Help me figure this one out...

[DesignCourse]

I released a new series on my channel with the following info:



- 160 comments (a lot more than my channel average)
- 1.3k likes, 16 dislikes (better than channel average)
- Uploaded at 9:30 AM EST on a Friday

All the comments were very positive, they LOVED the show, and really were looking forward to seeing the next episode.

NEXT Episode:

- 7k less views for the same time period.
- 50 comments
- YouTube mobile analytics is telling me views are 49% lower than usual, few people choose to watch it when recommended, and aren't watching as long.

All of the comments were still very positive and that they want more..

I just can't figure out why it's doing *significantly* worse despite all other factors being the same. Same type of thumbnail, same type of title, same content, same upload time, etc..

Am I looking into things too closely with just 1 video?

I'm considering perhaps changing up the title big time between each video (maybe targeting a specific topic that occured in the video, like "Don't do this with your blog design!", and also a completely diff thumb?)

Thanks.

 

[Crown]

Same type of thumbnail, same type of title

Sometimes that can be a negative - People will see the thumbnail and scan read the title and think they've already seen the video and so won't click on the second one.

 

[Channy Lee]

Sometimes that can be a negative - People will see the thumbnail and scan read the title and think they've already seen the video and so won't click on the second one.

Adding on to this, it's also a series. A lot of people may not finish the first one, or may not need to move on. I will say the drop is quiet significant so some other factors are at play, but it's just something to keep in mind.

 

[Tito Tims Videos]

I always see huge drops across a series. Some people don't continue a series, others won't start in the middle - and can't be bothered to look for the earlier ones. So I quit numbering them. It seems to really help.

 

[AmberAndGolden]

Maybe the first video content was more popular, more intersting or more searched for than tha second
I'm also just going to say- If I watched the first video, then saw the 2nd video in my feed I'd assume it was the same video and not watch the second (Because of the same title/thumbnail situation)
I also agree with Tito, sometimes numbered series (that don't specifically NEED to be numbered for continuity) will push viewers away, since they might think they missed something in a prev. episode ect.

Thats quite a big drop though, I can't really explain that specifically.. but it sucks! Sorry it's happened!

 

[Crown]

I agree with both the quotes below regarding series:

Adding on to this, it's also a series. A lot of people may not finish the first one, or may not need to move on. I will say the drop is quiet significant so some other factors are at play, but it's just something to keep in mind.

and

I always see huge drops across a series. Some people don't continue a series, others won't start in the middle - and can't be bothered to look for the earlier ones. So I quit numbering them. It seems to really help.

I agree that in general, long series of videos, especially ones that must be watched in sequential order, tend to do quite badly. The main reason is it demands a huge commitment from the viewer. Youtube viewers have a very low attention span and not many are going to take the trouble to watch x amount of videos in sequential order.

To add to the above, if potential NEW viewers see a thumbnail ( via search or suggested videos) for a video that is from the middle of a series, they are highly unlikely to click on it because they haven't seen the first videos in the series and they don't have the time or patience to go back and watch them anyway. It's a bit like when you're watching TV and flicking through channels. - If a show starts that is Season 2 Episode 3 of a show you don't know, then you're not going to bother watching it.

Those that do click on a video that is part of a larger series will probably click away when they hear the youtuber say "This is part 4 of a 5 part series" and that also results in bad retention which the algorithm doesn't like.

I think Youtube is more suited to "standalone" videos. Rather than putting lots of videos in a sequential series, it's better to make loosely related standalone videos and then cross promote them by saying stuff like "If you enjoyed this video you might be interested in [other videos]"

 

[Boris Qs]

If you did have a call to action in the first episode about the second episode may be most of the viewers of the first would have watched the second. I have a series on my channel that both video views are almost equol and that's what I did plus both had different but similar Titles and thumbnail