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TubeBuddy Upload Schedule
- Thread starter Wackyimpressionguy
- Start date
Good question. The successful YTubers I follow will say that consistency is important. You want to feed and take care of your audience. The theory is that you give them something to look forward to and anticipate like a weekly show.
As a practical matter, I find it very difficult because life gets in the way so often and I can't keep up with the editing. I can and do produce videos to "get ahead" occasionally but I hate holding back the videos too long because I want the videos to start working for me ASAP.
I think I remember hearing a YT product manager say that it really doesn't matter when you post your videos but I tend to lean in the direction of having some consistency for your audience despite my own failings. Some people choose a specific day each week to post whereas I would be happy to get 2 videos out per week regardless of the day. So, I definitely need improvement on the consistency front.
As a practical matter, I find it very difficult because life gets in the way so often and I can't keep up with the editing. I can and do produce videos to "get ahead" occasionally but I hate holding back the videos too long because I want the videos to start working for me ASAP.
I think I remember hearing a YT product manager say that it really doesn't matter when you post your videos but I tend to lean in the direction of having some consistency for your audience despite my own failings. Some people choose a specific day each week to post whereas I would be happy to get 2 videos out per week regardless of the day. So, I definitely need improvement on the consistency front.
Consistency comes in two forms:
The second less spoken of form of consistency is quality. In other words the higher quality video you produce the lesser quantity you'll be able to upload. In other words there's a reason why a new soap opera episode can be produced everyday, yet a space opera like The Mandalorian takes a year just to get eight episodes.
I don't mean in any way to say that quantity is better than quality or vice versa, but it's a choice each of us needs to make.
When I first started it was pure quantity. After a long time, I realized I wanted to be like Jacques Cousteau. That meant I had to slow way down and increase the quality by a lot.
The higher your quality, the lower your quantity. The higher your quantity the lower your quality.
Now, the old Mr. Roger's Neighborhood was a great example of a low-production quality, but highly professional. The same with the old Bob Ross painting show. I suppose that's why I love documentary film so much. It's is likewise a "low" production quality combined with a high quality of storytelling. A good blend.
- quantitative
- qualitative
The second less spoken of form of consistency is quality. In other words the higher quality video you produce the lesser quantity you'll be able to upload. In other words there's a reason why a new soap opera episode can be produced everyday, yet a space opera like The Mandalorian takes a year just to get eight episodes.
I don't mean in any way to say that quantity is better than quality or vice versa, but it's a choice each of us needs to make.
When I first started it was pure quantity. After a long time, I realized I wanted to be like Jacques Cousteau. That meant I had to slow way down and increase the quality by a lot.
The higher your quality, the lower your quantity. The higher your quantity the lower your quality.
Now, the old Mr. Roger's Neighborhood was a great example of a low-production quality, but highly professional. The same with the old Bob Ross painting show. I suppose that's why I love documentary film so much. It's is likewise a "low" production quality combined with a high quality of storytelling. A good blend.
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Yes. YouTube tends to regard channels that upload on schedule as being more professional than channels that upload randomly. In the past, this did play a part in your ranking, but I am not so sure today. If you produce entertainment-style content, it can certainly be beneficial to have a schedule so your subscribers will know when to expect your new content and this will potentially increase views upload release, which can have a positive effect on the ranking of your video.
Personally, I upload on a schedule, although I have seen no direct tangible effect of it. YouTube is a mystery and the best anyone can do is guess. When I first started out, I produced videos as fast as I could to build up my database. I used a cheap $40 DBPower action camera that was mounted to my head. I had no script and was just basically flying by the seat of my pants. The video quality was crap and I did no SEO on them at all and just used thumbnails that were drawn from the video. However, many of those videos are still my most popular videos even today after six years. Today I use thousands of dollars of equipment and spend days and weeks on one video, perform intense SEO, and my new videos cannot touch the performance of those old crappy videos I made with a $40 action camera.
So what does this mean? It means that YouTube is highly competitive and that there is no sure formula to success for an amateur starting out.YouTube used to be about amateurs "Broadcasting Themselves". Today, however, for true amateurs just starting out, it is not so easy. All you can do is try. The people on here will give you their best advice, but at the end of the day, it is all up to you to find your niche and to knuckle down and work hard to carve out a piece of YouTube real estate.
Oh, man! Thems were the days! I had a hat cam, gosh! Those videos were bad, sooo bad! Yup! Many of my best performing videos are still some of those old crappy videos. That was the wild west, before COPPA, before ads, before the 'pocolypses, before people even knew what an algorithm was. Thems were the days. Gone and never to be seen again.
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I am blown away by this post! So good! You are absolutely correct. People rarely discuss consistency as it relates to quality issues.
I agree that very early on, quantity of videos is a priority. I was trying to bust out 2-3 videos per week but it was killing me. I was trying to get to my 100 videos as fast as I could so I had a library to show. But yes, once you get to a certain number of videos, you begin to shift.
