Table of Contents
As of 2024, YouTube has more than 2.7 billion users every month. This is 51% of all people who use the internet. One third of everyone in the world uses YouTube monthly. Over half of the people who use the internet on their phones visit YouTube each month.
YouTube is an incredibly important channel for WordPress to market, inform and educate.
In my new role as the Head of WordPress YouTube, I’ll be spearheading initiatives aimed at boosting subscribers, views, and engagement on the WordPress.org YouTube channel.
So if you’re working on anything new, exciting, empowering, cutting-edge, inspiring, helpful, revolutionary, fun, or game-changing, I want to hear from you and if you want to get involved and help grow the channel let me know 🙏.
Current position
As of today, Monday 7th October, the WordPress.org YouTube channel has 38.2K subscribers.
Nicholas Garofalo has helpfully compiled a short history on the .org YouTube channel.
Here’s the key metrics 👇
YouTube goals
Key Objectives
Grow Subscriber Base
Target: Exceed 75,000 subscribers by the end of 2025
Boost Engagement
Increase comments and likes per video
Amplify Social Presence
Enhance content sharing across social media platforms
Content Development
Social Media Optimization
Create content tailored for easy repurposing on social platforms
Diverse Presenter Team
Build a team of presenters for each content stream
Unified Editorial Voice
Develop a unified editorial tone that embodies WordPress’s innovative spirit and technical expertise.
Community Empowerment
Talent Amplification
Position WordPress.org as the premier hub for outstanding WordPress content and thought leadership
Creator Training Program
Invest in current community video creators to enhance their skills and align with the new strategy
This refined strategy focuses on growing the channel’s reach, enhancing engagement, and empowering the WordPress community through high-quality, diverse content and creator development.
Content plan
We will create content tailored for the following users:
- Beginners
- DIY’ers
- Designers
- Developers
- Agencies and Freelancers
- Product Suppliers
- Community
User Journey Mapping
We will tailor the content to align with users’ learning journeys across all content groups. This approach ensures that we provide relevant and valuable information at each stage of a user’s WordPress experience.
User Journey Framework
We’ll be leaning into a learning framework inspired by Chris Lema’s topic lifecycle planning tool, which he generously shared with me at WordCamp US.
This framework will help us:
- Map content onto specific user journeys
- Identify gaps in our current content offerings
- Ensure a logical progression of topics within each content group
By adopting this strategy, we aim to create a more cohesive and user-centric content that supports users from their initial introduction to WordPress through to advanced usage and community participation.
Formats
This is the initial plan for the content we aim to produce on our YouTube channel. We’re focusing on a variety of topics related to WordPress, catering to different skill levels and interests.
The content strategy is divided into two main categories: pre-recorded videos and live streams.
This approach allows us to provide both polished, informative content and interactive, real-time engagement with our audience.
The goal is to offer valuable insights and practical knowledge to our viewers as we develop and refine our content strategy.
The pre-recorded content will cover a wide range of WordPress topics, while our live streams will provide opportunities for direct interaction, Q&A sessions, real-time demonstrations, and training courses.
This initial plan serves as a roadmap for the content creation efforts, allowing us to adapt and evolve based on audience feedback and engagement.
As we progress, we’ll continuously evaluate the performance and reception of both our pre-recorded videos and live streams to ensure we’re meeting the needs of the WordPress community.
Pre-recorded Content
Here’s a look at our initial plan for pre-recorded content centered around WordPress. We aim to provide useful information and insights without any fluff.
This is just a starting point. Below are the topics I’m considering, each designed to help users navigate the WordPress landscape more easily.
- WordPress 101 Series
- Building Blocks
- Beginning with Block Themes
- Agency Workflows
- WordPress Release Highlights
- Learn WordPress Tutorial Series
- Amazing WordPress Things in 250 Seconds
- Famous Website Remakes
Live Streams
Leveraging the WordPress Community’s talent, we’ll host engaging live streams to foster knowledge sharing and community building:
- Live Masterclasses
- Build in Public Sessions
- Speed Build World Series
- Beginners Help Show
- Live Training Courses
- Developer Hours
- Web Agency Show
- Top Interviews
- The Block Factory Show
These live formats will showcase our community’s expertise while providing real-time interaction and learning.
Video Production Workflow
Below is an overview of each step in the channel’s production process. This breakdown will help clarify the workflow and ensure that all aspects of content creation are covered.
Idea Generation
This initial step involves brainstorming and developing creative concepts for videos. It’s essential to consider what topics will resonate with the audience, ensuring a diverse range of ideas that can lead to engaging content.
Thumbnail and Title Creation
Once an idea is selected, the next step is to design an appealing thumbnail and craft a catchy title. These elements are crucial for attracting viewers, as they are often the first impression potential audiences will have of the video.
Content Calendar Planning
In this step, a content calendar is created to outline the schedule for filming and publishing videos. This helps maintain consistency in uploads and ensures that all team members are aware of deadlines and upcoming content.
Video Production
This phase includes all aspects of creating the video, such as scripting, filming, and editing. It’s where the ideas come to life, and attention to detail is key to producing high-quality content.
Video Promotion
After the video is completed, it’s time for promotion. This involves sharing the video across various platforms and engaging with the audience to maximize reach and encourage viewership. Effective promotion can significantly enhance the video’s visibility and impact.
Live Streams
One week before each live stream, we will promote the event by sharing a link that allows viewers to be notified when the YouTube live stream goes live. This advance notice helps build anticipation.
Additionally, we will promote the stream again when it goes live, ensuring our audience knows it’s happening in real-time. This two-step promotion strategy aims to maximize viewer engagement during our live events.
From idea to production
Considerations
The YouTube recommendation engine operates in a systematic way that significantly influences viewer engagement and channel success.
Here’s how it works:
- Initial Viewing: When a viewer watches a video, the recommendation engine takes note of this interaction.
- Subsequent Recommendations: YouTube then suggests another video from the same channel to the viewer. This is designed to keep viewers engaged with content they have already shown interest in.
- Engagement Impact: If the viewer chooses not to watch this recommended video, the algorithm will reduce the frequency of recommendations from that channel in the future. This decline can adversely affect the channel’s subscriber growth, overall views, and engagement metrics.
Consequently, every piece of content uploaded to a channel plays a crucial role in its overall success. The recommendation system is engineered to maximize viewer retention and satisfaction, making it essential for creators to consistently produce engaging content to maintain visibility within YouTube’s vast ecosystem.
The WordPress.org YouTube Channel Dilemma
The WordPress.org YouTube channel currently employs an automated feed to showcase WordCamp events. While this approach ensures comprehensive coverage, it has led to some unintended consequences:
- Content Inconsistency: The channel hosts a large number of videos with varying quality levels.
- Low Engagement Metrics: Many videos are experiencing minimal view counts and engagement.
The Impact
This situation potentially poses several challenges:
- Viewer Perception: Exposure to lower-quality content may negatively impact how viewers perceive the channel.
- Reduced Growth: This could lead to slower subscription rates and decreased overall engagement.
- Diminished Exploration: Viewers may be less inclined to explore other videos on the channel, reducing retention and interest.
Potential Solutions
We have several options to address this issue:
- Status Quo: Continue with the current approach, accepting slower channel growth.
- Feed Termination: Discontinue the automated feed entirely.
- Hybrid Approach: Find a middle ground by:
- Maintaining the feed
- Providing training to WordCamp organizers on creating YouTube-friendly content
This last option could potentially balance comprehensive event coverage with improved video quality and engagement.
Here’s a poll I ran on X to gauge community sentiment 👇
Leave a Reply