How Data Has Influenced Our YouTube Channel

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In my previous posts on embarking on the journey of starting a YouTube channel from scratch, I've emphasised the pivotal role that analytics have played in our creative process. The impact has been so profound that it completely transformed the way we tell our stories. Let me delve into the details...

When we initially launched our channel, we had a vision but lacked the data necessary to discern what would resonate with our audience and what wouldn't. We essentially started from ground zero, crafting content based on our personal preferences and what we believed would align with our style. After producing ten videos with slight variations in style, we began to scrutinise the data. Analysing analytics can be a complex task due to the multitude of factors that influence viewer retention, engagement, and subscription rates. Nonetheless, by closely examining the data and making informed decisions, we continued to refine and test our content.

I've previously asserted that the first year of establishing a YouTube channel is essentially a trial period, a sentiment I still firmly endorse.

To date, we've published a total of 182 videos, with 16 of them being longer-format content, and we remain in this experimental phase. Mr. Beast once advised not to fret about your channel's performance until you've released at least 100 videos, and he was absolutely right. It's impossible to discern what truly works until you've experimented with a variety of approaches. However, it's crucial to utilise the available tools to guide your evolution.

So, how have we harnessed these tools to refine our content and enhance our views and viewer retention in comparison to our earlier videos?

Audience Retention: When we reviewed our initial ten diverse videos, we observed notable spikes and drop-off rates. A common trend emerged: many viewers would lose interest and disengage right in the middle of each video. Upon closer examination, we realized that this was the point at which we attempted to explain the storyline rather than visually depicting it. Our video introductions, beginnings, and endings were filled with action and movement, but during the middle segment, we typically had our main subject, Laurence, verbally explaining the next part, a segment that usually lasted 2-3 minutes. So, what did we alter? We decided to retain his interview segment but limited it to a maximum of 90 seconds, supplementing it with relevant B-Roll footage that visually reinforced his narrative. We also encouraged him to discuss the upcoming events as reflections, rather than predictions, which imparted a sense of authenticity and authority to his insights. This single adjustment transformed our entire storytelling approach, shifting it towards a more reflective perspective on the subject or theme being discussed, as opposed to presenting the story as if it were unfolding in real-time.

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Audience Insights: When we looked through who was watching our videos, we found a few interesting insights. We found at first our videos were being shown on channels or being recommended on videos that had nothing to do with our subject. We noticed that our keyword strategy was not fully optimised, so we essentially subscribed to TubeBuddy - this is a tool that is the mecca for YouTube optimisation - you essentially link your channel to your account and then it is able to offer keyword suggestions based on your content. We found over the next few videos our videos were being suggested to better audiences we have identified with that suits Laurence's content and also his business. We also found that our target demographics in the beginning was reaching a lot older audience, and we wanted to target a good amount of 18-25 year olds, so we introduced a second format; artist tutorials for beginner artists. Our thinking was that younger people who are in college or university would look to YouTube to improve their skills, since Laurence is an established artist with various celebrity commissions under his belt, we thought he would be relatable to that younger audience. Our thinking was right and as soon as we introduced this format, our younger demographic rose by 30% without impacting our core audience who follows the Vlog. This was all thanks to analysing a bit of data!

All in all, without using this tool which is often underused in the beginning (quite simply because it's time consuming and some people might not know how to use it) we were able to keep increasing our views and subscribers. The data has helped us creatively without compromising on quality and our creative expression, it's simply just enhanced it and given us a good guideline as to where to go next.

Over the course of the next 6 months we will continue to evolve our content until we understand what our audience wants and how to deliver that, I would describe this phase as the prototyping phase and although it feels incredibly slow, it's a great part of the journey that will help you grow.

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