This is most YouTubers who get very popular due to having original and opinionated content on niche topics. They tend to identify (perhaps correctly, perhaps not) their idiosyncratic personalities and opinions as the primary cause of their initial popularity and repeatedly double down on it as they grow in popularity. This is also the explicit advice that the vast majority of big YouTubers give to aspiring or up-and-coming YouTubers.
And I’m not advising that they should do anything different! Who am I?! I’m just pointing out that the culture of YouTubers is fundamentally about deliberately subjecting yourself to the most extreme audience capture.
Yes, and longer videos allow for Youtube to insert more ad breaks. For viewers that are Youtube Premium subscribers, the revshare portion that goes to the creator also grows linearly with watchtime.
Additionally, "the algorithm" rewards channels that have a lot of watchtime & retention (because againg, this leads to more ad placement opportunities for Youtube). So if you are able to produce long-form videos that keep the viewers engaged and watching, your videos are more likely to be recommended, which reinforces the popularity of long videos.
Very true. But also, I have seen loads of youtubers that create a variety of things and then suddenly the algorithm rewards them with a video or two getting loads more views and they get fixated on that subject/stlye. It is kind of like rewarding someone at a slot machine, or a cargo cult.
Ben Jordan used to do almost entirely synthesizer stuff, now it is all privacy and security focused because that is what he got rewarded for. NatswhatIreckon, did all manner of comedy stuff like making fun are car shows, he ended up fixated on cooking because one video exploded in views back 2020. Heck, MrBeast used to be a minecraft channel.
In getting rewarded, they tend to lean into that. I don't blame them but also it does mean they become risk adverse at times.
And I’m not advising that they should do anything different! Who am I?! I’m just pointing out that the culture of YouTubers is fundamentally about deliberately subjecting yourself to the most extreme audience capture.