A way to gain more views? :)

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Hey there! I am CaleoGaming. I am a fairly new youtuber who currently has 300.000+ views and almost 2000 subs. Most of my views comes from my Terraria guides and whenever I upload a let's play i get a persistency of 50-100 views per video. Is there a way to gain more views? I upload daily and I wish to expand my audience. I always take time to edit my videos and make sure they are in full HD and most importantly; I am just being myself when I play. Sillyness and randomness. I am dedicated and I work hard on my channel, and I am willing to work even harder to make it grow. So do you guys have any tips? :)
 

Michael

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Work on your audience retention and fingers crossed your video(s) will get suggested eventually.
 
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Jack Decker

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Here's my two cents.

1) You've got a good voice. Clear and understandable. Good audio.

2) You need to put an image of yourself into your "Let's Play" videos. Gaming viewers want to watch you. It helps them connect to you. They like seeing your reactions. As for how to do so, that depends on the video game you're playing. If there's never really anything that important going on in the upper right-hand corner, you can do an insert image there. However, if there is stuff that viewers will want to see in that corner, use a right-hand column.

If you do show an image of yourself, don't wear a headset but a single ear bud and hide it and its wire from view. Whichever side the camera is on (no matter how slightly), put the ear bud into the opposite ear and then run the wire down your back under your shirt. The more you look like someone the viewer is having a conversation with, the better you'll connect with viewers.

3) Make an intro video for your homepage that is 30 second to a minute long. First talk about which game genre you specialize in on your channel ... then who you are (people subscribe to people, not channel) ... then tell your release schedule ... and then do ONE call-to-action and that is for them to subscribe. Don't monetize your intro video. The intro video is an ad for your channel. Don't have another's ad hurt your ad.

4) Looking over your most recent uploads, you don't seem to have a set release schedule. You need one. Gaming channels are about becoming part of a viewer's daily life. You need to put one out daily but you also need to put it out at the same time everyday. This way your subscribers will begin to expect your content then everyday.

5) Tease, title card, content. You need to hook viewers right away. Title cards don't do that.

6) From a marketing standpoint, putting commercials at the start of a video simply indicates laziness and/or stupidity by the producer. You need to hook your viewers. Like title cards, pre-roll commercials don't hook viewers. They do just the opposite. They work against your show. While viewers wait the five seconds for the "Skip Ad" button to appear, they will at least glance at (if not study) the "Related Videos" column and thus you've just given them the opportunity to think, "Oh, here's a more interesting video to watch." Hook viewers, don't give them an opportunity to click away.

So look at your episodes. Is there structure to them? A natural point where you can do a commercial break. If so, acknowledge it just as they do on TV and incorporate it into your show. As you're a gaming channel, the break point could be between when you doing another attack (i.e., another beach landing in Boom Beach) or before you go into the next room, which is a good point if you're doing a horror game. If your show doesn't have a natural break point, you can create one by adding a new regular segment onto your show. If you cannot think of a new segment, there's always the standby of reading a few of the viewer comments of the previous video.

And as you break away for your commercial break, remind your viewers that you only get paid if they watch the commercial. Crass? Yes, but honest. Most viewers don't know that YouTubers only get paid by YouTube by how many commercials their viewers watch. I would recommend acknowledging this reality and enlisting your viewers' help in financially supporting your channel. "Now for a commercial break, folks. As I only get paid if you watch the commercial in its entirety, I would appreciate if you would. See you after the break." Then after the break, "Thanks for the support, folks. Now let us open that next door."

If you're just slapping a mid-roll ad in wherever, don't. An abrupt break in your episode ticks people off and guarantees they'll hit the "Skip Ad" button to get back to the programming.

As for putting commercials at the end of videos, it would be stupid not to do so since the VAST majority of people will click away once the episode is over. Thus end-roll commercials don't hurt your show. Yes, they produce little income but that's better than nothing.

As for the overlay ads (the banner ads on videos), I would always recommend never allowing those. You've taken so much time and effort to produce a good-looking video and you're now willing to destroy that by allowing a banner ad to be slapped on top of it? And most people click on the little "X" box in the upper right corner of the banner ad to get rid of it as fast as possible. By them doing so, they're not watching your video but focusing on getting rid of the banner ad. The only way I would recommend allowing banner ads is if you incorporate it into your show. "Oh! Banner ad. I will wait while you click it off. [slight pause] Good. Now as I was saying..."

[Now if you absolutely love the games you're playing and would never consider any other game, skip the next two suggestions and go directly to the most important and last suggestion.]

