In this conversation, Augie Johnston and Grant Ball discuss the changes happening on YouTube and what actually matters in 2024. They cover topics such as the diminishing importance of subscribers, the role of click-through rate and watch time, the relevance of tags, the impact of shorts on channel growth, and the rise of ultra-long-form content like video podcasts. They emphasize the need for creators to focus on viewer satisfaction and the importance of building an engaged audience through consistent content creation.

Takeaways

• Subscribers are no longer as important as they used to be in terms of the YouTube algorithm. Click-through rate and watch time are more crucial metrics for video performance.
• Tags have become less important in recent years, with YouTube relying more on computer vision and AI to understand video content.
• Shorts can be beneficial for channel growth, but their impact on long-form content viewership is uncertain. It's important to consider the alignment between short and long-form content.
• Ultra-long-form content, such as video podcasts, can be successful in accumulating watch time, but it's a high-risk, high-reward strategy. Building a loyal audience through consistent content creation is key.
• YouTube is placing more emphasis on viewer satisfaction, using surveys to gauge how satisfied viewers are with the content they watch.
• Creators should focus on delivering value and meeting viewer expectations in their videos, avoiding clickbait and ensuring that the content matches the title and thumbnail.
• While subscribers can be a fun metric and provide social proof, the number of monthly views is a more accurate measure of a channel's success and impact.
• Creators should consider starting a video podcast as it can attract a dedicated audience and contribute to channel growth.