Have you ever poured your heart and soul into a YouTube video that you just knew would go viral only to check the analytics hours later and realise it’s dead on arrival? Been there. Still there.
Believe it or not, even after six years on the platform, more than 20 million views and hundreds of thousands of subscribers, this still happens to me.
I’m not alone.
Content creators reach out to me on a weekly basis to share how bummed they get by low YouTube views.
They all end up asking the same question: how do you keep creating YouTube videos even when no one’s watching.
That’s a fair question. After all, no one wants to waste their time, and they certainly don’t want to keep feeling like a failure.
Every YouTuber – from MrBeast to the wide-eyed newcomer, hits seasons where their numbers dip.
In this blog post, I’ll share some mindset shifts and practical tips to help you keep creating your best work without getting discouraged and giving up.
Getting Low YouTube Views Is Really Emotionally Draining
I often joke with my creator friends that YouTube is like a toxic ex that love bombs you, then ghosts you just as you start to expect more.
When a video starts taking off, it’s like a drug in the system – giving you the ultimate emotional high.
New viewers discover your channel and ask the all-important question: how am I just now discovering your content?
Others compliment your video, your outfit, your looks, you name it, and of course, the holy grail, they subscribe.
You check the stats and you realise you’ve gotten 200,000 views in five hours. Holy crap. You’re in love.
Next week, you put out another video and the same people who subscribed off of last week’s video, quietly unsubscribe. The views are down. Way down. The compliments fade. The love affair is over.
Content creators are artists, and in the words of the great Erykah Badu, we’re sensitive about our sh*t.
What my YouTube journey has taught me is that you have to train yourself not to get too starry eyed or too discouraged. Because if you do the former, you’ll fall into a bit of a depression when the views plummet, and if you get too depressed, you won’t have the energy or desire to keep creating.
My advice: remain grateful and keep doing the work.
Repeat After Me: Every Video Is Not For Everyone
In my six years on YouTube, I have published 336 videos (at the time of writing this blog post).
I have edited all but two of them.
There’s no way every single one of them is going to be a hit – even though in my mind, they all are.
The reality is everything I do won’t resonate with everyone.
Some people come to my channel for fun reaction videos, others for social commentary, others for heart-to-hearts.
Then, there are viewers who only tune in for my political commentary. It’s rare to find a viewer who is going to watch everything I do.
If they prefer political content, they’re not going to watch a video of me reacting to botched Brazilian Butt Lifts, and vice versa.
You have to reframe your disappointment so that you don’t burn out or lose your creative edge.
Shift Your Focus: Why Are You Creating Content?
While reframing your mindset, ask yourself this important question: are you on YouTube just to get views or do you want to make an impact?
Don’t answer too quickly. Really think about it.
If you’re just chasing the algorithm and quick results, then, by all means, knock yourself out.
However, if your goal is to be impactful and have longevity on the platform, then you have to prepare yourself for a slow burn.
Let me let you in on a secret. While planning my videos, I already know which ones are likely to take off and which ones will likely garner low views.
But, if I have something to say or there’s an important conversation I want to have, I’m going to do just that, even if that video doesn’t go viral.
Sometimes a video will surprise me, but I will never scrap an important video because I’m concerned about low YouTube views.
My desire be impactful and condition my audience to think differently. That means exposing them to different types of content.
An Audience Of One Is Still An Audience
Stop beating yourself up over the fact that only 500 people tuned into your video. That’s 500 strangers who stopped what they were doing to watch your video. They thought your content was so good that they had to watch it.
Why dismiss those individuals because your video got low views?
As content creators, we must condition ourselves to celebrate the small wins.
Those repeat viewers who keep coming back? Be grateful for them. The people who take the time to leave comments and like your video, show appreciation because they don’t have to watch you, and if you take them for granted, they just might stop.
Create Content That Excites You
When you’re busy creating content that gets you excited, you don’t have time to stay down.
