Need Advice Restarting a dead channel?

[thegaminggoose]

I am new here. I guess this board is dedicated to asking specific questions. I am going to attempt to not belabor over this too much and get to the point. I started my channel in 2006. YouTube, social media, and the internet in general was much different back then - but then again, so was society and culture. For the time, I was moderately successful and grew a following. It was at some point in 2008 they invited me into the partner program. I won't bore you with those details of dealing with it back then right now, but things have gotten much better on that front for sure.

It was around 2011 when I got laid off of my job. Rather than try to turn to my small subscriber base and beg for support, I did what I had to do and took on three jobs. Working odd hours didn't leave time for videos and since I need to pay some bills, I found a hard time justifying it. I uploaded occasionally, but I noticed the lackluster responses to uploads even back then. Since then, I haven't uploaded a lot. In fact, I have this bad habit of deleting a lot of my older videos. I removed a lot of them. I realize this probably ended up hurting the authority for my channel and could have pissed off some people who follow me. Though, few have ever said anything to me about it.

Now, in 2020. I find it hard to find out what to do or what direction to even take. I don't know if it is different starting a dead channel or starting a new one. I would imagine if my subscribers left YouTube, then the accounts would be purged and my numbers would have dropped a lot more over the years. I am not sure if their tastes changed along with society or if they are just no longer on YouTube watching games.

My niche is gaming, but I have never been dedicated to one genre of game or type. I mostly leaned a bit retro. There's a huge glut of gaming channels on YouTube. Lately, I have been uploading nothing special and I am aware of that fact. But it's hard to get the endorphin rush of creativity and response when my subscribers don't see it. I am not saying I think the algorithm is flawed or against me or anything like that. I am not sure what the issue is.

So, I guess the question is, what does one do in my situation, if anything? I can't ask my subscriber base because I am not even sure most of them are seeing the videos I publish and there aren't really great resources beyond the community feature. Any ideas? Because I would love to feel as passionate about the process now as I was years ago. I am just not feeling a similar vibe yet.

 

[goldfries]

Just resume your channel. 6K subs is a good start.

 

[Jeffrey Powers]

Your channel looks good at this point. 6K subs is nice, but it could be a lot of dead accounts, so use it as a badge, but don't play to it.

Looking at your stats, you do have people passing through your channel. I would find the top couple videos, and make updates to them. That way, their suggestions will include your new content.

Looks like a fun channel, so good luck!

 

[SILTHW]

Think of it this way. If only 10% of your subscribers are active and you can increase reach and engagement with just that 10%, you are somewhere between 6 months and 2 years ahead of most people making content. That's a HUGE head start. I think @Jeffrey Powers point is a good one. Start building updated content around what got you your subscribers and see what happens.

 

[Stanley Orchard]

Hold up... while I want to agree with everyone else here there is an issue with this that needs to be discussed.

You are going to need to run some tests and get a feel for your subscriber base again. You need some numbers to lean on in order to have this discussion for real. I suggest making a dozen videos including maybe several personal vlogs saying something to the effect of 'Hey... Do You Remember Me? Well let me tell you what happened...' etc. Make them as catchy as you can, because you need to grab as much of that audience's attention as you can.

If you get a good response... lots of engagement, some excitement and your videos rank for your search terms then you are ok. The key here is that you don't want a disinterested audience screwing up your potential for ranking and discovery.

If you start posting and this audience dones't care then YouTube is going to be sending impressions to 6,000 people... none of whom are going to click on your video. That is going to send a red flag to YouTube saying your vids aren't worth watching and they are not going to serve your content out to new viewers.

You may be fine, nobody can give a solid answer on this question because we need some numbers to go by. Make a couple vlogs to re-introduce yourself to your existing audience and make a few videos. Their performance early on should give you the insight you need in order to answer your question.

 

[thegaminggoose]

Hold up... while I want to agree with everyone else here there is an issue with this that needs to be discussed.

