Average Bars
I've Got It
THIS IS A LONG ONE, GET COMFORTABLE
There are many reasons, in my personal opinion, why your channel is not getting that many views after a year or so of doing YouTube. There are a lot of fatal flaws in your channel. I've reviewed a handful of channels on this forum, and for this one I feel I need to be harsh. Might even make this a default response for me that I draw quotes from in future reviews.
1. Audio and Video Quality
Your audio and video quality are not up to standard. Even with a cheap mic and camera, a lot better can be done than you are doing now. I personally don't believe you when you say that audacity "never really works", but then again I don't know the REAL quality of your mic. But the only excuse I see holding some ground is that your microphone is from an At-Home Karaoke Machine from the early 2000's. Look up "noise removal tutorial for audacity" on YouTube (I can't link a video since the link will be removed by mods even though I'm not promoting anything, only trying to give advice. If you want the video I used, you can message me). Before you start talking into your mic, let audacity record the noise in the room for about 5 seconds. From there you can get a noise profile and remove all background static from your audio. Just recording in audacity isn't going to make audio quality better, you need to actually edit it. If you did noise removal and it still sounds like it's current state, it's time to invest in a new microphone. Even a set of turtle beaches for $20 will do the trick, there's probably even cheaper alternatives than that. If you're really serious about making videos I'm sure you can find a way to get $20. As for video quality it's also below average. Your Minecraft skyblock videos lag a lot, and it bothers me to watch it.
2. Originality
The fatal flaw that brings down most YouTubers like yourself. All of these other points could be completely perfect, but if you don't have this one then you could still be stuck at very little views and maybe gain traction if you're lucky. Originality to videos is what makes subscribers LOOK for something from you in their subboxes. A channel needs to offer something that nobody else offers, whether it be a unique opinion on topics, a new spin on let's plays, or something completely radical. Ask yourself the question "does anyone on YouTube do the exact same series that I do?". Two survival island series on two different channels are okay, if each YouTuber brings something different to the table. If one is doing the exactly the same thing as the other, at best they split the audience, and at worst (and the most common scenario) viewers remain loyal to who made it first. There is an endless, ever flowing stream of minecraft, happy wheels, and TF2 YouTubers. Not saying you can't be successful with that content, but keep in mind whether you bring something original. Would you choose watching yourself over someone else who creates the same content, like PewDiePie or Captain Sparklez?
3. Commentary and Content
The commentary in your videos has many flaws. I'm going to go off of the Minecraft skyblock videos rather than your vlog: which I could also critique, but it seems like you're doing Minecraft content now. The commentary does not keep my attention very well. There are many silent moments where no one is talking, and when you do talk I find it hard to focus on what you're talking about. You seem to already have a context in mind when you're speaking rather than informing the viewers on what skyblock is and what you plan to be doing in this video. The audio quality also does not help in keeping my attention. A good tip is to have very few moments of silence when commentating and to make the video fast paced. The nature of the internet is fast paced: someone will click off your video in as fast as google can let them once you begin to get stale. Just think how you are while watching a video: how long would it take you to click off? If you're wondering whether your video is good enough to keep the average viewer's attention, after you finish your video make sure to watch it all the way through and see if you can pay attention yourself the entire time without blinking an eye, as if you were watching your favorite T.V. show. This is a good test to see if your content is matched with the standard of the average viewer. This flaw is holding your content back severely.
4. Graphics
This is the least important problem with your channel, but is also very important in the long run. The thumbnails on the videos that do have them are very bland and generic. The banner is a little bit better but still is bland. Your AVI is just text with a gray background. Graphics do not have to be AMAZING for a channel to be successful: just google one of my all-time favorite YouTubers, GradeAUnderA. His graphics to most people would be considered mediocre, but they do their job: they express what the channel is all about and the thumbnails drive you to click on his video. Your thumbnails do not stand out to me; they look very generic and are reminiscent of every other Minecraft user who just started out, using the minecraft text with solid colored backgrounds and that's it. Make your graphics stand out from other Minecrafters: don't blend in with the crowd or otherwise you'll just become another account in the endless ocean which is Minecraft on YouTube.
5. Networking and Publicity
This is just general advice, since you asked how to expose your videos more, I'll share my tips with you. And to drop a bit of ethos on you or anyone reading this for advice, I was able to get around 100 views on my latest video with these networking techniques. Not to get caught up in numbers and not saying that's a lot of views, but my channel has very few subscribers considering it is so new. And it's better than nothing. These tips work for exposure.
