Why Nobody Watches Your YouTube Videos
So you made a few videos and uploaded them to YouTube, but your channel doesn't grow, and you don't get many views?
If you want to join the YouTube partner program fast to finally make money with your YouTube channel, you have to be able to take "luck" out of the equation to grow your channel consistently.
This article covers the most common reasons why your YouTube channel might not be growing as fast as you hope in terms of getting YouTube views, watch time, and subscribers.
You will learn valuable advice on how to improve your YouTube channel overall, your YouTube content strategy, video production, editing, and promotional strategies of individual videos for the YouTube algorithm.
Your YouTube Videos Might Not Be Perceived as Valuable
If your YouTube channel isn't performing as well as possible, it could be because your videos aren't providing enough value to your viewers.
I know this might be a hard pill to swallow, but hear me out.
To be perceived as valuable, you have to create videos that are both entertaining and educational at the same time.
The good news is, you can fix this.
Don't hesitate to ask your viewers for their opinion about how your video can deliver more value to them!
I also recommend taking one step back and reviewing your YouTube content strategy.
Are you 100% clear who your ideal YouTuber subscribers are?
And have you mapped out a complete A-Z YouTube video strategy based on targeted content clusters?
Your Channel's Target Audience May Not Be Clearly Defined
Another reason your channel might not be getting new YouTube subscribers is that you don't know your audience, or worse, there are not enough people interested in your particular range of video topics.
It is important to understand who your videos are made for to create videos relevant to their interests to quickly attract new subscribers.
Your main goal is to build an audience of subscribers who share many common interests, so you can always know what the majority of your viewers are interested in and record videos that will appeal to them.
Imagine you had an audience of coffee lovers.
Do you think most of them would be interested in watching a video about a brand new espresso machine? The possibility is very high.
By understanding your audience's common interests, you will be more likely to attract even more of them as subscribers.
The Niche of Your YouTube Channel Might Be Too Narrow.
Knowing and understanding your audience is a great start, but sometimes you need to expand it.
It isn't easy to reach a large audience, especially if your audience is so niched that there aren't enough people interested in watching your video.
In the worst-case scenario, you might be the only person on earth who watches your videos.
This may be caused by YouTube not understanding that a specific topic exists.
With its artificial intelligence, YouTube maps out any topic imaginable into a global interests map.
Every time you watch a video, YouTube looks up all matching topics within its interest map and increases your personal interest counter by plus 1.
For example, if you watch a video about how to make the perfect vegan hamburger, YouTube might add you to the "cooking", "vegan cooking", and "hamburger" audience groups.
The more videos you watch within a specific category, the more videos YouTube will recommend to you from the same category.
If a video doesn't fit into any existing topic categories, it will be classified as "other" until YouTube realizes that a new topic has been created.
If most of your videos fall into this "other" topic category, YouTube won't link any audience groups to your channel.
As a consequence, your organic growth will flatline.
Let me give you an example.
Let's say that five years from now, there will be a pop band called "The Crazy Pirate Clown Gang".
If someone made a video about this non-existent band today, YouTube wouldn't know that "The Crazy Pirate Clown Gang" is supposed to be a pop band.
The topic doesn't exist, and neither does the future fan base.
Consequently, if you made videos about "The Crazy Pirate Clown Gang", YouTube wouldn't know who to recommend your videos to, and your channel would stagnate and not grow.
What is the solution to this problem?
Start your YouTube channel by dipping into at least a few already-existing audiences.
I recommend checking out TubeBuddy's Keyword Explorer tool to find a few starter keywords.
This way, YouTube can create a lookalike audience based on your viewers.
And it becomes more likely that YouTube will organically promote your YouTube videos to similar people, even those that don't have an audience category yet.
You Video Topics May Be All Over the Place
If your YouTube channel is small (fewer than 10,000 subscribers), you have an even bigger problem.
YouTube doesn't usually promote small YouTube channels to new audiences unless they have a very targeted audience and weak competition.
Starting with a wide content strategy too early makes it difficult for you to get YouTube's attention.
I recommend mapping out your content cluster strategy in great detail, as described in my article here.
Then select one of your third-, fourth-, or fifth-level topic branches as your starting point.
As you upload more and more very specific, targeted videos, slowly expand your topics to broader second- and first-level branches.
Your Videos Might Not Get To the Point Fast Enough
Did you know that YouTube's most important ranking factor for videos is watch time? You can learn more about how watch time works on YouTube in my article here.
In summary, it's the amount of time someone spends watching your videos.
