What's been happening (Patreon)

Hey everyone,

I imagine you've might wondered where the channel has been last week, and I want to tell you patrons exactly what's been going on and what my plans are.

First of all, Vidcon came and went and with it I learned a lot about the way Youtube works these days. Specifically two aspects:

1. How to measure a video as a success

2. The series is KING

The first piece is a bit smaller, but analyses of many channels have shown that videos with a better ratio of "suggested" to "Browse Features" are successful because they are the ones bringing in non-subscribers. I plugged this into a spreadsheet and was both surprised and not surprised by what I found. Quick Steps which I knew had very little reach outside of subscribers were very low, and it explains why when Quick Steps come out they tend to drop off a cliff after about 2 weeks or so. 

The videos which are high on this list are ones in which I had a series previously made for them, or of a more evergreen nature. These are videos like the religion series, as well as breakdowns of things like hate groups, ideologies, and things like that. Overall by numbers this is the kind of content that people bring up over and over again as their favourites on the channel and the ones which were low are ones many found forgettable. (with one really notable exception in Why Boomers Don't Get Millennials)

So, the second piece is what's a big deal. The series, or series playlist is what's king. Youtube likes session time, so series which keep people on the platform will in turn get recommended more as when they watch they are driven to more and more content on a topic which resonates.

So... What are you going to do then?

I spent a good chunk of last week reorganizing the channel front end.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxTdWpLJurbGlFMWOwXWG_A 

I categorized the videos into series based on subject matter, and I more or less moved away from Quick Step as an idea, as what's really the point of a series based on it being short to make if you really think about it. Now, don't get me wrong, I think the principles of being relatable, and applicable to the current ＤＩＳＣＯＵＲＳＥ is a sign of what I want Step Back to be, and I don't want to get far away from weekly content.

So, starting this week I will be making videos every week, with an eye towards advancing the series' on the channel, but not exclusively. I have baked in room for trying new things and experimenting lest I fall in a rut. In fact, the next video which I am working on today is a pilot for a potential new series on dead countries.

I know this is a lot all at once, but I want to boil it down for you all. I want to make content regularly that is based on what people are responding to. Of course, I want you all along for the ride, and your feedback means a hell of a lot to me. I hope that this results in more videos in the vein of the stuff YOU came to this channel for.