I've been on TubeBuddy for about 90 days now. I thought I'd share some findings...I don't mean to represent this anything more than observational notes...there's not regression analysis or anything of the sort.
I have over 1000 videos and I've been publishing for years on YouTube...I'm approaching 3500 subs and expect to surpass that mark in the summer if not sooner. For a long time, I focused on other aspects of my show and simply published automatically to YT via Libsyn. My success prior to TB is attributed to consistency, compiling and lots and lots of learning in areas outside the YT universe.
BTW, I am a Legend level subscriber to TubeBuddy. I am going to be critical of some aspects of TB, but understand my intention is to contribute to the community and TB. I also want to say, I truly appreciate EVERYONE in the YT growth space. I've learned and continue to do so...I think highly of everyone using TB to improve their portion of the world. Keep creating!!!
A final note--I don't have all the answers, or practices mastered. I'm learning...but as I learn, I want to do so out loud.
1. Since I started using TubeBuddy, I'm paying more attention to my YouTube channel. The work to update, maintain and improve continues. There's so much work that I'll likely never finish it. BUT! the updating I've been doing has at a minimum made my channel look and feel more professional-TubeBuddy has been invaluable for that. It has also compelled me to develop my YT skills and I remain motivated to continue Thank you, TubeBuddy, is totally worth the money--I try to spend no more than 1 hour a day on TB work.
2. As a dude with a LOT of content the Bulk Tools have proven disappointing...granted I may need to improve my skills/knowledge with the bulk tools. My experience suggests that templates are better than bulk tools. My channel is not nichey so that may be a limiting factor in what the Bulk Tools are capable of for me.
3. The Community - I struggle to find value in the TB Community. The good-there's boatloads of data and opinions. Thankfully, the moderation keeps the craziness to a minimum. However, the engagement is disappointing and the advice is, well, hmm, it's banal-that's a bit harsh, yet...
4. The things that I think are tremendous. The SEO Studio is a great tool. I've learned a LOT about word choice and themes...because of the large number of videos I have...each SEO word I improve is a tiny help across my entire catalog...which is absolutely paying dividends. The Tag Tools are also, a fantastic resource. Before TubeBuddy I was tagging blind which is no way to tag. If anyone is a candidate for TubeBuddy's help, it's me.
The SEO and Tag tools enable me to elevate the floor of my channel. Simultaneously, the guests, in my case, drive the peaks and traffic. I don't know that the tools will lead to any scaling...but my discoverability goes up every time I put work in with these tags.
5. Thumbnail generator - This is a good tool. The thing that makes it most valuable is that I can do the work in YouTube Studio, which saves time. What keeps this tool from being great is that the external tools are better. If I chose to take the time to build my thumbnail in Canva or PowerPoint etc...The quality would be better...but the time and convenience of the TB Thumbnail tool is appreciated and therefore my go to tool for this element.
6. If I could change one thing, I'd ask TB to combine the Cards and End Screen tools. In general, cards and end screen work isn't worth the time. My audience rarely responds to these offers of engagement. Because most people don't watch my full videos...the end screens are rarely viewed and then of those, there's? what <1% engagement. The engagement on cards is equally limited. I'm not saying that cards and end screens lack any value, but time spent on them is expensive compared to other improvements - Consider the value of using the Community tab for discovery vs Endscreens - TB, creating a 1-click answer to populate both end screens and cards would truly save time and increase the value of these two tools.
7. My channel is growing and TubeBuddy is part of that continued success. For me, I'm more aware of what needs to be done, TB saves me time in doing some of that work...and I know TB wants me to succeed by using their tools. I've also started to meet a few fellow creators which is always a joy.
Conclusion/Advice: I'm likely to downgrade my TB subscription a level or two in the near future. There are a few things I want to test/evaluate before I make the final decision. TB is valuable, but not more so than an Ad. If I take that 40 dollars a month and reallocate some of it between TB and Bing Ad, Google Ad or FB, I can enhance my discovery outside of YT. One of the problems with YT, and therefore TB, is it overcompensates for Thumbnails and devalues quality over engagement. Again, TB is fantastic in its capability to save me time and increase my discoverability...but that's only part of the equation to gather audience members and improve discoverability.
