Brief Summary
This video provides a comprehensive guide on how small YouTube channels can leverage the YouTube algorithm to grow their viewership and get monetized faster. The key points covered include:
- Identifying your core audience profiles to create content that resonates with them
- Using data-driven strategies to recreate outlier video formats that have proven to perform well
- Optimizing your content for return viewers by creating content "buckets" - repeatable video formats that keep viewers engaged and coming back
The small channel algo hack
The video starts by introducing a "secret hack" that small YouTube channels are using to beat the algorithm and get hundreds of thousands of views on their first few videos. The key to this hack is understanding audience profiles - groups of people who are interested in similar video topics. The algorithm tests new videos with these audience profiles and will only push the video further if it performs well with the initial test audiences. Maintaining a consistent channel niche and creating content that appeals to a particular audience profile makes it easier for the algorithm to understand and recommend your videos.
Identify your core audience
To get a deeper understanding of your audience profiles, the video recommends using a document called "Getting to Know Your Audience" and filling out the questions to create an ideal viewer profile. This exercise will help you understand the hopes, dreams, goals, desires, obstacles, fears, and pain points of the people you want to connect with through your videos. Referring back to this document when coming up with new video ideas can ensure you're creating content that resonates with your target audience.
Recreating outlier video formats
The video explains that successful small channels are using data-driven strategies to create videos they know their audience will love, by recreating outlier video formats. Outlier videos are those that have performed significantly better than average for a channel. The video recommends using the VidIQ tools to identify outlier videos in your niche and then recreating those formats in your own style for your audience. However, it cautions that simply copying and pasting outlier videos doesn't always work, and explains the importance of adding a "missing piece" to ensure your recreated videos also perform well.
Optimize for return viewers
The final key strategy discussed is optimizing your content for return viewers. The algorithm prioritizes recommending videos from channels that viewers are regularly returning to watch. One of the best ways to increase your return viewer rate is by creating "content buckets" - repeatable video formats with similar titles, structures, and metadata that make it easy for the algorithm to understand what your viewers will want to watch next. The video cites an example from creator Jenny Hoyos, who used this strategy to grow her channel to 4 million subscribers in just a few years.