You are going to need to run some tests and get a feel for your subscriber base again. You need some numbers to lean on in order to have this discussion for real. I suggest making a dozen videos including maybe several personal vlogs saying something to the effect of 'Hey... Do You Remember Me? Well let me tell you what happened...' etc. Make them as catchy as you can, because you need to grab as much of that audience's attention as you can.

If you get a good response... lots of engagement, some excitement and your videos rank for your search terms then you are ok. The key here is that you don't want a disinterested audience screwing up your potential for ranking and discovery.

If you start posting and this audience dones't care then YouTube is going to be sending impressions to 6,000 people... none of whom are going to click on your video. That is going to send a red flag to YouTube saying your vids aren't worth watching and they are not going to serve your content out to new viewers.

You may be fine, nobody can give a solid answer on this question because we need some numbers to go by. Make a couple vlogs to re-introduce yourself to your existing audience and make a few videos. Their performance early on should give you the insight you need in order to answer your question.

Yeah, while I appreciate everyone else's positive input and optimism, I happen to agree with you. Over the years I uploaded a bit here and there and some videos did okay, but most performed pretty poorly by usual standards. I think you are right in that I need to make some update videos reconnecting or at least trying to do so. I am just not sure what my audience wants to see any more let alone the YouTube audience in general.

Your channel looks good at this point. 6K subs is nice, but it could be a lot of dead accounts, so use it as a badge, but don't play to it.

Looking at your stats, you do have people passing through your channel. I would find the top couple videos, and make updates to them. That way, their suggestions will include your new content.

Looks like a fun channel, so good luck!

May I ask what you mean by making updates to my top videos? My top videos are pretty old at this point. I have one from 2007 that has been outperforming everything, even new content for years now.

 

[Jeffrey Powers]

May I ask what you mean by making updates to my top videos? My top videos are pretty old at this point. I have one from 2007 that has been outperforming everything, even new content for years now.

Your top video is "Plants vs. Zombies". Make a PvZ COVID style, or PvZ in 2020. It has the same tags, and description, so when someone sees a old video, they'll notice a newer one in the suggestions.

 

[thegaminggoose]

Your top video is "Plants vs. Zombies". Make a PvZ COVID style, or PvZ in 2020. It has the same tags, and description, so when someone sees a old video, they'll notice a newer one in the suggestions.

I thought YouTube is suppressing COVID type tags/content? So you are saying to keep making PvZ content because it is my most viewed view of all time? But it's not the best performing video at all. Also, is PvZ even that popular any more? I would have to research to even see if that is something people are looking for these days. Lastly, does anyone talk about time involved in creating a video vs what one gets out of it? It takes quite a long time to create a decent review for a video game.

 

[rtiainen]

Perhaps you should have a look of analytics and find out which videos are still gaining views and hours. If PvZ is still most popular, then maybe a video on that theme could be appropriate just to bring attention of your current fan base. For example, a video that would describe how PvZ has progressed during all these years or how it has influenced other games?

But in any case, I would look first analytics before making any decisions.

 

[Stanley Orchard]

I thought YouTube is suppressing COVID type tags/content? So you are saying to keep making PvZ content because it is my most viewed view of all time? But it's not the best performing video at all. Also, is PvZ even that popular any more? I would have to research to even see if that is something people are looking for these days. Lastly, does anyone talk about time involved in creating a video vs what one gets out of it? It takes quite a long time to create a decent review for a video game.

I dont think YT is suppressing COVID stuff any more, so long as it isnt sensationalism or misinformation

 

[thegaminggoose]

Perhaps you should have a look of analytics and find out which videos are still gaining views and hours. If PvZ is still most popular, then maybe a video on that theme could be appropriate just to bring attention of your current fan base. For example, a video that would describe how PvZ has progressed during all these years or how it has influenced other games?

But in any case, I would look first analytics before making any decisions.

My analytics suck and are all over the place. Plus, one should make videos about things they are passionate about. I don't care much about Plants vs Zombies.