I can honestly say that every video I have done excited me for different reasons.
If you all could see me when I’m recording my YouTube videos, you would laugh because I am busy having my own private reactions to things having a good old time.
You have to love creating. It really changes everything and to be honest, it motivates you when your video is at a standstill.
Go Deeper: Build A Community, Not Just An Audience
You know what I love more than anything? Engaging with my community. Nothing makes me happier than to see familiar names and faces in the comments section.
These are the people who truly connect with you and your content.
They’re the ones who are going to be honest and say when they agree or disagree with you. They are invested and truly support you. That is the greatest feeling in the world and their kind words really get you through the day when you’re having low YouTube views.
Take the time to respond to comments and like posts. Really carve out the time to do this.
While I can’t respond to everybody, I pride myself on showing appreciation to my tribe.
When you truly engage with your community, you’ll start making content for them, and not the finicky algorithm.
Low YouTube Views Doesn’t Mean Low Value Content
Some of my best work didn’t even crack the 10,000 views mark. I mean that.
To this day, I can’t tell you how many people email me to say that they recently discovered a video I did years ago that changed their lives. I believe them. Remember, my goal is to be impactful, not a flash in the pan.
The most incredible YouTube content is sitting on the platform with low views. That doesn’t mean it’s low value.
If I’m being honest, some videos that go viral are straight trash. I wonder how millions of people even watched it. And that’s not me hating. But, I see garbage every day.
Meantime, smaller YouTubers will have a video with 23 views that was eye-opening or life changing.
Very often, I will tune in to a small YouTuber just to support them. But, what will happen is, I’ll end up loving their content.
How I Deal With The Algorithm Without Going Crazy
I love YouTube. It is, by far, my favourite social media platform. But, it’s algorithm is wishy-washy. So, again, rather than exclusively chasing the latest trend, I incorporate a lot of evergreen content into my content strategy. In case you didn’t know, YouTube loves evergreen content.
For those who don’t know, evergreen content is content that remains relevant for a long period of time.
For example, how to paint a wall for beginners is a perfect example of evergreen content. For the rest of history, some newbie is going to want to know how to paint a wall.
Also, keep in mind that it’s not uncommon for a video that underperformed to take off into the stratosphere.
Back in October 2023, I did a video called, Reacting to Nasty Anti-White TikToks. I will never forget it because it was a sponsored video. When I released it, it didn’t perform well. I knew in my heart that, that was a great video and couldn’t understand why it hadn’t taken off.
To my surprise, four months later, that video started skyrocketing. Today, it has 758,605 views and growing. I gained nearly 17,000 subscribers from that video.
Why You Need To Keep Going
I want you to remember something. Every content creator started somewhere, and many started small, toiling away in their bedrooms, living rooms or basements hoping for YouTube fame.
One video can change your life. So, please don’t get discouraged when you pour your heart into a video and it gets low views. You don’t know whose life you have changed with that piece of art.
Now, earlier I told you all that I get a lot of questions from content creators, particularly about how I keep creating when the YouTube views are low.
So, let me answer.
I keep creating because it’s honestly what I love to do.
After six years on the platform, I know what it’s like to upload a video I spent working on for days and only get 20 views – all from people I know.
When you go through the ropes and start from the ground up, you’re not easily defeated.
That’s not to say I don’t feel disappointment, because I certainly do. I want the world to see my videos. But, if only 10,000 see it, I keep pressing on.
I can’t tell you how many times I have put out back-to-back videos that barely cleared 20,000 views, only for the next video to fetch over half a million views.
Had I gotten discouraged and gave up when the videos weren’t performing up to my usual numbers, I would have never had a video go viral.
The long game is where creators win, and one video can change your life. I know it did for me.
I want to invite you to head down below in the comments section and share your YouTube struggles. I want to hear it all.
In the meantime, I am including some related articles that I think you’ll enjoy.
