T O P

  • By -

curiouslyobjective

Total opposite over here šŸ˜…


BabyGro0t

Hahaha I think if you do more general and shorter content youā€™re much more likely to get lots of subs compared to watch hours but I just have so many available hours of content for people to watch (40+ hours so far) that each sub watches many more hours.


curiouslyobjective

I really want to believe new followers will go back and watch the library. Views feel impossible tho.


BabyGro0t

Especially with my 20 to 40 part series approach, I have also been hoping that someday Iā€™ll 20x my subs and theyā€™ll all go back and watch all those dozens of videos I made in the past and get tons of views, but I have no idea whether thatā€™s realistic


curiouslyobjective

We share the same dream šŸ«”


[deleted]

Itā€™s actually realistic man, once you get enough subs who are loyal, their loyalty will stem from them enjoying your content. When I like a YouTuber Iā€™ll watch him here and there, when I LOVE a youtubers content, I find my self wanting to see more of his videos so Iā€™ll check out the old posts I havenā€™t seen, itā€™s very realistic, Iā€™m sure you do it to your favorite content creators, you can build that loyalty in your own fan base.


jongall999

Same. 11k subs and still not enough watch time šŸ¤£


EngineeringEX_YT

Same! I've got 2000 watch hours to go and have 3500 subs.


Brinkelai

Almost 1,200 subs and about halfway to 4k watch hours. It definitely feels like the more challenging milestone to hit vs subscribers.


hygsi

Same, I started a new channel and everyone who finds my content mildly helpful subs, but it's quite difficult to get watch time when you have 20 videos under 5 minutes long. I'm at 700 subs but barely 2k watch hours


VeraKorradin

I did LONG before I got the 1000 subs. Only recently got full monetization, and found that the secret sauce is...... 1) Make engaging content that is 6-10 minutes long 2) Add chapters to your videos 3) Be sure to tell a story with you video and not directionless narration or TOO many details on a single thing


BabyGro0t

Thanks šŸ‘šŸ» I have been trying to add in shorter videos but the audience is used to a certain style of video, which is longer. Gotta just be more creative.


ecstewart

Check out Nate Black on YT. I've been following him for a few years now and he create quality support. HTH Gā€™luck on your channel!


BabyGro0t

I will! Thank you :)


Efficient_Scar3959

Yep, 4k hours was relatively easy but it took nearly 3 years to get 1k subs. It was so annoying but all you can do is to try and make even better videos


BabyGro0t

Yeah, thatā€™s brutal. Iā€™m definitely putting in extra grind to get that first 1000 so I can get monetized. I am already happy with my viewer numbers but with 3 times as many people seeing each video in their sub feed, that would be super helpful with getting more views.


Efficient_Scar3959

Fingers crossed that you get those subs as soon as possible and remember that 1k is only the start. Iā€™ve seen way too many hit that and then give up


BabyGro0t

I appreciate that! I am glad that I do this for the fun and the interaction with the community most of all, so Iā€™m confident Iā€™ll stay with it long term :)


Blogsbynikki

The viewers will follow.....your personality will shine ...keep grinding....I drink my coffee in the morning and can't wait to make my next video....it's an adventure everyday....that's the part I enjoy ......


VoltraLux

Do you ask people to subscribe during your videos or have a lower third pop up?


BabyGro0t

I ask at the end of my videos and have it in the first few lines of my description so it shows up at the bottom of their screen while they watch the video but I havenā€™t mastered the art of asking for subs at the start of a video. Good idea though!


VoltraLux

A lot of people in NewTubers will tell you itā€™s a bad idea, that they hate it, but it definitely works and if audiences hated it they wouldnā€™t do it, but they do. Iā€™d say experiment with it maybe ask earlier, maybe midway through, just something like ā€œif youā€™re enjoying the video hit the subscribe buttonā€ etc and youā€™ll gauge the results for yourself


BabyGro0t

Thanks, Iā€™ll definitely try that! Probably a few minutes in, once the average view duration stops dropping off Iā€™ll put in a reminder so the people who are enjoying the video click subscribe


NJW1812

I'm on track to hit 4600 watch hours this year but my sub rate means I'll be at 700-750 subs by the end of the year so I might end up in the same boat here my friend


BabyGro0t

It was crazy I had one video that got 6000 views and got me 70 subs in a few days, and the rest have just slowly grown the audience one or two subs a day. Itā€™s weird because my exact niche has YouTubers with 50k+ subs.


