For the last few months I haven’t been able to keep a consistent video release schedule. We’ve been shooting for Wednesday and Sunday video release days, but getting good videos out keeps getting derailed by family events, talks, illness, other projects, inclement weather, a videographer with morning sickness, etc.
My ideal video is one that is well thought-out, scripted, artistically shot with excellent B-roll, interspersed with good original music, provides useful information and is at least ten minutes in length. It’s even better if it has a skit or a rap or a great joke in it.
Yet we have found that simply standing in the garden and relating some information about a particular plant, method or technique, with almost no B-roll and very little time and editing… still gets good views. Oftentimes the views are even better.
It seems to come down to three things:
- A great thumbnail
- A great title (yes, this means clickbait-esque)
- An interesting or provocative idea that increases debate
That’s really it. My personal favorite videos rarely take off at all.
It seems our main audience is really only interested in information, not artistic beauty, entertaining skits, great camera angles, etc.
When I imagined doing YouTube years ago and how I wanted it to work, I pictured a channel where I would present some good gardening information along with lots of humor and music, and sometimes just funny skits that had nothing at all to do with gardening.
Like this one:
More related to gardening, we recently did a video which was highly written and planned out, with lots of work in the editing, costuming, etc.
Yet that video is stalled out with roughly 23k total views. That’s a decent view count; yet I’ve already gotten more views from this video (28k) which was easy to film and edit:
And this one, which took only about 15 minutes to film, has beat them both with 32k views only 5 days after release:
Clickbait title? CHECK!
Classic REACTION IMAGE thumbnail? CHECK!
PROVOCATIVE idea? CHECK!
Okay… so here we are.
The grand artistic ideas simply take more time to execute and seem to make little difference – and perhaps even a negative difference – on views.
On YouTube, views are the lifeblood of the channel. If we spend two days making a video which does not get many views, we do not reap much ad revenue or gain many subscribers.
That means, in effect, that we are punished for making more creative content. It might pay only $1 per hour or so, whereas throwing together a rant video might pay us $100 in revenue for an hour of work.
It’s crazy.
But, all that to say, this spring we have not been able to stick to a regular release schedule of videos which are highly planned, artistic, and time-consuming to produce. And that may not matter, since our simple videos seem to do as well – or better – than those we consider Classic Good Content(TM).
So, with that said, we’re going to try and up the amount of videos we’re releasing while decreasing the amount of time it takes to create them. That means more “talking in the garden” style vids.
Which may, by the numbers, just be what people want anyhow.
What do you think?
51 responses to “Getting Ahead on Youtube: Content vs. Quality?”
Congratulations on your new addition. Keep doing what you want to do and screw the bozos.
Thank you
I had not seen the coffee video before. Or at least, I did not remember it. I often walk down the coffee row when going through the grocery store just to enjoy the aroma. As I go buy I often think why do I not buy a hand full of coffee beans and just chew on them. I enjoy your vidios.
I like complete videos not the ones you have to come back in whatever months to see the results. So that is how most of mine are made but I also do monthly gardening updates that don’t get that many views.
Don’t follow my advice I’ve been on YouTube for 9 years I think and I still don’t get monthly pay.
I do enjoy your videos and have been subscribed for years.
Yes, that makes sense. I like all-in-one videos too.
I absolutely love your straightforward videos. Personally I come to the channel for the gardening. While I think in person you’d be funny as all get out, I don’t think your humor conveys well in video. I do however appreciate the effort that goes into the edits and the camera shots. If you gave me your content cut down without the skits, views, songs and jokes; all while keeping the angles and informative scripts I think it would be a great middle ground. But it’s your channel and I say screw my opinion and do what works for you and makes you happy. I’ll still be a viewer and I’ll still grow as a gardener from your channel. Hell I just mowed my grass and shoved my clippings in a bucket of rain water with a lid because of your videos. Can’t wait to see what you have in store for us.
Thank you, Adam. I appreciate that.
Also, good work on the grass.
