Dave
Staff member
YouTube continues to get more and more terrible
- Thread starter Dave
- Start date
Shit, this might also affect my brother (45k~ subs, but infrequent and short-ish videos, so he might not meet the time threshold).
Edit: Disregard that, I just contacted him and he's sitting at around 56k hours/year. I suck at estimating that sort of thing apparently.
Edit: Disregard that, I just contacted him and he's sitting at around 56k hours/year. I suck at estimating that sort of thing apparently.
Last edited:
Huh. I wonder if they're rolling out the notice gradually, I haven't received it yet. My channel has 55 subscribers and only 125 hours of watch time last year.
Not that I was getting enough money to matter. My estimated revenue for 2017 was just over $3.
Man I haven't looked at my channel stats in a long time. Clearly I'm never going to be a youtube star!
Not that I was getting enough money to matter. My estimated revenue for 2017 was just over $3.
Man I haven't looked at my channel stats in a long time. Clearly I'm never going to be a youtube star!
GasBandit
Staff member
Uh, actually I meet that criteria. I have 4000 subscribers and, through no fault of my own, I still pull in 1200 hours a month in viewing time of my videos (almost entirely comprised of my Space Engineers tutorials). My share of the revenue usually comes out to about 10 bucks a month on a normal slow month, but whenever Space Engineers goes on sale it gets bumped back up to 30 bucks a month for a month or two.[DOUBLEPOST=1516205153,1516204960][/DOUBLEPOST]And to think, all this got started because I got so frustrated watching you fail to play Space Engineers that I had to make some tutorials.
Welp, guess I won't bother with that YouTube series idea I had.
Also now is not a good time to get into Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.
I tellya, Nick. Ya sit on the fence for 20min just to see what's going on and by then it's too late.
--Patrick
A channel would need higher numbers than the new monetization requirements in order to be all that profitable, so a new creator would still have had to build it up. Gas has 4000 subs and it's $10 a month? So 1000 subs might be $2.50. I'm guessing all the little channels added together mean a lot of cost for YouTube, even if not much for the creators.
A lot of YouTube people I watch seem to be making their money on Patreon or similar sites, from fans who understand YouTube isn't paying the bills so much.
A lot of YouTube people I watch seem to be making their money on Patreon or similar sites, from fans who understand YouTube isn't paying the bills so much.
Let me tell you about my beanie baby fortune...
GasBandit
Staff member
Yeah, subs don't directly translate into revenue, views do. If your subscribers aren't viewing your new content (or watching your old content over and over), they're not making you money. Each view is 3 or so potential ad impressions. Impressions don't pay that much, fractions of a cent. However, an ad click might get you a buck or two. I find that about 10,000 views translates into about 25 bucks in my pocket.
Which makes it irritating that youtube wants all their metrics to default to hours instead of views. Probably to combat the "watch 10 seconds and close it" thing that everybody does, because that usually only gets 1 ad impression.
The odd thing is my channel basically has not felt any impact of the youtube changes. I've basically been in this $10 a month but $30 when SE goes on sale pattern for years. Not even the fiasco where "any video with an F bomb gets demonetized" started happening, because those videos get, at best, a couple hundred views over their entire lifetime, whereas the SE tutorials get 500-2000 views a month each, depending on the particular video.
But yeah, a lot of the "moderately big" youtube people like TFS or Brentalfloss (and of course Jim Sterling, for different reasons) have switched their primary monetization to patreon instead of youtube itself. If youtube was my job instead of an occasional hobby (and I still had any interest in making videos about Space Engineers
), I might have done the same.You should anyway. Don’t do it for the money, do it for yourself.
GasBandit
Staff member
Wouldn't hurt to simultaneously launch and link a Patreon, though. It's all about building momentum. You do the first one, you generate some interest. You do the second, the people who liked the first come back, and start sharing it, and you get more views. You do the third, and it starts to snowball. As long as you are consistent in creating new content on a weekly-ish schedule, people will start chipping in a couple bucks in patreon because they want to see more - and honestly, that's faster money than youtube'd have given you even at its most generous.
Worth echoing that Patreon can is hard to grow without the consistent release schedule and very involved fanbase. I think my brother brings in about $2/mo from it, most of it probably due to the hobby/infrequent issue.
It would work out for Nick since he's only planning to do older stuff, could record an amount to buffer so there would definitely be a video each week.
