1 1 00:00:00,021 --> 00:00:03,354 (uplifting piano music) 2 2 00:00:04,870 --> 00:00:07,210 Let's talk about the YouTube algorithm. 3 3 00:00:07,210 --> 00:00:09,300 Or maybe you you want to call it 4 4 00:00:09,300 --> 00:00:10,270 the A.I. 5 5 00:00:10,270 --> 00:00:12,270 meaning, Artificial Intelligence. 6 6 00:00:12,270 --> 00:00:14,410 Or maybe you'll hear me calling it 7 7 00:00:14,410 --> 00:00:15,901 the YouTube robot. 8 8 00:00:15,901 --> 00:00:16,734 (laughs) 9 9 00:00:16,734 --> 00:00:18,260 Whatever you want to call it, 10 10 00:00:18,260 --> 00:00:20,580 trying to crack the algorithm 11 11 00:00:20,580 --> 00:00:22,530 or understand it completely, 12 12 00:00:22,530 --> 00:00:25,760 will drive you crazy. 13 13 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:29,430 You are your own boss on YouTube in the sense that 14 14 00:00:29,430 --> 00:00:32,660 you decide what you want to make and when. 15 15 00:00:32,660 --> 00:00:36,500 But, in a way the robot is your boss. 16 16 00:00:36,500 --> 00:00:40,430 Nothing gets to the people unless the robot 17 17 00:00:40,430 --> 00:00:42,560 serves your content to them. 18 18 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:46,480 Where your views come from, is found in the analytics 19 19 00:00:46,480 --> 00:00:49,453 under traffic source types. 20 20 00:00:50,490 --> 00:00:53,540 So you've got browse features. 21 21 00:00:53,540 --> 00:00:57,350 This is the home page, home screen, or subscription feed 22 22 00:00:57,350 --> 00:00:59,260 or other browsing features. 23 23 00:00:59,260 --> 00:01:02,340 You've got suggested videos, suggested alongside 24 24 00:01:02,340 --> 00:01:05,550 or after current videos the viewer is watching. 25 25 00:01:05,550 --> 00:01:08,215 You've got channel pages, you've got YouTube search, 26 26 00:01:08,215 --> 00:01:10,350 you've got notifications; 27 27 00:01:10,350 --> 00:01:11,320 this is going to be 28 28 00:01:11,320 --> 00:01:14,083 from your subscribers who had notifications on. 29 29 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:19,370 End screens, playlists, external, which means traffic 30 30 00:01:19,370 --> 00:01:23,280 from websites and apps that embed your video or link 31 31 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:25,140 to your videos on YouTube. 32 32 00:01:25,140 --> 00:01:27,780 Now, the percent of each is going to vary 33 33 00:01:27,780 --> 00:01:31,710 for each individual YouTuber but, most of those traffic 34 34 00:01:31,710 --> 00:01:36,430 sources are dependent on you pleasing the robot. 35 35 00:01:36,430 --> 00:01:38,830 Okay, browse features. 36 36 00:01:38,830 --> 00:01:42,118 It does help that people have subscribed to you. 37 37 00:01:42,118 --> 00:01:44,420 but it doesn't mean every one of your new videos 38 38 00:01:44,420 --> 00:01:46,010 will be displayed to them. 39 39 00:01:46,010 --> 00:01:48,140 If they didn't actually click the bell 40 40 00:01:48,140 --> 00:01:51,480 and request notifications for every upload, 41 41 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:55,213 then the robot will decide which of your videos to show 42 42 00:01:55,213 --> 00:02:00,213 and which to bury out in the backyard behind your dead cat. 43 43 00:02:00,418 --> 00:02:02,070 Okay? (laughs) 44 44 00:02:02,070 --> 00:02:06,568 Suggested videos. Those are even more reliant on the robot. 45 45 00:02:06,568 --> 00:02:10,160 Not all views are reliant on pleasing the robot though, 46 46 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:15,160 some videos do really well because, maybe your famous friend 47 47 00:02:15,580 --> 00:02:19,330 promoted it or due to some collaboration you did 48 48 00:02:19,330 --> 00:02:21,880 that sent people to the video. 49 49 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:25,040 Some videos do really well in search 50 50 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:27,980 because they have relatively low competition. 51 51 00:02:27,980 --> 00:02:31,380 Yet, a significant amount of people are 52 52 00:02:31,380 --> 00:02:36,290 searching for that term so they come across your stuff. 53 53 00:02:36,290 --> 00:02:39,410 But, without paying to promote the video most of the time, 54 54 00:02:39,410 --> 00:02:42,840 you can't go viral until you please the robot, 55 55 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:45,820 because it's the robot that pushes the video 56 56 00:02:45,820 --> 00:02:49,230 to the next level and you can't please the robot 57 57 00:02:49,230 --> 00:02:52,210 until you make a video that pleases the audience 58 58 00:02:52,210 --> 00:02:55,070 that you already have now. 59 59 00:02:55,070 --> 00:02:58,970 So, what does the robot look for? 60 60 00:02:58,970 --> 00:03:01,830 The robot cares most about watch time. 61 61 00:03:01,830 --> 00:03:06,170 So it wants to see that people watch not only your video, 62 62 00:03:06,170 --> 00:03:09,830 but they watch more videos after yours. 