Gaming Channel Must Knows | Channel Checkup ft. Alyska

Summary

In this YouTube Creators video, Sarah, a gaming strategist, discusses channel growth strategies with Alyce from the channel Alaska. They delve into optimizing titles and thumbnails for better reach, focusing on appealing to broader audiences. Alyce shares her goals of rebranding and diversifying content, including game reviews and highlights from livestreams. They also explore analytics, emphasizing the importance of click-through rates. Sarah provides valuable insights on branding, rebranding, and creating content that balances both current and new audience engagement. Alyce leaves the conversation feeling more confident about her channel's evolution.

Takeaways

• 😀 Alyce's primary goals are to appeal to a broader audience and eventually rebrand her channel.
• 😀 Titles should include the game name and episode details to make content discoverable and easy to search.
• 😀 Broadly appealing titles for episode ones and highlights will help attract viewers who may not be familiar with the game.
• 😀 Thumbnails should be simple and visually appealing even when scaled down for mobile viewing, and consistent branding is key.
• 😀 Alyce was introduced to the importance of click-through rate (CTR) and how it helps gauge the appeal of her videos.
• 😀 Alyce should analyze high CTR videos to identify successful strategies in titles and thumbnails to apply to future content.
• 😀 The 'Hero, Hub, Help' framework can guide content creation by focusing on broadly appealing (Hero) content, core (Hub) content, and searchable (Help) content.
• 😀 Alyce wants to branch out from long-form walkthroughs into shorter, creative content, such as game reviews and highlights.
• 😀 Short-form content, especially highlights from live streams, can engage both current viewers and attract new ones.
• 😀 Alyce plans to rebrand her channel from 'Alaska' to 'Alyska' to make it more unique and easier to find, without confusing her current audience.
• 😀 Communicating changes like a rebrand through videos and the community tab will help ease the transition for her audience.

Q & A

What are Alyce's primary goals for her YouTube channel right now?

Alyce's two main goals for her YouTube channel are to appeal to a broader audience and to eventually undergo a complete channel rebrand.

How does Alyce approach writing titles for her videos?

Alyce includes both the game title and the part of the series in her video titles to make it easier for viewers to find specific episodes and follow along with the series.

What strategy did Sarah suggest for Alyce's video titles to appeal to a broader audience?

Sarah suggested that Alyce use more broadly appealing titles, especially for episode ones, similar to the 'This is my new favourite game' title from Alyce’s Monster Hunter series.

Why is including the game title in the video important for discoverability?

Including the game title in the video is important because YouTube tags the game alongside the content, making it easier for viewers interested in that game to discover Alyce's videos through the game's page.

What advice did Sarah give regarding Alyce's thumbnail strategy?

Sarah advised that Alyce focus on having a consistent thumbnail theme across her videos and games while ensuring the thumbnails are visually appealing even when shrunk down on mobile devices.

What is the importance of testing a thumbnail by shrinking it down?

Testing a thumbnail by shrinking it down helps ensure that it remains visually appealing and clickable on mobile devices, which are the most common platform for YouTube viewers.

What is click-through rate (CTR), and why is it important?

Click-through rate (CTR) measures the percentage of people who click on a video after being exposed to its thumbnail. It is important because it helps gauge how appealing a video is to viewers and can provide insights into successful thumbnail and title strategies.

What was Alyce's experience with her channel name change, and what is her plan moving forward?

Alyce rebranded her channel eight months ago to 'Alaska,' but realized it was difficult for viewers to find her due to the commonality of the name. She plans to change it to 'Alyska,' a combination of her first name and her current channel name, to make it more unique and searchable.

What is the 'Hero, Hub, Help' framework, and how does it relate to Alyce's content strategy?

The 'Hero, Hub, Help' framework is a content strategy that categorizes videos into three types: 'Hero' for broadly appealing content, 'Hub' for regular content that builds an audience (like walkthroughs), and 'Help' for evergreen, searchable content. Alyce can use this framework to balance her content and attract both new and existing viewers.

What type of content does Alyce want to focus on more in the future?

Alyce wants to move beyond just walkthroughs and start creating more creative content, such as game reviews. She aims to diversify her content to engage her current audience while attracting new viewers.

How does Alyce plan to incorporate short-form content into her strategy?

Alyce plans to create more short-form content by editing her live streams into highlights, which she has previously done with success. She believes this format resonates well with both new and current viewers.