
As my YouTube channel slowlyābut surely?āapproaches 15K subscribers, I re-read the blog I wrote to celebrate 10K subscribers. I compared my experience to riding a rollercoaster. This was back in August.
Since then, the rollercoaster has slowlyābut steadilyāslowed down. Hereās what the past 365 days look like inside YouTube Studio, in terms of daily views:
Over the last 90 days, my rollercoaster ride has kind of stalled. I donāt think Iām alone. Iāve noticed some of my favorite content creators getting fewer views and subscribers too. I canāt be the only one concernedā¦and frustrated. Right?
Since the previous 90 days, views are down by over a third. New subscribers are off by almost half. Watch time and revenue are off by at least a quarter. And letās just say the previous 90 days werenāt what they once were. How low can this trend go?
My theory? My forced ābreaksā from YouTube last yearā4 weeks for 3 ridiculous āCommunity Guidelinesā strikes cost me momentum, money, and more.
But it is what it is. To my knowledge, there is no CPR For YouTube Dummies book to help make sense of all the platformās nonsense. So I guess Iām just left to blow and suck hot air. At least itās (mostly) oxygen, right?
There are several linings thoughā¦on and off YouTube:
YouTube = My āaverage view durationā is up significantly. And comments have been especially generous, kind, and thoughtful lately. Yay!
Bluesky = My new āofficialā social media platform is growing like a weed. In less than a week, I have more than doubled my followers there. Whatās the secret to myārelativeāsuccess? Sharing photos and videos that could get my Substack demonetized (by the credit card processor) and/or my YouTube channel removed (by YouTube).
Substack = Saving the best for last, my blog posts and original videos are getting stable, steady, and sustainable traffic. Also, subscribers are growing daily. While I wonāt likely meet my goal of 2K by February 1st, Iām thrilled to have 1800+ of you now part of the Collide Press Crew.
Iām beyond grateful for everyone whoās shown supportāwhether through paid Substack subscriptions, Ko-Fi tips, or purchases from my Shops. Thank YOU!
Honestly, if not for the generosity and kindness of my subscribers and patrons, I'd be searching for a "real" job instead of celebrating, collecting, creating, and curating art, history, photography, and video. The struggle may be real, but itās also mighty realāand possibleāthanks to many of you.
Lastly, Iām open to suggestions. If you have suggestions or thoughts about what you would like to see more of, I would love to hear themā¦drop me an email.
In the meantime, Iām going to do my best to keep calm and edit on.
Have a great day, yāall!
Clint šāļø
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
What Our Fetishes Are and 20 Other Questions⦠(PJ and Thomas) š
Collectorās $50 Painting May Be Van Gogh Worth $15M (The Independent)
AI-Assisted Works Can Get Copyright With Enough Human Creativityā¦(AP News)
ON THIS DAY = JANUARY 30
BIRTHDAYS
1855 = Howard Sturgis = English writer š
1882 = Franklin D. Roosevelt = American lawyer and statesman
1928 = Harold Prince = American director and producer
1930 = Gene Hackman = American actor and author
1951 = Charles S. Dutton = American actor and director
1951 = Phil Collins = English drummer, singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
1974 = Christian Bale = British actor
EVENTS
1847 = Yerba Buena, California is renamed San Francisco.
PORTRAIT + QUOTE OF THE DAY
āWhen you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.ā
Franklin D. Roosevelt
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