Quality? Consistent? Shareable? (Buzzwords Explained)

TheAlphaJayShow

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I love guides about YouTube. I usually learn a lot from some of the greater ones. However many times I see the same words come up in many guides that rarely any of them take the time to explain. Consider this post to explain some of the more simple concepts of words that you may or may have not seen plastered over many guides over not only YTTalk but any YouTube guide out there: quality content, consistency and sharable content.

Quality Content

"You need to make 'quality content' in order to be successful."

Quality content is something you can NEVER define 100%. No one on YouTube, heck, nothing in the world is liked by everyone. Quality content can only be defined by YOUR audience and YOUR audience only. There is many little things that go into making a quality video, however none of it is written in stone. I've seen big YouTube channels call their viewers some horrible names and still maintain a huge like/dislike ratio. I've seen channels with millions of subscribers with production values akin to Microsoft Paint and Movie Maker. I've seen channels that go months without posting get guaranteed hundreds of thousands of views.

This is not set in stone.

Quality content is content that your viewers want. That is the simplest way to describe it. Sure, it may not appear on the surface to help you, but if you let me explain, this is the best definition that I know of.

In my channel, I did three separate requests on different cartoons. None of them reached 1k, however it did something greater. The three people who I did request videos on, commented on many other videos. They also participate in my weekly livestreams. I would even go as far as to say that they most likely re-watch and like my content. Some even follow me outside YouTube. Is this quality content?

I also have videos I make on trendy topics. I posted a video on a recent episode of Clarence. Within a week, it reached over 1k views, which not only is extremely unusual for my channel, but over double my sub count at the time of writing this. It has received a good deal of comments, likes, card participation and even a share to the official Clarence subreddit! (I knew this thanks to TubeBuddy, by the way.) Is this quality content?

I also make videos that I feel passionate about. I made a video ranting about a horrible episode of the Fairly Oddparents and it has received over 9k views at the time of writing this. (Consider it over 10k by the time you read this.) This is my most viewed video, as well as the most liked and engaged video on my channel so far. It has the most comments and is a large reason why many people know my channel, according to not only analytics but putting two and two together. Is this quality content?

So what is quality content?

A. Videos From Requests/Videos For Your Audience
B. Videos Based On Trends/Popular Topics/Easy Topics
C. Videos From The Heart/Videos You Like To Make

It's actually D. Videos that your audience feels engaged with. If they like, comment or share your video, then to them, it is quality. People share things that they deem to have some quality, whether being cool, informative, mind-blowing, hilarious or hilariously bad. No one can tell you what that is until you post it. However, you don't always have to post in the dark. Check your analytics. Check your comments. See what people like. Think about what you like. See what's popular. In fact, you are more likely to knock videos out the park if you implement A, B, C and D.

Consistency

"Make videos 'consistently'. That will get you subscribers."

How consistent should you be with your videos? Honestly, it is your channel and you should post at the level you feel comfortable. But if you want a good rule of thumb, I highly suggest the following.
  • Consider your content. News content, Unedited Let's Plays and Vlogs are usually content that you only view once or twice to get the information that you need. You can also make content like this in a batch, which allows you to post more, knowing that the more quality videos you post in these categories, you can keep your audience. Top 10 lists, most tutorials, comedy sketches and short films take more time to craft, therefore, you can get away with going without days, sometimes even a week or two without posting, as long as they are quality.
  • Consider your schedule. If you have school, work, family or prior commitments, it is perfectly OK to not post daily. Once or twice a week can work just as well, if it fits your schedule.
  • Consider the amount of time it takes to craft a video. Whether you are doing reaction videos or full-on Hollywood-esque SFX masterpieces, you are going to need to put in effort. Daily videos would take more effort in the same amount of time that you could spread for the weekly alternative. Videos take time, so if you don't have all the time in the world, consider posting a bit less than you think you should.
In my experience, posting twice a week really builds my motivation to continue my channel. I don't burn out, but I also give a lot of videos per month, considering the reviews I do usually go over 7 minutes.

Shareable Content

"Make content that you would 'share'."

Content that is shareable is very subjective. Two people may look at the same video and have opposing opinions on the matter. A video going viral is not everyone sharing a video. A video going viral is the right people sharing the video in the right places. Sharable content depends on who shares it. Some people are more likely to share comedy. Some are more likely to share controversial topics. Consider what you have shared in the past. Was it funny? Was it informational? Did it feature a collab or celebrity endorsement? Was it so bad that you just haaaad to share it? Was it controversial?

You can implement this in your videos by experimenting. I learned that the more recent the episode, the more likely my review will be shared. I try to do a mix of popular stuff in my schedule to make sure that I do get the shareable exposure, however, I don't lose the luxury of posting content that I like. Sometimes, if you want the views, you have to consider what people are viewing. Sometimes, dropping a surprise, controversial video can get you views (but sometimes at an expense).

It also helps that if your video does go viral, or receive a lot of views/support that you follow up on it. You don't need to base your channel around this subject, but people are more likely to subscribe if they can find related content to your initial viral video that hooked them in. For example, I created a follow up, Extra Discussion video on my Fairly Oddparents review. Although it did not reach half, it did get over 700 views, when at the time I only had around 180 subscribers. I also did more reviews around Fairly Oddparents, including one that received over 900 views at the time of recording this.

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These are three words that I see thrown around in many guides. They are vague words that many people, even to this day, don't really know how to explain/achieve. I hope you gained something from this post, as well as implement some of the questions and suggestions into your own channel. What do you guys think?
 

Isanthe Autumn

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I think this is a really good way to define these words. Thanks for making this. I see these words a lot, too, and you have defined them very well, and very thoroughly.
 

Lizzeelive

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Wow, this was really helpful! Thanks!
 

zaffron

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I really appreciate your efforts. Thanks for this valuable guide for every youtuber especially the beginners.
 

luckee

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I like this a lot, no shortcuts in everything.