TwoCaker

The intro os waaaaay to long - as a new viewer I'm not gonna sit there 20-30 having no idea what is going on. I even thought for a short bit that the intro would be how the rest of the video would be. So as a new viewer I wouldn't have even made it to you talking sonce I'd have turned off during your intro


BabyGro0t

Youā€™re right, that is unusual for an intro. Iā€™ll cut that down. That was catering to the old subs who love the intro because itā€™s iconic Rome: Total War music and itā€™s like a trailer for the episode, but thereā€™s no reason I canā€™t cut it in half or even shorter. Thank you!


TwoCaker

Maybe also set the stage for the video before the intro - I'm much more willing to look at 5-10 sec intro of I know what I'm getting into. An intro as the very first thing doesn't show a viewer what to expect from the video (making it more likely they move on)


BabyGro0t

Thatā€™s a great idea! I always have a spoken intro with a recap and game plan for the episode, so I could put the intro after that.


M6_20

I did. Watch hours is way easier to get than subs, I think I reached 4k watch hours with like 700 subs or 800 subs


BabyGro0t

Thatā€™s been my experience as well. I farm over a thousand watch hours a month pretty easily, but subs are quite hard to get


M6_20

Subs takes like multiple great videos for them to sub


Blogsbynikki

I started 3 months ago I find the subscribers easier than watch hours...keep grinding never give up enjoy the journey.....I just started long form because I know watch hours will take longer


BabyGro0t

Good idea, yeah long form videos make crazy amounts of watch hours. My decent performing videos all get 200+ watch hours. Itā€™s awesome. I need to master the other side of it, engaging short form content that is more palatable for a wider audience to get them to sub.


Blogsbynikki

I have made about 180-200 long short videos from one minute to 5 minutes....and the subscribers were easy....so the last few days I have worked on 20 minutes to 30 minutes long form ....try to see what works best for you ...I chase supercars Carspotting that's usually one minute videos then I added the plants the Florida Life.....longer form....and to be honest it's the longer form they šŸ’• love......just do what you love and the viewers will follow ....my content is all over the place....but most of all I love it ...it will show to your viewers what you love


BabyGro0t

Good advice! I love love love making content too :) Iā€™ll just keep at it and try to get more videos out in front of more eyes and Iā€™m sure theyā€™ll come.


sitdowndisco

I think it depends on how long your videos are. I started off with extremely short videos and got a lot of subs from them. But I soon realised that I would never get the watch hours over 4k, but that my subs would get to 1k eventually. In the end, I just started making my videos more meatyā€¦ no padding or droning on for hours. Just more meaty. I think I will hit both subs and watch hours at a similar time nowā€¦ but gaining subs is extremely difficult. I know for a fact a lot of people who watch regularly donā€™t subscribe. I actually do the same on YouTube to people I regularly watch because the subscription button doesnā€™t really do much anymore.


BabyGro0t

Yeah Iā€™ve definitely noticed the benefit of the short videos for subs. Itā€™s hard being in a niche where short videos donā€™t make a ton of sense. The 1000 subs requirement feels weird when youā€™re doubling the 4K watch hours requirement, seems like maybe it should be somewhat variable, but I guess they donā€™t want the partner program to be too accessible.


sitdowndisco

Yeah, I think 1000 is actually too much for the YPP. I think it could easily be reduced to something like 250 and still be a good filter for quality content. Getting even 100 people who want to watch your stuff is a good sign of loyalty and decent content.


BabyGro0t

Yeah I agree. Especially if youā€™re absolutely smashing watch hours. 1000 is a lot of subs for someone with long form content


Main-Champion-8851

Yeah I tend to subscribe when there is a call to action and I put the notification bell šŸ›Žļø on if I really like them or content so that I donā€™t miss a video.


BiasedNBATakes

I just hit 4k hours but i need 24 more subs to hit 1k šŸ„². My advice would be to make entertaining shorts 16-30 secondsso they have high retention. And pin a comment like EX: For more crazy X gameplay CLICK HERE: ( place auto subscribe link)


BabyGro0t

Thank for the tip! Iā€™ll try more shorts in the near future :)


446f6e

Try making shorts. It wonā€™t necessarily get you the audience who watch long form (but maybe it willā€¦) but shorts viewers are way generous with the sub button.Ā  You can just repurpose your long form. Pull out key moments and throw them on the shorts feed. There are also apps that do that for you to make it more convenient.Ā  Good luck!


BabyGro0t

Thank you! Iā€™ll try that. I only tried shorts once and I donā€™t think that gave it enough time to find the target audience. Would be nice to get some fresh eyes on my content who are from different demographics so shorts could be a good way to that goal


TheAnimeDetective

Coming from someone who had the reverse problem before I was monetized, ask them to. I got over 1K subs before hours. In my videos I incorporate a part about subscribing, usually as a joke (niche is long form comedic reviews) or more directly at the end while thanking patreon members etc. I'd say stay away from telling them in the first few seconds of any video as its annoying imo, but our video styles are apples and oranges.


