Hi there, YouTube’s new Chief Product Officer, Johanna Voolich, recently sat down for an interview to talk about her product vision, the thumbnail AB testing feature, AI, and other themes that creators should be thinking about. She mentioned how more than 1 billion people watch YouTube through their living room every day, reinforcing the importance of thinking about how your audience is consuming content and what it means for your content strategy. Watch the full interview here.

—The Spotter Creator Team

Creator Lord Gizmo Sees 3x Performance with New Packaging Strategy

Strategy updates recommended by Jay Alto:

• Include less branding on thumbnails. Lord Gizmo had included his own branding on his thumbnails, including a logo and frame. He kept the logo, but removed the frame to give the thumbnails a more organic and less branded feel. 

• Shorten intros to under 10 seconds, or just get right into the content. 

• Focus on machinery rather than people in the thumbnails. This works for his particular content and audience, since the focus of the channel is on machines.  

• Use AI to adjust the dominant object in thumbnails. Maintain a trustworthy realism while amplifying objects by stretching them out into the distance or enlarging them, for example. This makes the thumbnails more eye-catching. 

• Double down on overperforming concepts, such as his “Top Selection” videos, which are also longer than average for his channel.

• Extend the length of videos to 20+ minutes to maximize earning potential and performance, based on our examination of his channel analytics.

Results:

• 3x increase in views and impressions since starting the strategy sessions with Spotter’s expert advisor.

For Lord Gizmo, simplification and a focus on what the channel is known for (heavy machinery) or what has worked well in the past has been key for thumbnails, overall packaging, and performance, showing how even small changes in strategy can make a big difference. 

Questions? Please reach out to your Spotter CSM if you would like to look into your strategy.

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"Belief in your creative capacity lies at the heart of innovation."

 – Tom and David Kelley