Subscribers Don’t Matter!? Discover The Game Changing YouTube Algorithm Secrets

Introduction: Rethinking YouTube Success Metrics

Like many businesses, we are starting to push our YouTube channel to take advantage of the new algorithms around YouTube Shorts and YouTube’s new podcast features. There’s no argument about the popularity of the video-sharing platform that millions of people rely on for entertainment, education, and even making an income.

However, there are further YouTube algorithm advancements in 2023 that actually questions the importance of YouTube subscribers, and I wonder how this will affect businesses in building lasting brand identities on YouTube. As you probably understand, the YouTube algorithm actually determines which videos to recommend to viewers based on several factors.

This includes the likes of watch time, engagement and relevance. Now, the latest algorithm prioritises videos that keep viewers engaged for longer and relevant to their own interests. Therefore, as content creators, we really need to focus on creating high-quality, engaging content that is specifically tailored to our target audience.

This begs today’s question. With the latest YouTube algorithm advancements and decreasing emphasis on subscriber counts, how can businesses effectively adapt their content strategies to not only maintain viewer engagement and cater for individual interests, but also to build a strong and lasting brand identity on that platform?

Shall we start?

The Shifting YouTube Landscape: Quality Over Quantity

Historically, having a large subscriber count was seen as the Ultimate goal for creators, but the landscape has actually shifted with a good many people now believing that subscribers don’t actually matter. Personally, I feel this claim is debatable, but we must say that there are channels with millions of subscribers that only actually receive thousands of views.

Whilst there are considerably smaller channels receiving millions of views. So in fact, in that specific scenario, having more subscribers doesn’t actually guarantee success.

YouTube Shorts: The New Gateway to Growth

Creators are now experiencing exponential growth through their YouTube Shorts. These are the short form videos that can be, say, up to 60 seconds long.

In my previous episode of this podcast, Exposed Insider Secrets About YouTube Shorts Algorithm That Will Make Your Content Go Viral, I stated that the ultimate time for your YouTube short is around 20 seconds, as that’s the attention span of most people consuming YouTube shorts. But without a doubt, these shorts are an excellent way for new creators to gain exposure and grow their channel quickly.

I was actually reading Business Insider’s article, and they stated that around 47 out of the 50 fastest-growing US-based channels on YouTube between 2022 and early 23. We’re actively posting shorts, which would mean that you don’t actually need subscribers to get massive views, which is absolutely great news for new content creators.

I can see on our YouTube channel that there is a 92 per cent disparity between our shorts and long form videos. And the shorts also get 50 percent higher subscription rates for a 30 second video over a 10 minute video. So there’s Really a good reason to use short, but we need to make sure the long form is equally interesting to our new subscribers.

Or are they just wanting these little business snippets?

The Vanity of Subscriber Counts: A New Perspective

We can’t argue that for many YouTubers the subscribers metric is really a vanity metric and, and this is pretty much a metric that is historical across all factors of life and business. You know, when a director asks their marketer how many visits their site has had, and how many bought their product?

So whether it’s a vanity or not, having subscribers is cool, but does it actually matter if they don’t care about you as a business or a person? You have to remember in the world of short form content, viewers are only one swipe away from moving on to something else.

The Importance of Subscribers in a Changing Environment

But let’s not lose the benefits of having subscribers as they are still very important for anyone wanting to sort of monetize or gain recognition.

A subscriber represents someone who is more likely to see your content or buy your product. According to a partner advisory firm that works with creators. They stated that consumption is more important than subscribers in 2023. You get paid for views, not subscribers, and the algorithm recommends content based on watch time and consumption.

Adapting to Algorithm Changes: Strategies for Content Creators

YouTube is constantly evolving. They’re taking ideas from other social media platforms and bringing them into their specific platform, and they’re changing the algorithm continuously to improve those areas or make those areas more popular.

And us creators need to keep up with the changes to succeed. YouTube algorithm prioritises videos that keep viewers engaged for longer and that are relevant to their specific interest. While subscribers are still important for monetisation and recognition, they are no longer the ultimate goal. Creators experience this exponential growth through their short form videos and As I said, they should aim to create high quality, engaging content that is tailored to their target audience.

By doing so, they can build a lasting brand to succeed on this specific platform. And for those that are just looking at monetizing their YouTube, well, you should think about a monetization strategy for your content. Because relying solely on ad revenue from Google has become really outdated, and nowadays there are several ways to monetize content such as merchandise, sponsorship, and affiliate marketing.

Monetisation in the Creator Economy: Beyond Ad Revenue

Unfortunately, many people struggle with building a diversified plan because they lack the knowledge of different business models. However, it’s possible to make a part time or full time living in the creator economy, if you learn and implement these specific models correctly. And maybe for businesses, it’s a good idea to do the YouTube shorts for the base of maybe just advertising, but making it more quirky and more digestible for people to view.

I think it’s important to get your message out there and get it out there in that 20 second desired zone ratio.

Anyway, that’s all I have time for today. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s podcast. I would love to hear your thoughts and remember to click the follow, like, and all that kind of business.

Bye bye for now.