Reflections On YouTube – 14 Months In
Hello friends of the channel. I wanted to share some reflections on "The Art Of Storytelling". I know some of my supports are fellow content creators, and are interested in hearing about my experience so far. Here's a collection of thoughts:
1. Thumbnail Game
Every new YouTuber will tell you that the title and thumbnail are vastly more important than you first assume. After a year of posting, I can confirm. What I've realized is that you don't really have an idea for a video until you've formulated it as a title and thumbnail. This kind of turns the creative process of video production on its head, because you need to know EXACTLY how your product is packaged BEFORE you create it. But as a writer, I find that I often don't even KNOW what my argument is UNTIL I've written it. So this little creative paradox is tricky.
2. The Algorithm and Views
So far, my videos vary wildly in their view counts. My highest is 360k, and my lowest is 2k. Like most YouTubers, I'm baffled by these discrepancies, because as far as I'm concerned, all my videos are roughly equal in quality. When I began, I assumed it would be a slow, gradual increase. That's not how YouTube works anymore. Every video is judged on its own individual merits. That's both encouraging AND discouraging. You might be pleasantly surprised to learn that your video reached a huge audience, but that doesn't mean your next one will. This means you shouldn't get caught up in your subscriber count, which is more a metric of longevity of the platform, rather than "success" per se.
3. Staying True To Your Interests
Will all these performance metrics, it's tempting to try to optimize your content for better performance. I feel like this is a trap. On this platform, I think the best thing you can do is be original, and make content your own way. The moment you let the algorithm determine your creative decisions, you start on path towards assimilation and conformity – and I believe viewers sense that. In the year 2025, I feel like there's real value in authenticity – something there is a growing lack of online. So I always check in with myself and remember that I'm not doing this for views or subscribers; I'm doing it for my fellow human beings out there in the world who share my interests. Even if it's only a few people, at least it's a real relationship. That's what the internet is supposed to be about!
4. Experiment
I would say I'm still in an experimental phase with The Art Of Storytelling. I'm still trying to discover what it is. What's my "niche"? Is it about writing? Creativity? Movies? Philosophy? Art? Culture? I guess it's a big Venn diagram of all those things. Maybe this is a bad YouTube strategy (you're supposed to "niche down"). But I've realized that I don't want this channel to have a "strategy". It's not a game I'm trying to win. I think the channel will always be an experiment. I want it to evolve and adapt over time, and I would encourage any other content creator to approach their work with that attitude. It relieves the pressure of having to turn your passions into a business plan. How lame would that be?
Anyway, I hope some of you found this interesting. I'm grateful to everyone in this little Patreon community. Your interest in my growing little channel is a big part of what keeps me going.
-Andrew
Comments (8)
Thank you for 3. Staying True To Your Interests _/|\_
As others have said, I believe you've found your niche. Although it's hard to quantify it, we know it when we see it. ;) I would like to thank you for not playing to the algorithm and instead telling the stories you want to tell. The great thing about YouTube is that you can find videos on any subject you can imagine. The bad part is that you can find 1000 videos all saying the same thing. I am a big fan of literary analysis and I came here because you did this with Severance. But I stayed (and became a patron) because of the way you dealt with other shows and movies, looking at them from the analytical point of view, not just emotionally proclaiming them "The Best Ever" or "A Waste of Time". Thank you for the lack of hyperbole. Thank you for the thoughfulness.
Thank you, and that's really interesting to hear. I've been trying to understand what aspect of my channel is working, so it's great to hear some in-depth description. Others have echoed the idea that my channel is more easy going and relaxed, and not trying to capitalize on trends, so that's really cool. I appreciate your support Kass!
As others have said, I think you have already found your niche, even though I couldnt put into words what exactly it is. But I watch a lot of channels about writing and storytelling and your content is rather unique and, at least to me, much more interesting. (Hence why I am here.) I wouldnt consider myself a YouTuber, but I record my older books and upload them on YouTube (I am a writer from a relatively small country, there are roughly 10 million speakers of my language). And I would definitely second "The moment you let the algorithm determine your creative decisions, you start on path towards assimilation and conformity". One of my (audio)books really exploded, reached well over a million views and generated more money through ads than I ever could imagine earning from writing, but after a year of riding high, the buzz has recently died down and my other books are nowhere near this level. It is completely irrational, but I have become so accustomed to it that it is hard not to feel discouraged. Plus, even though I am writing another book at the moment which I am passionate abobut, I have caught myself thinking about trying to recreate that success and writing some continuation of that story, even though I really dont want to and feel exactly zero excitement.
Interesting situation! Congratulations on your success, and I understand the feeling you're describing. I guess it's something all artists go through – even the greatest. Every bad has their "hits", from The Beatles to Tarantino. They probably also felt a similar pressure, so I guess there's some consolation in the fact that it's probably a universal experience of being an artist.
Ironically I think you've already found your niche, at least from an outside perspective, and it's incredibly poetic as it's right in the title: it's the Art of Storytelling. So many aspects of media overlap (see games, for example, combining written story with music, visuals, and experience) and thus I think all of these elements work together beautifully in terms of your content. There's a breadth you can explore which, ultimately, relates to each other in some fashion.
Thanks for your comment. I'm glad you feel that way. I've been hoping that people would see the channel that way, and not get caught up defining it as about any particular subject. This is very reassuring!
Insightful. Thanks.