2022 was quite the year for YouTube. – There were 80 BILLION views on YouTube LAST MONTH ALONE. Throughout the year many things have changed for creators, but the hunger and need to hack the algorithm hasn’t. Today we are going to talk about what has changed and how knowing this can set you up for success this year.

Hooks

One of the main things that has changed this year has been video structure. With that, hooks have been shortened. 30 seconds has become way too long for a hook. With the rise of short form content, people have a much shorter attention span. Remember, the point of your hook is not to explain what your video is about. It’s literally just picking up where your title and thumbnail leave off and build enticement. Mr. Beast believes that if your hook is more than 1-2 sentences, it’s too long.

We are also seeing that sometimes your title and thumbnail serve as your hook. If your title and thumbnail already explain your video, you can just right into point one. You don’t have to repeat yourself. Also you don’t have to introduce yourself, wrap up your content with a close, ask people to like and subscribe, etc. All of this extra is getting cut and the focus is on good storytelling.

Shorts

Shorts are here to stay. YouTube is financially backing it with monetization, which is a great sign. But for creators, it’s really a great tool for discoverability. Simply repurposing content into short form is really the bare minimum that anyone can do and see results. But intentionally made shorts are amazingly helpful to bring people in. The more you put into that minute, the more you’ll get out of it.

Really want to maximize this content? Get creative visually! Think about the loop. It can be simple, but simply walking in on one side of the frame and walking out on the other can be really visually enticing. Watch short and see what intrigues you! What keeps you watching a short over and over. Why does a short make you want to share it with someone else? Take these elements and use them in your own!

Podcasting

Podcasting is just another way to deliver value to your target audience. Whether it’s live-streaming or even just audio only, YouTube is the #1 place that people find podcasts. The longer form content can really help build emotional connection and deliver high quality content. Listening to podcasts is also becoming more and more common. People are always looking for new ones that intrigue them, so give the people what they want and start your own podcast! And the benefit of filming it and posting it on YouTube is that you can actually see the people and not just listen. This definitely adds to the connection with facial expressions, etc.

Thumbnails

Thumbnails are getting better and better. If this isn’t your thing, you should look into outsourcing this because it really is that important. Thumbnails have gotten better at visual storytelling.They are clearer and more produced. As more creators arise in the field, it’s becoming more and more competitive to catch people’s attention. Putting time, energy and resources into thumbnails is never going to be wasted.

Storytelling

Creators are becoming really good at storytelling. And it’s not just the entertainers that are telling stories. The educators who utilize storytelling are really seeing results. If you can teach without your listeners realizing they’re being taught, you’ve succeeded. A good example of this is is a master of storytelling in the vlog niche. He said himself that he’s looking for 3 act narratives in his everyday life. And this is why people love his videos.

Don’t hold onto what you’ve been doing so tightly that you never try something new. Storytelling fits into every niche and levels up every video.

Biggest challenges in 2023

Creators are no longer just a creator, but their own brand that uses YouTube to interact with their audience. There are so many skills that you need to be good at in order to grow: video editor, producer, logistics expert, businessman, storyteller, marketer, etc. In Hollywood there’s a whole team to pull off these things, but on YouTube this can be just 1 person. This is incredibly difficult. (By the way, “brand” doesn’t mean a logo or an icon, but what do people feel when they think of you or see your logo, etc.)

Feeling like we have to be the best at everything can cause creators to feel overwhelmed. This is a major challenge as well. To combat this, focus on one thing at a time to continue moving in the right direction. Take a step back and decide, “What is the one thing that if you changed in that area it would make everything else easier or unnecessary?” then focus on changing that first.

Also, it’s so important in this “YouTube as business” landscape to remind yourself that you’re serving a real person. If you connect with the individuals in your audience, you will be successful. If you forget that and treat YouTube as just a means to an end, you won’t.

Biggest Time Waster

The biggest thing creators can waste their time on in 2023 is metadata optimization. Focusing on keywords and tags does nothing for you. It’s amazing how we constantly still interact when people who haven’t learned this yet. You don’t need to fit in all the right keywords in your description. Optimize for PEOPLE not robots.

Top Focus in 2023

So what should we be focusing on in 2023? The best way to stand out from everyone else on this platform is focusing on your primal branding and value proposition. What value are you bringing a brand new viewer? What is your why? The more connection points that will make you stand out as a real person, the better your content will be received.

Experiment in 2023

The best thing to experiment with in 2023 is shorts! Get a little uncomfortable, try new things. You can film a ton of tiny 15-60 second videos and it will be great for your channel AND simultaneously, it can spark creativity and really inspire you in new ways.

Also, there is a lot of AI development around images. You can put in exactly what you are looking for and get ideas from this for your thumbnails. Also, chat GPT is crazy. I wouldn’t rely on it heavily, but it definitely can give you great feedback on titles, scripts, and ideas. VidIQ is working on an AI vidIQ coach. . It is in its very early stages, but we’d love some testers!