I've had this debate with someone about what is the higher priority in the beginning. Quantity or quality? Obviously, quantity doesn't mean you turn out slop but it also means you intentionally make choices of what is "good enough". The bar is lower in quantity. You don't edit as meticulously. You don't add B-roll, music, sound effects, text, titles, animatons, alternate shots, etc. Every element takes time. As long as it takes me already, to add every single element, would make it impossible for me to build out quickly.
Going for super high quality in the beginning will take out/kill most people. It is so freaking hard at the beginning to get started with no videos. There is so much to learn in the beginning, it is overwhelming. There is no way I would recommend people focus on quality in the beginning.
This person spent a ton of money on all kinds of expensive goodies/equipment, furnishings, insisting on 4K, a full studio setup, B-roll, etc. I felt that it would hurt him and I warned him of that. However, everyone has to learn in their own way. He started and stopped after making 5 excellent videos. Nearly every video he produced was superior to mine. But the process wore him down. He put so much into those 5 videos, he had to stop. And that is a problem he has to contend with. I think he will start again at some point but I predict he will fizzle out again unless he changes his approach because it is unsustainable unless he builds the mental muscles and internal processes to cope.
As has been said so frequently, YT is a marathon not a sprint. You can only frontload so much. That is why so many people shout, "Just turn on the camera and start recording". It is the rare bird that can do EVERYTHING well. I know I can't. I think we all play to our strengths and priorities.
I know no one is going to confuse my videos as any work of art, documentary, or any cinematic effort. However, in small ways, I do try to tweak, improve things, be more efficient with every video. Honestly, efficiency is something that I am struggling with. I have to find a way to have decent editing but not take so much darn time like I do now.
Mark Rober produces only 1 video per month but has a huge following. He proves focusing on quality is a successful strategy. I heard he intentionally keeps it once per month because he doesn't want to burn out but also has a lot of time to do prep work.
Damon, thank you again for bringing this topic to the forefront. It is not discussed very much at all. I watched a few of your videos and it carries gravitas and it sets a mood. Your videos are to be relished and savored. I may try some of what you do in a future video.
For myself I find an upload schedule to be helpful. I am gloriously retired and easily distracted. With an upload schedule it keeps me thinking about my videos, and working on them. I have a few subscribers that keep up with my schedule and comment if I miss a normal release date - but I do not think most subscribers pay that much attention. I try to make evergreen content and timing is not as important on those. I do release videos regularly, but do not live & die by the calendar.
But I found that having an upload schedule also got me to be more likely to upload a video to be "on time", rather than when it was ready. If you release a bad video - it stays bad forever. Better to wait until it is ready, even if you miss a scheduled release date. I try to have 3 or 4 videos uploaded to the Members area, and schedule them for release as Public later (I give Members early access, but also some vids are Members only). This gives me breathing room to finish a video properly, and not be rushed.
I release vids on Wed & Sat, but only do about 6 videos a month (it varies). I do every Wednesday, and some Saturdays. I think that is consistent enough for YouTube?
I currently have 2 videos scheduled, 2 in the Members area to be scheduled later, and 5 videos on my PC in various stages of editing. Most of those will be finished around the same time. My editing workflow seems convoluted, but it works for me.
I compare it to video game companies. Some companies are known for releasing on time, whether they are ready or not. Other companies are known for releasing when the game is ready, even if it means postponing the date. No one likes the game to be postponed, but we appreciate a properly finished and tested game. Also a bad game can be fixed after publishing, a bad video... is just bad.
But I found that having an upload schedule also got me to be more likely to upload a video to be "on time", rather than when it was ready. If you release a bad video - it stays bad forever. Better to wait until it is ready, even if you miss a scheduled release date. I try to have 3 or 4 videos uploaded to the Members area, and schedule them for release as Public later (I give Members early access, but also some vids are Members only). This gives me breathing room to finish a video properly, and not be rushed.
I release vids on Wed & Sat, but only do about 6 videos a month (it varies). I do every Wednesday, and some Saturdays. I think that is consistent enough for YouTube?
I currently have 2 videos scheduled, 2 in the Members area to be scheduled later, and 5 videos on my PC in various stages of editing. Most of those will be finished around the same time. My editing workflow seems convoluted, but it works for me.
I compare it to video game companies. Some companies are known for releasing on time, whether they are ready or not. Other companies are known for releasing when the game is ready, even if it means postponing the date. No one likes the game to be postponed, but we appreciate a properly finished and tested game. Also a bad game can be fixed after publishing, a bad video... is just bad.
I use an upload schedule as youtube is looking for consistency. However, you need to chose a schedule that works for you. If you're just pushing out content as fast as you can without any real thought. You'll tire yourself out and it won't be good content.