7) Contact gaming companies with a game in alpha. They will be looking to generate buzz for their upcoming game. Look for one that is in the game genre that you have specialized in. Tell them that. Tell them that you're looking for the next big game and you think theirs might be it. Ask to be let into their beta. Once in their beta, do a TON of how-to videos about everything in their game. Don't do "Let's Play" videos during beta as the game isn't set yet and if the released game is different than what you played in the "Let's Play", it will hold little interest to gamers. Email the gaming company weekly. Keep it professional. Ask them if there is anything they would like you to test, check out, do, etc. and then IMMEDIATELY do and release a video on that. Email them once you've uploaded it to your channel and ask for input on it and if there is anything else they'd like to you do a video on. When they go live, start doing "Let's Play" videos since only then is the game "set".

Good gaming companies will want to cultivate you. They might even fly you in to meet the development team. That isn't unheard of. You make a really good video and they might feature it on their website or even give a link to it within the game. When they finally move out of beta and release the "finished" game, you'll be nicely positioned to ride their wave.

As for which gaming companies to contact, I would strongly suggest you look into local gaming companies. You're there. You're a neighbor. You can easily meet with them face to face.

8) Don't tie yourself to any specific game or even franchise but instead do games within a single genre THEN jump onto the next big game. Always keep an eye out for upcoming games, especially mobile games. Very very very few games ever are a surprise to the gaming community. Get into their betas and start producing episodes. When they go live, you're then established. Then when the gaming company generates public interest for their live release, you can then ride their wave. However, never limit yourself to one game. Always keep an eye out for the next big game about to come out, enter its beta, and then ... lather, rinse, repeat.

9) Lastly but most importantly, collaborate, collaborate, and collaborate. You're a very small channel right now but everyone has to start from somewhere. Your best bet is to contact local YouTube channels. As you grow, contact larger and larger gaming channels that match your new size. Always propose an activity for the collaboration and never just that you want to do one. After you release a collaboration video, send links to it to other local YouTubers to show them how you do collaborations and invite them again to do one with you. Go to ALL YouTube conventions that you can afford to go to. Find out who's going and suggest you meet up for at least an interview of them. Doing it while you're at a friendly restaurant gives it a good backdrop. Don't worry about the sound.
 
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YouTuber1978

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You need to put an image of yourself into your "Let's Play" videos. Gaming viewers want to watch you. It helps them connect to you.
Good solid advice.
First talk about which game genre you specialize in on your channel ...
Probably wouldn't talk about it. Would you rather hear someone say they're funny? Or hear them tell a funny joke? I know for me it would be the latter. Your channel trailer should not be 30 seconds of you talking about why you're kick a**. It should be thirty seconds of you kicking a**.

Contact gaming companies with a game in alpha.
Good advice again. Lots of companies will give reviews free stuff. Especially if you get games early it makes sense to do a review.
Always keep an eye out for the next big game about to come out, enter its beta, and then ... lather, rinse, repeat.
Makes sense.

Most importantly focus on great content. It's great content, not collaborations and promotions that will get you more views in the long run. Promotions and collaborations result in short term spikes in views. Great content results in "evergreen videos". Videos that are consistently promoted by the YouTube algorithm in suggested videos and search and have a high daily view count for a significant time. Sometimes years.
 
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ChineseIrish

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Here's some general advice that works with most everything.

Find what was the most successful thing that you did was, and do more of that.
You say most of your views come from your Terraria guides. Is it possible to make more guides? Some kind of learning aspect to your gaming videos?

Is Terraria still a popular game? Eventually you'll have to move on to another game. Maybe thats why the views aren't huge.
 
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Jack Decker

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This isn't a reply to YouTuber1978 but to those reading this thread. YouTuber1978 is a fraud and, as he has done here in the following, gives out horrible advice, which I will counter. If you wonder why I say this, go to the thread "Multiple YouTube Channels???" and read where he and I exchange replies.

Probably wouldn't talk about it. Would you rather hear someone say they're funny? Or hear them tell a funny joke? I know for me it would be the latter. Your channel trailer should not be 30 seconds of you talking about why you're kick a**. It should be thirty seconds of you kicking a**.
No. Never assume viewers have ESP. Your channel trailer needs to explicitly tell them of what your channel is about. For a gaming channel, that is what game genre it specializes in.

Most importantly focus on great content. It's great content, not collaborations and promotions that will get you more views in the long run. Promotions and collaborations result in short term spikes in views. Great content results in "evergreen videos". Videos that are consistently promoted by the YouTube algorithm in suggested videos and search and have a high daily view count for a significant time. Sometimes years.
This is YouTuber1978's worst advice which he keeps repeating in this forum over and over again. It is essentially the engineer's fantasy of "If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door." and Hollywood's fantasy of "If you build it, they will come." This is non-sense. There is not a single piece of evidence that this is true. Just the opposite. Successful YouTubers spend most of their time promoting their channels and a small fraction actually making their videos. If you want to know more about this, check out the before-mentioned thread where I expose YouTuber1978 as a fraud.
 