The key to getting your video out there is by communicating with potential viewers through social media. This is the most effective way in my opinion. Sites like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook work by retweeting, favoriting, and most importantly replying, to small youtubers with similar sized channels and large youtubers. The more active you are on your channel, the more people notice you, for better or for worse. If a big youtuber retweets or interacts with a tweet of yours, you're bound to get at least a little bit of exposure from that. And once people find your twitter, they can find your youtube channel. This happens to me often and it works. The same goes for smaller youtubers, except instead they themselves will check out your channel. Smaller youtubers are more likely to interact with you because they themselves know the struggle. Just make sure not to tweet at anyone saying "hey would you like to check out my channel?". That's just rude and being a d**k, and will only gain you inactive subs.
Another form of networking is YTtalk and the YouTube comments section. Already from this thread other small youtubers have probably given you views. And the YouTube comments section, as cancerous as it can be at times, can really help you out. Be active on other people's channels: ESPECIALLY smaller YouTubers. You know as well as I that when a comment appears on your video, you feel pretty good, even if it's not exactly nice. Other people feel the same way. So try to make friends in this community: most likely if you are active on someone's channel for a couple of weeks, not just checking them out for a day, they'll end up clicking on you and checking out your content. Trust me on this one because I've been prone to do exactly what I'm saying.
Lastly, an untapped resource that a lot of people don't use is Reddit. Reddit is a great forum site, where unlike YTtalk, you can get away with posting a video and leaving (with some obvious catches). First off, it's necessary to post your video in a sub that is relevant to the video topic: don't go posting a CoD gaming commentary in /r/askreddit or /r/funny: not only are those subs ridiculously huge and your video will surely drown, but you'll probably have your thread deleted or suffer other penalties. Post where you're relevant. Also, make sure that your reddit account is active: don't only use it for posting videos (similar to YTtalk). Reddit and reddit users will know that your account is a spammer. And if you want to be really nice and practice good forum etiquette, you'll be active in a sub for a day or two before posting your video and spamming like the bottom leech view ***** we all know you are! (It's a joke by the way, we all know the YouTube view grind).
If you aren't familiar with reddit, look up a video or article explaining it.
And that's my advice. Take it or leave it, but I suggest you read it carefully, because not only did it take me a long time to write, but it could possibly help your channel become a lot more successful than it currently is.
There are many reasons, in my personal opinion, why your channel is not getting that many views after a year or so of doing YouTube. There are a lot of fatal flaws in your channel. I've reviewed a handful of channels on this forum, and for this one I feel I need to be harsh. Might even make this a default response for me that I draw quotes from in future reviews.
1. Audio and Video Quality
Your audio and video quality are not up to standard. Even with a cheap mic and camera, a lot better can be done than you are doing now. I personally don't believe you when you say that audacity "never really works", but then again I don't know the REAL quality of your mic. But the only excuse I see holding some ground is that your microphone is from an At-Home Karaoke Machine from the early 2000's. Look up "noise removal tutorial for audacity" on YouTube (I can't link a video since the link will be removed by mods even though I'm not promoting anything, only trying to give advice. If you want the video I used, you can message me). Before you start talking into your mic, let audacity record the noise in the room for about 5 seconds. From there you can get a noise profile and remove all background static from your audio. Just recording in audacity isn't going to make audio quality better, you need to actually edit it. If you did noise removal and it still sounds like it's current state, it's time to invest in a new microphone. Even a set of turtle beaches for $20 will do the trick, there's probably even cheaper alternatives than that. If you're really serious about making videos I'm sure you can find a way to get $20. As for video quality it's also below average. Your Minecraft skyblock videos lag a lot, and it bothers me to watch it.
2. Originality
The fatal flaw that brings down most YouTubers like yourself. All of these other points could be completely perfect, but if you don't have this one then you could still be stuck at very little views and maybe gain traction if you're lucky. Originality to videos is what makes subscribers LOOK for something from you in their subboxes. A channel needs to offer something that nobody else offers, whether it be a unique opinion on topics, a new spin on let's plays, or something completely radical. Ask yourself the question "does anyone on YouTube do the exact same series that I do?". Two survival island series on two different channels are okay, if each YouTuber brings something different to the table. If one is doing the exactly the same thing as the other, at best they split the audience, and at worst (and the most common scenario) viewers remain loyal to who made it first. There is an endless, ever flowing stream of minecraft, happy wheels, and TF2 YouTubers. Not saying you can't be successful with that content, but keep in mind whether you bring something original. Would you choose watching yourself over someone else who creates the same content, like PewDiePie or Captain Sparklez?