If your video is 10 minutes long and someone watches 5 minutes, your watch time was 5 minutes or 50% of your video.
A low watch time, especially watch time percentage, usually results in YouTube classifying your video as low-quality. As a consequence, these videos will not be recommended to new audiences or existing subscribers.
What is the single most significant drop-off point when it comes to watch time?
The first 60 seconds of each of your videos!
If you want to increase your watch time, you have to make sure that the first minute of your video gets to the point fast!
Avoid too much fluff talk or at the beginning at all cost!
If you have a video intro, make sure it's short, no more than 5 to 10 seconds max.
I recommend summarizing what your video is about and the top three lessons within the first 10 seconds of your video for the best results.
Your YouTube Channel May Not Have a Good Content Strategy
Let's take a look at all the videos you have posted so far.
Are you able to group all of your videos into three to five themes or targeted audience groups?
No? Then you have a problem that prevents you from gaining subscribers more quickly.
It's no secret that when someone watches one of your videos for the first time, there's a good chance that they're interested in the topics you discussed in that video.
People who like your video will naturally want to watch more of your videos about the same topic.
If all your videos are on random topics, there are probably very few similar videos that someone would like to watch next.
Consequently, YouTube will not recommend any of your other videos in the recommended section, which might lead to viewers continuing to watch videos from other channels.
Or worse, your new fan watches one of your other videos, realizes that they don't like or are not interested in your other topics, and never watches any of your videos again.
The solution?
Plan your YouTube content ahead of time with a carefully crafted, in-depth content cluster strategy.
The Audio Quality of Your Videos May Be Poor
Poor recording quality might be one of the reasons your YouTube channel's growth has slowed down.
Audio and video are two main factors that affect the quality of your recording.
If either one or both are significantly impaired, it is likely that your videos will not perform at their best.
Almost all YouTuber beginners believe they need a better camera to produce professional-looking videos.
However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Video quality isn't as important as audio quality.
But how, Tim?
As long as the audio part of the video can convey what they are trying to convey, many viewers will not mind bad video.
Just think about it...
Why do we have podcasts and audiobooks but not silent video books?
Auditory information can be processed without ever looking at a screen or even opening our eyes.
When the audio quality is poor, our brains have to work harder to decode someone's message.
Have you ever had a friend who mumbled or spoke too softly all the time?
Then you know what I am talking about.
There are three primary factors that negatively affect your audio quality.
Noisy or loud environment
Have you ever tried to have a conversation with a friend in a noisy environment, like a busy street or nightclub?
In most cases, that's no problem. All we need to do is move a little closer and speak up.
When it comes to processing audio, our bodies are quite remarkable.
This is because our brain has a built-in neural denoiser that separates words from environmental noise.
Microphones, on the other hand, are very different.
Other than your ears, most microphones pick up audio from all around them rather than focusing on what's right in front of them.
That's a big problem, especially if there is a lot of competing noise at your recording location.
Well, can't we just use software to cut out the noise?
Well, let's take a look at the frequency range of the human voice; it ranges from about 125Hz to 8kHz.
If there is a noise source in the range of 4kHz to 6kHz nearby, you cannot simply delete the 4kHz to 6kHz frequency range because this would remove some of your vocal frequencies.
The solution to noise-free audio recordings is finding a quiet location, soundproofing an existing location where possible, using a better microphone, finding a better microphone placement, recording at a higher bit rate, and using advanced AI-based noise removal software such as Adobe Audition's DeNoise filter.
Low-quality microphone or using the wrong microphone type
In most cases, your smartphone or camera's built-in microphone is the worst mic at your disposal. You can only fit so much quality into a small device.
If you want to record quality audio, you need an external microphone.
I recommend the DJI Mic, Rode Wireless Go II, and the Rode VideoMic NTG.
The Rode Wireless Go II is a wireless lavalier microphone that can be placed near your mouth and chest area.
The volume of your voice follows the inverse square law. The sound will become four times less intense by doubling the distance away from a sound source.
Let's make this simple, if you place your camera or smartphone 2 meters before you, your voice has to travel 2 meters until it reaches the microphone.
Consequently, the sound pressure of your voice on a lavalier microphone 25cm below your mouth would be 8 times higher.
This means that the sound pressure of any background noise, by comparison, would be 8 times quieter.
A good shotgun mic like the Rode VideoMic NTG can achieve even better audio quality.
As a directional mic, it rejects most audio from above, below, behind, left, and right and focuses primarily on the audio right in front of it.
