Yes, YouTube’s copyright claim system is broken. That’s without question. YouTube isn’t perfect by any means. But this notion that there’s been an “algorithm” change ignores a some of the more likely suspects.

1. Yes, you had millions of subscribers. That were all in the age bracket of 13-19. You HAD to know they were going to age out at some point, and you HAD to know that what interests one generation isn’t going to automatically interest another, right?
2. Do you perform ANY kind of SEO optimization? Because little channels like me are SEOing the crap out of our videos and channel. We’re sharing them to every platform. We’re spending hours on our thumbnails making sure they attract attention. And that means, the marketplace is getting more competitive. What are you doing to keep up?
3. Along those lines, has your content changed at all in the last two years? Three? Five? Did you really think that YouTube celebrity status was a more fixed state than any other kinds of celeb status? Trends change. People’s interests change. What have you done to adapt? How long did you think people were going to watch your vlogs? For all time?
There’s a certain measure of personal responsibility here that makes way more sense than an algorithm change. Smaller channels are finding their audience, while larger channels are taking dives. Consider the possibility that you’ve ridden the wave as far as you can, and it’s time to rethink your strategy. The little channels are creeping up behind ya, and they want a slice of what you’ve taken for granted as belonging to you.

Leave a Reply

