Why do you think this is happening?
Added 2022-12-19 12:51:29 +0000 UTCThis graph shows audience retention - how long viewers watch my videos for. The blue line is my latest video, gray region is typical performance.
A line like this one means viewers are dropping off sooner and most don't stick to watch till the end.
Why do you think this is happening? This is has been my hardest challenge and I am not sure what I can do better to make people want to watch the videos longer.
Comments
As Peter said, entertainment is a big thing, but don't just be a maximizer. Try to understand why people watch your videos and what will make them stick for longer (great related read: https://medium.com/what-to-build/is-anything-worth-maximizing-d11e648eb56f) Another thing that can help is the promise of delivering value. Think of it in terms of mini-teasers for the next part of the video. This keeps the viewer engaged. And then before you deliver that, you give the user another reason to keep watching your vid for 5 more minutes. Mark Rober does this really well. I would recommend taking a look at his videos (if you don't know him already).
Asterisk3
2022-12-23 18:53:59 +0000 UTCPeter, thank you very much for this tremendous breakdown. It helped me a lot to make significant improvements in my newest script. I am only a bit paranoid you were so specific about the Apple example. Because that's exactly the topic of my new research. Do you happen to have a stockpile of 0days some of which you may have recently used against a small YouTuber?
The Hated One
2022-12-21 14:00:07 +0000 UTCI would say I, me, (personally) think and suggest maybe some privacy videos? Don't get me wrong I absolutely LOVE all these research video but the people around me (in my case) then to click on your privacy videos, so...maybe that could be a good way? I'm not sure it's just my very personal suggestion
Freddy Mercury
2022-12-21 08:11:38 +0000 UTCPeople come to a video with certain expectations, and click away if they are not met and/or if something else gathers their interest during the video. Some of those expectations are overt (I.e. they want to learn what the thumbnail was referring to.) Some expectations are more fundamental (I.e. they want it to be interesting and understandable.) People with more expertise want detailed advanced information, and will click away if too much basic info is present (because they don't want to waste time.) Novices will click away if they cannot follow the tech jargon/etc, or don't see the value early on. So: Title and thumbnails should pre-select the audience through wording cues. (I.e. newbie video: Why did Apple SELL 70 people's iPhone data to the US? Advanced: Hacker glitches $2M crypto hardware wallet. ) But another key factor is probably present: Entertainment value. People implicitly expect it to be entertaining, simply because it is on YouTube. Getting people to listen to a dry info video is doable, but probably not easily if that is not what they expected. So: keep it fun 1. Have comic relief. (I.e. I KNEW Apple really had a worm in it.) 2. Have a positive spin. (I.e. ...and using that technique, hackers are never getting YOUR crypto again.) 3. Couple your topic with the audiences proposed emotional response: (I.e. if the audience should be mad, let them hear it in your voice. Same for happy, sad, cathartic, etc.) Keeping it fun and positive in privacy/security means finding solutions too. So keep an audience engaged throughout the video, by talking about how your *current* topic is related to the *solutions* later in the video. That catharsis is what they really want - so if you can manage to provide it, shout it out early.
Peter
2022-12-21 02:22:59 +0000 UTCI think there is a lot of long-form content people watch all the way through. Podcasts are insanely popular. I could make shorter videos but I enjoy long-form content myself. So my content is just not engaging enough.
The Hated One
2022-12-20 16:26:27 +0000 UTCThanks for all those suggestions. It's really helpful. I have been told something similar about my content in the past. This helps put it into perspective
The Hated One
2022-12-20 16:24:44 +0000 UTCIt was a difficult task. I still didn't include a LOT that could have been mentioned. And should have been. I think it would have been better to make into series of videos. I had already planned on making more before I published this one.
The Hated One
2022-12-20 16:22:55 +0000 UTCYou think I talk too fast?
The Hated One
2022-12-20 16:21:43 +0000 UTCThis makes sense.
The Hated One
2022-12-20 16:20:39 +0000 UTCI don't know about other channels. But it does include 20 minute long videos on my channel.
The Hated One
2022-12-20 16:20:19 +0000 UTCI bring up Scotty Kilmer, not to say you should emulate him, but to illustrate the idea of a no b.s. kind of person who publishes short and longer content in a way that might make some sense.
Phil
2022-12-20 16:11:11 +0000 UTCI watch Scotty Kilmer a bit, because I found his information relative and trustworthy, when I was looking for a used car. I still watch, to maintain my understanding of car things - and tools, as well. His titles are ALL click bait with little relevance to what is said in the videos, and his page is full of affiliate links - BUT his actual content is really good, tends to be simply produced, with NO paid product placement. He's a no b.s. guy when it comes to what he tells his viewers.
Phil
2022-12-20 16:07:40 +0000 UTCSeems to me, you could maybe mix up the video offerings, some short but practical stuff, some long offerings, and maybe sometimes the short information is self-standing, and other times foreshadowing, or reviewing/refreshing.
Phil
2022-12-20 15:56:45 +0000 UTCLately, I watch the videos less, and often not at all, simply because I'm working more, have chores and personal commitments, and your videos tend to be more generally informative, less immediately practical, and are subjects I enjoy focusing on exclusively - but have little time to do so, some weeks.
Phil
2022-12-20 15:46:27 +0000 UTCI became a patron, because I value the benefit of your work. I found much I could put into practice, and also much to help me understand the threat environment, whether or not there was an immediate or easy mitigation.