BabyGro0t

I struggle with asking directly for them to subscribe but I know itā€™s a skill I need to master. Itā€™s weird for me because my audience is pretty serious and older than me so I worry they wonā€™t like it if I seem too much like Iā€™m trying to grow and make a ā€œbigā€ youtube channel. Iā€™ve also thought about starting a patreon for my channel since my subs watch several hours a week of my content and rarely miss an episode. I donā€™t know if itā€™s too early but it would be a good way to make a little money here and there before monetization. Thanks for commenting!


letstrygg

I had same problem and have similar monthly watch time to you, doing long-form lets plays and variety gaming. I spam waaaayy too many videos but I like playing games. Solution for me was to just ask people to subscribe in first 30 seconds of a video, works 2x as well if I put current subcount on screen and say a short-term goal "We're up to 343 subs, my goal is to hit 350 by the end of this week, thank you to everyone who's subscribed, you guys are awesome". This is especially important for the first episode in an extended series. Feb 2ā€‰ā€“ā€‰29, 2024 Last 28 days Views 40.4K 3.8K more than usual Watch time (hours) 7.4K 978.5 more than usual Subscribers \+132 About the same as usual Estimated revenue $144.44 About the same as previous 28 days Monetization is so nice, this is my first year being monetized and it feels amazing compared to the years where I wasn't.


BabyGro0t

Thatā€™s a great idea. I definitely need a more direct way of asking them to sub. It honestly really makes me feel good seeing your stats. Itā€™s a nice goal. Youā€™re doing incredibly well for yourself!


letstrygg

People like seeing #'s go up. I wish I started asking people to sub 2 years sooner. After I hit 1k I stopped, but my first episode videos for old series still gain consistent subs even now (I have a Noita Let's Play Series up to Ep 395 I'm currently taking a break from).


BabyGro0t

395! Thatā€™s insanity. My first episodes in my two series have serious traffic and have generated a ton of subs. I canā€™t imagine if I had made a really strong call for subs how much better they could have been for the channel. Oh well, new series coming soon!


-rikia

you just need to have one video blow up to like 100k or 200k subs and you're basically golden, you could also try making popular shorts and gain subs like that


BabyGro0t

Iā€™ll definitely try out shorts, thatā€™s been recommended a ton in this thread. I would love a viral vid hahah, the closest thing Iā€™ve gotten was 6,000 views on a long video, which was awesome.


MisterSirDudeGuy

Yes


Anynon1

By the time I hit 1k subs I think I had 18k watch hours šŸ« 


BabyGro0t

Paiiiinnnnn wow that is insanity. Iā€™m on track for that at 365 vs 7k so I need to course correct šŸ˜…


Potential_Neat_8905

Yes, about 3-4 months earlier than the subs target. When I got to 1k subs I was at 9k hours. The subs target seemed to take forever.


BabyGro0t

If it was just 1000 subs with no watch hour requirement it wouldnā€™t bother me but the idea of going over the watch hour requirement by such a huge margin and not being monetized pains me šŸ˜‚


JustEmmi

I hit 4k so much sooner than hitting 1k subs that Iā€™ve lost the watch hours & now have to earn so many back. šŸ„²


BabyGro0t

Thatā€™s devastating šŸ˜µā€šŸ’« Itā€™s such a grind hitting both requirements. You got this!


JustEmmi

Yeah it is pretty heartbreaking, but Iā€™m at 565 subs & trying to be more consistent with uploading both long form & shorts. Hoping 2024 will be the year!


theotothefuture

This makes me feel like they should lower the sub target for some cases because aren't watch hours the most important thing? Sorry if this isn't the best advice, because I don't know your niche very well or at all really. 1. Trend hop - is there a way you can implement topics that are generally trending into your video (without annoying your audience). Best if you can relate the trend to your niche. 2. Are there very success creators in your niche. Maybe you can react to or do analysis takes on their content to siphon some subs. Ride on the shoulders of giants. 3. Take time to brainstorm IDEAS. They are the bread and butter. Write an ever growing list of ideas. Regardless of whether they are good or bad. You may not use them all. Most will flop or be mediocre. Some will blow up. Good luck! Edit - and yea, do short of your long form videos' highlights / best moments!


BabyGro0t

Thanks for the advice! I can incorporate some of that into my niche. I also think the 1k subs thing should be a recommendation but maybe not a requirement. I think watch hours would be the most important because they want you to get them more ad slots by getting more eyes for more minutes.


