YouTube Algorithm Insights for Small Channel Growth

Creators must strategically promote their videos outside YouTube to gain visibility and attract viewers.

### Unlocking YouTube Growth: Insights from a YouTube Insider
* 📉 If you feel like your smaller YouTube channel is being ignored by the algorithm, it might actually be true, but there are **ways to address this issue**.
* 🤖 Todd, a YouTube employee who understands the algorithm well, shared five unique insights that can help creators **improve their visibility** on the platform.
* 👁 The main role of the algorithm is to **serve users**, meaning it’s the viewers who ultimately determine which videos get recommended based on their **watch history**.
* 📊 For new creators starting from scratch, focusing on **metadata such as titles and descriptions** is crucial, as this is how YouTube identifies **relevant content for search queries**.
* 🔍 Todd advises against competing in overly saturated niches like Minecraft, suggesting that creators should find **underserved areas** where they can produce **high-quality videos**.
* 🌐 Additionally, he emphasizes the importance of **promoting videos on other platforms like Facebook and Twitter** to generate initial watch history, which can help the algorithm **recognize your content**.
* 🚀 Once your videos are established in viewers' watch histories, the algorithm can take over and **help your channel grow without needing constant external promotion**.
* 💡 Ultimately, being **strategic about content creation and distribution** is key to succeeding on YouTube in a competitive landscape.

- I'm not gonna lie to you. If it feels like the YouTube algorithm is ignoring your smaller YouTube channel, that might be because it actually is. But there is also a simple way that you can address this. We wanted to find the ultimate answer to why channels feel like they get stuck in the land of no views. So we went straight to the source - Oh my gosh, the algorithm changed. I'm not getting as many views. - That's Todd. He works at YouTube, and he knows the YouTube algorithm like the back of his hand. He's also, you know, friends with Mr. Beast. So if there's anybody that knows how to get on the good side of the YouTube algorithm, it's gonna be Todd. Todd actually gave us five YouTube insights that you're not gonna hear on any other YouTube algorithm video. It was his last tip that especially threw me off. So trust me here. Watch these tips and watch them in order if you want your small channel to turn into a

big one. Choose to ignore these tips, and the YouTube algorithm may just keep ignoring you. So let's get into it. Here's what creators have gotten wrong about the YouTube algorithm. - The main job of the algorithm is to serve the user when they show up. A lot of creators think about things from the creator perspective. Oh, well, I make a video, and then YouTube pushes it out to a bunch of people. For the most part, recommendations and search don't get pushed out. They get kind of pulled from viewers. - So in other words, it's the YouTube viewer that actually gets to summon the YouTube algorithm. But if that's the case, how can you as a creator make sure that your video is the one to show up? We use the watch history as probably the most important signal that we know about a viewer to figure out what they might wanna watch next. - And here we're actually getting a little bit closer to that answer.

It is watch history that you need to be worried about. If you want your videos to be pulled by the YouTube algorithm, then you need to get into somebody's watch history. And as we know, that's easier said than done. Now, if you already have a few subscribers, there's a good chance that they are the ones to watch your videos, and therefore you end up in their watch history. But what if you're starting at zero, and the algorithm has no idea who best to pair your videos with in the first place? - When we have absolutely no behavioral data, we're going to probably rely more on the metadata, the data that we have in terms of the title and the description, and I would say search is probably the first place for fresh videos. You upload a brand new video around Minecraft. We're going to consider that video when somebody searches for Minecraft based on the title and description. - Okay, so this is helpful.

YouTube search your title and your description, and these are things you could be focused on to start bringing in those new viewers when you're starting from zero. But maybe you feel like you're already doing this and yet you're still struggling. What else could possibly be wrong? Todd had an answer to that too. - I would discourage creators from trying to like compete in the most competitive spaces in the world. And so rather than go after like, the Minecraft query for example, you might wanna find a niche that isn't already being served by a million other videos. Spend time looking at what viewers see, and see where can you produce the best video That's gonna be better than what's already there because that's where the opportunity is. - I love it that an employee at YouTube is calling a spade of spade here. YouTube is inherently a competitive space. At the end of the day, your success on YouTube is gonna depend on you making videos that

stack up against the competition you have. And it would be so nice if our high-quality videos that we make could compete in any niche on YouTube, but that's just not how it works. And so as a creator, you need to be really thoughtful and strategic about which niche on YouTube you decide to enter into. But there was something else that Todd said that caught me completely by surprise. - I wouldn't rely entirely on YouTube as the only way to drive attention to your content. Identifying other places where your content might be relevant. It could be everything from Facebook groups, Discord servers, Twitter, et cetera. Seed your video in places where you are going to get some watch history, and kickstart that signal. - Todd is debunking a huge myth here. Contrary to popular belief, you actually should be promoting your small videos on other platforms outside of YouTube. Now, obviously that doesn't mean you should go around to every subreddit, and Discord

server you find, and just spam your video links all over the place. Relevance is gonna be key here. You wanna go to the places where your community is hanging out, and you wanna provide videos and maybe clips from your videos that can help them perhaps with a problem they're having. And if you choose to disregard that last bit of advice, then I would highly caution you here because you could end up paying for it. YouTube's not exactly once again, going to know who to pair it with. So really, be thoughtful when you're sharing your content outside the platform. Crap, I gotta work. I have like three more paragraphs. Don't buy cats. If you wanna be a YouTuber, that's the real advice. Don't do it. And for those of you who aren't really keen on the idea of sharing your videos outside of YouTube and doing all that legwork, don't worry this isn't something you necessarily

have to do forever. You're just doing this at the beginning of your journey to give the algorithm a little bit of a nudge in the right direction. Once you get a bunch of people that have your videos in their watch history, and they're your ideal viewers, the YouTube algorithm can step in, and do the rest. - Now these are all valid strategies, but one strategy I wouldn't recommend is chasing

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Understanding the YouTube Algorithm's Impact on Small Channels

The YouTube algorithm may seem to ignore smaller channels, but there are ways to address this.

Todd, a YouTube employee, shared five unique insights about the algorithm's functioning.

The key takeaway is that the algorithm is driven by viewer behavior, with watch history being a crucial factor in determining video recommendations.

Getting Noticed on YouTube: Key Strategies

Getting into someone's watch history is crucial for video visibility, but it's challenging for new creators.

YouTube's algorithm relies on metadata, like titles and descriptions, to pair videos with viewers, making search a key focus for fresh content.

To stand out, creators should avoid highly competitive niches and instead look for underserved areas to produce better content.

Creators need to be strategic in choosing their YouTube niche, as high-quality videos alone may not guarantee success.

Todd emphasizes the importance of promoting videos on other platforms, like Facebook and Discord, to kickstart watch history and signal to YouTube.

Relevance is key when sharing content outside of YouTube, and creators should provide value to their community rather than spamming links.

Initially, it's important to give the algorithm a nudge by attracting ideal viewers to your videos.

Once you have a solid watch history with your target audience, the algorithm can take over.

Chasing views is not a recommended strategy for long-term success.