I’ve heard a lot of discussion (and concern) lately among my friends and colleagues about how their YouTube video clicks and views are going down.
While I’m sure there are theories, some based on facts, some strictly humorous, I feel like the answer might be super simple. It has nothing to do with analytics, algorithms, user behavior or any other buzz word you have to pretend to care about. It has to do with you. And by you I mean the video creator.
Are you ready for it? There’s a chance you’re not going to like it. Here it goes: What you’re making isn’t good.
Or more specifically: You aren’t providing value to your viewers. No value, no views.
None.
How is that possible? My videos are funny and current and topical and…
It doesn’t matter.
It doesn’t matter unless you form a true connection with your viewer so that you are more than just a fleeting distraction. You must create something that connects with people on a deeper level, something that means something.
From the beginning the top performing channels on YouTube have largely been entertainment based: music, gaming, sketch, and a ton of parody.
So. Much. Parody.
But unless those genres touch a deeper nerve and connect with audience in a way that lasts beyond their last second, they ultimately fade noiselessly into the cacophony of content that we mindlessly consume.
YouTube has amazing content. Content that people can learn from. Content that is positive, uplifting and extremely interesting. Although, that content hasn’t rocketed to millions of subscribers at an unsustainable pace, which is why I think it warrants a second or third look.
Content like the Crash Course World History series from Hank Green or the AOL Originals series Fatherhood from Hank Azaria or anything from SoulPancake. These are three very different examples that manage to be relevant but also, entertaining.
It delivers value.
What are you actually doing for your viewers? What have you actually given them? You must care deeper than clicks. You must care deeper than subscriptions. Look at the medium as a unique platform to present interesting content to interested parties.
Is it a stage? Yes. Is it a playground? Absolutely. But it’s also an evolving specimen. People are no longer unfamiliar with the medium. In fact, they are almost too familiar with it and the kind of content they’ve come to expect. So if the medium is to evolve, if you, dear creator, hope to evolve — you, me, we, all of us — must focus on distilling our content to the most potent 180-proof ass-kicking product possible.
It’s no longer about clicks; it’s about souls.
Yes, that is a terrifying statement. But the most relevant, timeless, resonant content from five, 50 or 5,000 years ago fulfills something that evokes laughter or wisdom or connection deeply with the human condition.
And if you read that statement and just thought, Dude, it’s just YouTube. Sure it is, but it’s also the greatest untapped opportunity for forging significant connections with an audience who is all but begging for it.