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This isn't a reply to YouTuber1978 but to those reading this thread. YouTuber1978 is a fraud and, as he has done here in the following, gives out horrible advice, which I will counter.
How does him having a different opinion than yours make him a fraud?

Actually the two pieces of his, I agree with.

As for the a** kicking one, people are more likely to believe what they see, not what you promise them.
Even if you say "I have a channel about kicking a**!" How do I know your idea of "a** kicking" is the same as my idea of a** kicking? On top of that problem, Youtube is a global channel with a global audience. You could have viewers who's first language isn't English and they want to see what you do.

Pewdiepie puts his game montages as his channel trailer, so you can see his best clips or "him kicking a**" he doesn't go, "I kick a** by playing these kinds of games."
Also being good at what your video is about is a different skill than being able to deliver an amazing 30 second speech that will convince people to subscribe. Pewdiepie is funny when commenting but not great at making speeches. Why highlight a weakness on your channel trailer?


The second part, focus on great content. If you're trying to sell a turd, all the marketing in the world isn't going to make that a popular product. Also most all of the huge youtubers say this. They either say great content or consistency. Pewdiepie's channel took off when he started making his montages, ie. taking all of his best bits and putting them into one video.

I could list so many other top youtubers for examples but if you want to learn how to be good at something, why not learn from the no.1 guy? If I want to learn how to build muscle I'll believe more in Arnold Schwarzenegger than some guy jimmy down the street.
 

Jack Decker

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How does him having a different opinion than yours make him a fraud?
Did I say that was why he was a fraud? No. Read the mentioned thread for why.

As for the a** kicking one, people are more likely to believe what they see, not what you promise them.
Even if you say "I have a channel about kicking a**!" How do I know your idea of "a** kicking" is the same as my idea of a** kicking? On top of that problem, Youtube is a global channel with a global audience. You could have viewers who's first language isn't English and they want to see what you do
There is nothing wrong with showing what you're doing but don't assume they will know what you show is what your channel is about. Tell them. Show and tell is fine. But be sure to tell them.

Why highlight a weakness on your channel trailer?
Why do you assume it would be a weakness?

The second part, focus on great content. If you're trying to sell a turd, all the marketing in the world isn't going to make that a popular product.
It is a fantasy to think that great content alone will make your channel successful. If people don't know you exist, they won't subscribe. The only way to do that is through marketing. And there are countless examples of less-than-the-best products being more successful than better products because of good marketing. Yes, you need a good product to last long term but you also need to promote that product or it won't take off.

Also most all of the huge youtubers say this. They either say great content or consistency.
Please give links to articles where successful YouTubers have said that they became successful with just making great content and being consistent without doing any marketing of their channel. In all my research, I've NEVER found a single successful YouTuber who has said such. Just the opposite. I have read many interviews where they talk of all the hard work they do marketing their channels. Most of them say they spend most of their time (some up to 95% of their time) promoting their channels than actually making content for their channels.

I could list so many other top youtubers for examples but if you want to learn how to be good at something, why not learn from the no.1 guy? If I want to learn how to build muscle I'll believe more in Arnold Schwarzenegger than some guy jimmy down the street.
Unless you're doing (almost) exactly what PewDiePie is doing, it would be more beneficial to study successful YouTubers who are doing something close to what you're doing. If you don't have the build, dedication, and goals of Arnold (not to mention willingness to use heart-destroying steroids), getting a trainer who can make a workout routine that fits your schedule, goals, and can become a habit for you would be a much better decision.
 
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Brinkbabe91

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Well you probably get less views on the Lets Plays because your subs are used to the guide videos, and when they see a lets play they are like meh thats not what I subbed for. Also it could be that people probably look for tutorials more than whatever games you are lets playing. I feel like with Lets Plays if you want a decent amount of views on them you have to act fast on new games.
 

YouTuber1978

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Did I say that was why he was a fraud? No. Read the mentioned thread for why.
Would it help you if I taught you how to hyper link? You always mention this thread. Just throw a link in to it so people don't have to try and search for it. Private message me and I'll show you how to use hyperlinks. I guess 3 decades of marketing experience didn't cover that new internet thingy that kids are using these days.
And there are countless examples of less-than-the-best products being more successful than better products because of good marketing
Not when it comes to algorithms and search engines like YouTube. This isn't 1980. YouTube is the ultimate meritocracy.
Please give links to articles where successful
Read above. You don't even link to threads that you mention by name. C'mon Jack. At least follow your own advice.
It is a fantasy to think that great content alone will make your channel successful.
Well it's a fantasy I'm living. Not to mention loving. And it's actually reality for nearly all successful YouTubers. Great content alone can and does make your channel successful. If you build great content, they will come.