Not only that, but the type of work he'd do is somewhat timeless, so there's a long tail effect that a lot of these flash in the pan producers don't experience since a lot of their content is topical.
Yeah, if I was making a comic channel, it'd be all new stuff, which is what everyone else is doing, and none of it would matter later. Nick's makes sense in the long run.
If I were to do it, I'd prefer quality over quantity, anyway. Maybe more like once a month.
And I thought it might be good to do a video on a relevant topic, like discussing a comic related to whatever latest movie at the time.
GasBandit
Staff member
I don't want to be a downer or anything, but once a month is not going to monetize well in either scenario.
It comes down to, if you're not willing to play "the game" of how money is made in youtube, then you just have to get used to the idea that you're doing it simply for your own amusement and not expect any money.
"The game" means:
A video at least once a week
Every video between 3 and 10 minutes long, NOT A MINUTE LONGER.
Every video fully produced with visual aids and possibly music/sfx where appropriate, not just a video of you talking to a camera (unless your tits have suddenly gotten a lot better than I remember them being).
Cross promoting every video on other social media platforms, like appropriate subreddits and facebook groups.
Shamelessly plugging your patreon at the end of every video, with a link in the description.
If you'd rather just put out content when you feel like it, of whatever length it happens to be, with only as much production effort as you can easily spare without getting frustrated, it might be better to adjust your expectations, and make sure you're getting personal creative fulfillment out of what you're doing. There won't be money, and building a viewerbase will be difficult and discouraging.
I mean, really, that's the story with 90% of my videos. I just got lucky and hit a perfect storm, making a series of videos for a niche video game that had an incredibly sharp learning curve and no tutorials/guides of its own to speak of, then I plugged it like crazy on reddit and steam. To this day, those 10 tutorials (and really, just the first 5 if we get right down to it) are where ALL the money on my channel comes from. ALL of it. Every other video I've released in the past 5 years has done NOTHING. A couple hundred views at best, maybe a couple cents of revenue.
Everything I've read about making money on youtube says you have to treat it like a job, and you have to be a fanatic about it, or you get burned out. I'm not saying don't make your series, I'm just saying if you're gonna treat it like a side hobby, make sure you enjoy it as a hobby. Look at it like making a model airplane. The process should be the fun.
It comes down to, if you're not willing to play "the game" of how money is made in youtube, then you just have to get used to the idea that you're doing it simply for your own amusement and not expect any money.
"The game" means:
A video at least once a week
Every video between 3 and 10 minutes long, NOT A MINUTE LONGER.
Every video fully produced with visual aids and possibly music/sfx where appropriate, not just a video of you talking to a camera (unless your tits have suddenly gotten a lot better than I remember them being).
Cross promoting every video on other social media platforms, like appropriate subreddits and facebook groups.
Shamelessly plugging your patreon at the end of every video, with a link in the description.
If you'd rather just put out content when you feel like it, of whatever length it happens to be, with only as much production effort as you can easily spare without getting frustrated, it might be better to adjust your expectations, and make sure you're getting personal creative fulfillment out of what you're doing. There won't be money, and building a viewerbase will be difficult and discouraging.
I mean, really, that's the story with 90% of my videos. I just got lucky and hit a perfect storm, making a series of videos for a niche video game that had an incredibly sharp learning curve and no tutorials/guides of its own to speak of, then I plugged it like crazy on reddit and steam. To this day, those 10 tutorials (and really, just the first 5 if we get right down to it) are where ALL the money on my channel comes from. ALL of it. Every other video I've released in the past 5 years has done NOTHING. A couple hundred views at best, maybe a couple cents of revenue.
Everything I've read about making money on youtube says you have to treat it like a job, and you have to be a fanatic about it, or you get burned out. I'm not saying don't make your series, I'm just saying if you're gonna treat it like a side hobby, make sure you enjoy it as a hobby. Look at it like making a model airplane. The process should be the fun.
It's just too useful.
Honestly, speaking solely as a viewer, YouTube became useless to me the instant they took away my control of what video came on next unless I paid them for the right to choose my own playlist. I spent hours and hours and hours on YouTube over 2016-2017, streaming Grateful Dead concerts or Lawrence Welk reruns to watch while high, or playing soothing music at night to drown out the public brawls and drunken screaming outside, or watching the Primitive Technology dude, watching train journeys from the engineer's pov, hell, y'all know what all was available. But now, since I have no control over what comes on after my chosen video? Nope. Not when YouTube keeps looping the same 4 episodes of LW; or changes from Grateful Dead to EDM; or plays two hours of sleep sounds, followed by 2 hours of train horns, then 2 hours of thunderstorms, and then 2 hours of traffic noise.
