What the YouTube analytics on this video can't tell

A few weeks ago, Maximilian Reisinger posted a video on his YT channel. With over 619K subscribers on his channel and more than 29M views, he shared on a post how the analytics and numbers representing the video are no longer helpful for him as a creator.

I couldn't agree more.

Max shared how the metrics and analytics that define his video are not making sense to him and how those feel so disconnected from what the viewers are adding to the comment section of the video.

So I ran my magic and extracted insights, feelings and helpful information directly from the most important source: the viewers.?

In his post, Max shared how by reading the comments, he discovered that his audience was sharing their feelings and why this video, particularly, resonates with them.?

From my analysis, I found in the comments that words like feel, lonely, hope, friends, struggle and connection are mentioned frequently in the 540 comments on this video.

Because videos have the ability to express emotions and bring back memories and feelings.?Because a video, done right, can go further than just telling the story visually.

The average reading time for these 540 comments is around 2 hours*. Max would need two hours to read (more if he also likes or replies) the comments on this video. Now imagine the same situation for creators with 10K comments on every video. How can they connect and understand why people feel connected (or disconnected) to the content? What made them watch until the end? What emotions, memories, or feelings convey?

And is in this disconnection from the audience that creators end up asking themselves what to create next? What do people want to watch nowadays? Why does this or that video perform poorly based on the standard metrics?

I want to share some of the work I have been sharing with YouTube creators to help them understand their particular audience.?

Decoding the comment section

Let me show you how I am closing the gap between the comment section of YouTube videos and the creators. I divide the results into different subjects, making them easy to read.?

I'm going to share what I found about the sponsor of the video, what resonates with the audience, why and what they like/dislike about the video and some ideas for future content.?

When the creator requests it, I also include specific topics, answers to a particular question made by the creator during a previous video, what other creators or famous people are mentioned, frequent questions and who is constantly interacting with the channel. For Q&A videos, I select only the questions and classify them by topic, making it easier to just sit down and start recording the video.?

Sponsor

The sponsor of Max's video is Nebula. The comments about the sponsor tell if the audience is enjoying how the sponsor is integrated into the video.?

Is the add annoying or something to skip as fast as they can? Or, on the contrary, they didn't feel something was being promoted.

Max is making a conscious effort to integrate the sponsor very smoothly during the video so it doesn't feel like the usual boring ad that everyone rushes to skip.

This comment shows my point:

• Blixed, Great video and storytelling! That nebula ad was really well integrated, Didnt even realize it was an ad until the end.

If you are seeking additional details about sponsors in YouTube videos, take a look at this post and this video for further insights.

Suggestions or ideas for video content

Here is one suggestion for future content:

• Revoluted, Please make more videos about your collage life. Num. of likes: 1.

With more comments, more ideas or suggestions come. Also, when creators often ask their viewers for suggestions or ideas for upcoming videos, the viewers usually contribute with their ideas in the comment section. After that, the creator can choose which ideas, if any, align with the channel's content or their personal interests.

Based on my experience working with comments over the past few years, I have noticed that the frequency of comments containing ideas for future content varies significantly across different channels.

Is your message being delivered?

I'm a firm believer that an image is worth a thousand words. That's why I like to create a word cloud with all the comments in the video. As usual, the biggest the word, the more frequent it is.

This help to highlight the keywords in the comment section. In that way, the creators can find out what resonates the most with their viewers and the level of engagement with a specific topic.

Comments addressing viewers' feelings

Here are a few comments expressing the emotions conveyed in the video. I'll keep it brief and share just a few comments.

The structure is [Name of the channel, comment or excerpt, number of likes].

• Imani Matthews,?I've never felt more understood than in your videos... I appreciate how vulnerable you are when documenting your next chapter it means a lot for those like me who felt alone and stuck on the same page. Num. of likes: 268.
• Chex Talks, I love the fact that?every single video you post literally makes me feel like I'm not crazy about my thoughts on college... Num. of likes: 70.
• Brooke Annie, I'm finishing my first year and?I felt this with my whole body. I was crying 2 minutes in...This video made me feel seen... Number of likes 45.
• Yanni Economos,?If I could explain what I feel in a video, it would be this one?- Thanks Max. Num. of likes: 2.
• Lindsay,?Your videos definitely help me to not feel alone. You're doing an amazing thing ! Keep it up.
• Ana Sofía Altamira, Hi Max?I really feel identify with this video?,cause I struggle a lot with this topic about finding a perfect group of Friends...
• jackysnappyy,?Thank you for sharing?such an intimate topic. It made me feel very heard.

Closing thoughts

Every day I get fascinated by the immense amount of feedback, gratitude and understanding about the video that people add to the comment section.?

Besides tracking metrics such as views, likes, CTR, and average watching time, it's crucial to acknowledge that every view and like represents an individual with emotions and thoughts.?

I genuinely believe that having a deeper understanding of the audience, beyond just numerical data, is the foundation for creating an engaging YouTube channel that fosters human connection and boosts viewer engagement.

If you want more information visit mindedbrige.com or my YT channel @linasgeekinsights.

And please let me know your thoughts or feedback!

Have a bright day!

Lina Marieth

*In these 540 comments, there are 25991 words. Considering the average reading time of 200 words per minute, the reading time is around 2 hours.