“Content vs. Quality?” is one of the oldest questions, isn’t it? I deal with this on a regular basis with my 16-year-old daughter. If you choose content, you’ll probably be more popular. If you choose quality, you’ll probably be more satisfied. As with all art, it’s a lot more enjoyable when we’re not having to do it for money. Once we’re depending on our creativity to feed the family, our art becomes a product, and it can feel like we’ve sold out to the machine.
So many wonderful, artistic humans sit in cubicles all day to pay the bills. The great thing is, your cubicle is the awesome world of youtube where almost all things are possible! And I think you can have the best of both worlds. You and your family are amazingly talented people, and you have a gift for teaching us how to grow food. Why not try the 80-20 rule? Look back to when your channel really took off, and realize that type of content is what brought you to the dance. That content is the part of your gifting that most of your viewers (and potential subscribers) are attracted to. Let that comprise 80% of your videos. I think it’s especially effective how the “popular” videos you highlighted are slightly tongue-in-cheek parodies of the crass world of clickbait anyway. :-) Then, for the other 20% of videos, do exactly the kind of Classic Good Content that makes you happy, and screw the algorithm. This allows you to straight-up educate people on growing food, yet still build a body of work you can be proud of.
Just my opinion. I, for one, will watch anything you post all the way to the end, and I will click the thumbs up every time.
Thank you, Donna. The 80/20 is a good idea. That’s something to chew on.
Donna, That is wonderful advise. I’ll put that in my mental filing cabinet for myself, later down the road.
If someone watches the videos more than one time, do you get paid for it each time? I know I usually watch the informational videos more than once. The first time usually just skimming through the youtube channel, and the second (or third, or fourth) time when actually planning to plant something the video covers. When planning to plant stuff, sometimes I watch multiple videos over again to pick out the ideas that seem easiest or most useful to help with my prioritizing. I also sometimes go look for videos that have demos of the stuff in your books to get clarifications or to understand things better. I watch the entertaining videos as well, but I think I am less likely to watch them more than once. Of course, many of the informational videos are also entertaining, and I do appreciate that. :) Just thinking some viewer habits might account for some of the discrepancy in views.
Okay, yes – this makes sense.
Multiple views do indeed help.
I suspect my viewing habits are part of the problem. I am working from home right now. I just popped in to see the post of the day. I might watch a 5 minute video. This falls in the entertainment area. Anything longer that catches my attention means I think about making it appointment viewing in the evening with Virginia watching too. I do that for quite a few of your longer ones, but it really has to call me(for instance the Grocery Row Garden videos). This subject was one that I wanted much more in depth information on. This falls in the education area. On the other hand silly and short is a welcome break from my normal workday. I like both. I guess I have a higher standard once they get to be over 10 to 15 minutes.
Okay, excellent. I actually have been working on an in-depth long-form demonstration building a Grocery Row Garden from start to finish.
I personally think the humor adds more to the education and I enjoy the planned out skits sprinkled in. That being said, I wouldn’t blame you at all to just make easier content and see how that goes. Why waste hours of your time multiple times a week if it’s not selling well, so to speak. You have a big wonderful family and I say they come first. Yes, YouTube can be a great income but I agree it seems content creators get punished for original content. It’s honestly like being in school all over again. If you want to be popular you have to join the click bait club or get pushed to the side. I watch your channel because you aren’t afraid to be you. Too many YouTubers now just copy each other and jump on the latest trends to grab up as many subscribers as they can before the next “big thing” comes along. I can count on you to just be yourself and give great info and content. Just my 2 cents :)
Thank you. I have occasionally jumped on a trend but try to avoid it.
I think your viewers appreciate your opinion and your knowledge. They watch you for knowledge and the simple way you teach. I for one love your creative content, but also the simple videos are a re-watch when I go to do the planting method or whatever it is. Also, when I have time I share your videos. But, I don’t have a lot of time these days. Hopefully you will find someone who has time to share all of your videos on tons of group pages on social media. I used to share every video all over the southern states. By the way, congratulations on number 11. Maybe you can train several of your older children to be your vidio partner.
Congratulations! We are looking for content, but beauty inspires and humor helps us not take things so seriously!
I agree. No need to spend a great deal of time editing . We’re the same here. Our thrown together videos seen to get more views. I think people are wanting more how to’s and genuine people.