 

[rtiainen]

My analytics suck and are all over the place. Plus, one should make videos about things they are passionate about. I don't care much about Plants vs Zombies.

Then I think you shouldn't do videos Plants vs Zombies but instead something else you are passionate about.

 

[fproject]

[QUOTE = "thegaminggoose, pos: 107108, anggota: 50921"]
Saya baru disini. Saya kira papan ini didedikasikan untuk mengajukan pertanyaan spesifik. Saya akan berusaha untuk tidak terlalu mempermasalahkan hal ini dan langsung ke intinya. Saya memulai saluran saya pada tahun 2006. YouTube, media sosial, dan internet secara umum jauh berbeda saat itu - tetapi sekali lagi, begitu pula masyarakat dan budayanya. Untuk saat ini, saya cukup sukses dan memiliki pengikut. Pada suatu saat di tahun 2008 mereka mengundang saya ke program mitra. Saya tidak akan membuat Anda bosan dengan detail-detail penanganannya saat itu juga, tetapi segalanya menjadi jauh lebih baik di depan itu.

Sekitar tahun 2011 saya diberhentikan dari pekerjaan saya. Daripada mencoba beralih ke basis pelanggan kecil saya dan meminta dukungan, saya melakukan apa yang harus saya lakukan dan mengambil tiga pekerjaan. Bekerja pada jam-jam yang aneh tidak menyisakan waktu untuk menonton video dan karena saya perlu membayar sejumlah tagihan, saya kesulitan untuk membenarkannya. Saya sesekali mengupload, tetapi saya melihat tanggapan yang tidak bersemangat untuk upload bahkan saat itu. Sejak itu, saya belum banyak mengunggah. Faktanya, saya memiliki kebiasaan buruk untuk menghapus banyak video lama saya. Saya menghapus banyak dari mereka. Saya menyadari bahwa ini mungkin akan melukai otoritas saluran saya dan bisa membuat marah beberapa orang yang mengikuti saya. Padahal, hanya sedikit yang pernah mengatakan sesuatu kepada saya tentang itu.

Sekarang, di tahun 2020. Saya merasa sulit untuk mengetahui apa yang harus dilakukan atau bahkan arah yang harus diambil. Saya tidak tahu apakah itu berbeda dalam memulai saluran mati atau memulai saluran baru. Saya akan membayangkan jika pelanggan saya meninggalkan YouTube, maka akun-akun tersebut akan dihapus dan jumlah saya akan semakin menurun selama bertahun-tahun. Saya tidak yakin apakah selera mereka berubah seiring dengan masyarakat atau apakah mereka tidak lagi menonton game di YouTube.

Ceruk saya adalah game, tetapi saya tidak pernah mendedikasikan diri pada satu genre game atau jenis. Saya cenderung agak retro. Ada banyak sekali saluran game di YouTube. Akhir-akhir ini, saya tidak mengupload sesuatu yang istimewa dan saya menyadari fakta itu. Tetapi sulit untuk mendapatkan aliran kreativitas dan respons endorfin ketika pelanggan saya tidak melihatnya. Saya tidak mengatakan saya pikir algoritmanya cacat atau melawan saya atau semacamnya. Saya tidak yakin apa masalahnya.

Jadi, saya kira pertanyaannya adalah, apa yang dilakukan seseorang dalam situasi saya, jika ada? Saya tidak dapat menanyakan basis pelanggan saya karena saya bahkan tidak yakin sebagian besar dari mereka melihat video yang saya publikasikan dan tidak ada sumber daya yang benar-benar hebat selain fitur komunitas. Ada ide? Karena saya ingin sekali merasa bersemangat tentang proses sekarang seperti saya bertahun-tahun yang lalu. Saya hanya belum merasakan getaran yang sama.
[/KUTIPAN]

coba lakukan riset pada channel youtube yang trendy kemudian kalian ulas data riset tersebut menjadi video yang menarik untuk di siarkan di channel kalian mungkin hal ini tidak akan berdampak buruk pada channel kalian untuk merestart channel yang sudah lama tenggelam