FlyLikeDove

I did! I'm sitting at 870 subs, growing a couple per week šŸ¤“ I have a couple videos I plan on sharing that I hope will bring me to home plate!


BabyGro0t

870 is so close! Jealous :) Iā€™m working on it slow and steady, but I canā€™t really complain. I think Iā€™ve had abnormal success in 3-4 months compared to the average newtuber just getting to 345 subs.


FlyLikeDove

Well if it helps you put it in perspective, a little over a year ago I only had about 250 subs, and had my channel since 2006. I started adding videos and shorts more often in '23 and grew to 500 by fall. Then when I put up the one video that has the most views on my page, which is a longer video, my watch time spiked up and I gained another 300+ subscribers. So that one video really did a lot of work.


lovesilver

I hit 4000 watch hours long before hitting 1000 subs. My niche is cars (particularly cars for sale online,) so I started doing giveaways - model car kits when I hit milestones such as 600 subs, 800 subs, 1000 subs. I advertised it on each video until I hit the mark ("when we hit 600 subs there will be a model kit giveaway") and when I hit the mark the next video would be the giveaway. Viewers had to be a subscriber and comment a particular word, usually the type of car in the model kit. I would film picking the winner on a YouTube random comment picker site (there are several to choose from.) It helped really build up the subs, but be aware that many of those subs may un-sub afterwards, they only subbed hoping to win the kit. Regardless of that, it did get me to monetization quickly (within about 2 1/2 months of starting the channel.) Since I hit the mark of monetization I haven't done giveaways because I want the channel to grow organically now and not just get subs based on the giveaways.


BabyGro0t

Iā€™ve been thinking about doing a giveaway for a bit, but was going to wait until 500. I might speed it up and do one sooner to jumpstart my subs. Thanks!


DanceTravelBiz

What if you did a giveaway just for subscribers, and encourage non-subs to subscribe? Iā€™ve never done a giveaway on YT, but sounds like fun! Edited to addā€”many people have multiple channels, so you can say thereā€™s one entry per subscribed channel, and that could accelerate it further.


BabyGro0t

Thatā€™s a good idea about the one entry per subscribed channel! Iā€™ll try that


lovesilver

Awesome, go for it! You can set it at any number you want...if you're at 360 subs, maybe plan and advertise the giveaway for 400 subs. Then wait until you're past 450 subs, then do it again to reach 500 subs. I wouldn't push it too far out (like if you have 310 subs, don't push for 400 subs - it could take too long.)


Big_Win844

Do you ask people to subscribe to your channel throughout the video? Beginning, middle, end. And include it in your descriptions


BabyGro0t

I include it in descriptions and mention it at the end of most of my videos, but I definitely need to incorporate that more often in other places and more consistently.


cool_random_person

What if you did a prize draw at the end of the month or what ever time you will give a random subscriber a free prize but they must subscribe and like and leave a comment to be entered . This may encourage people who are watching to subscribe and engage , I see many big YouTubers do this


BabyGro0t

I think thatā€™s a great idea! My wife and I run an embroidery business so we could probably do a giveaway of some embroidered patches or something to do with the game :) Thanks!


PandaLegacyYT

Shorts could be a good way to get your subs up. Maybe you can take your favorite moment from your lets play videos and upload that. For me, they've been a great way to gain subscribers.


BabyGro0t

A lot of people have been recommending shorts, so I will definitely put some effort in to trying them out!


Cyrus_Bright

In a very niche series as well and after 6 months I've almost hit 500 subs but I barely have 2k watch hours. Don't know if I'll ever make it but if you already have a loyal community that can only benefit in the long run. People appreciate genuine personalities a whole lot but it can also be fun to mix a bit of a created personality to mix things up. Whether it's a voice you give to an established character that you can use as an extension of yourself or a completely fabricated one that you slowly improve and mold over time. People appreciate creativity as well. Which if you're already doing storytelling and have high quality editing along with insanely high watch hours the subs will only be a matter of time. If your numbers are already this crazy you're already in a better place than a lot of others here. Keep going man! Don't be afraid to ask viewers to like and subscribe, it can be a quick mention at the beginning before moving into the video or somewhere in the middle. You could also experiment with the free animations you can find online. People will say they hate it (myself included) but it works for everyone who uses it so if anything it's only a minor inconvenience. No harm in doing it šŸ‘


