New YouTube Content (Dammit, TikTok)
Good morning, lovelies!
So. TikTok's doing that thing again.
A couple of months ago--right before I started uploading Monstrous chapters on here--TikTok decided to stop paying its creators the "additional reward" per video. Those additional rewards were a huge chunk of money, essentially why I was able to earn an average of $3k-$4k every month from TikTok alone. (Pre-taxes.)
Then they stopped doing the additional rewards, and my profit plummeted to $800-$900.
Luckily, TikTok stopped that after about a month and a half, going back to the old way. Except, apparently, they're now flip-flopping once again back to no more additional rewards.
The good news is, the timing is pretty great. I am guaranteed one more big paycheck on January 15th. January is also when I get the first payment for Heart of Iron sales, which were significant. February is also looking pretty good, and March is when the Monstrous Kickstarter payout happens--so worst case scenario, I can dip into that for emergencies. I don't want to, but it's an option.
So I basically have until March/April to figure out my finances. Either find a totally different revenue stream (such as sponsorships, brand deals, sell ad space on my website, etc), or expand one of the others I already have, such as Patreon and YouTube.
I'd like to try to expand YouTube, as that platform has consistently been paying me very well (in fact, it's already been gradually increasing for the last several months), and it's a way to ensure my paycheck without taking a bite out of yours. I've found that the best way to ensure my own income is to rely on stuff people can access for free.
This means there's going to be more videos on YouTube, specifically every Monday, in addition to the Saturday updates. They'll possibly in a wide variety of topics as I throw stuff against the wall and see what sticks.
CaFae Convos was kind of a bust--I'll still do them from time to time, but they just don't get the type of viewership I'm looking for.
Writing videos also, surprisingly, don't get a whole lot of views on my channel. And book content is the absolute worst. Those videos are dead. So that type of content is out.
I used to do favorite/least favorite trope videos, but again, those views don't just compare. Same with other think pieces and my "genre definition" series.
CaFae Legends was supposed to go up last spring. Unfortunately, they're taking way longer to edit, thanks in large part to Video Editor Nic having the absolute gall to have a proper 9-to-5 day job. And a social life. And, like, hobbies. (On a related note, I'll probably have to hire a second video editor to increase this pace of long-form videos, which is another financial consideration.)
Cross-posting CaFae Latte episodes to YouTube Shorts has been surprisingly successful, increasing my subscriber count and possibly my earnings, albeit not directly. Each of those Shorts only gets me, like, $3. But more importantly, they tend to get people to check out my other long-form videos, and that's where the real money is. So that'll keep happening.
I'd like to try mythological/folkloric tales. I've run into a lot of them doing CaFae Latte and Heart of Iron, so that's an easy and natural place to start.
A couple of fan videos got some attention--particularly my ATLA Short(s), so that might be worth exploring in further detail. But it would require me to actually catch up on my watchlist--which I am embarrassingly behind on. I didn't see Sinners until last week!
Beyond that, I'm drawing a blank. Looking at the entire lifetime of my channel's analytics, my top 50 videos are all CaFae Latte compilations in views, watch time, income, and subscribers, so I don't have a whole lot of successful alternatives to fall back on. Even my BookTalk compiles are left in the dust.
So now I'm asking you: what type of YouTube content do you want to see in addition to CaFae Latte compilations?
Write-with-me videos?
Deep-dives into specific fandoms?
Behind-the-scenes?
More livestreams?
Something else entirely that I haven't thought of?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
Comments (26)
Drive traffic to YouTube by posting the Cafae skits there FIRST, then post the "dailies" to TT over the next week. It WILL mean having all of the week done and edited at once.
Jordan's on the internet does singular episodes on shorts and then makes compilations... and it seems to work pretty well for me the consumer... I can jump into a play list of singular episodes and just have it on in the background...
If you want ideas why not have a few YouTube videos where fans ask the cafey crew + guess questions to flesh out the world and fan engagement even pull and announce patreon questions to entise people to join patreon?
Firstly, I’m sorry that TikTok is screwing you over again. Secondly, I thinking uploading to YouTube is a good idea. I personally like watching whatever you decide to upload… though I will say that I am VERY interested in mythology and folklore and I would definitely be excited to see what you have in mind for that. Whatever you do, I will be there watching, whether it be on TikTok or YouTube. I’m also more then happy to rewatch things on YouTube if it means you get paid.
Personally I love the idea of more youtube content! Tiktok is becoming ridiculous anyway. The idea of the mythology/folklore videos would be amazing especially with the chapters of monstrous coming out. Perhaps a crosspost of mythology and the media fandoms its inspired? Or how you create your own mythologies in books like The Witch Who Trades With Death
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Thats shitty TikTok is being stupid as far as other long form videos myths and lore deep dives sounds like an awesome idea
I'm so sorry tiktok is being stupid again I will do whatever I can to help on the plus side I'm very excited for more YouTube videos what I think I most interesting in ser more off from you Deep-dives into specific fandoms maybe Avatar The Last Airbender may be Percy Jackson or something I haven't even heard about I wish you good luck
An explanation of a specific myth or folklore is something I would be interested in. I know I mostly watch video like podcast so it is the perfect type of content for me. If you want to stay in the cafea latte universe, you can tell us about storyline that you thought of but didn't end up using, or even a bit of lore in the form of podcast (so it wouldn't need a lot of editing) Oh and early ideas about characters I think would do very well !
