Not giving up

[Riderguide]

Hi Team, crazy day ... and just my take on it in relation to my channel.

We're a hard working bunch, most of us on here - some never get the views they deserve. My channel is mostly educational at its core - tips for all levels of riders on staying alive ... I'm proud of that and it will stay that way with the odd bit of entertainment thrown in or maybe a review, (oh and reviews get hits that's for sure). Anyway, being educational, 'The Rider Guider' is not going to grow fast compared to maybe a stunt riding racer who risks his life for the views, but eh I'll definitely last longer, hair/tortoise springs to mind. I'm happy with 50 to 250 hits per video which can sometimes take months or even years (I'm two years old this month). I just keep enjoying the journey and trying to gradually improve my content and hopefully remind people to take care whilst learning how to use my editing software.

Anyway today I put up a video about a seat hack for the new Tenere T7 Yamaha. In less than 24 hrs it's gone nuts (well for me it has) with over 1200 views 65 thumbs up , no thumbs down!!!!! I'm buzzing!!!!!

So, my point is, when you're thinking about giving it up, DON'T!
Neil

 

[Arfa]

So true. I'm probably in a very similar position to you, doing a mix of tips, reviews and fun vids, which get a modest reception. The vid for me that skyrocketed was a short 40 second clip of when I bumped into some London scooter thieves who did nothing more than pull up beside me, exchange a couple of words then zoom off through a red light. It's currently on 136k views and 56 comments! Comments are mostly vitriol on what should be done with the thieves, so I don't get too involved...

My next highest is an instructional video on how to replace the air filter on an old Yamaha Fazer. Not exactly rocket science, but it got 28k views! Wish my other videos got that kind of reception, you just can't always predict what will be a winner.

 

[Drakhen99]

Yay! Congrats guys on your big hits! I am waiting on my "big hit" moment... not sure if it'll ever show up LOL.

In the mean time, I'm going to keep grinding and refining my craft. I think I get better at delivery and more fluid with each recording, so time will tell if I've got what it takes to get some real views/subs.

-John

 

[HippoDrone]

Nice one @Riderguide The T7 is a very popular bike currently, so any vids regarding the bike should do well.

 

[Riderguide]

Nice one @Riderguide The T7 is a very popular bike currently, so any vids regarding the bike should do well.

yeh this vid is proving popular - it's only 4 minutes as well and is pretty much to the point which is adding to its appeal I'm sure. The Tenere is amazing fun, I'm hoping Yamaha sell as many as they can make because I want everyone of the buyers to see my video LOL.

 

[Drakhen99]

yeh this vid is proving popular - it's only 4 minutes as well and is pretty much to the point which is adding to its appeal I'm sure. The Tenere is amazing fun, I'm hoping Yamaha sell as many as they can make because I want everyone of the buyers to see my video LOL.

I think the more established (read: higher subs) YT channels can do more longer-form videos. I get much better responses with my 5m videos as opposed to my 10m ones.

I'm currently trying to do longer videos sporadically (mostly longer rides where more stuff happened) and have my regular videos be a bit shorter and to a point.

-John

 

[SighBored]

Anyone that posts videos with great expectations (views, subs, likes, fame, etc) will always have a tendency to give up if their expectations are not met. Post up because you like to do it, even if you just get 5 views. As long as you are happy to post it, you won't stop cause it makes you happy.

 

[Drakhen99]

That's great advice, thanks!

Now that I have a pretty good handle on my editing software and the vlogging process, it takes about 1/5th the time it used to take, so it's easier to do it and not have it take over my whole evening

-John

 

[Riderguide]

When I first started to talk to camera with my channel I wasn't at all natural and tried all sorts of ways to remember what I wanted to say, but in the end I discovered the only way to sound engaging is to just be natural, remember why you do your content and go with the flow, and just upload what you bring. I eventually realised that if I just started talking without any reference point my passion for my subject came to the fore and I didn't need any notes. Then my videos improved because I realised I actually knew my 'story' and didn't need to rehearse or anything, just hit record and go. The latest now has 3000+ views in it's 4th day and it took me literally five minutes (one take) to film it and twenty minutes to edit it. So little effort for such a decent response. Two years to get 416 subscribers, then 4 days for over nearly 60 more. It's a stepping stone now to promote my future content which I need to make sure is good enough to keep growing, but whatever happens none of it is as important as just enjoying the journey.

 

[Drakhen99]

A-MEN to that! The more I do this, the more natural I get, and the harder it is to edit my older recordings LOL!

I went on a LOT of rides when it was warmer and I first got my camera. Now I'm realizing that my first "take" of a subject is usually the best, and the only editing needed is to get rid of some blank space.

I just ordered a second GoPro so I can have 2 angles to choose from and I'll have more engaging videos (hopefully) out of it.

-John

 

[Riderguide]

A-MEN to that! The more I do this, the more natural I get, and the harder it is to edit my older recordings LOL!

I went on a LOT of rides when it was warmer and I first got my camera. Now I'm realizing that my first "take" of a subject is usually the best, and the only editing needed is to get rid of some blank space.

I just ordered a second GoPro so I can have 2 angles to choose from and I'll have more engaging videos (hopefully) out of it.

-John

Brill, the extra angles are always cool looking, for my core stuff (defensive riding) I often have a rear view. Syncing them is fun & games for sure LOL>

 

[Drakhen99]

Brill, the extra angles are always cool looking, for my core stuff (defensive riding) I often have a rear view. Syncing them is fun & games for sure LOL>

2 things ... one, what is "brill"???

two, syncing *should* be easy (I'll find out whenever my new camera gets here), but I have the GoPro smart remote, so I'll link the 2 cameras via that and it *should* start/stop recording at the same time.

Right now I do clips - so I start/stop recording quite frequently (a long ride can generate 30-50 clips), so I hope it syncs up right!

-John

 

[HippoDrone]

what is "brill"???

Brilliant

 

[Riderguide]

Ain’t milk BRILLIANT

 

[Drakhen99]

Brilliant

Thanks for the clarification - slang sometimes doesn't translate across continents. It's incontinent?

-John

 

[Moto Mengy]

The Tenere T7 is a super popular bike right now, any content about it will likely get great views.

Regarding working for "viral" videos, maybe I'm strange but I'm not very concerned about it with my channel. I'm just making the videos I want to make and seeing what happens naturally while having fun along the way.

I'd rather enjoy my channel and have it stay tiny than turn it into a "job" where I feel forced to do things just for clicks and views.

 

[HRMV]

I am one of your Tenere viewers not that I own one but a few friends will and I just want to have the knowledge they don't lol.

I have contemplating stopping making vids, lofting the cameras and just going out for blasts on the bike.... But then I do a run with no cameras and wish I had them.

I don't make the videos for views although appreciate every one I get. Still waiting for my big one. None of mine will ever include the YouTube fans stunts, crazy riding, brushes with the law etc so doubtful I will break the regular 100 views on a vid ceiling.

 

[Drakhen99]

Well, I ain't doing it for the money either, but it would be nice, so I've set it as a goal. It forces me to focus and try to improve the quality of each video as I create them. If they only get 100 views each, that's fine.

Right now I'm sitting on one which hit 1k views today (after < 3 weeks!) and another which is just past 750, and a third that's over 400. Those are my better vids. I have a few in the 100-250 range, and most are < 75.

I'm not willing to fake it for the views, because that is not sustainable. I just be myself on camera and if it works, it works.

Right now my mental anguish is the subscriber count. It just isn't climbing like I'd want it to (1-3 per week). Not sure what to do about that, but my overall view count has gone from 50/day to closer to 100/day.

-John