YouTube Question Does Channel Type Matter?

[WorldComposting]

I currently have my Channel Type as "How To" but it could also fit into other categories. Does this affect the viewers a channel would get? As an example if I changed it to "Education" would that be better?

I ask this because I have found some YouTube channels with the same topic and similar content seem to be growing faster and I was curious how these Channel Types are used.

 

[Beanie Draws]

I DO think it matters. I think mine is on "Educational" but I may have set mine to "Arts and Craft" which might be more appropriate, I do a bit of art teaching tutorials. I believe the category also helps YouTube push your videos to the appropriate audience in some way based on category. If you're a gamer, you're unlikey to want to see maths videos so the wrong category might hinder things. I think @DrEkberg had this issue only a year and a bit ago... he was struggling to grow because he was mostly getting music audiences somehow, and once he got it back to health, he literally skyrocketed to 100k in less than a year, so I believe it does have an impact.

@Andrew can probably further confirm or deny this theory

 

[WorldComposting]

The other two channels that are based on the same subject as me and one is labeled as "Education" and the other is "Tech". Both seem to be growing faster than I am. Now one does post more videos but the other hasn't posted in nearly a year but is still growing faster than I am. Makes me wonder if the "How To" is a weaker channel type or known to be one off videos. The one with the "Tech" label is growing the fastest although I don't think that is the correct label to have.

 

[Stanley | Team TB]

That's really interesting @Beanie I would have thought YT was able to automatically determine a good fitting regardless of category. Very curious to see what @Andrew has to say about this.

 

[xPedro98]

I am also very curious. My videos are tutorials to grow on Youtube and optimize videos! Would that be Technology or Education?

 

[TubeBuddy]

I DO think it matters. I think mine is on "Educational" but I may have set mine to "Arts and Craft" which might be more appropriate, I do a bit of art teaching tutorials. I believe the category also helps YouTube push your videos to the appropriate audience in some way based on category. If you're a gamer, you're unlikey to want to see maths videos so the wrong category might hinder things. I think @DrEkberg had this issue only a year and a bit ago... he was struggling to grow because he was mostly getting music audiences somehow, and once he got it back to health, he literally skyrocketed to 100k in less than a year, so I believe it does have an impact.

@Andrew can probably further confirm or deny this theory

That's more complex, but Channel type does matter. Basically it's just a check from YouTube that this is what you're about.

That's really interesting @Beanie I would have thought YT was able to automatically determine a good fitting regardless of category. Very curious to see what @Andrew has to say about this.

While true, YouTube is not perfect and admit that, so it's always better to take out guess work, and give them a clear answer. I say think of YouTube like a five year old. If you tell it one thing, it won't question it sometime. EVEN IF your content is contrary to what you claimed your channel type to be. YouTube is like "They are saying their this channel, so we don't want to argue with the owner"

 

[Goode Life Outdoors]

I'm just realizing mine is set to "none." Any advice on what how to categorize a channel that encompasses different outdoor activities - fishing, hunting, cooking, and DIY projects?

Entertainment? Sports? Education?

 

[WorldComposting]

I'm just realizing mine is set to "none." Any advice on what how to categorize a channel that encompasses different outdoor activities - fishing, hunting, cooking, and DIY projects?

Entertainment? Sports? Education?

You do this on the videos section under each video under the "More Options" section there is a Category. I just updated mine to Education instead of "How to" for my videos and we will see how it goes. Although it might be hard to judge if this is the cause of any viewership changes since I'm constantly posting new videos.

 

[Tito Tim]

I'm just realizing mine is set to "none." Any advice on what how to categorize a channel that encompasses different outdoor activities - fishing, hunting, cooking, and DIY projects?

Entertainment? Sports? Education?

Not sure what category would be your best fit, but it is easy to change. I set mine in my upload default, so it is automatically added to all new videos. For vids already posted you can go to your "videos" page in studio, select as many as you want (or all), and then select the 'edit' button. A pull down menu will appear and you select "category". YouTube added a number of nice bulk editing features to the new studio.

 

[Stanley | Team TB]

I'm just realizing mine is set to "none." Any advice on what how to categorize a channel that encompasses different outdoor activities - fishing, hunting, cooking, and DIY projects?

Entertainment? Sports? Education?

I did sports... no idea if that is right or better than any other category

 

[TubeBuddy]

I'm just realizing mine is set to "none." Any advice on what how to categorize a channel that encompasses different outdoor activities - fishing, hunting, cooking, and DIY projects?

Entertainment? Sports? Education?

IS that not a lifestyle...? haha However, if you are more educational with the content, it's education, if it's more entertainment based then entertainment.

I did sports... no idea if that is right or better than any other category

YouTube looks at it more like are you competing, or in competition in the content.

 

[Stanley | Team TB]

IS that not a lifestyle...? haha However, if you are more educational with the content, it's education, if it's more entertainment based then entertainment.



YouTube looks at it more like are you competing, or in competition in the content.

That's kind of the way I was looking at it... I think 'Sports' is a decent fit (kinda makes me a paid athlete lol). But I wonder if I wouldn't be more competitive in other categories.

 

[Damon]

I've been wondering this myself. I've noticed that people don't watch tutorials on my channel. Since I started making my fishing adventures more like documentary films, it has be come more entertaining. I may need to change the category.

 

[DrEkberg]

I believe the category also helps YouTube push your videos to the appropriate audience in some way based on category. If you're a gamer, you're unlikey to want to see maths videos so the wrong category might hinder things. I think @DrEkberg had this issue

The category doesn't really matter anymore with YT. In the past it did. The AI knows what your channel is about and there are tons of categories YT uses in the background.

@Beanie Draws It took years to figure out, but the AI got confused because we ended up on a trend that was in the gaming niche, and then another large gaming channel told their viewers to check out our channel. The AI follows the audience, so the AI thought we had a gaming channel, a very bad gaming channel.