Video content is vastly outpacing written posts. More people would rather watch than read, I suppose. Even my channel gets twice the viewership of the blog using the exact same content. So, when in Rome…
But, it’s not just the fact that I can reach a wider audience. There are several reasons why I’ve decided to put more emphasis on the YouTube channels. And while some of the reasoning centers around income, there are a lot of practical reasons as well.
The hardest part is making sure I have adequate time to do the videos justice.
What Does This “Emphasis” Mean, Exactly?
For the most part, when I run out of time in the day, it’s the YouTube videos that get sacrificed. That’s because they are usually scheduled at the end of my day. But if something interferes with my schedule, then the things at the end of the day wind up getting cut.
Priority projects are the first on the list each morning. Then, as the day continues, the priorities get lower and lower. This is why I don’t get as many videos published as I would like during any given week. YouTube video content was usually toward the end of the day.
By adding “emphasis” to YouTube, I am merely moving it closer to the mornings. That means I have a much greater chance of recording and uploading a video despite the chaos in my life.
Why Put More Effort Into the Channels?
For the longest time, the YouTube channels for my various brands were more of an afterthought. I am a blogger first, after all. I enjoy writing and sharing things with my readers.
However, the past year or two has made it more apparent that I should put more effort behind the video content.
Broken Promises Thus Far
I often feel bad for subscribers. On my writing channel, my banner says that I have new videos every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Instead of changing the banner, I kept trying to force time to make the videos.
Unfortunately, life has a way of derailing those efforts exceptionally quickly.
If I move the channels to be more of a priority, then I can deliver content to subscribers. Sure, not every video hits as well as the blog post version. But at least I’m creating something that may help or entertain someone.
A Lot of Fun Making Videos
Although videos often take more time to produce than blog posts, I have a lot of fun with them. This is especially true if I get to be a bit more creative, such as with the gaming content or when publishing episodes of Despair.
For me, it really doesn’t feel like a lot of work. Probably because I don’t put in the production value as a full-time, 1-million-subscriber, YouTuber. For the most part, YouTube was merely an extension of the blog and a relaxing way to burn two to three hours.
Of course, I have a similar experience when writing blog posts. I guess I just truly enjoy being a content creator in any form. Why wouldn’t I want to fill the first half of my day with something fun?
Battling Google is Exhausting
Every year, I have to contend with Google changing its algorithms. And every year, I wind up losing a lot of search traffic and income. It’s quite a pain in the ass, especially when you go out of your way to do everything Google suggests.
The simplest changes from Google can decimate traffic almost instantly. And it happens far more often than I’d like.
YouTube doesn’t have the same developmental issues. Sure, it has its own algorithm that you need to appease. But in the grand scheme of things nowadays, it’s much easier to gain traction in YouTube than in Google.
Still Debating Online Courses
I’ve been asked quite often if I would ever consider creating online courses. And if it wasn’t for the lack of time, I probably would have set up a couple by now. But every month that goes by, I am leaning further to do so.
Recently, YouTube added Courses as part of a functionality of video content. I’m not entirely sure what it entails, but I thought it rather funny that they pushed out the function as I was starting to seriously consider creating courses.
Even if I hosted the courses on this website for something like WordPress, I would use a lot of video content in addition to written texts. I would also flesh out the course as much as possible. I want to make sure you get your money’s worth.
Financial Goals
Lastly, there’s no denying that the channel makes more money than the blog. You can see that in the blog vs vlog case study, as YouTube generates more than twice the AdSense income with the same content.
I have a lot of financial goals I’d like to hit in the near future. They range from charity donations to security for elderly family members. There’s only so much I can generate from blogs that get toyed with by the Google algorithm.
Because YouTube generates more income, it only makes sense to put it higher on the totem pole of priorities. The more money I can make, the more people I can help. That’s how I view it.
I’m Still Publishing Blog Content
While I may be putting more of an emphasis on the YouTube channel, that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop blogging. On the contrary, I have a lot of upcoming topics that might help a lot of people. So, I’m going to keep the blogs going while doing my best to stay ahead of Google.
Besides, sometimes I can do both at the same time. Take right now, for example. I’m writing this blog post while a gaming video for Colorado Plays is rendering in the background. As long as I don’t use up too much RAM or processing power, it won’t corrupt the file.
I am a writer, plain and simple. There isn’t a time when I won’t blog in some fashion. All of this just means video content will be closer to the beginning of the day. Unless I am out of town for four hours at a time, I should get both video and blog content published.
Unfortunately, this might mean that I’ll either have to move the writing sprints to later in the day or shorten them a bit. Again, I am but one person trying to manage three brands at the same time. There is only so much that I can do in the day.
What Platform Do You Prefer?
To be perfectly honest, I prefer blogging. That’s because I am a writer, and that’s all I want to do. But Google doesn’t make it easy to be successful. So, I need to branch out and diversify my audience and income.
Actually, my ideal career would involve nothing but writing blog posts and books all day long. But less than 5% of self-published authors will make enough to replace a full-time income. At the moment, I am not one of them.
All we can do is the best we can during any given situation. I’ll keep trying to keep the tops spinning. As long as people and algorithms quit hitting the table, they will spin indefinitely.
- How I Am Balancing College While Maintaining All of My Projects - March 26, 2025
- Why You Should Consider the Weekly Writing Contests at Reedsy - March 24, 2025
- Can You Use vidIQ for Blog Ideas? It’s Not Just for YouTube - March 21, 2025