I have no problem paying for services. I'd have to say that, on any vid longer than 30 minutes, I'd be perfectly happy watching up to 2.5 minutes of ads at the beginning, uninterruptible (on a free service). I don't have a problem with a general subscription model either - depending on the price point. $10 a month is a bit much for me just for YouTube - being about what I pay for either Netflix or Hulu Plus (ad free version) - but if they included Google Music, removed all of the ads from YouTube, and threw in a Google app to play DVDs and Blurays from my computer to my TV? Sold. As it is though, I just can't see myself willingly contributing to YouTube's financial coffers, and that means reduced funds for people like Gas, and less opportunity for people like Nick, and it sucks.
I have no problem paying for services. I'd have to say that, on any vid longer than 30 minutes, I'd be perfectly happy watching up to 2.5 minutes of ads at the beginning, uninterruptible (on a free service). I don't have a problem with a general subscription model either - depending on the price point. $10 a month is a bit much for me just for YouTube - being about what I pay for either Netflix or Hulu Plus (ad free version) - but if they included Google Music, removed all of the ads from YouTube, and threw in a Google app to play DVDs and Blurays from my computer to my TV? Sold. As it is though, I just can't see myself willingly contributing to YouTube's financial coffers, and that means reduced funds for people like Gas, and less opportunity for people like Nick, and it sucks.
GasBandit
Staff member
Wait, what? When did that happen? I mean, I can still make all the playlists I want... though it could be that's because I'm a partner? Is everyone else also unable to create/edit playlists?[DOUBLEPOST=1516291149,1516291061][/DOUBLEPOST]
Well, far be it for me to stick up for youtube or anything, but, most of these ads let you skip after 5 seconds, and failing that, browser plugins like uBlock origin (or AdNauseam, which I myself use, I know, hypocrisy
) block youtube ads as well so the video starts playing immediately.
fade
Staff member
On the phone app? A good 75% of my YouTube use is on my phone where I'm quickly checking how to do something.Wait, what? When did that happen? I mean, I can still make all the playlists I want... though it could be that's because I'm a partner? Is everyone else also unable to create/edit playlists?[DOUBLEPOST=1516291149,1516291061][/DOUBLEPOST]
Well, far be it for me to stick up for youtube or anything, but, most of these ads let you skip after 5 seconds, and failing that, browser plugins like uBlock origin (or AdNauseam, which I myself use, I know, hypocrisy
GasBandit
Staff member
Nope, I have an account and I'm never not logged into it on all of my Android devices, which is all of my devices. And my desktop. The only option I've ever had since YouTube Red was launched was an "Up Next" video, Autoplay slider, and a drop down menu that allows me the options of "Not Interested" and "Add to Watch Later." That's it. It doesn't matter which browser I use, whether I have adblockers installed and/or running, if I turn my anti-virus off, nothing. There is no more playlist option for me.
GasBandit
Staff member
So when you click "add to..", there isn't a "create playlist" at the bottom of the pulldown, below the "watch later?" bit?
Underneath a video, next ot the thumbs up and down, is a share button. Next to that is a button that looks like a list with a + on it. This is to add it to your favorites or your channel...But also allows you to add it to an existing playlist or make a new one.
It isn't where it used to be, admittedly, but the option's there.
That's bizarre. All of my google accounts (work, home private, public) allow me to create and curate playlists. Hell, Favorites is now a playlist.
Well, thank god for that. I thought I'd gone insane. Though I still don't have the ability to save anything, because apparently my "channel" has been deactivated and I need to create a new one.
fade
Staff member
Well, I'm sure as hell not lugging my desktop to the side of my car to appease the PC elite.Well there's your problem right there.
Bleh. YDI.
GasBandit
Staff member
It's too bad your legs are broken and your memory doesn't last more than 6 seconds. My condolences.
Kidding aside, yeah, youtube's mobile app is horrendous. It's even worse for content creators. I can't look at analytics or manage any of my videos or anything from the mobile app. It's utter shit.
People who continue to use it are obviously masochists, the infuriating lack of control must tickle their pleasure centers.
Yes. You can no longer use YouTube the way you used to ("Anonymously") unless you now sign in to allow Google to "tailor the experience" (i.e., build a profile of your proclivities).
--Patrick