To Create or To Research

Instead of focusing on trending online discussion such as my last few videos (npc tiktok, aliens on an airplane, aliens in las vegas) I decided to instead focus my most recent animated short on a more relatable topic – being asked not to get someone sick after you cough.

I’m happy with how the video came out and actually received a few laughing emojis. The short itself did not perform well on youtube – initially it had around 200 views, but I deleted it, trimmed it down, and reposted it to only receive a hundred (usually the views increase).

One awesome tool that youtube studio provides it the ability to view the timestamp of when viewers stop watching. I was able to identify the line where viewers moved on and eliminate it.

I think in the long term this may be the type of material I focus on for the animated shorts, but as the small channel that I currently am I think I may have trouble catching viewers without commonly searched terms. Unfortunately when you are a nobody you have to leech a little bit – write something about Beyonce and you’ll get clicks no matter how ghostly your online presence may be.

I am happy that I was able to record and post an animated sketch in less than a week. My last widescreen short finally surpassed the hundred view mark and receive more likes than any before it. When youtube considers your channel for earnings, they evaluate the total watch hours you have received. They do not count youtube shorts for your overall watch hours.

I watched a video last night where a popular youtuber named Mr. Beast discusses how judgmental people will be when you are an unknown brand. He reminisced about how people called him crazy and told him he was working too hard on making videos. Now that he has become a household name, those same people are saying he’s a genius and approve of his work ethic. I can totally relate to that.

However some of my optimism was depleted when I stumbled on another Mr. Beast clip this morning – where he speaks with certainty about his ability to gain a hundred thousand subscribers on a new youtube channel in six months due to the knowledge that he has acquired.

I am constantly caught between devoting more time to understanding the youtube algorithm and moving forward to focus on a new video. I initially believed that creating engaging videos alone would boost my online recognition. I still believe that, but am aware that other factors are at play. Create an intriguing title, a captivating thumbnail, and content that viewers won’t be able to click away from and you will achieve that. Of course, context always matters – the title must have good rank in search engines, the content must match the title, and the thumbnail must be relevant to the video.

Thank you taking the time to read and I hope you have an awesome day.