 

[thegaminggoose]

[QUOTE = "thegaminggoose, pos: 107108, anggota: 50921"]
Saya baru disini. Saya kira papan ini didedikasikan untuk mengajukan pertanyaan spesifik. Saya akan berusaha untuk tidak terlalu mempermasalahkan hal ini dan langsung ke intinya. Saya memulai saluran saya pada tahun 2006. YouTube, media sosial, dan internet secara umum jauh berbeda saat itu - tetapi sekali lagi, begitu pula masyarakat dan budayanya. Untuk saat ini, saya cukup sukses dan memiliki pengikut. Pada suatu saat di tahun 2008 mereka mengundang saya ke program mitra. Saya tidak akan membuat Anda bosan dengan detail-detail penanganannya saat itu juga, tetapi segalanya menjadi jauh lebih baik di depan itu.

Sekitar tahun 2011 saya diberhentikan dari pekerjaan saya. Daripada mencoba beralih ke basis pelanggan kecil saya dan meminta dukungan, saya melakukan apa yang harus saya lakukan dan mengambil tiga pekerjaan. Bekerja pada jam-jam yang aneh tidak menyisakan waktu untuk menonton video dan karena saya perlu membayar sejumlah tagihan, saya kesulitan untuk membenarkannya. Saya sesekali mengupload, tetapi saya melihat tanggapan yang tidak bersemangat untuk upload bahkan saat itu. Sejak itu, saya belum banyak mengunggah. Faktanya, saya memiliki kebiasaan buruk untuk menghapus banyak video lama saya. Saya menghapus banyak dari mereka. Saya menyadari bahwa ini mungkin akan melukai otoritas saluran saya dan bisa membuat marah beberapa orang yang mengikuti saya. Padahal, hanya sedikit yang pernah mengatakan sesuatu kepada saya tentang itu.

Sekarang, di tahun 2020. Saya merasa sulit untuk mengetahui apa yang harus dilakukan atau bahkan arah yang harus diambil. Saya tidak tahu apakah itu berbeda dalam memulai saluran mati atau memulai saluran baru. Saya akan membayangkan jika pelanggan saya meninggalkan YouTube, maka akun-akun tersebut akan dihapus dan jumlah saya akan semakin menurun selama bertahun-tahun. Saya tidak yakin apakah selera mereka berubah seiring dengan masyarakat atau apakah mereka tidak lagi menonton game di YouTube.

Ceruk saya adalah game, tetapi saya tidak pernah mendedikasikan diri pada satu genre game atau jenis. Saya cenderung agak retro. Ada banyak sekali saluran game di YouTube. Akhir-akhir ini, saya tidak mengupload sesuatu yang istimewa dan saya menyadari fakta itu. Tetapi sulit untuk mendapatkan aliran kreativitas dan respons endorfin ketika pelanggan saya tidak melihatnya. Saya tidak mengatakan saya pikir algoritmanya cacat atau melawan saya atau semacamnya. Saya tidak yakin apa masalahnya.

Jadi, saya kira pertanyaannya adalah, apa yang dilakukan seseorang dalam situasi saya, jika ada? Saya tidak dapat menanyakan basis pelanggan saya karena saya bahkan tidak yakin sebagian besar dari mereka melihat video yang saya publikasikan dan tidak ada sumber daya yang benar-benar hebat selain fitur komunitas. Ada ide? Karena saya ingin sekali merasa bersemangat tentang proses sekarang seperti saya bertahun-tahun yang lalu. Saya hanya belum merasakan getaran yang sama.
[/KUTIPAN]

coba lakukan riset pada channel youtube yang trendy kemudian kalian ulas data riset tersebut menjadi video yang menarik untuk di siarkan di channel kalian mungkin hal ini tidak akan berdampak buruk pada channel kalian untuk merestart channel yang sudah lama tenggelam

Yeah, I am not sure where to start researching there.