Posting Gaps, Black Squid Game, & 100 True Fans

Determining the optimal posting gap through data

Dear Creator Nation,

Welcome to the ultimate home base for YouTubers: Creator’s Toolbox, the newest leg of Authentic Media Ascension (AMA).

At AMA, we’re a group of writers, coders, crypto enthusiasts, and sweeping nerds with one thing in common: We love helping YouTubers scale. Through hardcore data analytics, community-building, and content strategy, we’ve put an extra $5 MILLION into our clients' pockets, including Jesser, Kris London, and Ali Abdaal. 🚀

We can help you too. Over the next few weeks, months, and years 🤞, we’re going to dive deep into the most effective growth strategies and marketing hacks out there. But know: we’re not some boring-ass consultancy. 😤 We grew up on YouTube, understand internet culture in and out, and have performed extensive data analyses on thousands of videos.

Whether you have millions of subscribers or are stagnant at a few dozen, Creator’s Toolbox will teach you how to:

1. Design captivating thumbnails

2. Discover hidden growth trends

3. Understand how tf YouTube’s algorithm works

4. Maximize click-through rates and retention

5. Engage, grow, and monetize your audience

6. Increase suggested and browsed impressions

7. How to balance 1-6 together (we know it’s not easy)

Oh, and the best part: we’re creators ourselves. Along with imparting concrete tools, Creator’s Toolbox & AMA will be an ecosystem, hub, and home for a tightly-knit community of digital creators.

Want to join us on this journey? Subscribe below ⬇️ and make sure to share this with fellow creators, newsletter geeks, and your Logan Paul-loving bulldog.

⏳ The Ideal Posting Gap 

Some of the most common questions we hear YouTubers ask us are: How long should I wait before posting a new video? Can I even take a break between posting videos? Well, if you’re Gary Vee, the answer is upload new content every 3 minutes. But, for those of us who can’t create 28 hours of content every day, how do we organize our content schedule to optimize for views and engagement?

To determine this, our data science team (aka three legendary coders) analyzed the performance of 344 videos from four lifestyle creators with a combined 8.8 million subscribers. They discovered two critical takeaways and one universal approach that every YouTuber should embrace:

1. LOWER POSTING GAP = MORE VIEWS

   This is, arguably, an unfortunate truth in the YouTube metaverse: more frequent content attracts more viewers. Here’s what we observed from averaging the total views from hundreds of videos across a timeline of 0-7 days in between videos, as seen in the chart that follows: Waiting 0, 1, or 2 days between videos has little impact in the public eye. It’s when you hit the 3, 4, and 5-day mark that views start to slide, with average views dropping a near 40% if you wait 5 days to post a new video instead of 2. 

So, is posting more frequently the simple fix? Well, the honest answer is that it depends. If a YouTuber posts randomly, as in they aren’t consistent in their posting gap, waiting fewer days to post will likely benefit them. BUT, that doesn’t mean that posting every day necessarily trumps posting once a week. The most important tool boils down to one word: consistency.

2. CONSISTENCY > FREQUENCY

   Listen, we know some of y’all post once a month (Mark Rober, hello), once a week (Ryan Serhant, we see you), or even 30X a day (House of Highlights). Whatever it is, the key to maximizing view count is consistency. Stick to a regular (and realistic) schedule so your audience can expect when to splurge on your latest hit. Why? Because unplanned gaps mess with viewers’ psychology. Imagine rushing to a YouTuber’s channel only to find no new content. You’re more likely to feel disappointed, and, well, less likely to come running back.

   One example where we saw this: we analyzed hundreds of videos from a lifestyle and basketball creator with millions of subs. When he took unplanned gaps of 4 or more days (14% of total videos), his exposure view count plummeted. When he stayed within his expected range of 0-3 days, viewers stayed.

   

   So what does this mean for you? 3 vital takeaways to optimize success on every video ⬇️

   1. Have a content schedule. Know which days you’re uploading new content and keep it consistent. Create a backlog of content so you don’t run out of new ideas. Put product launches, promotions, and social media marketing in your calendar. Plus, there’s nothing sexier than a tidy iCal ;)

   2. Yes, it is okay for YouTubers to take breaks. Mental health is important, not just personally but for producing the highest quality content possible. No one is funny when they’re burnt out.

   3. BUT, if you are planning on taking a break, it’s essential that you let your viewers know. Community posts will save you! This means telling your fans on an Insta story, casting an honest #shorts, or even a plain-old twitter post:

      Reece James @itsreecejames

      Hey guys, I'm taking a break from YouTube today to spend time with family. I Hope you understand, videos will continue as normal Tomoz Thx❤️

🎥 Video of the Week

⛹🏿 Youtuber: RDCworld1

👀 Views: 10.5M

👍 Likes: 500k

💬 Comments: 17.7k

🔔 Subscribers: 5.48M

💰 Expected Monetization: $13,000

💘 Why we loved it: I mean, this is fucking hilarious. It’s a super creative take on a relevant and mainstream phenomenon (Squid Game) that leverages internet culture to the extreme. Here’s what he did well:

• An enticing thumbnail depicting masked guards 

• The title “If Black People Were in Squid Game” sparks anyone’s curiosity

  • People love to see alternative versions of popular sensations 

• The initial intense (and horror-themed) music stirs the emotions of the viewer

• The bad acting keeps the clip light and relatable

• The clip is short and easily digestible

📋 Content for Creators:

1. 🎳 1000 True Fans? Try 100 by Lin Jin — why the future of the influencer model lies in 100 true fans who pay $1,000/year

2. 📈 Growing Your Brand With YouTube Advertising: The Comprehensive Guide by Brandon Bauer — tools to optimize advertising on YouTube

3. 🛡From Dependence to Independence: The Rise of the Independent Creator — whitepaper on the future of creators and solopreneurs 

🎬 Action Steps:

1. Read our first twitter thread! We dive into Marques Brownlee’s backstory, his plans on building a technology media empire, and his ultimate scaling tool: the Octopus method 🐙

   AMA @amagrowth

   Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) has 15 MILLION YouTube subscribers And he attributes his success to this 1 mindset: the Octopus method 🐙 Here's how a techy teen built one of the largest YouTube empires in the world 🧵

   

2. Want to get your video or YouTube channel featured on Creator’s Toolbox? Contact us ➡️ info@ama-digital.com

3. Learn anything from this newsletter? Subscribe and share it with 2 friends. Help us reach 250 subscribers by the end of the year!

   Have a great rest of the week creators!

   Sent with 💜,

   AMA