The only YouTube stats you should care about

Hey friend!

How have you been? I am enjoying my last week in Austin, Texas, right now. To be honest, I can’t wait to come back and live here semi-permenantly. A big operation has to be executed by me to make that happen, and you’ll see over the coming months what that means. 🙂

Anyway, let's get into what you clicked for:

This might be a hot take that might ruffle some feathers. But hear me out.

When it comes to the YouTube metrics themselves - average view duration, CTR, average percentage viewed, whatever - I make myself unpopular with a lot of old school YouTube educators.

Why? Because I do NOT care about these metrics individually AT ALL. They simply don't tell the full story.

The only thing CTR tells me is the performance in the first 24 hours with my core audience.

For example, if we have a fan base of 100,000 people and CTR is 2-3% lower than normal on the first day, that just means fewer of our hardcore fans vibed with this video idea compared to usual. That's it.

If you have a brand new channel, both CTR and AVD are useless at first. YouTube is pulling your videos for viewers based on who it thinks is the right fit. I remember when I uploaded my first strategy video on my personal channel. In the first weeks, the average percentage viewed was around 4%. Horrible!

But, over time, when I uploaded more videos, it started picking up. YouTube pulled the video for the right viewer profiles that were actually interested. And nowadays, for a new channel, that phase of ‘‘uncertainty’’ is even longer than it was a year ago. The algorithm has changed, and competition has increased. Give your channel time, and do not sweat over the metrics. As a new channel, focus on two things: Views and impressions. That’s it.

Even with established channels, after 24 hours, CTR means very little. If impressions keep increasing, YouTube is pushing your video to colder and colder audiences. Swings in CTR are normal and expected.

Instead of obsessing over individual stats, focus on the bigger picture:

1. Views and impressions. Is your video actually reaching people? Nothing else matters if no one is seeing your content.

2. Audience retention. Once you are getting good views, are viewers sticking around long enough to get value from your video? YouTube rewards engaging content that holds attention.

3. Subscription growth. Building a loyal subscriber base who will watch your future videos is key for consistent, long-term success. Build a fanbase, not a viral video.

Constantly refreshing YouTube Studio and fretting over each metric will drive you insane. So, let’s all take a collective breather and close YT Studio. Keep uploading, keep improving, but do NOT stress over metrics that are polluted to begin with.

See you next week!

PS:

I have raised my pricing for both monthly retainers and 1-off strategy sessions. I am simply getting too busy, and there is more demand than I can fulfill. If you want to get in a one-on-one call with me and get clarity on your channel moving forward, I have opened a few spots for this month. Just know that will probably be it for the coming few months, as my workload will only increase. You can see the pricing and what you’ll get here:

Plus, here are my other favorite tools to WIN on YouTube:

💡Ideation: 1of10.com

🖼️Thumbnail A/B testing: thumbnailtest.com