From my DMs: “Why is No One Watching My YouTube Videos?”
I've reviewed thousands of YouTube channels, and I can tell you that one of the MOST common questions I get asked is… “Why is no one watching my YouTube videos?” I know, it’s frustrating to put in all of that effort and then see nothing. But the good news is that it’s a problem that can be fixed.
In my time as a YouTube coach, I’ve nailed it down to three things that are usually causing the problem.
But once you know what they are and work to improve them, you will see results! So let’s get into those three reasons, and what to do about them if you think they could be to blame for low views.
Reason #1: Your thumbnails are boring
Your titles, thumbnails, graphics on those thumbnails, description boxes, etc. — if these suck forget about getting anyone to click on your video. And if no one is clicking on your video YouTube is not going to put that video in front of anyone.
So how do you change that? Well…make it interesting! Add space for some curiosity and intrigue. Highlight things your audience is going to be hooked by.
Something that helps a lot of my students in the YouTube Coaching Experience is creating the title and thumbnail before creating the actual video. That way, you know your video will be on topic, but you also have less pressure to be perfect.
But make sure it appeals to YOUR target audience
Yes, those titles and thumbnails need to be catchy. But that’s pointless if it’s not drawing in the audience the content was intended for. They need to appeal to YOUR target audience/ideal client!
When you're trying to grow on YouTube, you can't be a generalizer. You need to niche down.
Reason #2: Your content could be better
Sometimes, the content is just not good. And that’s okay. But I want to be clear that I mean good objectively!
YouTube literally gives you all the information you need to know whether or not your videos are doing well, right there in your analytics tab. And the main thing to look out for? Your audience retention.
After clicking on a video, viewers tend to fall off (or decide to stay) within the first 15 seconds. That’s where you’re going to lose a majority of your viewers. But it’s also why all the stuff leading up to the click is important (like your title and thumbnail).
You won’t get them all, but, creating content centered around YOUR target audience will help with this.
But don’t forget a good hook
But audience retention isn’t just about attracting the right audience. You also need to keep them interested enough to keep them around.
One thing you SHOULD NOT be saying in the opening of your videos is a standard, “Hi, welcome to my channel. I’m Susie and I’m going to show you how to create Reels for your business.”
I hate to be the one to say it, but it’s boring. When people click on that video, you need to get them HOOKED. Otherwise, retention is going to be low.
Reason #3: You’re confusing the algorithm
So maybe the past two reasons don’t really apply to you. You’re looking at your analytics and can see a pretty good click-through rate and audience retention. That’s great! But there is still one last thing that may be to blame…
The algorithm has no idea who your content is for.
I know I’ve mentioned how important it is to create content for YOUR audience several times, but seriously people, this is important stuff!
YouTube wants people to stay on the platform, so it will put the most relevant videos in front of the right people. But if YouTube can't understand who the right person is, you’re basically throwing spaghetti at a wall.
How do you fix a confused algorithm?
To fix this, keep your topics to a minimum. Don’t go talking about how you organize your fridge one week, and the next talk about how to build a content calendar for Instagram. These topics speak to two totally different audiences!
When YouTube tries to reengage a viewer who watched your fridge video, it will try showing them another piece of your content, like the video about Instagram.
And when people don’t click on it (because again, two different audiences), YouTube assumes that the content isn’t relevant. So, they don’t push it.
How I narrow down my topics on YouTube
I know you probably want to talk about a lot of different things, but let’s narrow it down to just a few.
For example, my bread and butter is YouTube coaching and strategy. The vast majority of my content talks about these things, and it gets me in front of my target audience—course creators, coaches, service providers, consultants, etc.
So then, the topics that aren’t about YouTube specifically still apply to what THEY would be interested in seeing:
Content calendars
Behind-the-scenes content about being a business owner
Day in the Life videos
Office clean up and organization
See how it all fits together?
You can still create a variety of content as long as it fits under YOUR content umbrella to serve YOUR audience.
5 more YouTube mistakes (and how to fix them)
Did you find these tips helpful? Then be sure to check out another video I did a while back that includes a few more very common YouTube mistakes.
I've personally trialed and errored everything I talk about in this video, so you know you’re getting a first-hand account of what doesn’t work. Then, if you find yourself stuck with a strategy that isn’t doing the trick, you’ll see how you can change course ASAP!
