In 2006, I uploaded my first ever Youtube video. At the time, I would be considered an early innovator but within a year the early majority would come flooding in on Youtube. It was calm, you could still discover amazing new people. I remember Boyce Avenue and Kina Grannis had under a thousand subscribers but were growing rapidly.
Fast forward all this time, my lack of consistency (mainly cause I was in highschool) had left me lagging behind. I always thought the reason behind my channel growing very slowly was because of my content or rather lack there of. Making Cover songs at the time was the in thing. Everyone on Youtube aimed to become a Partner in which they could receive Royalties.
I was stuck at 1000 subscribers and an average of 3000 views per video. It slowly dwindled down to 1000, then 500 and slowly 78 views on average. What happened?
It's hard to pinpoint what exactly was the problem. My gut said it was a combination of things:
- The lack of consistency
- My videos became bland and not entertaining
- My fans wanted to know more about me but I kept doing covers
- My head was aiming for fame
- I added no value to the community
- Dan sebagainya..
Earlier this year I decided to look back at some statistics and analyze what could have been done better. It did me no favor. I had to look at things from a different perspective. I printed out the statistics and got rid of my messy desk. No distractions. Away with the 101 things on the table.
After what felt like an hour tops, I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. I put on my shoes and walked out the door to realize it was already 3 in the morning. I practically memorized the statistics.
Outside the 24 hour hipster coffeehouse that I part-timed in, I had my warm coffee and just watched the cars passed. It was cold, insides felt warm and my head felt a little lighter. It suddenly hit me.
It was sunrise at that point, 7.14am, I remember it clear as day (pun intended). There were similarities and trends within a few videos that I over looked. I thought they were well received due to the popularity of the songs but It was something else:
- The majority did not stop watching the video at the 16th second like the other videos.
- They were the most shared videos.
- Over 3 months collectively, some people stopped watching around 45 seconds.
- The often would subscribe after watching those specific videos.
- They had the highest engagement and the most comments.
So what kept them watching until the 45th second? I decided to then watch the videos over again. Specifically this one:
I finally realized that all the videos that had a 5 - 30 second documentary in the beginning. How could I have missed this? This video also had multiple entertaining qualities that made me overlook this most simple explanation.
At the heart of all these videos was a quality I now only realize must be prominent in your content. Before posting an article, video or song just ask yourself:
What is the story I'm trying to tell?
The documentaries provided context for the content. It told the story so people could see things from my perspective. It made all the songs and covers that I did make sense. What was the story I was sharing with the world?
- Every story has a beginning, middle and end. Not necessarily in that order.
- Every story has a purpose.
- Every story should either be informative, entertaining or inspiring.
Summary
It took me years of trying, research and experimentation to make my content fulfilling. There were twists and turns but now my content fulfills me and I don't feel as nervous posting it up. It's scary, uploading vulnerable parts of yourself for the world to see. All I needed to remember was "What's the story I'm trying to tell?".
- Does my story make sense?
- I like this part but does it aid the story?
- What can I do to help people understand better?
Try it out. Just take a pen and paper and try this:
- Decide on a structure.
- Figure out the purpose.
- Put yourself in the mindset of the person watching or reading.
- Simplify the story.
- Does this story inspire you?
Let me know if this works for you!
So, what story are you sharing with us today?