BY NO MEANS I am a social media manager/expert/analyst/<insert the proper education>, I am just a guy holding a normal job and privileged to be part of GGs Staff writing this piece if you feel stuck as content creator or if you are a casual gamer or just a gamer fan reading this, IT IS FOR ALL OF YOU.
No, this article is not going to give INSTANT RESULT and most emphasis that content creation is a GREAT HOBBY that can turn in a PASSIVE INCOME and maybe ONE OF YOUR MAIN INCOME if things are done correctly but the most important elements are TIME and PATIENCE.
IF you don’t have both, have a budget for a marketing firm or are already on an established content creator crew because that is going to give short-term/instant results.
NOTHING ELSE.
Motivated by stopping a bit, TRUE!
Before continuing and disclaiming that this is NOT an exclusive self-promotion, I decided to make content as a streamer in 2021 as part of the extra time that the pandemic gave much of us and decided to do better crafting and after some dos and don’ts, RIGHT AT MY 1ST ANNIVERSARY, got infected with COVID-19, specifically at the Elden Ring content fever at 1st month of launch and practically keeping writing at GGs and active within my org’s content (EasternMediaGG) saved me from procrastination that was INCREDIBLY HIGH as the less thing I did in 10 days alone in my room was gaming as I took my Gaming Laptop and Nintendo Switch thinking it was a grinding time…
During the course of those days, I had to come to realize that failing finishing Elden Ring and that my batch of Anthem walkthrough were NOT doing anything, I had three choices…Ignore it and continue defining madness (doing the same thing expecting different results), quit or “go back to square one”.
I AM SO GLAD THAT I DECIDED TO GO BACK TO SQUARE ONE!
The truth is that I did not want to give up but also, I was pretty sure that I would need my primary job in the long term and maybe with time, content creation could be a secondary income as most probable future aspiration without not feeling that I am taking guard off of my family and our income.
So, the first step AFTER going back to square one is UN-learn everything that I thought it was right and LEARN what are the needs for YouTube "noticing you".
One thing that MANY of you need to understand is that the biggest YouTube Channel including PewDiePie, Mr. Beast, Nickmercs, Tim The Tatman, Dr. Disrespected, etc. & ETCETERA were not an instant success overnight and even if they were, these are not those heydays anymore in a so much "Google-lized" YouTube that practically purged instant growth as it was in the 2000's and early 2010's.
The fact that Google gave "their touch" on YouTube has its advantages and disadvantages, and guess where nowadays aspiring content creators fall…
The Basics of YouTube
Besides Google, YouTube is one of the top websites nowadays and being as I called "Google-lized" will have you thinking of Search Engine Optimizer or SEO.
While SEO is a WHOLE BIG TOPIC itself, what matters for content creators is that this is the way you want Google and YouTube to help you by recommending your content to a particular audience, in the case of gamers, you need to prepare your content with all the necessity to have YouTube recommend your content.
It is quite easy and that's an element that is being overlooked and let's assume that your video nails the topic you want to showcase, you need to focus on the specific topic covered on your video/content and to do that, you need to make sure that the main keyword or the describing word is on your title and description AND NO, guys like Nickmercs, Davie504 etc. doesn't need to follow this because they are already big channels and VERY KNOWN to SEOs and that is why and here another quick tip, DON'T APPEAL ON CHANCES like suggestive titles as you CANNOT rely on chances, THEY DO.
Another aspect is tags, tags is a 50-50 helpful or just "meh" details if you overuse them, but the 50% of the usefulness of them is that they are the one that tells the YouTube algorithm what to do with your video ALONG with the keywords added on Title and Description.
I read/heard that the video file and thumbnail file should include the keywords at their name file and it is true that I haven't proved or disproved this, so go for it either way.
Now, that was the technical part, the social part is the other aspect in BIG consideration, if you already checked tutorials and hear constantly "work on your thumbnails", "don't overboard at 30 seconds of intro", "avoid long graphics on intro", "deliver what you promise", "study the needs for your topic in your video" and many more, these are the recommended stuff you need to do for making an audience being engage and watch your content and I am not going to be broad on this but really simple:
- Don't overdeliver but also, Don't Underdeliver in your proposed idea.
- If you are not image/photo savvy and don't have the budget for a graphic designer, seek a service like Canva that offers free templates AND BE SURE your thumbnails are as detailed as possible.
