that,
I would really recommend you start doing that.
Comments are a fantastic way to engage with your audience
and get feedback on how your videos are doing,
how individuals view your content,
how they're enjoying it,
what they like and what they don't like.
Before you reach 1,000 subscribers,
I feel like you should really be focusing
on growth within your YouTube channel itself.
You could worry about maybe a discord later,
promoting a lot on Twitter and Instagram.
You'll kinda get a feel for all
of that stuff as time goes on,
but you don't wanna get too wrapped up in managing
a lot of different community platforms.
I believe this is gonna take time away
from making high quality content
and engaging with the audience
already engaging with you in the comment section.
This engagement is important because people are
subscribing to your channel because of you.
You are the star of your channel.
They may have clicked on one of your videos
for the first time ever because you addressed a need
that they had in a game they were playing,
but they subscribe because they had a connection with you.
And after they hit subscribe,
I would recommend keeping them coming back
by setting up a content schedule.
You don't necessarily even have to make
a public announcement that you've set up a schedule.
Just upload consistently.
If people know where to find your videos,
they're gonna come back on a regular basis and watch.
I would also recommend looking
at what types of videos you post.
Perhaps you just do let's plays on Monday.
And then tutorials or reviews on Wednesday.
These are likely already methods you're experimenting with
at this time and you're probably gonna keep experimenting
even after you reach 1,000 subscribers.
I would at least hope so.
As you get closer and closer to 1,000 though,
I would look to tip the scale a little bit.
When you start YouTube you're probably
gonna be experimenting 80% of the time,
and then uploading regular content that people
are used to seeing all the time 20% of the time.
But as you start to learn more and more
the types of videos people enjoy coming back to
on your channel and you're doubling down on that content,
you want that scale to tip closer
to 80% of the time doing those regular videos
and 20% of the time experimenting.
As YouTubers, no matter who you are,
you should always be experimenting and trying to do
different things to stay versatile and grow your channel.
But as your audience grows,
it's probably not necessary to experiment so heavily.
(intense music)
We are VidIQ, so we do talk a lot about growth,
and strategy, and numbers, and that's all very exciting.
And I'm not discouraging that at all.
But don't forget why people start
YouTube channels in the first place.
It's very likely that they have a passion for something
and YouTube just happens to be the platform
where they feel most comfortable sharing that passion.
In my case that passion happened to be playing video games.
Hypothetically speaking, if I start a channel
all about city building games like "Cities: Skylines,"
it's more than likely it's because I feel I'm pretty good
at "Cities: Skylines" and I have a lot to share,
and I wanna show people new ways to play the game.
The point is the goal of creating the channel
wasn't to get rich and famous,
it was to share my passion with an audience.
So keep track of those numbers and celebrate the milestones
every step of the way.
As you reach those milestones use our achievements tool.
Generate a certificate and share with us and your audience,
celebrate those achievements certainly,
but never forget that your YouTube channel is about you
and the subject matter that you're covering.
The reason it's so important to stress that
is because as you make a content schedule,
you may get into territory where you start
to burn yourself out a little bit.
And as a gamer, I've done this too.
I was on a good trajectory and things were going awesome,
but I didn't wanna stop uploading,
even though I was starting to feel a little bit burnt out.
I was editing a lot and recording a lot,
and then my voice hurt, and I was getting tired.
But my schedule was Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
I had to upload, so I recorded anyway.
This isn't a healthy habit to get into because
you're worried about the numbers too much at this stage.
Just remember quality over quantity every time.
You're audience will understand
if you need to take a break along the way.
Getting 1,000 subscribers is super exciting,
but it doesn't all happen at once.
In fact, in most cases it never all happens at once
unless you have kind of a viral success.
So to recap, quality over quantity.
This can happen by upgrading your setup.
Build your community, make that content schedule.
Most importantly practice good,
healthy (bell ringing) habits.
Do not burn out making a gaming channel
because I can tell you from experience, it's easy to do.
I wish you luck on getting your first 1,000 subscribers.
And don't forget to let me know in the comments,
I wanna know how long your average
gameplay videos tend to be.
Thank you so much for watching.
Don't forget to subscribe, hit like,
we'll see you next time.