David, I prefer to learn from reading but it’s increasingly hard to find the time.
The term “multi tasking” is something office workers use incorrectly. The human mind can’t work on a spreadsheet whilst writing a report at the same time. They’re just jumping from one task to another.
However, my wife and I can eat dinner and watch a few YouTube videos . This is “multi tasking” and “time management”.
Reading your veiwers comments I can see there are multiple reasons why they watch. Some want to learn, some want to be entertained, and some want to follow your journey. I’m sure there are other reasons. I think you have a good balance and slow steady growth may work out better in the long run. Thanks for your content.

*Squawk of protest!!* those comments came from a fellow reader identified as Karla, not Hilary. Aside from that, thanks for the follow up post.

“The ‘how-to’ videos seem to be the way to go, though. Most of the top ten are that sort.”

Indeed, I could easily re-word all those titles, except maybe composting toilet, as “How to XYZ” titles. And that’s a solid observation and a solid starting point for your Profitable-YouTube-Posting-Pattern Identification(TM) quest.

There’s more to the pattern, though.

First off, what the pattern isn’t: length. I don’t know YouTube algorithms, but maybe those pertaining to video length don’t matter much for you. Because those videos have lengths ranging from 3 to 18 minutes.

Now, let’s digger deep and talk about “evergreen feature types that are among your … most broadly appealing videos.” Because evergreen, feature and broad appeal are your pattern as much as how-to is.

1) EVERGREENS: These are articles (or videos, in this case, and presumably radio programs?) with longevity, basically. For you, the most important thing to note is that those nine videos have longevity in the sense that they would compel someone to click on them whether that person stumbled upon one in 2007, 2017 or 2027.

2) FEATURES: This overlaps with evergreens, as evergreen stories are generally if not inherently also feature stories. But for journalists, stories are generally categorized as features or news, and I suppose this more or less also goes for blog posts, videos, radio programs, whatever. For you, this is about the difference between “How to Sow a Three Sisters Garden” type videos and “Watch Me Wander Down to My Three Sisters Garden Today and Do Some Perfunctory Task” type videos. All those nine videos are the former type.

3) BROAD APPEAL: Your cult following aren’t the only people who would click on those nine video titles — a MUCH broader population would click. In other words, the thing you’ve got to note here is: These videos are all on topics smack in your realm of expertise/specialization/experience, BUT a potential viewer doesn’t have to be into your realm to be compelled to watch these videos. Joe Shmoe doesn’t have to be drinking the Dave’s Fetid Swamp Water(TM) Kool-Aid, capable of appreciating high-IQ-logic gardening or Christian-perspective gardening, or be a prepper to have reason to click on those videos. Joe Schmoe doesn’t even have to know what “permaculture” means to have reason to click on those videos (although he’s probably at least into some manner of agriculture or self-reliance).

4) USE VALUE: I’m winging it now, but it’s occurring to me that those nine videos are also all utilitarian. They are more than informational — they teach me something I can actually apply in my daily life to improve my life.

Anyhow, as you pointed out, daily or daily-ish YouTube posting works smashingly for some folks. But you’re apparently not one of them. So listen to your pattern, not theirs, if you want your current career to be sustainable.

It seems to me you should decrease the YouTube posting to some degree. Then, refocus part of your YouTube-ing time and energy into videos that feed your pattern and put part of that time and energy into something different. It sounds books would be best, though I know nothing of what they pay.

“As for Patreon, as some have mentioned, I’m not sure how I feel about it. It would be a good way to skip the ads – but on the other hand it feels like ebegging. You guys can let me know what you think about that.”

I think of it this way…consider the corner minstrel, set up somewhere downtown, playing his guitar for his own pleasure — and just perhaps, the pleasure of passers-by. And if they happen to enjoy his playing, and wish to express their enjoyment in a monetary manner, they can pitch something into his open guitar case laying at his feet.

Is this begging? Personally, I don’t see it that way.