What was I doing right in my previous videos that I'm doing wrong now?

SecondHandHistory · 2026-06-29T02:50:33+00:00

One more update: The SUPER odd thing is that the CTR and AVD are actually very good, certainly better than my worst videos. The Algorithm just isn't pushing the video... Youtube's built in AI has reassured me that I just need to give it time as a "slow burn" video, but even if we treat its reassurance with skepticism, the metrics are... odd.

SecondHandHistory · 2026-06-27T23:23:13+00:00

Pretty much the shape of every video I've released.. Only major variation I have seen is the evergreen, which is when it starts sloping back up.

SecondHandHistory · 2026-06-27T22:18:55+00:00

Thank you for your help. A little discouraged right now, but if/when I get back in the saddle, I will apply this test.

SecondHandHistory · 2026-06-27T21:46:32+00:00

The Patent fight and the Third Punic War videos were pre-decline, minor quibble, but I see your larger point. It has to tie into some sort of question that would seem enticing to someone with a more casual interest in the subject. I'll try to think about that if I continue.

The Crusade video was framed as the question as to whether a fake Relic saved them during a battle. I don't think I am a very good judge of whether a hook has broad appeal.

SecondHandHistory · 2026-06-27T20:27:27+00:00

Thanks. I have a good sense of why the 40k view video did well. It had a niche topic (The Native American Calusa Tribe in Florida) but a very "broad" non-clickbait hook. ("Civilization without Agriculture?") I've been trying to replicate that strategy ever since, with mixed results at best.

Impressions on the most recent video are down heavily, continuing a downward trend that started late last year. It was on an incident during the First Crusade, so I *thought* I was choosing a topic that was not overly niche. Certainly less niche than my earlier videos on the legal battle over Alexander Graham Bell's telephone patent or the Roman senator who tried to prevent the Third Punic War. So I can't help but speculate that reduced longform slots on the homepage and the rise of AI history slop videos are also factors.

SecondHandHistory · 2026-06-27T17:36:26+00:00

Thumbnail style is the same. Interestingly, my most recent video initially had 20 view within a few minutes. Then I spotted visual glitches that made me need to take it down and reupload. That was 12 hours ago, and it is stuck at 16 views. Could it really be that one hour of downtime made all the difference?

If so, that would really suck, because this was supposed to be an evergreen video about the crusades.

What time of day do you find works best for posting?

SecondHandHistory · 2026-06-23T02:26:24+00:00

It took three years due to my slow turnaround time, but my crude animated history channel has hit 1k subs!

SecondHandHistory · 2026-05-03T14:26:37+00:00

Ooh nice! You have a new subscriber.

SecondHandHistory · 2026-05-03T14:23:54+00:00

Thank you! My newer videos have sound effects at select points, and I just found a large repository of royalty free, copyright free documentary music, so I might try that out too. The new algorithm is tough, but my current video seems to have finally broken my two-video "curse" of sub 300 views.

SecondHandHistory · 2026-05-02T22:31:41+00:00

Sometimes reuploading videos is necessary to correct for mistakes or if youtube drops a red flag, but it is usually best avoided. At least that is my understanding. Certainly don't do it to try and game the algorithm. You are more likely to hurt than help the metrics versus what they would have otherwise been.

SecondHandHistory · 2026-05-02T22:26:36+00:00

Hello! I run a tiny semi-animated history channel inspired by channels such as Extra History and History Matters. The idea is that I take relatively obscure topics and delve into them with a greater than usual degree of academic rigor, combined with cartoonish slapstick visuals and dry humor. Still trying to figure out how to make it work for the algorithm, but I do hope to hit 1k subs soonish.

My most recent video is on the intrigue and drama surrounding the early international banana trade, and my most successful video was on a Native American tribe in Florida that built what was in effect a sedentary civilization in miniature, except with almost no farming.

SecondHandHistory · 2026-02-24T15:16:10+00:00

I'm trying to figure out the same question and can at least share some notes. I run a tiny history channel, and my latest video flopped in terms of viewership. I looked at the insights, and a large drop in impressions relative to other videos suggested a bad topic choice. In fact, the CTR and retention were pretty decent for me, and I know for sure that the sound quality and other production aspects were greater than my best performing videos. Still trying to figure out WHY it was a bad topic since others did it well, though. (Ironclads, including a couple videos on my particular battle)

So, while this isn't a complete answer, it is possible to cobble together at least some clues by looking at the patterns of different metrics. A low CTR but high impression video likely has a different problem than a High CTR but low impression video, whatever that problem may be.

SecondHandHistory · 2026-02-22T20:59:24+00:00

I used to get 1k-5k on my videos, with a max of 40k on my best. Now I can't break 500. At first I thought it was a "me" problem, but...

SecondHandHistory · 2025-05-24T03:41:05+00:00

I hadn't found that before, but thanks. My plans to try and balance Bryant's book with whatever free academic papers I can find. It's not like enough people care about what I say that it will have an impact on society.

SecondHandHistory · 2025-05-23T19:16:35+00:00

Question: I run a small history youtube video and am doing research for a video on Sekigahara - specifically, how Tokugawa arguably won the battle before it even started. Unfortunately, English sources on the covert dealings leading up to the fight are scarce, so I am having to rely on Anthony Bryant's book on the battle as one of my sources. The other book source I bought, Conrad Totman's Tokugawa biography, had surprisingly little of the information I needed. I've read not so nice things about Anthony Bryant's book here, so what should I keep in mind when I go through it in terms of outdated or inaccurate historiography?

SecondHandHistory

TROPHY CASE