Rules That YouTubers Should NEVER Forget

Some things seem so obvious that.. no one needs to discuss them, right…right? However, as conventional wisdom has demonstrated, it is the little mistakes that end up sabotaging our growth when managing your YouTube channel.

➔ Always compare the metrics of your channel and other creators' channels correctly.

It's very tempting to assume everything is going well for big YouTubers. The way their views, subscribers, and income seem to be growing. But we never question their increasing responsibilities, teams, and expenses.We don't normally think about these issues when looking at the outward appearance of a successful channel.

Creators constantly compare their own success with the success of random channels on YouTube, but the truth is:

• This is impractical because often channels are in different niches or topics, so comparing them is simply meaningless.
• This is horribly destructive because most creators fail to take into account that big channels have been on YouTube for a long time and they too had to overcome various obstacles and challenges, considering the different entry threshold they had to face on the platform.

Another popular statement made by creators is that low-quality videos and channels are more popular than high-quality ones. Let's take a look at YouTube in "Incognito" mode and evaluate whether this statement is true or not.

Can we say that all 8 of these videos have poor production quality and optimization? Maybe the topics are just not relevant? But no, that's not the case. When looking at videos superficially, we aren’t taking into account the channel's number of subscribers, how long it has been on YouTube, and what actually is inside those videos.

So, stop dwelling on this question—it's demotivating. You can spend a long time searching for reasons why people watch and click on strange videos, and you might actually find those reasons. But is it worth your time?

Don't position other people's videos as ideals, instead learn to understand why they became popular and incorporate that system into your own content creation process. That will be much more effective than blindly focusing on numbers and lamenting that you don't have the same.

Also, stop fixating on the number of views and subscribers—that should not be your main focus. Look at their engagement, reactions, and feedback instead. You're not working with numbers; you're working with real people, so you should analyze them.

It's not enough to attract viewers to watch one video on your channel; you need to attract them to explore all of your content. Often, low-quality videos have a one-off success on a channel, gaining views, but there is no sustained engagement on the channel itself. And that's not the result you desire, nor the one you should compare yourself to.

➔ Don't look for ways to cheat or deceive.

It should be well known that all manner of manipulations are strictly prohibited by the platform's rules.  But that doesn't stop some people.

Why are scammers and illegal schemes so popular?

There are two reasons: first, scammers offer something that appears easier and faster, so people don't have to make an effort to get what they want. And second, often the problem lies in the fact that real experts are simply not good at providing useful information. It's boring to listen to them. But it's much easier to fall under the spell of active and persuasive scammers.

People tend to believe that there are some secret shortcuts and cheat codes on YouTube that they are not told about. However, like most conspiracy theories, the reality is often less exciting and simpler than what you may have imagined.

True YouTube experts provide a wealth of useful and effective advice: how to create a beautiful channel banner, how to write proper descriptions for your channel or individual videos, how to work with scripts. But no recommendations will help you create a popular channel if you don't actively engage in the work yourself.

If someone promises you an astronomical number of views, remember that the effectiveness of your video cannot be predicted or guaranteed 100%. You can track patterns and make assumptions, but guaranteeing the success of a video is not possible.

➔ Don't downplay your achievements

Success on YouTube doesn't have a clear and definitive definition. It will be evaluated differently for each individual.

Creators often claim that they have "no subscribers and views on their channel." However, when the team verifies this information, it turns out that there are indeed views and subscribers on their channels. It's just that you desire different numbers, and for you, the current count is insufficient.

• Let's clarify: "no views or subscribers" means that you created a channel, uploaded videos, and genuinely have zero engagement. Believe it or not, it is very difficult to find creators who meet this criteria. Regardless of content, you will receive some level of views from YouTube.

If you shift your focus from why you have only a certain number of subscribers to how you can increase that number, your approach to working on your channel will be completely different. You will start looking at analytics, exploring more effective optimization methods, and enhancing the visual appeal of your channel and videos to make them more attractive. All of this is much more productive than engaging in banal "arguments" over your current YouTube metrics.

• The same applies to watch time: if you spend your time trying to figure out where your hours went, instead of thinking about how to multiply their quantity, you are simply wasting your time and energy.

