If you’re like me you watch a lot of YouTube. I call YouTube the ultimate channel provider. I invented a game with my friends called “Hey Yo, watch this.” It’s a game where I invite my friends over and we stream YouTube videos to my Chromecast. One person picks a random subject and everybody has one minute to find a video. The owner of the best video picks someone to do a shot. It’s a fun game and I encourage you and your friends to play it. There’s one thing I noticed while playing this game with my friends. Every recently uploaded video to YouTube starts off with an apology. “Hey guys, sorry for posting this video so late.”
YouTube personalities like to commit to an uploading schedule. It’s usually once a week. I’d say most of them are set for Wednesday or Thursday. That gives the YouTuber a chance to go hang out and shoot content with their friends on the weekend. Then they have three days to edit a video. And most of these up and coming YouTubers all start off by saying the same thing. Something like “hey guys sorry I’m late” or “sorry I’m uploading my YouTube video late but I plan on making it up to you.”
Stop apologizing on Youtube
I know you’re like me you’re already calling bullshit. You say something like “your last three videos were late. I’m willing to put five on red that you’re next three videos will be late as well.” I think the worst part about it is they never seem sincere about their apology. It’s not like they really have to apologize to us. They’re simply trying to keep subscribers on their channel. At least they acknowledge they’re late on uploading the video.
Sometimes I wish they’d come out and just say it. Just tell people you were busy, you have a life, and you are changing your upload schedule from weekly to whenever the fuck I get around to it. Or are you worried that your content sucks so much the people won’t come back? Maybe they’ll unsubscribe? That was rhetorical by the way.
When you have great content, people will come to your channel. If you set the right expectation from the start, you’ll keep people around. It’s up to you. Just be upfront about it.
Get straight to the point
Some of my favorite YouTubers get straight to the content. Just like my favorite pornos. I don’t like all the fake script jargon and the plumber knocking on the door. I’ve got five minutes until my wife gets home. Hurry up and get to the good stuff. I feel the same way about YouTube. People will quickly subscribe to your Channel if you stop wasting my time. We already know your Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest links. Because they were in the last thirty fucking videos.
We treat our YouTube subscribers like they are sheep. I don’t blame YouTubers by the way. Syndicated TV shows do the same thing, don’t they? Every week there’s a quick scene and then the opening credits roll. Every week the same producer, executive producer, key grip, best key grip, best best key grip, and director all have their name/title in the first five minutes.
We don’t care who produced or who directed. We just want to see Pauly Shore do his thing so I can fall asleep and do it all again in the morning.