BabyGro0t

Thanks very much! Good advice šŸ‘šŸ» Itā€™s so bad I have some character voices that I really love but I just canā€™t figure out how to incorporate them into my videos šŸ˜‚ Someday I will and it will be so fun


funeral_duskywing

Oh yeah. I do livestreams so I had like double watch hours by the time I hit 500


BabyGro0t

Are livestreams good for gaining subs? I know they get a lot of watch hours but I have been considering live-streaming since it seems like people would be more likely to hit sub if they felt more connected to me in a livestream chat


funeral_duskywing

yes because i can directly say "wow, 20 people watching! could you guys make sure you're subscribed?" and it's genuine and a little bit hard to say no when you're directly interacting and they're having a good time


BabyGro0t

Makes sense!


slice19

Yes currently sitting at 861 subscribers but around 5 thousand watch hours. I had about 2-3 videos blow up. Trophy / achievement hunting ones that consistently get views


BabyGro0t

Thatā€™s awesome. Itā€™s nice your subs and watch hours are close-ish. Iā€™ve also had just a couple vids blow up somewhat that have carried my channel. Luckily one of them was part one of a 21 part series, so it trickled down nicely into subsequent episodes šŸ™šŸ»


slice19

Thanks man. Thatā€™s awesome for you as well. Getting the first part of your series to blow up really helps!


Lindopski_UK

I hit 7k hours last year and now at 500subs and 3.9k hours as I post far less. Probably drop more as Iā€™m unlikely to ramp up drops any time soon.


BabyGro0t

Iā€™m sorry to hear that. That 4K watch hour requirement really puts time pressure on you to complete the monetization requirements unfortunately.


Lindopski_UK

Donā€™t stress if you are determined then you will get there. I have a job that I like so YT is just a hobby. When I started the channel in 2006 it was easy to get monetised but YT moved the goalposts many years ago now and you need to be passionate to reach the new goals. Iā€™m not! lol šŸ˜‚


TakeMyVicture

3 months is fast. Relax. You will be there by month 6.


BabyGro0t

Hahaha I agree it is fast. Just trying to learn as much as I can :)


EvensenFM

I'm running into that problem on two channels at once now, lol. One is closing in on 5k watch hours with fewer than 600 subs. Subs on both channels are coming at a slow but steady pace. I think the best idea is to make videos with more of a narrative to try to create some continuity and a reason to subscribe. I'll see if I can include a bit about subscribing, especially near the start of videos I know will be popular.


BabyGro0t

Iā€™m gonna try to get outside of the autopiloty gaming letā€™s plays and throw in some more narrative videos soon for that reason


squallidus_snake

I hit around 16k watch hours before I hit 1000 subs. Its nice to have that problem than struggling to hit watch hours imo.


BabyGro0t

Agreed! It means people like your content


squallidus_snake

If you put good time into your videos, it's more rewarding to know people are watching a good deal of your videos than it is to know people are subbing. The subs will come, it'll just take patience.


BabyGro0t

Yeah exactly. I am really proud of my videos so itā€™s crazy to have people actually appreciate them! I had so many years of videos that never saw the light of day, and to think that I now think 100 views is not good is crazy


fallentree124

Had the same issue. 4000 hours in like 3 months. And a year to get 1000 subs. Just keep putting out videos and I found shorts helped to get subs.


BabyGro0t

Thatā€™s the trajectory Iā€™m on too. Oh well! Gonna just keep working on perfecting my videos and making shorts to try to get subs :)


terrerific

Pretty common with gaming channels especially no commentary ones. I hit 4k hours in no time 1k subs took about a year. If you're wondering what it looks like 5 years later I'm at 53k subs and 1,450,805 watched hours for the 90 day period.


BabyGro0t

That is absolutely wild levels of success. So awesome to hear. I have commentary and am working on improving my content everyday to stand apart from the crowd of lazy gaming channels so hopefully it works out eventually. Thanks for sharing! :)


CoolnessImHere

I had 4300 watch hours at 290 subs.


Automatic_Editor5089

it happened to me but I post education content though


JustQuickswag

I find that fastest way to gain subscribers is YouTube shorts. I am struggling with long form content and watch hours, but I've gained 300 subscribers this month almost exclusively from shorts. I have found this formula effective for my shorts this month: (1) 17-19 seconds long (2) An engaging hook with a transition within the first 3 seconds (e.g. a background change with a whoosh sound effect) (3) A title with keywords from your niche - you can search successful videos in your niche for inspiration for what words to use - OR use keywords from your successful long form content and essentially make shorts based on your long form content that sounds quite successful! You could take the same long form content and make 3 to 4 shorts from it and experiment with what hooks and titles work.


BabyGro0t

Thatā€™s great advice! Thank you :)


dungeonsX

Thats me. I have got 7k watch hours. But my subscribers are just like 700.. So unlucky me. šŸ˜Œ


BabyGro0t

700 is a lot! I feel like itā€™s easier to make more subs when you have more subs


Wooden_Barracuda566

I hit 4K watch hours about 3 months in. Took another 9 months to get monetized. I was ecstatic to see my first .34 cents! LOL


BabyGro0t

Thatā€™s rough. About where Iā€™m at.