Thank you – love you guys. I have worked very hard to have my channel look amazing. It’s interesting to see how little it really matters.
Your channel does look amazing. IT DOES MATTER. I (and I suspect a lot of others) would not be checking you out day in and day out if it did not look amazing. You really provide good insights for a wide variety of background, from the new gardener to the ones who have been doing this for decades. Do not sell yourself short. Keep at it David.
Thank you. I have to kick myself into gear now and again. Busy season!
It sounds exactly like (what I perceive to be) your approach to gardening/farming!
Plant stuff (or make videos) which gives you tons of calories (or views/eyeballs/dollars/filthy, filthy lucre). Also: plant stuff (make vids) that is just easy to grow, even if it ain’t all that tasty (funny/ artistic). And also: DO plant crops (artistic vids/music) that you really LIKE to eat, even if there’s fewer calories (dinero) in it, for an emotional boost.
All the while, keeping in mind that lots of the plants (videos) are going to wither and languish… But overall, you’ll reap a pretty good harvest. Maybe the “wide-broadcasting” approach to vids might give you ongoing yet smaller, rewards from a variety of different type people. As opposed to a large reward from a “monocrop” of people/viewers. And such a monocrop of viewers might be lost if, say, a swarm of crop-specific predators comes through and devours us all, gnashing their hideous, dripping pedipalps and snapping jaws with unbridled hunger… Oops. Sorry. Took the analogy too far. Again.
Analogies are like that, I guess.
T
“Plant stuff (or make videos) which gives you tons of calories (or views/eyeballs/dollars/filthy, filthy lucre). Also: plant stuff (make vids) that is just easy to grow, even if it ain’t all that tasty (funny/ artistic). And also: DO plant crops (artistic vids/music) that you really LIKE to eat, even if there’s fewer calories (dinero) in it, for an emotional boost.” That’s a good way to put it.
Your audience is not just one guy. We all have different interests and often no time to watch everything. We want to watch it all but we are just too busy making our beds.
Your fine tuned videos are absolutely awesome but the quick in-between videos are just as useful. We need them all.
You’re a truly inspiring guy. Be yourself and it’ll be the best it can get.
Keep it up and keep Mother nature happy (she looked the type the could hold a grudge if you don’t…… I wonder what she’d have to say about child labor?).
Henno
Henno, thank you brother. Hahaha.
The thing I noticed the most when I used to interview farmers (for a boring and useless job) was that they really loved what they did and loved to talk about it. And that makes sense because bad weather, bad markets and the cattle breaking down the fence, again, have to be worth being your own-ish boss, and running your own place and your own life.
This comes through on your books and videos too, and I know your videos make a difference because I have run into people who watch them and are very positive about them. I recommend your channel too, since I find your videos useful and very clear. Your editing and the camera work is fantastic and you are clearly having a ball doing it all. It counteracts a lot of the concept that gardening is drudgery like it was when Mom made me weed.
Then again, you are in Spring, planting and still setting up your place and settling in your family and animals and still writing and running a blog. I am surprised you find time to sleep much less make videos.
The shorter “talking while working” videos are really good, they cover a lot of ground and a lot of theory. The longer scripted ones are fun. None of them look like you are forced to do them and I thank you for that.
FWIW, your sugaring videos and your sawmill videos were fantastic, both in pacing, subject and approach. You do a good interview, and as a short documentary they are something our local museum here would beg to have done for local, traditional ag.
When I first saw your channel, I thought “who is this guy calling himself David the Good”? So I didn’t watch it for a while. Then someone from another channel nentioned your channel and I watched it and realized you just have a funny (self depricating) sense of humor. I think your knowledge of gardening is amazing, I love and relate to your values, and enjoy a bit of humor. But i’m not that keen on longer skits. That said, please don’t become cookie cutter channel… several other channels I have enjoyed in the past seem to now be following other channels “formulaic” approach and are starting to sound like one big ad. Maybe keep all your short vids on your current channel and start a 2nd channel that just has your longer skits and load THat one up with ads?? Or go ahead and click bait us.. we get that you deserve revenue as long as good content is included. I will keep watching you either way. Thank you for being a bright light in this crazy world.