If you've taken the time to consider my post, or found it valuable...mucho gracias.
Your Pal,
OL Pedro
I have over 1000 videos and I've been publishing for years on YouTube...I'm approaching 3500 subs and expect to surpass that mark in the summer if not sooner. For a long time, I focused on other aspects of my show and simply published automatically to YT via Libsyn. My success prior to TB is attributed to consistency, compiling and lots and lots of learning in areas outside the YT universe.
BTW, I am a Legend level subscriber to TubeBuddy. I am going to be critical of some aspects of TB, but understand my intention is to contribute to the community and TB. I also want to say, I truly appreciate EVERYONE in the YT growth space. I've learned and continue to do so...I think highly of everyone using TB to improve their portion of the world. Keep creating!!!
A final note--I don't have all the answers, or practices mastered. I'm learning...but as I learn, I want to do so out loud.
1. Since I started using TubeBuddy, I'm paying more attention to my YouTube channel. The work to update, maintain and improve continues. There's so much work that I'll likely never finish it. BUT! the updating I've been doing has at a minimum made my channel look and feel more professional-TubeBuddy has been invaluable for that. It has also compelled me to develop my YT skills and I remain motivated to continue Thank you, TubeBuddy, is totally worth the money--I try to spend no more than 1 hour a day on TB work.
2. As a dude with a LOT of content the Bulk Tools have proven disappointing...granted I may need to improve my skills/knowledge with the bulk tools. My experience suggests that templates are better than bulk tools. My channel is not nichey so that may be a limiting factor in what the Bulk Tools are capable of for me.
3. The Community - I struggle to find value in the TB Community. The good-there's boatloads of data and opinions. Thankfully, the moderation keeps the craziness to a minimum. However, the engagement is disappointing and the advice is, well, hmm, it's banal-that's a bit harsh, yet...
4. The things that I think are tremendous. The SEO Studio is a great tool. I've learned a LOT about word choice and themes...because of the large number of videos I have...each SEO word I improve is a tiny help across my entire catalog...which is absolutely paying dividends. The Tag Tools are also, a fantastic resource. Before TubeBuddy I was tagging blind which is no way to tag. If anyone is a candidate for TubeBuddy's help, it's me.
The SEO and Tag tools enable me to elevate the floor of my channel. Simultaneously, the guests, in my case, drive the peaks and traffic. I don't know that the tools will lead to any scaling...but my discoverability goes up every time I put work in with these tags.
5. Thumbnail generator - This is a good tool. The thing that makes it most valuable is that I can do the work in YouTube Studio, which saves time. What keeps this tool from being great is that the external tools are better. If I chose to take the time to build my thumbnail in Canva or PowerPoint etc...The quality would be better...but the time and convenience of the TB Thumbnail tool is appreciated and therefore my go to tool for this element.
6. If I could change one thing, I'd ask TB to combine the Cards and End Screen tools. In general, cards and end screen work isn't worth the time. My audience rarely responds to these offers of engagement. Because most people don't watch my full videos...the end screens are rarely viewed and then of those, there's? what <1% engagement. The engagement on cards is equally limited. I'm not saying that cards and end screens lack any value, but time spent on them is expensive compared to other improvements - Consider the value of using the Community tab for discovery vs Endscreens - TB, creating a 1-click answer to populate both end screens and cards would truly save time and increase the value of these two tools.
7. My channel is growing and TubeBuddy is part of that continued success. For me, I'm more aware of what needs to be done, TB saves me time in doing some of that work...and I know TB wants me to succeed by using their tools. I've also started to meet a few fellow creators which is always a joy.
Conclusion/Advice: I'm likely to downgrade my TB subscription a level or two in the near future. There are a few things I want to test/evaluate before I make the final decision. TB is valuable, but not more so than an Ad. If I take that 40 dollars a month and reallocate some of it between TB and Bing Ad, Google Ad or FB, I can enhance my discovery outside of YT. One of the problems with YT, and therefore TB, is it overcompensates for Thumbnails and devalues quality over engagement. Again, TB is fantastic in its capability to save me time and increase my discoverability...but that's only part of the equation to gather audience members and improve discoverability.
If you've taken the time to consider my post, or found it valuable...mucho gracias.
Your Pal,
OL Pedro
