In the last few months I have really changed my outlook towards producing online content, especially my motorcycle videos that mainly go on YouTube.
Whereas in the past I was all focussed and stressed about how many views a video would get and how many subscribers my channel would be getting monthly, now that has all changed…and the numbers don’t mean a thing! Let me explain!
If you want to make motorcycle videos and you start buy trying to ride bikes and review them, then you might get a lot of views and subscribers because you reviewed a Triumph for example. However you could easily lose subscribers and future viewers because your next review could be for a Kawasaki.
You will undoubtedly get a crossover audience but your general audience for that video will be mostly for those interested in that bike…or product.
Ah products…here is another thing to consider. You may feature a product which you think is great and will gains views and subs, but that particular audience may not like what you produce in the future. So you’ll find that you start losing subs and viewers down the line too. Again you’ll get a crossover audience but not necessarily one that gives you views.
This whole time all you are focussing is on producing content to get views and subscribers which is what denotes any level of success for your channel. However what metric can you look at that show which subscribers love your channel or which viewers love your style of videos rather than what is actually being featured?
We assume that if we get subscribers and viewers that watch for a longer time, then we must have a committed audience…but that simply isn’t necessarily the case. We just have an audience that at that time is watching and subbing to see what we produce next.
There is a blurred distinction between the two and something for you consider going forward just as I have too.
Producing any kind of content with the focus of trying to get views and subs to grow a motorcycle channel or website is not what my focus is about anymore and has not been for some time. I concentrate on making content that I now enjoy. I share experiences of places I go to and whatever bike I ride, the road I travel and anything or any product I find interesting too.
What I am concentrating on is connecting with an audience that want to be on this journey with me, like my video style and the topics I feature. I’m not necessarily looking for followers who will only be there if I only produce a certain how to video on one particular bike…because as soon as you make something else…you’ll lose that viewer and soon even them as a subscriber.
It is better to have 100 subscribers who will have you back than 100,000 who don’t even know why they have subscribed to your channel. It is better to have viewers who will watch your whole video and will come back for every video time and time again…because they just like watching them, rather than an occasional viewer or someone that clicks on a thumbnail or title but then views for a minute and never returns.
My online journey was always supposed to be about sharing something different and showing where I like to be, whether on two wheels, four or even on foot. It was never about showing how to fix a bike or come up with an engineering design to appeal to a very small transient audience.
If I have learnt anything, it is that the race for views and subs is not one you want to run. It is better to chase your dreams, share what you enjoy doing and get an build an audience who just really dig what you are about and what you bring. That is my focus and that is why I do not stress about the numbers anymore. It is all about the type of content I enjoy making and who is still around for the after party…
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