So many thoughts on this. I worked for 15+ years in online advertising, trying to help companies walk the line between getting clicks for being annoying (clickbait titles, super flashy visuals, etc) and getting leads. The difference is in the downstream conversions – did the clicker buy what the advertiser was selling? On YT, the difference can be seen in minutes viewed (websites call this “dwell time”) and new subscribers. I don’t run a YT channel, so I don’t know if this data is available, but it could help you see what content is driving long-term engagement.
Another metric to look at is views vs uniques. A unique view is a single person (not really, it’s a single cookied device) regardless of the number of times a video or page is viewed. A few tricks to increase both: include information in snippets that are not tidily summarized, forcing a rewatch to get all the juicy bits; add links to your other videos near the end; and finally repost via the community section, raising you to top-of-mind.
Of course, this is not the only way to do it. Check out Sefi Keller’s analysis of the “Tasting History” channel (which is also awesome) :
https://youtu.be/rpoEsKMUVAA
Now, because I’m an opinionated, self-interested human, I’m going to put forth my personal preferences. These are the things that make me click your video thumbnails:
– less than 8 minutes long
– thumbnail includes text
– title tells me what I’m going to learn about
And here’s what keeps me watching:
– humor. I love the one-liners.
– clearly summarized information
– relatable but quick anecdotes
– any kind of update that includes a recap (“remember last year I buried a possum under this tree, well here it is 1 year later”)
– calm. Crazy soundtracks & flashing lights bug me.
I don’t know if any of that helps. Regardless of what we all think, you will probably be happiest with an “easy to make plus a few nice artistic touches” middle ground and the most clickbaity thumbnails & titles you can come up with.
I like the 80/20 idea too. Yes, yes the information content is great and you sometimes add a little humor to those but I especially enjoy the humorous ones with something too say. And people should watch them closely because you also have an interesting point being made with that content. I hadn’t seen the coffee one before, my cheeks hurt from grinning by the end on point with that David, on point
First of all, congratulations on the new baby.
Second, I prefer and appreciate the artistically challenging and humorous ones – creativity is more important than just information, you can get information anywhere. But I’ll keep coming back either way.
Thank you
I enjoy your informative videos. Some humor thrown in is good too, but I’m mainly looking for how to grow a better garden. Your book and videos on compost and homemade fertilizer have been a great help.
Yes, that makes sense.
Yay, the GoodFamily grows!
Love that coffee video….now am going to have to search for more of same when I have garden down time during the Florida summer.
Seriously, you should mix it up. Some of the videos should be like your gardening style; mix up the genetics, throw it down, and let it go. Take us down for a walk into your garden, or around your property once a week, and just show us around…kinda like visiting with a friend.
I love all of your artistic videos (genius, really), but I would probably watch you weeding for 5 minutes, or working on a new song, or babysitting…so you do you, and we will come.
Thank you, Monica – that is really kind of you. I appreciate it.
I enjoy the information you share. Although I live up north your ” can do” attitude is inspiring. Just do what works for you..I always learn something ☺️
Meh. Are you getting income from the videos? If so, maybe treat them as an adjunct product that produces some money, and points serious gardeners to your books and blog… and then not worry too much about it. What are you getting for the time you put into it?
The hipster coffee vid is hilarious though, and I just sent it to my brother (who spent 85% of our last visit trying to sell me on the greatness of grinding my own coffee, as though he were a member of a pyramid scheme trying to recruit new operators).
FWIW, your text sources are more informative, and I’ve gotten tremendous value from them. Video mostly just annoys, though I do occasionally watch yours and they are entertaining. But for any actual info, I’d much rather save time by reading it.
PS: do y’all have hardpan problems up in your new area? Have friends somewhere in the same general vicinity, and they’re fixing to build a bunch of raised beds to try to get around that. Seems like such a lot of work and expense… is there a simpler way around it?
I would broadfork to break it.
