Hey guys!

I know that staying motivated is a big issue for beginners out there, so I thought I'd share with you this little analogy of mine to inspire you guys to keep making more videos. I've recently had an epiphany of sorts about why I keep posting videos as a small Youtuber and when it is safe to say that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Now, I know basically nothing about the so-called Youtube algorithm (and neither do you or anyone else you know; the "algorithm" is an incredibly complex system with many randomized and unknown factors so trying to figure it out makes no sense and is probably just shy of being impossible), but I do know that consistency is key when it comes to anything and everything. So giving up too early on makes no sense; if there is some kind of magical Youtube algorithm out there, it's gonna take some time for it to pick up on you.

So how do you not give up? Simple. Adapt the mindset that every single time you upload a new video, you are helping Youtube figure out who you are and what you do. Doesn't make sense? Let me explain: if you know anything about Youtube success, then you probably know that you need to have a niche. Once you upload your very first video, you're telling small bits and pieces to Youtube as to who you are and what your channel is about. Youtube doesn't analyze your entire video, it just looks at the metadata associated with it (tags, description, title, automatically generated captions, comments, etc.) and then waits for how people react to it. If you start uploading all kinds of different videos which have no common element to them, Youtube might start assuming that you are just an average user of the platform and you may share videos only with your friends and family but you don't plan on going viral or making money with it.

But if you do want to make money with it OR if Youtube isn't JUST a hobby to you, then you need to consistently tell Youtube who you are and what your channel is about. Why? Because Youtube HAS TO KNOW what kind of videos you make in order to determine which users might benefit from watching your videos. It's actually very simple. The more videos you upload that fall within your niche, the more information you're giving Youtube about yourself and your channel and, consequently, the more likely it is that Youtube starts noticing your activity on the platform. How many videos this requires doesn't matter (and I have absolutely no idea), but it's definitely not 5 videos and probably also not 10 videos. This is why SEO is important: that metadata tells Youtube everything that it needs to know about who you are and what you do on this platform, which is gonna help the platform decide who to recommend your videos to. Youtube doesn't want to recommend teenager makeup tutorials to middle aged men interested in fishing, and it also doesn't want to advertise/recommend my photography tutorials to someone who has never watched a single photography or Photoshop related video their entire life. It's mutually beneficial for both content creators and viewers; you wouldn't want your videos being watched by someone who's gonna quit the video after 10 seconds after they realize that the video is just not for them, would you?

Example: if you upload videos about world history, the more videos you upload that have "world history" in the title / tags / description, the more Youtube's gonna know about you. After a certain amount of time Youtube learns that your channel revolves around history and world history; and so it starts matching your videos with the kind of niche and audience that might enjoy your videos, i.e. people who like watching history related videos. As long as you only have a few videos, this ain't gonna work. You need to stay consistent with your uploads both in terms of their regularity and their quality/topic.

I hope this helps at least some of you out there to keep making videos even when you feel like giving up. You never know when Youtube's gonna start pushing you a little bit, so never give up on the journey. This mentality helps me a LOT and so I hope it's gonna help you guys, too.

Cheers!

TL;DR: Upload more videos to better tell Youtube who you are and what your channel is about. This, in turn, is gonna help Youtube determine the kind of audience that it can recommend your videos to. Optimal viewing experience, my friends.

Edit: added a short paragraph with an example corrected some typos.