63 63 00:03:09,830 --> 00:03:12,544 They could be more videos of yours 64 64 00:03:12,544 --> 00:03:16,369 or they could be someone else's videos. 65 65 00:03:16,369 --> 00:03:20,250 You are a good YouTuber in the robot's eyes 66 66 00:03:20,250 --> 00:03:21,620 if you bring, 67 67 00:03:21,620 --> 00:03:25,290 if you bring people to YouTube to watch your videos 68 68 00:03:25,290 --> 00:03:28,940 and then stay on the platform to watch more videos 69 69 00:03:28,940 --> 00:03:30,882 on YouTube, even if they're not yours. 70 70 00:03:30,882 --> 00:03:32,700 If that makes sense. 71 71 00:03:32,700 --> 00:03:36,240 And you're not a great YouTuber if someone watches 72 72 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:39,560 your video for 30 seconds and then gets so bored 73 73 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:42,775 they log out of YouTube and go skateboarding. 74 74 00:03:42,775 --> 00:03:44,743 (laughs) The robot doesn't like that. 75 75 00:03:45,830 --> 00:03:49,560 The robot likes, likes, comments and shares, 76 76 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:53,600 and people subscribing while watching your video. 77 77 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:55,630 So a little call to action like, 78 78 00:03:55,630 --> 00:03:56,982 give this video a thumbs up, 79 79 00:03:56,982 --> 00:03:59,892 can actually help the videos performance. 80 80 00:03:59,892 --> 00:04:04,860 Or encouraging comments, by asking your viewers a question. 81 81 00:04:04,860 --> 00:04:06,590 Don't ask too much though. 82 82 00:04:06,590 --> 00:04:09,380 One call of action is probably enough. 83 83 00:04:09,380 --> 00:04:13,040 If you ask them to like, share, subscribe, comment, 84 84 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:15,080 follow me on Instagram and Snapchat and Facebook 85 85 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:16,548 and blah, blah, blah. 86 86 00:04:16,548 --> 00:04:19,348 They might not do anything at all because you've 87 87 00:04:19,348 --> 00:04:23,293 given them too many options. (laughs) 88 88 00:04:24,300 --> 00:04:27,020 Another thing to do, 89 89 00:04:27,020 --> 00:04:29,980 obviously keep it advertiser friendly. 90 90 00:04:29,980 --> 00:04:34,860 The robot loves advertiser friendly content quite a bit too 91 91 00:04:36,775 --> 00:04:39,740 and it likes a good click through rate. 92 92 00:04:39,740 --> 00:04:44,650 So, if it shows your thumbnail to, like if the robot 93 93 00:04:44,650 --> 00:04:47,230 shows your thumbnail to 100 people 94 94 00:04:47,230 --> 00:04:52,230 and that shows up in our analytics as 100 impressions 95 95 00:04:52,740 --> 00:04:55,900 and 10% of people click on it, 96 96 00:04:55,900 --> 00:04:59,210 which would mean the click through rate is 10%. 97 97 00:04:59,210 --> 00:05:00,510 Ooh baby, 98 98 00:05:00,510 --> 00:05:03,710 that robot is gonna love you, okay? 99 99 00:05:03,710 --> 00:05:07,363 It means you had a great thumbnail and a great title. 100 100 00:05:08,510 --> 00:05:10,090 Here's how I see it, 101 101 00:05:10,090 --> 00:05:12,160 YouTube is a democracy. 102 102 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:16,280 The people choose what rises to the top, 103 103 00:05:16,280 --> 00:05:20,622 but the robot is the middle man, the police man, the army, 104 104 00:05:20,622 --> 00:05:25,440 the government itself and you have to please both 105 105 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:28,000 if you want to survive long term. 106 106 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:30,366 But I suggest you focus more on content 107 107 00:05:30,366 --> 00:05:33,370 than trying to understand the robot. 108 108 00:05:33,370 --> 00:05:37,110 Again, too much trying to understand this robot 109 109 00:05:37,110 --> 00:05:38,660 will drive you mad. 110 110 00:05:38,660 --> 00:05:41,930 I only go deep diving into my analytics 111 111 00:05:41,930 --> 00:05:44,108 and try to figure out what the robot is doing 112 112 00:05:44,108 --> 00:05:47,620 and what I can do to please it when there's a major problem 113 113 00:05:47,620 --> 00:05:49,010 with my channel. 114 114 00:05:49,010 --> 00:05:52,196 Otherwise, my time is usually better spent working. 