EDITOR’S NOTES DECEMBER 2020
Volume 018YouTuber is published monthly by Videomaker, Inc., 645 Mangrove Avenue, Chico, CA 95926. ©2018 Videomaker, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this publication
in whole or in part without written consent of the publisher is prohibited. The YouTuber name is a pending trademark, property of Videomaker, Inc. Editorial solicitations wel-
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Videomaker Inc. makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, with respect to the completeness, accuracy or utility of these materials or any information or opinion
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any person arising out of the completeness, accuracy or utility of any information or opinion contained in these materials. These materials are not to be construed as an
endorsement of any product or company, nor as the adoption or promulgation of any guidelines, standards or recommendations.THERE IS NO EASY STREET
Successful YouTubers tend to place
their overall strategies into two catego-
ries: make videos for searchers or make
videos for repeat viewers. Both have
their strengths and weaknesses. If the
goal is low-effort, high reward work, is
one any better than the other? Is there
ever a point where a YouTuber can ride
a wave where they make the videos
they want to make, are financially
stable and stress-free? Both strategies
can be lucrative if done well, but the
sense that Easy Street is at the end of
any YouTube strategy is an illusion.
The YouTube search strategy is
based on targeting search keywords
that have lots of search volume and
making content best suited to fill
the needs of those searching that
keyword. The beauty of the search
strategy is that YouTubers can use key-
word research tools to identify highly-
searched keywords and know with
relative confidence how well a video
on that specific topic will perform.
These videos will generally perform
well for a long period of time.
YouTubers that create videos for the
recommendation algorithm, on the
other hand, aim for repeat viewers.
This strategy is harder to get going,
as it’s harder for viewers to discover a
channel without a search. However,
once it’s a well-oiled machine, these
YouTubers only need to focus on
pleasing their audience. This strategy
prioritizes building loyalty among
viewers so that viewers watch every
video, regardless of the specific topicsOn the Cover:
MacDoesitPRESENTED BYthe video contains.
That doesn’t mean YouTubers
using this strategy can avoid doing
topic research. They will always be on a
treadmill of content creation, playing
the games that viewers are most inter-
ested in, talking about current events or
telling new jokes.
Likewise, search-focused YouTubers
will be constantly challenged. Not
only do will they have to keep finding
new keywords to target, but because
they don’t have the viewer loyalty
that repeat-viewership YouTubers
enjoy, they will constantly be fending
off competition for search ranking.
There’s no point where YouTubers
can consider themselves on Easy
Street. Being successful on YouTube is
a job, and it will always be hard work.
As you’re deciding on your own strat-
egy, try to think about the pros and
cons of each. What you decide today
will determine your day to day work
for the foreseeable future.publisher/editor
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