3. Commentary and Content
The commentary in your videos has many flaws. I'm going to go off of the Minecraft skyblock videos rather than your vlog: which I could also critique, but it seems like you're doing Minecraft content now. The commentary does not keep my attention very well. There are many silent moments where no one is talking, and when you do talk I find it hard to focus on what you're talking about. You seem to already have a context in mind when you're speaking rather than informing the viewers on what skyblock is and what you plan to be doing in this video. The audio quality also does not help in keeping my attention. A good tip is to have very few moments of silence when commentating and to make the video fast paced. The nature of the internet is fast paced: someone will click off your video in as fast as google can let them once you begin to get stale. Just think how you are while watching a video: how long would it take you to click off? If you're wondering whether your video is good enough to keep the average viewer's attention, after you finish your video make sure to watch it all the way through and see if you can pay attention yourself the entire time without blinking an eye, as if you were watching your favorite T.V. show. This is a good test to see if your content is matched with the standard of the average viewer. This flaw is holding your content back severely.
4. Graphics
This is the least important problem with your channel, but is also very important in the long run. The thumbnails on the videos that do have them are very bland and generic. The banner is a little bit better but still is bland. Your AVI is just text with a gray background. Graphics do not have to be AMAZING for a channel to be successful: just google one of my all-time favorite YouTubers, GradeAUnderA. His graphics to most people would be considered mediocre, but they do their job: they express what the channel is all about and the thumbnails drive you to click on his video. Your thumbnails do not stand out to me; they look very generic and are reminiscent of every other Minecraft user who just started out, using the minecraft text with solid colored backgrounds and that's it. Make your graphics stand out from other Minecrafters: don't blend in with the crowd or otherwise you'll just become another account in the endless ocean which is Minecraft on YouTube.
5. Networking and Publicity
This is just general advice, since you asked how to expose your videos more, I'll share my tips with you. And to drop a bit of ethos on you or anyone reading this for advice, I was able to get around 100 views on my latest video with these networking techniques. Not to get caught up in numbers and not saying that's a lot of views, but my channel has very few subscribers considering it is so new. And it's better than nothing. These tips work for exposure.
The key to getting your video out there is by communicating with potential viewers through social media. This is the most effective way in my opinion. Sites like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook work by retweeting, favoriting, and most importantly replying, to small youtubers with similar sized channels and large youtubers. The more active you are on your channel, the more people notice you, for better or for worse. If a big youtuber retweets or interacts with a tweet of yours, you're bound to get at least a little bit of exposure from that. And once people find your twitter, they can find your youtube channel. This happens to me often and it works. The same goes for smaller youtubers, except instead they themselves will check out your channel. Smaller youtubers are more likely to interact with you because they themselves know the struggle. Just make sure not to tweet at anyone saying "hey would you like to check out my channel?". That's just rude and being a d**k, and will only gain you inactive subs.
Another form of networking is YTtalk and the YouTube comments section. Already from this thread other small youtubers have probably given you views. And the YouTube comments section, as cancerous as it can be at times, can really help you out. Be active on other people's channels: ESPECIALLY smaller YouTubers. You know as well as I that when a comment appears on your video, you feel pretty good, even if it's not exactly nice. Other people feel the same way. So try to make friends in this community: most likely if you are active on someone's channel for a couple of weeks, not just checking them out for a day, they'll end up clicking on you and checking out your content. Trust me on this one because I've been prone to do exactly what I'm saying.
Lastly, an untapped resource that a lot of people don't use is Reddit. Reddit is a great forum site, where unlike YTtalk, you can get away with posting a video and leaving (with some obvious catches). First off, it's necessary to post your video in a sub that is relevant to the video topic: don't go posting a CoD gaming commentary in /r/askreddit or /r/funny: not only are those subs ridiculously huge and your video will surely drown, but you'll probably have your thread deleted or suffer other penalties. Post where you're relevant. Also, make sure that your reddit account is active: don't only use it for posting videos (similar to YTtalk). Reddit and reddit users will know that your account is a spammer. And if you want to be really nice and practice good forum etiquette, you'll be active in a sub for a day or two before posting your video and spamming like the bottom leech view ***** we all know you are! (It's a joke by the way, we all know the YouTube view grind).
If you aren't familiar with reddit, look up a video or article explaining it.
And that's my advice. Take it or leave it, but I suggest you read it carefully, because not only did it take me a long time to write, but it could possibly help your channel become a lot more successful than it currently is.