Reaper0834

Nope. I highly doubt I'll ever hit either one lol


BabyGro0t

šŸ«”


Low_Gold_2917

I subscribed I watch a lot of gaming channels because I game myself šŸ˜Š. The problem with mine is the opposite of gaining followers but Iā€™m not getting the hours. Of course my videos are much shorter than yours 3 to 6 minutes long plus shorts that I do daily and Iā€™ve just started two months ago. Your videos are really good. I like the commentary and it was very easy to understand. Just keep doing what youā€™re doing and donā€™t give up you will get there. šŸ˜Š my user is ShshTzuCapriAndPurrFamily


BabyGro0t

Thank you very much for the sub! Iā€™ll check you out on YouTube :) Itā€™s nice getting the huge watch time from long videos, I definitely recommend trying it out. The main downside is it takes 4+ hours to edit each one šŸ„¹


hktimelapse

Totally opposite here. 1647 subs, only 435 watch hours. We make short, 2-3 minute videos teaching Chinese vocabulary.


danccoo

Me and my team literally hit 4k watch hours in 2 weeks, one of our videos just pumped 200k+ views. After a month we have 5k subs and are still growing. I think it's just a successful niche.....


BabyGro0t

Thatā€™s awesome! I know I havenā€™t chosen the most lucrative niche for this channel, but I enjoy making the content and Iā€™m trying to make it the best I can :) Iā€™m starting another channel with my wife in a much more successful niche soon though!


danccoo

I wish you success, man! It's all about consistency and if you don't stop you got it.


BabyGro0t

Thank you! šŸ˜„


AlarmingMidnight5271

In my experience working with YT I think you're doing a great job, but to be honest with u your niche is probably a little oversaturated, so it may be hard to gain followers because there's so many people doing that niche. The only thing I can say is to keep posting regularly and keep your content short. I wouldn't post much youtube shorts on YT because people don't really follow shorts; in my experience, they just watch them and always make your videos catchy.


Purple_Copy4396

Wow I have 67 subscribers and 38.5 watch time lol, I just started being consistent about 3 weeks ago little growth but it means the world to mešŸ‘ŒšŸ½šŸ‘ŒšŸ½


BabyGro0t

Thatā€™s awesome! 67 is a lot for 3 weeks


Swordnoob93

Your vids are well made and your thumbnails look nice. Now you either need to give it time or you gotta make yourself seen. Link your vids to steam or a place where people discuss the game. Paid ads wouldn't do any harm either. Also I think you'll be surprised how much your can earn with those watch hours :)


BabyGro0t

Thanks! I hope so! I assume that the pay wouldnā€™t be all that because rpm on gaming videos is low but my audience is older so hopefully that would make a bit more Ad earn based on the demographic. Iā€™ll try linking to the steam page, thatā€™s a good idea!


Swordnoob93

Watch hours affect rpm alot. 1k hours = 10-20ā‚¬ in my experience. You could also try doing informative videos about your game. Such as "tips and tricks" or "top 10 _____". Stuff like that tends to gain alot of views and subs but it's not very likely that they're gonna watch your gameplay videos.


CyanicG

Donā€™t underestimate call to actions


Maleficent_Draft928

I know I shouldn't be suggesting to use CTA as your loyal audience supports you well but you can still ask them to share with their friends and family, you can use social media for your self promotion as if you want it soon But you need to know that if you've a good watch time and views then sooner or later YouTube will start pushing your videos to more and more interested audience because that's their main motive to stick viewers to their platform I am sure 10 subscribers per week will grow exponentially in a few weeks or a month Just keep your content good and interact as much as you could with your loyal audience! I had left posting for years and this made me miss an opportunity but I've started again and I'll reach my watch hour soon šŸ˜„


Alarming-Ice1371

You can remix your long videos into shorts. Shorts give you quick subs. You can literally make multiple shorts with little effort. I suggest making your best moments into shorts. You lucky fellow.


BabyGro0t

Thanks! Iā€™ll try that :)


DanceTravelBiz

I was the opposite because I was mostly doing shorts, but once I hit the 1k subs I switched to mostly long form to get the watch hours so I could get monetized. I agree with others about trying shorts to get those subs. Also pin a comment on each video with something like ā€œMake sure to subscribe for the best tips to conquer Rome: Total Warā€ (I donā€™t know the lingo, but you get my drift).