A shotgun mic requires a bit more work. You need someone to hold a shotgun mic above your head or use a microphone stand.
Low speech volume
The third factor that affects your audio quality is low speech volume.
As just discussed, the inverse square law also affects your voice.
Speaking twice as loudly will reduce background noise by 50% in your audio file.
You can have the best microphone and placement, but if you speak softly, the microphone will start to pick up background noises again.
So do yourself a favor and try to speak up when recording your YouTube videos.
You usually get the best results by reducing the sensitivity of your mic and speaking louder than usual.
Your Video Quality Could Be Improved
People tend to think that their videos don't look as good as those of professional YouTubers because they don't have better cameras.
More often than not, it's not their camera's fault but caused by bad lighting.
Poor lighting
Most people think it's their camera's fault if the video doesn't look as nice as a professional YouTuber's.
More often than not, it's not their camera's fault but caused by poor lighting.
When you are recording in a low-light environment, your camera has to boost up its ISO setting, which causes a lot of noise and usually washes out colors.
The best way to fix your light is to record your videos with the most color-accurate, free light source available—the sunlight.
If this isn't feasible because of bad weather, low or high temperatures, or high outside noise levels, I recommend investing in a good portable light source.
I recommend the Elgato Key Light Air.
Low-quality camera
You can further improve your video quality by investing in a good camera.
Here is my list of quality factors that I am looking for in a new camera.
Great low-light performance.
Excellent auto-focus with AI face detection that works well in low-light conditions.
Built-in image stabilization
4K video resolution with 30 frames per second or better
Support for HDR, either RAW, HLG, or Log.
Established camera eco-system with a wide variety of optimized lenses
I recommend the following camera systems.
- Professionals, Sony Alpha 7 IV
- Intermediate, Sony Alpha 6600
- Beginner, Sony ZV-E10
- Any smartphone, if you are on a budget
Boring Background
Even with the perfect audio, video, and lighting, your videos might still look boring if you record yourself in front of a white wall.
The solution?
Record yourself outdoors, or decorate your studio with exciting props such as plants, books, or gadgets.
You Could Be More Energetic on Camera
If your viewers perceive your videos as boring, they will feel turned off and watch someone else's YouTube video instead.
Here are a few things to avoid at all costs:
- Reading from a script.
- Speaking in a monotonous voice.
- Not showing any emotions or being far too emotional.
- Having low energy or too much energy. Be yourself, plus 50% more energy on camera, not 400%.
Poor Editing Can Slow Down Your YouTube Channel Growth
Earlier today, we already discussed the possibility of poor audio and video quality.
Another related aspect that affects your video quality is your ability to use editing to improve your viewers' experience.
No editing
If you don't edit your videos, you might end up with a lot of filler content that doesn't add to your story.
Think of all the "ahs", "uhms", and pauses many of us experience while we film ourselves.
Imagine you are trying to explain something, then talk for three minutes, only to realize that this explanation doesn't work.
You start over and explain the same idea differently.
A good editor would cut out the first explanation and only keep the second version.
If you don't edit your videos, you purposely waste your viewers' time by forcing them to watch through all the nonsense that you know didn't work.
Too much editing
Many people, especially ambitious beginners, do the opposite.
Instead of no editing, they overdo their editing.
Suppose you make a visual change every 1 to 5 seconds, either by adding b-roll footage, switching camera angles, cutting in or out, using visual overlays, etc.
In that case, the video often accumulates a lot of nervous energy and can feel overwhelming.
My recommendation, take it slow.
Your videos don't have to look like Emma Chamberlain's videos when you haven't even recorded your first 100 videos yet.
Editing out of sync
Another common editing mistake is being out of sync.
Meaning and b-roll or overlays don't match the audio.
Example: If you are talking about visiting New York, but instead of showing some b-roll of Manhattan or JFK, you are showing clips from the Tokyo skyline or a lion chasing after a gazelle.
It just doesn't make any sense.
Whenever there is an environment or audio mismatch, continuation error, or anything that causes dissonance, your viewers' brains start stuttering internally, and it will take them a few seconds of thinking to understand what just happened.
There are many fantastic video editing tutorials and online courses that you can use to amp up your editing game.
Or even better, consider outsourcing your video editing.
I recommend checking out Fiverr, which has a ton of great editors at your disposal.
You Might Not Be Using YouTube Chapters
YouTube chapters are a great tool to help viewers engage more with your videos.
It gives them an outline of your content, allowing them to form a mental image of what to expect and the option to jump ahead to a specific section of your video.
This way, they can jump straight to the correct time code within your video to get the information they're looking for.
