Derral Eves X Seattle YouTube Meetup Event Insights

On March 6, I had the privilege of attending an event hosted by PicMonkey's Seattle Office and the Seattle YouTube Meetup community for YouTube master and wizard, Derral Eves. It was incredibly informative and inspiring and I felt that sharing my notes may be helpful for any other aspiring creators out there. Enjoy! xoxo

The Importance of Thumbnails

Make them stop scrolling
Use bright colors that pop against each other
Use large items to draw attention
Don’t be afraid to show your face
Make elements that stand out
Good Design
Elements have a flow or a pleasing movement for the eye
Elements are consistent and recognizable as being your personal brand
Give them the story in just a split second
If you can avoid using words, try or use very few words
Don’t use small text!
Title should make a promise that the video actually delivers (fast!)
Image must tell story and create…
Create Intrigue
Why should your audience click on YOUR video?
Use inspiring questions
Offer Incentive
Challenge what they think they know (inspire competitive spirit)
Don’t raise red flags to YouTube Algorithm
Use Google “Cloud Vision” Image tester to find any possible red flags to YouTube bots for censorship (Google’s Image Data and Safety AI, free service here: https://cloud.google.com/vision/)

Making Data Driven Decisions

Spend the time to TEST
Spend up to 3x as much time on developing Titles and Thumbnails on video than creation of the video itself
Batch test the click through rate of different Thumbnail and Title combos
Really research the correct keywords, supporting keywords and keyword hashtags
Update/Change old videos’ thumbnails, titles and hashtags
Know Your Results and Know Your Audience
Create “avatars” (literally write down different personalities) for the audience you want to attract, really understand them so you can really target them
Don’t be afraid of results - you are only in competition with your own videos
Compare and look at other thumbnails/titles in like-minded channels and use topics that are big magnets in your niche community
Figure out what works and then do it again and again and again

Understanding the Algorithm

AI Triggers
Bots group together videos for specific viewers
Algorithm is trying to associate your videos with other similar videos
What audience do you want YouTube to find for you?
Most new videos/subscriptions are not found in sub list, they are found in Browse features!
How does my video compare to the rest of the videos it is like?
It’s all about the VIDEO and the VIEWER. Subscriptions do not mean a good ER
#1 Metric is Watch Time
#2 Metric is Click Through Rate
YouTube wants people to KEEP WATCHING
Don’t aim for Variety, aim for a very focused Niche so YouTube knows EXACTLY how to market your channel. Help YouTube understand the viewer you want.
Keep the audience engaged and watching more videos
Link to Playlists in End Card, Playlists are CRUCIAL to click through/watch time
At the end of video, don’t ask for subscriptions. Instead, invite audience to watch another video you have linked with a playlist. Keep them watching!
Aim for Outtro 10-20 seconds
Intro can be more forgivable for “advertisements” such as “Subscribe,” “Follow,” Ads, etc.
Keep people watching and engaged
How long can you keep 50% of your viewers?
Watch out for “hockey sticks” (losing majority of viewers in first few seconds)
Sweet spot is 7-8 minutes of >50% viewers engaged
Deliver on promises early, make more promises for end of video
Sharing a tutorial? Where’s your face? Study gamers for Voice Over techniques
Hook viewers by sharing lots of short form content that teases the long form video or “hero” video
Create Hype and Anticipation wherever possible
Evergreen Content
Know your audience and know which topics don’t have an expiration date. Make plenty of these videos to keep viewers continuously engaged with channel far beyond original publishing date

Your Channel - At A Glance

Viewer should be able to see:
What are you doing
What is the focus
Is your content consistent
Video Publishing
Thumbnails
Topics
Are you giving your audience what they want to see

Getting Sponsorships - Appealing to Advertisers

Advertisers look at last 90 days of performance
What is your most viewed piece of content?
How is audience retention?
What does click through rate look like?
Advertisers want videos to perform quarterly, especially at end of quarter to make up for any budget losses
“Are you good/brave enough to deliver the results that the brand wants?”
Pitch your vision
Stick with their agenda
Deliver on your work ethic
Don’t be afraid of results
Be brand safe EVERYWHERE
Are your tweets/IG posts/FB posts attracting the right attention from brands?
Communicating with Brands
Send Email with Pitch and Media Kit
Email Message = Cover Letter
Include your pitch for content if you have something worth investing in
Media Kit = Resume
Name
Metrics
Cumulative (the big number across all platforms)
Breakdown (the smaller numbers per platform)
Brands you’ve worked with
Larger ones at the top
References and brand contact info
Case Study
How did you help a brand succeed?
Sell Yourself and PROJECT SUCCESS