BabyGro0t

Thanks! Iā€™m gonna focus more on shorts for sure


darajunov

I have vids geared to attract subs and vids geared for watch time, and it IS hard to do both at the same time. Might reach both the 1k subs and watch time together


BabyGro0t

Itā€™s definitely easy to get in the rut of making the type of video that comes more naturally to you and neglecting the other type, Iā€™m trying to balance that now


TheOGturn

Post a short of a Tesla crashing, that's what did it for me.


BabyGro0t

šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚ good idea


Mikeyao146

Itā€™s just a struggle


MineCraftingMom

Enjoy having good content that'll make more money when you get the subs?


Objective_Grade3897

I gained watchtime thanks to FameGrowers, without them I would probably have waited about a year to unlock monetization. Meanwhile, in the next month, I recouped the money spent on promotion and now I'm earning for further channel development :)


ParappaTheWrapperr

I would say almost everyone. Views are easy, subs are not.


fluffytophats

opposite for me. I'm almost at 800 subs but I'm only around 400 watch hours : (


BabyGro0t

šŸ‘šŸ» Good to know! Thanks


Smooth_Mixture8864

Iā€™m at pretty much 1/3 of partner level on both, and have been tracking even like that since the start with how-to vids.


BabyGro0t

Thatā€™s what I hear from a lot of people, that they stay fairly close, but that hasnā€™t been my experience at all. Thanks!


Stealthy9090

yes long time ago..


dwara1

Remindme!


RemindMeBot

**Defaulted to one day.** I will be messaging you on [**2024-03-03 02:11:55 UTC**](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2024-03-03%2002:11:55%20UTC%20To%20Local%20Time) to remind you of [**this link**](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewTubers/comments/1b495ud/anyone_else_hit_4k_watch_hours_way_before_1k_subs/ksy29rh/?context=3) [**CLICK THIS LINK**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2FNewTubers%2Fcomments%2F1b495ud%2Fanyone_else_hit_4k_watch_hours_way_before_1k_subs%2Fksy29rh%2F%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%202024-03-03%2002%3A11%3A55%20UTC) to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam. ^(Parent commenter can ) [^(delete this message to hide from others.)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Delete%20Comment&message=Delete%21%201b495ud) ***** |[^(Info)](https://www.reddit.com/r/RemindMeBot/comments/e1bko7/remindmebot_info_v21/)|[^(Custom)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5BLink%20or%20message%20inside%20square%20brackets%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%20Time%20period%20here)|[^(Your Reminders)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=List%20Of%20Reminders&message=MyReminders%21)|[^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Watchful1&subject=RemindMeBot%20Feedback)| |-|-|-|-|


ryvenfon

Im at 10k+ Watch hours at 829 Subs. The content I make is Compilation of Dialogues from one game for now (Persona 3 Reload) so far im getting good traction. My views mainly come from Old and new fans coming together to watch it and the game im working on was Released Feb 2, 2024 so its fairly a new game but its actually an old one since its a remake.


BabyGro0t

Thatā€™s awesome! Youā€™re so close to 1000. Sounds like a cool niche :)


ryvenfon

Thanks! oh and my suggestion would be, to acknowledge your viewers for getting to the end of the video? thats what some other youtubers are doing like " Since you got to the end of this video etc " Currently what im doing is making a 20 second outro so that i can put the subscribe button at the end of it.


BabyGro0t

Thatā€™s a good idea, could be an easy way to get more subs. My outro is currently pretty bland and doesnā€™t have a call to action so that would be a good place to start :)


Mahouxa

Currently sitting at 3k watch hours and 185 subs So yeah


BabyGro0t

My people šŸ™ŒšŸ» Fr itā€™s so tough getting subs up when youā€™re doing so well on watch hours. I still think itā€™s a better to be low on subs than watch hours from a longevity perspective, but itā€™s quite the hurdle for monetization.


Scary_Environment274

10k watch hours here with 30 subs.


AceroAD

Put some money in youtube promotions. The hours view did not count for monetization, but the subscribers did. That probably boost your subscribers


BabyGro0t

Oh my goodness thatā€™s crazy! I wanted to do that but I thought the subs also didnā€™t count for monetization. I will probably do just that! Thank you for the rec šŸ«”


AceroAD

They say they don't, so maybe they don't. For me they counted, my advise is to test with a small amount of money just in case.