It's okay to be curious about these things, but it's not worth devoting a significant portion of your time to them. It's important to keep an eye on what's happening in your niche. Perhaps something trendy has emerged, and you missed it? Or maybe the platform's rules have changed, and you're unintentionally violating them.

➔ Pay attention to rules and platform updates

If you don't stay updated with the latest news, you might miss out on something important for your content. Every creator on the platform should understand how YouTube works and what changes are happening.

You should delve into analytics and terminology, rather than just settling for the simple process of uploading videos to your channel and crossing your fingers.

•  Work on improving your content, striving to become slightly better with each subsequent upload. Nobody expects you to experience explosive growth after just three videos, but each time, learn about the platform, the filming process, and script creation, and become better.
• Study marketing. While it may seem like a daunting business term to some, marketing explains everything that happens on the platform. It tells you how to quickly move your product (which is your video or channel as a whole) from point A, where you're still a beginner, to point B, where you're producing quality and popular content.
• Keep refreshing your knowledge. Strategies that worked five years ago won't work today. Using outdated promotion methods only perpetuates the myth that YouTube is saturated with creators and channels. If you play by yesterday's rules, resist growth and development, and create copies of others' content, then, of course, YouTube will seem oversaturated to you.

➔ Work on improving your results.

Creator vs. Everyday YouTube Viewer: The difference is that every video a creator watches, even just for fun, possesses elements from which one can learn.

Creators should take notes of great ideas and solutions.  Watch the failures so you can avoid producing them in your own videos. Analyze the successful tactics so you can replicate that success in your content.

If you evaluate your successes and failures well, you can adopt effective promotion tactics. Re-shoot videos that have gained a huge number of views, both from other creators and your own catalog. If you already understand that a certain topic will resonate with your audience, put your own spin on it.

For example, if a vlogger's video on "How to Restore Sleep Patterns" becomes popular and garners 100,000 views, by carefully optimizing your video, providing genuinely useful recommendations, you may gain  a percentage of views due to similar search queries. Let's say it's 10%, which means you'll get 10,000 views from proper optimization. Even if you capture only 1% of that, it's still a thousand views. Would you consider that a bad result?

Working on YouTube is not easy and requires focused attention. You need to be able to keep many important facts in mind. For example, don't forget to work on retaining both new and existing audiences, which is challenging. Plan your content in a way that promotes and popularizes your channel without cultivating a permanent inactive audience.

Another vital aspect of being a creator is maintaining consistency, proactively addressing tasks, and anticipating unforeseen circumstances. We are all human and none of us are immune to illness or unexpected disruptions. Plan your content in advance and pre-record videos to account for unforeseen situations.

➔ It is important not to spread false information.

Let's discuss a popular myth that there is a shadow ban on YouTube. Spoiler: there is no shadow ban. Someone spread this rumor to explain a drop in their channel metrics. In reality, it is important to carefully analyze analytics to identify any gaps or issues.

Another myth is that it is too late to start a channel in 2023 because YouTube is full of creators and there is fierce competition in every niche. While competition does exist and there are a multitude of creators, YouTube is not oversaturated. It constantly needs new creators because there are so many unique perspectives that can help fulfill audience demand.

In some niches, it may be more challenging to provide unique content to viewers, while in others, it may be easier. With over 2.5 billion users on the platform, only 4.5% have created their own channels.

Tim Queen, an author, has provided a clear table of results from the previous year, showing the number of channels and their respective subscriber counts on YouTube.

While the data may not have been provided by YouTube itself, if it was compiled by a highly authoritative author, it is definitely valuable information. Additionally, considering that the data was collected worldwide, it provides a broader perspective on YouTube’s platform.

➔ Your mindset and beliefs - they are your biggest enemies.

You need to maintain a growth mindset: accept the realization that working on YouTube may not come with overnight success.  Aim to create the best content you can rather than aspiring to be a millionaire YouTuber. Begin by defining the purpose of your presence on the platform, as many people overlook this step entirely.

Try not to give in to false hopes - it's better to prepare yourself for what awaits you realistically and objectively on the platform. Over time, it won't become easier to compete on YouTube, but you will become faster and more efficient as you create your systems and gain experience.

Don't think that at a certain point or a certain number of subscribers, you can kick back and relax. You will always need to continue growing and evolving. Finally, remember this important point:

If you want something more from your audience, you must deliver something greater from yourself.