Honestly, I don't think anyone could go wrong with folk lore and mythology. Plus, with the touches on it you've already done in CaFae Latte (and in Monstrous, I'm so excited for this take!!), it should be fairly 'easy' to pop some stuff in the creative blender. I rather enjoy when you bring any of your books to life. The ads that you create for your books are fun because I get to see the characters and their personalities/attitudes pop. I think having more banter between book characters (from same and different books!) would be a good hit for those of us who follow for the CaFae Latte shorts. You could even bring other author's characters to life with some banter with your characters (especially when calling out tropes used in their own books, lol!!). The more I think on this, the more I lean to general 'book characters come to life' type of content. I'm open to lots of things, especially if they have any kind of learning aspect to them (the mythos & folk lore for example) and retelling from different view points (Monstrous for example). I've fallen off Tiktok pretty hard, and recently found you again on IG because I didn't know you were also doing shorts on YouTube (which I now will be watching more of!). The compilations are nice, but I get lost in them. Shorts are ideal for me most of the time, but I could probably make something work to watch the long-form compilations and such more often. ;)
As an aside, I was left wanting after reading The Witch Who Trades With Death. I LOVED the books, but, I don't know, I felt like there could have been more (like there probably was more but the publisher said no?? or maybe the arc would have been too much of a tangent for some characters?). Is it a possibility to see your own 'fan fic' (I don't know what to call it) of additional story to characters and arcs that were left untold for whatever reason? (for a fee of course!! Patreon higher tiers, short story purchases on your site, etc.) I don't know how to describe what I'm even thinking in my head! I absolutely love your writing style, so maybe I'm just being greedy and wanting more, yeah, that's probably it. lol 😅😘😂
The folk lore and mythology videos sound awesome! Also I think the reason I didn't get into CaFae Convos is because the name kinda lead me to believe it would almost be a deeper dive into the CaFae cast's history. I kinda expected you to be "interviewing" the characters.
The folklore and mythology videos. The way you research and merge them into today’s world is always fascinating and informative.
Folklore and mythology, like you mentioned, would be SO good. Maybe retellings in your own witty voice? And then you can expand on that with your own thoughts, how you've adapted it to your work, how certain myths have actually changed human behavior as we experience it today, and how certain myths in two different cultures mirror one another. That could work up to long-form content pretty well, I think.
One thing I really enjoyed on TikTok was your books talking to each other. If you haven't already please add the existing ones to YT.
I love the mythology and folklore content idea! And more Sphinxy, please! I have fallen way behind (for years now) on ATLA (life got in the way), so I would definitely watch those. It's helpful to understand which forms and platforms pay you better, so now I know to prioritize your long form videos over the shorts. Something else had popped into my mind while I was typing those and now it's gone, so if it returns I will try to post it here.
Folklore and mythology you've learnt as you research would be interesting to me~
I'm not sure how well you could do this personally I would love crossover stuff between cafae latte And other fandoms, like Spider-Man finds himself at cafae latte or Ben 10 or something. Characters you're familiar with of course.
I don't know if this is a direction you want to go but I really like original content skits. When I started watching you, it was because I found your succubus summoned by an Ace story, then your necromancer and princess story. Notibly a lot of the original content skit creators I came to TT for are burning out, stepping back or moving on, which is fair, but it does leave a void. Maybe some more short story skits like those would be a good option?
Possibly deeper looks into the older CaFae videos' mythological framework? Something like how you might choose to do Krampus as a character, and which parts of that legend you chose to emphasize versus look past so that you could get narrative tension and a good story out of it? That kind of craftsmanship as applied to source material?
Sharing brands you like and use all the time when it comes to making cafe latte or even in your daily life. I like behind the scenes things and outtakes. I’m on YouTube more than ticktock since the shut down so like someone else said posting the daily on ticktock and YouTube could be an option.
We haven't seen your new working space yet. Maybe a tour there? I know there's also been some hot takes and things posted in the discord since you last posted. Round 2? Or reacting to video suggestions? (I know it's been done before but....if it ain't broke lol) I also recall a series you had for aroace rep in classic fairy tales from quite a while ago. Maybe a remake is in order? I'm sure I'll have more ideas once I've had my caffeine lol. If I think of more I'll let you know!!!
SORRY WHERE IS THE MONSTROUS KICKSTARTER?
I wanted to ask that exact question xD
How about uploading to YouTube shorts at the same time you upload to TikTok? Especially for Cafae Latte. If you are planning on leaning into YouTube more, why not go all in? Alternatively, what about releasing Cafae Latte compilations on a weekly basis on YouTube? That way you have the daily releases on TikTok and the Compilation being released every Sunday or some such. I've always like behind the scenes content. The extras on DVD/Blu-Ray, making of videos, etc. I've also liked seeing peeks into the lives of the actors/authors I follow. Maybe releasing more videos of what it is like being an author and content creator. Possibly sharing your favorite businesses (local or chain), videos on how you stay motivated to produce video content while still writing your novels. Hoping you can keep your passion profitable!!
Have you considered co-work sessions? Post when you'll be live and working on writing. Everyone would be muted, but ppl could find motivational accountability "being with" someone else who is also working. Like a serious library study group. No cross talk, no chat, just working independently "together." Not sure if there is any monetization to be had there, but that's my two cents. Keep the change. :)