Hard work pays off, right? So if you want channel growth, just make more videos! Well… I would disagree with that idea. Working your tail off doesn’t always mean you are guaranteed more views or subs. So what can you do when you feel like you’ve done it all and can’t get any further? The answer is to start experimenting.
Why Experiment
I talk about experimenting all the time. Why? Well, a lot of creators that come to us feel exhausted. They have been doing the same thing for a long time. It has worked… to some degree. But they just can’t get past the wall that they are currently at. (Does this resonate with you at all?)
When you are in this place the answer is to start experimenting! But that’s scary, right? What you’ve done so far has gotten you here. You can’t just turn your back on that. Plus, it’s comfortable. You know what you’re doing and feel confident in that. You are currently a well-oiled machine. You know how much time it will take from beginning to end to produce a video. You can do this in your sleep! So why in the WORLD would you want to mess with that??
Well, because if you want different results, you need to try a different method.
How to Experiment
Deciding how to experiment depends on where you are at currently. I work with some creators that upload 10 times a week and have the “more is better mindset.” Then, I have other creators that are afraid to publish at all. They think they can’t put out a video until it’s perfect. These creators are stuck in a rut of analysis paralysis. So identifying where you are at will help you know how to try something new.
If you’re stuck not knowing where to start, I would suggest just filming a video with no intention of publishing it. You need to get yourself past the wall and just press record. Or maybe if you always do long form content, come up with a short. This may feel like a lower pressure situation and easier to complete.
It can also help to look at your analytics. You can’t perfect everything in one video. So instead, just find the first domino that you want to knock down and focus on that. What is a glaring thing that needs the most work? Work on that and only that. If you have low impressions, take your next 5-10 videos and focus on your titles and thumbnails. Once you feel better about that, take the next batch and focus on your hook. If you’re a newer channel, publish more videos and really dig into the learning process. YouTube is a “fail forward” experience. Each dud video is a just a rep. Learn from it and keep going. Rome wasn’t built in day and neither will your YouTube channel.
But if you’re a chronic uploader, my advice would be different. Are you okay dialing it back and focusing that effort on trying something new? The pro of having a lot of videos is that you do have a lot of data. Use it to your advantage! Look at your analytics and see where you need to improve. Then, take more time on your next several videos, focusing on that.
I know, I know what some are you are thinking: If I upload less videos, I’ll have less adsense. But the question becomes, what kind of content are you posting? Does your channel post evergreen content or content that is more time-sensitive (like news based content)? If you are more time-sensitive then, yes. I get that. But could you try to post a few videos that are more timeless? This would alleviate some of the pressure because you would have more videos that would be bringing in views across the board. But it really comes down to quantity over quality. What if you focused in and made some higher-quality videos that would bring in more views rather than pumping out a large amount of videos that bring in less views. Our data shows that doing this has actually made our creators more money than just trying to pump out X amount of videos a month.
Looking at Data
So when you look at your data, don’t just look at the views. Instead, think of the viewer signals and what analytics are tied to those. If you are needing to work on your title and thumbnail, check out your impressions and click through rate. Check out your retention graph to see where your content needs work. Where are the biggest drop offs? Right at the beginning? Your hook needs work. Do you do a call to action right at the beginning and everyone leaves? Let’s change that.
We always suggest that you drop your data into spreadsheets, but don’t evaluate it until 30-90 days later. At that point, you will have a good picture of how it’s performing and you are more removed from the emotional attachment of the video as well.
Passion
But maybe, you just feel like you’ve made the same type of videos for the last seven years. For you, I would ask, What does version 2.0 look like? How can you serve your target audience and fulfill your value proposition in a new way? Maybe your audience is bored. And maybe you’re bored too! Experimenting is scary, but it’s a good scary. When you started your channel, I bet it was scary. But you passion about your content and your viewer got excited because you of that passion. If you’re bored in your content, ask yourself, “What type of video would be exciting to make?”
Is it Working?
After you have been running an experiment for awhile, it’s time to go back into your data to see if it’s working or not. So let’s say you have been focusing really hard on your titles and thumbnails for 8-12 videos. After 30-90 days, go into your analytics and group together just those videos that you experimented with. What do your impressions and click-thru rate look like? How does this compare with a group of the same amount of videos that you were making previously? The idea is just to find out if you are moving in the right direction. Also, a good idea is to toss out your best and worst performing videos of each group. You really want to compare the median average between the two sets of videos to see how you’re doing.
Dangers of Experimenting
The major pitfalls I see creators fall into is going too hard, too fast. One video they go way off in left field with totally different content. And then, in their next video they make a totally different type of thumbnail. Then, in their next video they do both of these and change the hook completely. If it’s too much, too fast your audience will be confused, but you will also not get enough data to really see if anything was working.
Where to Start
Not sure where to start? Go watch some content! Watch creators inside and outside of your niche and take notes. How did they do their hook? Why did you want to keep watching? How can you repurpose that with your unique voice for your audience?
And remember that this is going to take time. This is not a quick fix. This is your starting place and your plan to get better and excite you about your channel. Experimenting is a natural part of growth. Dive into your analytics and see where you can improve. Are you growing or just existing on YouTube? Are you excited about your content? If not, it’s time to make a change.
Power Tip
YouTube is running it’s own experiment. Soon YouTube will be offering livestreaming on shorts. Vertical livestreaming is a great place to engage with people in the shorts stream. Try it out! See how it goes! It might be a fun experiment for your channel.
Keep Changing Lives!
Tim Schmoyer
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