YouTube Is Not a Video Platform
Let's talk about what it is.
I am the director of content at a pretty large Christian media organization. I also have the privilege of advising a number of individuals, churches, and Christian ministries on digital content strategy as a consultant.
In all of this work, I cannot possibly talk more frequently or urgently about the importance and centrality of video content generally and YouTube content specifically.
The future of internet media, at least at the moment, runs through YouTube.
But it isn’t just the future.
YouTube is the present and the future of internet media.
It is TV. It is movies. It is music. It is radio. It is live. It is on-demand. It is comedy. It is education. It is persuasion. It is inspiration.
YouTube Is About Decisions
YouTube is not a video platform.
YouTube is a decision platform.
YouTube is not a video platform until a user decides to click on a video and watch it.1
In order for YouTube to be a video platform for any individual viewer of one of your videos, something like this must happen:
YouTube’s algorithm must decide to serve your video to the homepage or search results of a potential viewer.
The user must decide to stop scrolling or refrain from tapping another video so that…
The user can decide to glance at your thumbnail and then a fraction of a second later…
The user can decide to read your title.
Then the user may decide to tap your video and begin watching.
It is only when a user walks through those steps, or some version of them, that YouTube becomes a video platform. Until the user reaches the end of that series of decisions, the platform is not yet a video platform.2
What Does This Mean for Creators?
What this means for creators is that creators must devote a significant amount of attention to all of the aspects of YouTube content creation that feel extracurricular, outside of what seems to be the heart of the matter—namely, making interesting, entertaining, or otherwise “effective” video content itself.
Thumbnails, titles, descriptions, and so many other small details fuel the success of any given piece of YouTube content. Why? Because these factor into whether or not a potential viewer decides to turn YouTube into a video platform and view your content.
It may seem weird, or even backward, but YouTube content creators—whether individuals or brands—need to ideate YouTube content with thumbnails and titles in mind.
If you brainstorm a video idea that seems compelling in itself, but you cannot come up with a title and thumbnail that will drive a decision, you need to put the idea on the shelf until you figure out how to position that good video idea such that it can drive a decision.
Whether or not an idea precipitates an effective title and thumbnail is part of what makes it a “good idea.” Put it another way: a “good idea for a YouTube video” is not actually a good idea for a YouTube video if that idea does not have solid thumbnail and title potential.
Two Primary Tasks
YouTube content creators spend their time on two primary tasks: 1) making compelling video content, and 2) creating assets like thumbnails and titles that solicit a decision from potential viewers.
The unfortunate reality is that, at least in my experience, many YouTube content creators spend something like 95% of their time on video content and 5% of their time on decision-driving details like titles and thumbnails.
But if we operate with the correct understanding that YouTube is a decision platform before it is a video platform, YouTube content creators should spend significantly more time, perhaps 20-30% of their time, on details like titles and thumbnails that lead to decisions and watch time.
The details, the packaging, disproportionately impact the success of the heart of the work, and the investment of time should reflect that.
If Christian content creators—whether individuals, ministries, or otherwise—want to be better at YouTube, they need to start seeing it for what it is: a decision platform first and a video platform second.
If you want to chat about hiring me as an advisor or consultant like some others have, you can just respond to this email if you received it, or email me at chris.j.martin17@gmail.com. I’m open to adding some additional clients this summer.
The exception to this is the Shorts portion of the YouTube platform, which videos autoplay videos in a feed like TikTok.
I've gone deep into YouTube over the last couple of years. I work full-time as a congregational developer in the United Methodist Church and I've been talking with so many of my pastors/churches about learning to use YouTube in a local setting. I've had some wild interactions with folks locally when I started location tagging all my videos. My big area of focused improvement this year has been learning the nuances of all the tiny details you talk about in this article.
I'm totally here for this conversation.
I run a podcast production company mostly working with Faith-based clients. I’m an audio guy, still plenty to learn on the video side. Might reach out to you soon to help me and possibly some clients!