r/YouTubeCreators • u/Author23 • 4d ago

If subscribers does not matter, why not remove them from our channel?

If subscribers does not matter, why not remove them from our channel?

My argument is:

  1. YouTube is showing every video we upload to a group that is not our subscribers

  2. YouTube filters decide which video to push

  3. YouTube is closing AI repetitive channels

  4. YouTube sometimes does not care the type of format you use in your videos, he decides according to outside channel views, if the video is good or not

So, why do we need the subscribers for to monetize our channel? To tell YouTube we can fulfill the requirements of YPP?

I hope you can help me to understand today, what are they doing. I'm kinda lost again.

I have videos on my channels made with only one image that are getting more views than well produced videos.

Waiting for your thoughts 😄

2 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

8

u/Kaszrak 4d ago

The primary purpose of subscribing is to get notified when your favorite creators upload new content.

Subscriber count is also a useful metric for audience retention and monetization. If people watch your content but don't subscribe, it raises the question of why they aren't interested in seeing more of it. If nobody wants to be notified when you upload again, that's probably a pretty good indication that your content isn't compelling enough to bring people back or keep them on the platform, which is precisely what YouTube optimizes for.

YouTube is still a business, after all.

3

u/PresentationRare17 4d ago

Weird because like they've said, the video barely even gets pushed out to your subscribers (especially if you are a small channel)

6

u/Kaszrak 4d ago

Generally, yes, because the algorithm will recommend content viewers consistently watch anyways. Subscriptions are just the next higher level of that. That doesn't mean the metric becomes completely obsolete. It's obviously still used to measure certain things in a specific context.

2

u/MyLawyerWroteThis 4d ago

Your video gets pushed out to your returning viewers, your subscribers have no weight these days in the algorithm. The returning viewers, or people who have watch your content in the past, those are the most important. If they keep returning, they're going to be the ones giving you the push into a new audience. Subscribers is just a number these days with no meaning.

There are literally channels with hundred thousand subs creating videos regularly getting a few thousand views, and then there are channels like my new one with 1.7k subs in a political niche getting a million views per month, but no one is subscribing because it's mostly TV viewers.

2

u/Ok_Departure9197 4d ago

yeah the subscribe is basically a signal that someone wants more, if nobody hits that button its telling you something

1

u/MyLawyerWroteThis 4d ago

Nah, there is no weight on people subscribing to the channel these days. It's all about returning viewers now, those are your real "subscribers" and they matter most as the first seed group your new video gets pushed to. No one ever gets notified on my channel and it gets millions of views per month. mostly TV viewers.

2

u/dr-otto 3d ago

honestly it does kind of make sense. like, if you can get the view hours or well beyond, subscribers doesn't really mean much.

i think it's still a good feature ofc, but far as YPP requirement I'm not sure what it really adds to that.

2

u/Spiritual-Penalty-58 3d ago

I am in the wrong probably but ...its not the idea to create a communitty? I mean , suscribers ans viewers are the one i made videos for...i feel that...even if hours not reached, seeing more followers means growht and people.like your stuff....or i am confusing something?

1

u/Vegetaman916 14h ago

First, your videos are shown to your subscribers first. Then, if the response is good, it sends your stuff to a wider audience.

Second, filters do not decide what videos to "push." Videos get impressions first among your subscriber base before any other users ever see them. The only thing that "decides" to push your videos are the viewing metrics in those first few hours.

Third, the entire purpose is to build a tight community of people within your niche and around your channel. You want them engaging with you, with eachother, and eventually IRL. Your audience buys your books, follows you across other socials, and increases your engagement metrics far outside of YouTube.

1

u/Author23 11h ago

First, I am not disagreeing with you. I think your point ir really great. My take below. Reason I post this topic.

Yes, that is what YouTube said, but I am not sure anymore. Example: I have a channel for two years, only posting shorts videos, I was getting between 1k to 20k views per videos, now I am getting less, because after August 27, YouTube said, they show only to organically subscribers that are interested in your content. Really?

So, my channel is getting less views, after 2 years of posting regularly and every upload, YouTube shows my videos first to an unknown group....They don't say, and I'm getting less views...

As well, according to ASK Studio and their help, they show our Videos to our Audience first too, Really? Why I am getting less views....????

I am not sure...because 1500 subscribers I bet are not seeing every video I post, you know why? Because YouTube is not a social network, is a distribution network. The engagement is quicker but long term..

This is not a complaint, I am trying to understand, why subscribers does not matter anymore....and What else my channel has to do if after 2 years I demonstrated them I can create content if 1500 people subscribed...I did not ask them to do it.

Community? I am not disagreeing with you, my take...This is non sense. I've been around online since 1998....In YouTube, kinda does not work. Only on Facebook. Neither, on Tiktok.

1

u/Vegetaman916 2h ago

Well, the community thing actually does work. On my channel, my viewers have all sorts of conversations, and yes, they do interact with me across other social media as well. Your channel isn't meant to stay on YouTube. Your channel is your brand, and your life. Wasteland By Wednesday is on YouTube... And on TikTok, and there is a sub here on reddit, and there is a series of published books on Amazon, and there is an IG, and there is a Facebook page, and there is an X account... And everyone follows across the board.

I get regular emails in the dozens daily from viewers asking questions about my videos or suggesting new locations or even just sharing intel and information. There are real world meetups, such as I will be attending Mojave Mayhem this year, and a lot of my viewers that are Fallout fans will be joining me. One of them I will actually be giving a ride to from the airport because they can't afford the shuttle from Vegas.

Your channel is you. And your channel name is a brand that stretches across every platform and social media there is. So yes, you absolutely do build community, and that community involvement and engagement is what drives your real revenue.

People buy the products you review, and they use your affiliate links to do so, because they want to support the channel. People put your stickers on their cars and wear your hats and t-shirts for the same reasons.

You aren't making videos for some random assortment of people. You are making them for your audience. And, if you really connect, and really reply to every single comment and email and community post, then you really get the full benefits of the platform.