How to Win on YouTube in 2019
Did you know that we love data? We also really love the creative community. That’s why we’re nerding out about our new report, the State of YouTube 2019. We partnered with ICX Media to survey 400+ YouTube creators and bring you valuable insights into the current YouTube creator landscape.
Why put so much focus on YouTube? For starters, the video content platform has become a powerful search engine and the second-most visited website on the internet. And the creators behind YouTube are no amateurs. While it’s true that many budding content creators begin to sharpen their skills on YouTube, there are countless professional filmmakers, storytellers and digital marketers that we can all learn from.
We gathered from our research that although the creator landscape is vast, YouTubers small and large share similar motivations and challenges. Here are a few of our favorite takeaways from the State of YouTube 2019 —
You Can’t “Fake It Until You Make It”
True passion and authenticity breed success on YouTube. The majority of YouTubers make and share videos because they want to express their creativity. Our survey reflects this truth–the typical creator, whether hobbyist or professional, is sharing because they have a deep passion and want to foster a community around that passion. Ultimately they want to connect with other people, and their audiences feel that.
YouTubers of All Sizes Have Their Struggles
Lack of time and resources is a common challenge among creative professionals. Based on our research, we can see that it’s one of the top challenges for YouTubers–especially those going it alone as solopreneurs. Even those who dedicate their full time to building their presence on YouTube, however, have their hurdles. No matter the size of their channel, many YouTubers are having a difficult time getting their content surfaced to both new and subscribed viewers. And, frequent policy changes and lack of communication from YouTube causes confusion and feeds the overall feeling that the platform does not support creators.
Creatives Prevail
It’s clear that creators experience some frustration and trust issues with YouTube. However, it doesn’t seem like they intend to give up on the platform. From the YouTubers we spoke with, we actually find that the challenges can be motivators and push them to work smarter. YouTube scandals were in full force in 2017 and 2018. There was “Adpocalypse,” where advertisers were boycotting YouTube over controversial content. Then the failed YouTube Rewind 2018 video which became the world’s most disliked YouTube video as of April 2019. Recently, copyright claims have been surging. However, even amongst all of that controversy, a growing creator community has managed to thrive. Despite the recent issues, with the ecosystem that these creators have built and the tools around them, we believe 2019 will be a breakout year for YouTube creators.
Whether you’re a marketer wanting to work with influencers or a creator trying to grow your channel on YouTube, we encourage you to dig into the full State of YouTube 2019. The report is just the beginning. We’ll bring you more YouTube-centric content as we continue to learn more.
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- Video,
- YouTube,
- YT Better Video,