If they find the information valuable, they will jump back to the beginning to watch the entire video.
If you don't have chapters in your videos, you will lose many views and potential subscribers because they may switch to someone else's video instead of watching yours.
Did you know there are two ways to add chapters to your videos?
- Option 1: You can add time codes to your video description. This is the original way of adding chapters and the most powerful approach, allowing you to name each chapter.
- Option 2: Auto-Chapters. If you add visual transition slides inside your videos with text overlay, YouTube's AI can extract the information and create auto-chapters.
My recommendation. Add transition slides and time codes to your video description so you have more freedom to name each chapter and where each chapter starts.
Missing Subtitles Could Slow Down Your Channel Growth
It may be a surprise, but many people don't speak English as their first language.
If you are targeting an international audience, adding subtitles to your videos is super important.
Two of my favorite tools to create subtitles are Descript and Otter.
Descript
- Allows you to edit videos via text editor.
- It has many unique features to export short clips for social media.
Otter
- Branded as a meeting transcription tool.
- It is among the very best regarding voice recognition quality on the market.
- It is also one of the cheapest options available.
- Most generous amount of transcription minutes.
Not Adding Music to Your Videos
Adding music to your videos can instantly increase the perceived production value.
You can easily pay a monthly fee for royalty-free music subscription services and get as many songs as you like.
I recommend using one of the following music library services to ensure that your videos never get flagged for using copyrighted music.
- TubeBuddy's Membership Perk: AudioHero.
- Epidemic Sound
- Artlist
- Storyblocks
Honorable mentions
Not Using B-Roll in Your Videos
Adding b-roll to your video is one of the best ways to make your videos feel so much more professional.
You can record your own b-roll.
Or use free video clips from platforms such as Pexels.
You can buy individual video clips from Depositphotos.
Or invest in a stock video and audio all-you-can-eat flatrate.
Not Optimizing Your Videos for YouTube SEO
If you are a small YouTube channel, and you're trying to get to your first 1,000 subscribers and to accumulate your first 4,000 hours of watch time, you have to learn YouTube SEO.
Start by optimizing your video title and YouTube thumbnail, and you'll notice that your videos will get more and more clicks.
You can also read this article about finding creative video titles.
Next, optimize your video description, tags, and subtitles with TubeBuddy's SEO Studio and TubeBuddy's Keyword Explorer to get found via YouTube search.
Not Promoting Your Videos Outside of YouTube
When your YouTube channel is new and especially if you have less than 1000 subscribers, YouTube will be very cautious when it comes to recommending your videos to new audiences.
They don't know if they are good and valuable enough.
You can get around this limitation by providing your own viewers.
I recommend building an email list from day 1.
Every time you publish a new video, send out an email to your email list and ask them to watch it.
This way, YouTube can better understand who are the people that enjoy your videos the most and perceive them as valuable and what they have in common, so YouTube can start recommending your videos to similar lookalike viewers.
You can apply the same logic by promoting new videos across your social media channels.
- TikTok
Your website is also a great tool to get more people outside of YouTube to watch your videos.
I recommend uploading a transcript of your video in the form of an article.
Even better, rewrite your transcript to make it more readable.
Embed your YouTube video inside your article, so people can switch to YouTube if they prefer watching to reading.
Another great option is to share bite-sized clips of your YouTube video on social media, including a link to the original video. I use a tool called Piktostory to create all of my clips.
Not Consistently Creating New Content for Your Channel
If you want to have success on YouTube, you have to be consistent.
That means having a regular publishing schedule of at least one video per week.
The more quality videos you upload regularly, the faster your channel can grow.
Without a strong commitment, running YouTube as a business is almost impossible.
I recommend creating a YouTube content cluster strategy to plan your videos months in advance and then using ClickUp to manage and automate your video production and promotion process.
Not Having the Right Mindset to Succeed on YouTube
Most beginner YouTubers lack the right mindset.
They believe that all it takes to be successful is luck. Just one viral video, and all their dreams will come true.
While this might work for some YouTubers, it's more likely that you will win the lottery.
The way to success on YouTube is Slow + Steady.
Don't expect any miracles before you have uploaded at least 100 videos.
Next Steps to Boost Your YouTube Channel Growth
Now you should have a good understanding of why your YouTube channel growth may be stagnating.
If you want to learn more about how to grow a successful YouTube channel from scratch, check out my personal story of how I grew my channel YouTube channel from 0 to 3000 subscribers with my all-time favorite YouTube growth tool called TubeBuddy.