- While you might be tempted to add hype building in video, is something you should avoid doing at least while you are building your community, remember, YOU CANNOT TAKE CHANCES, big streamers/content creators can.
With all that, what's left to say for a TLDR (yes this is how short a YouTube 101 can get), try to be at least 1 to 2 videos per week consistency, YouTube algorithm likes patterns as first thing to get it attention called and my recommendation is starting one month doing at least 2 videos weekly and then going for 1 to 2 whenever possible.
Just one thing quick and is something that really shocked a bit because I am a gamer since being a toddler and I always had a taste on walkthroughs, being engage with the lore of the game and look for details and all that, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, I don't know why this generation of gaming fans are not interested on that and just want quick entertainment.
Sadly, this is a constant conflict for myself as a content creator. I thought it was a good idea to literally document my walkthroughs and have extracted them from my previous stream, but unfortunately, it is not nowadays for whatever unfortunate and bad reason.
Which brings to the part that as a content creator you are in FULL CONTROL of your content, but there are going to be days that you really need to attach to the trend, no matter how pity and stupid it is.
Maybe my case is that my demographic is going to the third age (was born in 1986) and also part of the blame is the industry that worries more on revenue than the art of making games, but that would be something to write in another opportunity.
Emphasizing that a content creation is for the long run, NO instant results!
I went big on YouTube because streamers need to work on VOD as the MAIN part of content, not leave it at secondary or depending entirely on streaming to create new content and want to insist again, DO NOT EMULATE bigger streamers, they can take chances… YOU DON’T if you don’t want to be lost in the algorithms at early days!
Yes, streaming is a need but don't make it your "whole about you", the use of other social media, YouTube Shorts included, is a way to get yourself to know.
I differ that Instagram TikTok and Snapchat are the instantaneous "way to go" because Instagram is more like more "social" aspect in general before ANYTHING and not a central topic at all, TikTok while they are having the big push of gaming, they don't aim for a specific niche of gaming and Snapchat… I blame them for the Stories bullcrap that social media has become.
YouTube Shorts is practically in its infancy and it was already revealed that Shorts is not part of the algorithm on YouTube and have been proven that can be an artificial boost if you don't capitalize, but either way, YouTube is high on Shorts so be ready when thing get better as YouTube itself is trying to figure out how to implement the algorithm or having a parallel one.
Hover is a great AND PROPER TikTok alternative and my vision is that TikTok shouldn't be the only way to go for shortened gaming content as their algorithm favors direct engagement and not just a mere watch fest and is a good way to introduce yourself.
And of course, GGs, the social network for gamers, no drama, just gaming is what matters.
It is important that users understand WHY this social network empathizes with the NO DRAMA slogan as we are NOT against free speech, but don't we already have Facebook, Twitter, Mastodon and all their derivatives?
When I was introduced to GGs at late 2021, I always thought that I found the next Raptr as a TRUE social network EXCLUSIVELY for gaming and gamers and no, while is true that the majority of users of GGs are already content creators, GGs IS FOR EVERY GAMERS, casual, RPG, Action, Graphics Enthusiast, Gamers or FTW, YOU NAME IT and will want to have the opportunity to invite your friends joining here, YOU DON'T NEED TO BE A CONTENT CREATOR and also would love to increase the non-content creator gamers here too!
GGs at your service
At GGs, one of the features of this social Network is the “Going Live'' button that allows you to add a special list in the “Live Streams” Section and let you be listed on active streamers, content creator's live on Twitch.
And best of all, you don’t have to worry if you forgot to turn the function on as it was designed to check for 5 seconds if you are live and if you're not, it will go off automatically (yet, we ask to always remember to voluntarily turn it off to give everybody a chance.
Recently, the GGs main page was modified to further improve your chances of being discovered by highlighting the top header of the GGs main site.
Epilogue…
To sum everything written, the keyword is PATIENCE, content creators that are popular nowadays grinded their way for years and those who got “rapid growth” is probably that they already were content creators for others or started in the hey-days that is before circa 2015 to give some perspective.
Is true that the pandemic may have motivated you to kill some of the procrastination like many people (including other content creators that also made the motivation) and that practically it is SO EASY to start these days.
But must warn you, that content creation IS NOT A JUSTIFICATION to ignore your offline life and your loved ones and if they are affected or you are not having fun, IS OK to PAUSE and recharge.
GG!