Phil
2022-12-20 15:38:41 +0000 UTCI have to admit, when I first found you, I always watched your videos to the end. I was interested in understanding online personal security threats and mitigations. I would visualize how the threats you described could appear in my particular world. I would review little segments that I wasn't able to visualize, to help recall those points later.
Phil
2022-12-20 15:34:50 +0000 UTCThis retention rate includes videos that are 20 minutes long?
No Name
2022-12-20 01:10:07 +0000 UTCAnd lastly the Kurzgesagt viedo is a giantinimous dump of very concentrated and rather compressed information. When you are switching through the diffrent points you are making, most viewers reaching your 3rd point forgott already what the 1st point was. Maybe breaking the content up into serval videos which highlight 2 maybe 3 cornerstones of your argument in each and talking a bit more pronounced and slower would have performed a little better ... maybe. I don't know a lot about videomaking but a bit about communicating face2face and in a face2face communication, you would have lost me in the first 30 seconds to if i would not have been intrested in your video 500%. By the way is the premier-function of youtube usable for you? Try to announce your videos more using the it or maybe yt-shorts to reach more viewers.
HermesVoeglein
2022-12-19 22:32:42 +0000 UTCAttention span is the one thing, the other thing is that the entire video is rather "dark", especially in the first 7 minutes with this fade to black ring at the corners of the video, combined with your (sorry) rather monotone and a bit to fast voice, makes it rather hard to keep intrested/engaged in your content without being distracted by other content.
HermesVoeglein
2022-12-19 22:06:46 +0000 UTCMaybe as many youtubers do, you should build your script to keep something important for the end and warns viewers at the beginning there is an important thing at the end. Don't lie about this thing just really put an important message at the end and advertise about it at the beginning. I guess, just 2c.
Lougavulin
2022-12-19 17:54:57 +0000 UTCThis the issue with attention span today. People cannot deal with long form insightful ideas, texts and videos. Have you compared it to side of burrito videos, perhaps he can give you insight. I feel like his videos are 10 minutes at most. Perhaps you can have a condensed video where you hammer away your points and have a longer form deep dive
No Name
2022-12-19 17:51:21 +0000 UTCKurzgesagt's production is really great. It's not something I could ever aspire to. They threw everything into their art and design and it paid off. To me though, their content appeals too corporate. What tickles my senses the right way is genuine and authentic content. Not sure if that's what I fit either. THank you for your suggestions, bro!
The Hated One
2022-12-19 17:21:02 +0000 UTCTypical performance is of my videos. Not all of YouTube.
The Hated One
2022-12-19 17:06:00 +0000 UTCWhat does "typical" performance mean, exactly? Is it your other videos? All videos of similar genre? This video is on the high end of "typical", so I would lean into what you did on this video. It's a fairly constant decrease after 30 seconds. Maybe that means experimenting with your first 30 seconds to find what would be most compelling.
David Love
2022-12-19 16:44:57 +0000 UTCAs people listen more often they listen for less time. You are doing great. I’d free myself from worrying about this. You are helping those who want help. That’s all one can do. I find your information very very useful.
Richard G.
2022-12-19 15:11:07 +0000 UTCMost people don't watch YouTube to gain knowledge (except when they explicitly decide to watch tutorials or educational content). If the intent isn't knowledge, it is entertainment. So the way of your mentioned journalist is, I think, more effective in retaining interest and watchtime. I personally like your approach much more than flat, story-driven videos, but they tend to work. I believe, that you sadly need to decide, what you want for an audience and what you want to do as blogger/ investigative journalist/ content creator. If you want the information above all, you will have to sacrifice a lot of casual viewers, I fear. If you want average Joe to stay through 25 min of education, you need more story, more flashes and bangs, more colours... I mean, look at Kurzgesagt. They excell in makeup, visualization and marketing to a point, that nobody even cares, what their sources are, give themselves the stamp of fact-checked, scientifically proofed content creators and voilà, nobody cares. And I can imagine, they have a lot of watchtime per video... I fear there is no other way than to pick your poison... But a came here and stayed here for the information *and* the form of delivery you have chosen... So I would like to see you to continue. At some point, I believe, once own moral standards and aspirations should stand above 'what works'
Aule_Mahal
2022-12-19 15:01:57 +0000 UTCCan you elaborate on your experience?
The Hated One
2022-12-19 14:18:46 +0000 UTCIt’s pretty much normal. I can say that with a lot of experience.
Richard G.
2022-12-19 14:00:47 +0000 UTCJohnny Harris (a super popular video 'journalist' who won an Emmy), once made a video on Julian Assange - it got super suppressed (age restricted and demonetized). It still got 600k views, although he routinely gets millions. I think people are open to these topics if they are presented in an interesting way. I think Harris overemphasizes story-telling to the point of simplifying so much he gets basic information wrong. I, on the other hand, try to cram as much information as possible into the videos without caring too much about the story. I also get things wrong. But at least according to YouTube analytics, most people aren't so interested in my format. And I would love to know what I am doing wrong.
The Hated One
2022-12-19 13:33:57 +0000 UTCDo these more successful channels cover similar topics to yours ? People might can't take the truths you are speaking ? :/
Lukas Krähling
2022-12-19 13:14:06 +0000 UTCThis is not true. More successful channels can achieve 70% retention. So I must be doing something wrong.
The Hated One
2022-12-19 13:11:12 +0000 UTCI am afraid that peoples attention span gets shorter an shorter, its not your fault I would say...
Lukas Krähling
2022-12-19 12:53:40 +0000 UTC
