Need Advice Helpful opinions appreciated

[Nhancedfishing]

Hello all,

My channel is a channel about bass fishing from tournaments to fun trips as well as some tips and tricks. I did not post for probably 8 months last year as I edited content and tried to improve what I put out. In September I started posting my videos weekly and have thrown a few mid week videos in as well, since September my channel has grown by almost 70 subscribers and even though itΓÇÖs slow I am seeing the benefit of everything I am doing. My problem now is I do not have enough content for weekly videos based on the time of year and amount of fishing. I have been working on some tips and tricks videos but these are not the same as the videos that have drawn me more subscribers, would making a best of 2021 video or something similar using footage from my other videos be a good idea?

 

[BraveStar]

You should check out posts and the channels from @Damon and @Stanley Orchard . They both do fishing videos as well and posting amazing ideas and tips on these forums. They might have some ideas for your channel.

 

[Stanley | Team TB]

Hello all,

My channel is a channel about bass fishing from tournaments to fun trips as well as some tips and tricks. I did not post for probably 8 months last year as I edited content and tried to improve what I put out. In September I started posting my videos weekly and have thrown a few mid week videos in as well, since September my channel has grown by almost 70 subscribers and even though itΓÇÖs slow I am seeing the benefit of everything I am doing. My problem now is I do not have enough content for weekly videos based on the time of year and amount of fishing. I have been working on some tips and tricks videos but these are not the same as the videos that have drawn me more subscribers, would making a best of 2021 video or something similar using footage from my other videos be a good idea?

Hey hey!! Always a pleasure having another fishing channel around! Welcome to FishBuddy lol.

And also welcome to the biggest pitfall of our niche... seasonality. Honestly anyone who succeeds at a fishing channel deserves a huge pat on the back because they were able to do so with only half of the year available to them.

Fishing typically has a trend that grows in strength from January and peaks pretty big in mid-June through early August. Then, as everyone starts going back to school and the summer comes to an end everyone starts focusing on the holidays and the trend falls off a cliff. Here is a look at traffic for 'Fishing' per Google Analytics:

The yellow lines mark the middle of summer for the past five years. Now, there is a bright side to this.

Since we are on the backside of this trend it is no longer 'go time' for fishing content creators. Peak season is behind us and that gives you several months to take time off as needed, prepare for the next peak season and experiment with your content.

You mentioned doing a few How-To videos and that is exactly my own plan of attack. It is the 'vlog' that drives our channels for subscribers; people really want to watch fishing when they are stuck at work and just want to get away. But there is a LOT of value in posting these How-To videos. No, they don't pull the same amount of subscribers. But they do pull views (which end up being your paycheck) and they do help you to build authority in your area of the niche. They also help fill the void of content that happens this time of year.

A few friends of mine and I do a weekly fishing/hunting livestream... I don't know why @Damon hasn't been on but I'll probably start harassing him about joining us as well and if you would like to join us we discuss topics like this at length (we have a good foundation of other outdoors creators who all work together, collab etc). It's a good place to get some insight from other creators.

 

[Damon]

Not sure how I missed this thread. Yeah, fishing is seasonal. When football season starts everything crashes. Many people who fish are also hunters. They've switched sports for the autumn.

In the long-term how-to videos, tutorials and products reviews will pull traffic, but it won't appeal to your subscribers immediately. That's fine. It's almost like the fishing content is for your current subscribers, the how-to content is for future viewer and subscribers.

For me I want every fishing adventure to be a documentary short film, like a mini Jacques Cousteau film. It takes much much longer to make that kind of content. This year has been an experiment for me to slow way down and only produce that kind of content. I've also spent most of my time composing music, as I compose all the music for my videos. That takes even more time.

The thing I've noticed is that every video produced this year won't gain traction until next year, the next uptick that usually starts in about January.

Also since I have a fishing tackle business, I use videos to support my existing customer base as well as potential customers. Product support videos, demonstrations, and tips and tricks for best practices is important for the business side. Those video never generate many views or sub. That's because those are meant to generate sales on the back end of the business.

And another thing, something people don't talk about much with the "big" fishing channels. Often there is some pretty lady draped over a boat or holding a fish in a bikini. Those kinds of subscribers aren't watching because of the fishing. So, that's also a "disadvantage" we have as ugly dudes.

 

[Stanley | Team TB]

Well said @Damon absolutely spot on sir