115 115 00:05:52,196 --> 00:05:55,350 I built my channel without really overthinking things 116 116 00:05:55,350 --> 00:05:59,010 too much and I just keep in mind the simple demographics 117 117 00:05:59,010 --> 00:06:03,750 you get in the studio app. That's generally all you need. 118 118 00:06:03,750 --> 00:06:07,510 I've noticed that the robot seems to test channels 119 119 00:06:07,510 --> 00:06:09,010 from time to time too. 120 120 00:06:09,010 --> 00:06:11,160 It'll take one of your videos and put it 121 121 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:13,150 on prime real estate, 122 122 00:06:13,150 --> 00:06:15,750 on the homepage and you know, maybe 123 123 00:06:15,750 --> 00:06:18,180 maybe if you're lucky, on the trending page. 124 124 00:06:18,180 --> 00:06:21,550 And when that happens, that means you should continue 125 125 00:06:21,550 --> 00:06:25,200 to make content that is similar to it in the future. 126 126 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:27,640 Sorry for stating the obvious here. 127 127 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:30,660 You guys probably could figure that out. (laughs) 128 128 00:06:30,660 --> 00:06:34,374 I'm of the opinion that you should not buy views 129 129 00:06:34,374 --> 00:06:36,810 or subscribers. 130 130 00:06:36,810 --> 00:06:39,966 If you do decide to do so, then proceed with caution. 131 131 00:06:39,966 --> 00:06:43,970 They say you shouldn't do things that you don't understand 132 132 00:06:43,970 --> 00:06:47,440 so if you don't understand the implications of doing this 133 133 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:49,370 then don't do it. 134 134 00:06:49,370 --> 00:06:53,550 I have never bought subs, ever and I never will, 135 135 00:06:53,550 --> 00:06:57,350 'cause I don't understand it and good content rises. 136 136 00:06:57,350 --> 00:06:59,110 So I don't need to. 137 137 00:06:59,110 --> 00:07:02,767 The most I need to do is create valuable content 138 138 00:07:02,767 --> 00:07:07,530 and yeah the more people I can benefit making them laugh, 139 139 00:07:07,530 --> 00:07:11,581 cry, or inspire them, educate them, or inform them 140 140 00:07:11,581 --> 00:07:14,070 you know, the better I will do. 141 141 00:07:14,070 --> 00:07:17,270 So if you want to survive long term, then why buy subs? 142 142 00:07:17,270 --> 00:07:20,850 Just suck it up, do the work and respect the process. 143 143 00:07:20,850 --> 00:07:24,180 Now, what about paying to promote your videos? 144 144 00:07:24,180 --> 00:07:26,100 Okay, this is a different story. 145 145 00:07:26,100 --> 00:07:30,020 It's not the same as buying views and subs 146 146 00:07:30,020 --> 00:07:32,690 from some third party, (laughs) Okay? 147 147 00:07:32,690 --> 00:07:34,690 Promoting your video 148 148 00:07:34,690 --> 00:07:38,530 is done by paying Google Ads 149 149 00:07:38,530 --> 00:07:40,410 to promote your video or channel. 150 150 00:07:40,410 --> 00:07:44,250 If you see that promote option appear beside your video 151 151 00:07:44,250 --> 00:07:46,940 in YouTube Studio, this is what that means. 152 152 00:07:46,940 --> 00:07:49,634 If you click on promote, 153 153 00:07:49,634 --> 00:07:52,200 it will take you to Google Ads 154 154 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:54,860 and you can make your video into a skip able ad 155 155 00:07:54,860 --> 00:07:57,900 that appears before someone else's video 156 156 00:07:57,900 --> 00:07:59,670 and you pay for that. 157 157 00:07:59,670 --> 00:08:02,730 But I have never promoted myself in this way 158 158 00:08:02,730 --> 00:08:05,980 and for most people I don't recommend spending money 159 159 00:08:05,980 --> 00:08:07,669 on advertising your channel 160 160 00:08:07,669 --> 00:08:10,579 unless of course, you have a business model 161 161 00:08:10,579 --> 00:08:13,270 where it makes sense for you to do so. 162 162 00:08:13,270 --> 00:08:16,780 For example, you want to be the number one yoga guru 163 163 00:08:16,780 --> 00:08:19,720 in the world and you're making money 164 164 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:23,730 off your books, retreats, workshops, programs, etc. 165 165 00:08:23,730 --> 00:08:25,980 Then, it might make sense. 166 166 00:08:25,980 --> 00:08:29,500 And you can experiment with promoting your videos 167 167 00:08:29,500 --> 00:08:31,184 in this way. 168 168 00:08:31,184 --> 00:08:34,910 This is not what YouTubers do to get famous though 169 169 00:08:34,910 --> 00:08:37,890 and if your business model is trying to make money 170 170 00:08:37,890 --> 00:08:40,560 off of Google AdSense (laughs) 171 171 00:08:40,560 --> 00:08:42,420 then it will never work. 172 172 00:08:42,420 --> 00:08:47,420 You will spend way more money then you make (laughs) 173 173 00:08:47,580 --> 00:08:50,320 and what you'll want, is organic views. 174 174 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:52,840 Meaning, you want it to happen naturally, 175 175 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:54,568 without having to pay for it. 176 176 00:08:54,568 --> 00:08:58,630 So just let your content sell itself 177 177 00:08:58,630 --> 00:09:00,173 and just wait it out.