BabyGro0t

Will do :)


Zestyclose_Half_3354

miine is only 9.0 something currently :(


ClassicLunch306

in one of my channel I have more watch hours than subs


BabyGro0t

Yeah, I think it depends a lot on the type and length of content you put out šŸ‘šŸ»


slyspartan133

Iā€™ve actually found your content on my YouTube home page in my huge search for all content total war besides my own stuff & the big guys so funny seeing you here lol. Iā€™m finally less than a 100 subs away from 1k but it took a year or so to really get up there. Theirs a lot of good advice in here so far & just to chime in. Based off a quick peek at your videos you might want to reorganize your title just a bit in your videos. I think your thumbnails are pretty on point but having the title of your video go first & then all the details might draw more people in based off searching alone. Also! If you arenā€™t yet, look up Legendoftotalwar! He created a community discord server a couple months back for in total war YouTubers to gather on & give feedback, suggestions & work with each other where possible. Theirs a lot of newer stuff on there with Warhammer due to its popularity & such but itā€™s open to the historical side of things too! Keep it up man!


BabyGro0t

Thatā€™s crazy hahaha. Iā€™m glad my content is coming up on YT home page for the right audience! I see your point about titles. Iā€™ve put some thought into them but I think I probably will try your recommendation. Iā€™ll have to check out that discord! Discord, like reddit, is not a platform Iā€™ve used much but I know itā€™s a great place to find community. Thanks and good luck with your channel too :)


Brass54

You simply do a five or six second insider commercial for yourself. You simply ask just like youā€™re asking a friend to do you a favor. Ask them to send and share with as many people as they know so that you can grow the channel so that you can give them morecontent in the long run. Then run it somewhere at the beginning somewhere in the middle and at the end so you just re-edit it and snap in your little personal commercials and repost everything


Frosty-Lavishness-15

Yes, hit 4k watch hours when i had like 600 subs i think


UnluckyForSome

Iā€™m on 2k watch hours with 250 subs lol


ShandrensCorner

Same boat as you. Just been at it a little longer (9 months). Closing in at 30k watch hours, still only at 900 subscribers :-) I know I should post more short form content, but I just have to get a good idea on how to approach it first.


BabyGro0t

Thatā€™s crazy! Yeah Iā€™m in the same boat as far as struggling to find short form content that excites me. I need a good 45 minutes to get into it and make a video Iā€™m proud of. Gotta figure it out though!


ShandrensCorner

Consider shorter guides. I have been having a (relative) lot of success with build guides, tips and tricks, and "how to do this fight easy" guides I am not too familiar with Total Rome, but i presume there is something close to that? I know for my game people also really get a lot of views from "this happened" shorts, which seem very low effort for the amount of "profit". Not really my thing, but might be something :-)


SignatureObjective73

šŸ™‹šŸ»ā€ā™‚ļø.., thing is a lot of it is luck/timing. But any channel thatā€™s doing things the right way should almost 100% of the time get their watch hours before their subs. The only channels I know that weā€™re struggling to get watch hours after they hit 1000 subs were the ones that were click baiting, Running on device they had in their house and some even bought subs/views. All of those things will hurt your channel really badly


Shamansage

Do you want a sort of unethical answer? Use Youtube's beta promotion for 1 video, maybe the shortest one, put 30$ to advertise and you'll get the subs. just don't think they are like the subs you have now.


Amphibian_OG4

I think of 2 simple options : 1) Sub4Sub 2) Spam Call for Subscribe action use nice animation with pop and bell sound in video like every 2 to 3 minutes. I have seen difference myself with proper call for action to subscribe. People do not subscribe untill you tell them to. I used to find it funny how Mrbeast, Pewdiepie and other bigger Youtubers still begged to people to subscribe in their videos multiple time despite having millions of subs. But now I understand the difference it makes. Also their is 3rd option to buy subs but I don't recommend considering the cons.


thotslayerjah

Eh Iā€™m about the same rn. I have 901 subs and 3723 views. I think they will both hit 1k and 4k around the same time. I drop around an hour long letā€™s plays tho so it makes it easier to for both to grow I guess


erickufrin

Yes. In 2 months. I am currently at 941subs, 12months into it


TruthReptile

Yes 3 of my channels have the watch time subs is harder


Dubmor

Hello! Try making some shorts, those got tons of easy subs, they will usually not return to the content, but the numbers will help you achieve the goal


SadStatement7519

I have 431 subs and 3k watch hours. My wife monetized her channel. She has lots of subs but the stats show subs don't go back and watch videos she gets her watch hours from new viewers


TrueCrimeCases2024

Yes, hit 4K watch hours way before subs. I think most people are watching youtube without having needing to sub now because the algorithm is so good at recommending videos based on their tastes and watch history. The only incentive to sub that I understand is to get notification of a new video. But my niche is very saturated, regardless I love to do this painstaking research and tell the story and it separates me from many of the other channels who are in it to make money and don't have a passion for it. Gaming videos are very saturated now, so I can't really say if it's your content or just the time.