I like the humor and personality. I tune in to see where you’ve moved in the last month. I don’t really need any garden tutorials. Sometimes Florida gardening may as well be on the moon it’s so different from what I experience up north. I mostly listen for entertainment, but I like that you’re actually smart and experienced, instead of a faker trying to exploit the YouTube homesteading craze.
My favorite videos were the making and testing of the Steve Solomon mix, making biochar, and the ones about starting a home nursery. I pretended to be too dignified for the silliness of the Mother Earth skit, but I watched every second. I kind of like a garden tour now and then, just so I can see your theories and thought processes about why things did and didn’t work.
Stick to the schedule with the shorter form videos, but don’t abandon the masterpieces with production value.
I love both types of videos. I have laughed way too hard at so much of your stuff, and it really helped me get through the “covid year(s)”.
I enjoy the information as well as the comedy, even if its a split second meme flash edit that I have to pause and and rewatch to check if it really happened.
I really miss your live streams too, I used to stay up all night when my son was born watching those while he slept on me.
You have a new property and a big family and
that equals a lot to do. I hope you just live your life, stay authentic, and provide awesome entertainment when you’re able!
That is awesome. Man… so encouraging. 2020 was nuts.
So far my favorite video you did was ” what you need to know about growing pumpkins and winter squash” also I think it’s important to mention that when people use titles that are way more exciting than the video itself, I’d assume people will loose interest eventually. I’m not saying don’t use clickbait titles, I personally click on all kinds of clickbait, just make sure that the clickbait is worth the content. I really enjoy your videos, and I admire how much you interact with your viewers
Yes, good thought. Thank you.
I think for us, what we love about your channel is that you always provide thought provoking information and get us to think outside our “box”, interspersed with the good sense of humor. We’re still novices to gardening but have learned so much through your videos and books.
Take it with a grain of salt, I don’t know that myself and the missus normal YT viewers as we’ve got a set channel line up that we’ll watch anything that’s put out by them. The clickbait titles do make us chuckle though.
Anyhow, from one David to another, keep doing what makes you happy – we’ll be here to enjoy!
My children sing “Yo yo yo you gotta prune your plants” and “Imma pop that sucka” DAILY. We are in a season of just keeping up and not planting much new, I still watch your videos for inspiration, hope and shared values. We love your humor and my kids will grow up knowing that they too can grow food in crappy FL sugar sand because David the Good taught us how!! That probably doesn’t put food on your table today, but there is a legacy in the body of work you’ve made that I think is incalcuable, for what it’ worth. And we do try and support by buying your books. :) God bless you! (PS I love the 80/20 idea.)
I am so sorry for you! That is hilarious. Thank you.
Your straightforward gardening videos are great and I’ve learned a ton from them. However, you’re an extremely talented guy and the more artistic videos are highly entertaining. The world needs more good content. Keep up the great work and long live Bahfeemus!
I love all of your content, especially getting after the hardcore no-tillers, I used to be one of those guys, but I have learned through you and others that you can build soil even with some tillage. Also, your content is family friendly and my wife and kids love it. Thanks for all you do, and congrats on the new addition, Deo Gratias!. I’m number 8 of 11 kids, and have 5 of my own, the more, the merrier! God bless!
I guess I’m in the minority because I like the creative and funny videos best. I’m all for practical content, but the ones that make me laugh, or draw me out of the kitchen to actually watch the whole video up close instead of listening while occasionally glancing up, are my favorites. I’ve seen the coffee video multiple times, because as a coffee addict I’ve had moments where I flash back to it. I’ve seen the Bahfeemus videos more than once, because I had to show them to my husband. I love the ones with characters, like the arrogant scientist, or the couple maddened by alien breadfruit, or the pig-masked compost Gestapo.
I don’t get it – do most of your viewers not have a sense of humor? Because I feel like if you just want straight information with no time for nonsense like rap songs, then you’d just read a book or a website – even if they want your particular opinion, they can still go to YOUR books or YOUR website. But the beauty of YouTube is that it’s a creative medium that allows content creators to express themselves in unique, often theatrical or artistic ways. I want to see a Search for the Bilimbi Part 2: Forest of Fear! Or…Mangoes of Madness! Or…Demented Dioscoria!