Why Being a Small YouTuber is Impossible.

[@persimm0n]

NoMad the last time I came this early I had a very unhappy girlfriend

[@whatdoyouexactlymeanbyhandle]

💀

[@Vincere40]

I- yeah, ok...

[@anomalousanimates]

stop coeming, then

[@boreddude7698]

It sucks because even if you make an entire niche, someone bigger can just steal it or just react to your videos and get more viewers and subs

[@šokolataSK]

I despise reactions😢 Atleast start a descution

[@testacals]

You probably can copyright strike them

[@Sunglassesmcgee]

NoMads my favorite impoverished youtuber

[@illijillijilli]

I wonder if people clicking off in the first few seconds has to do with YT autoplaying videos that are hovered over now. I find stuff in my history I never watched because I left my mouse over a video thumbnail for a few seconds and it counted as a view.

[@ultimadum7785]

Dang I never even thought of that... Most of the time I get annoyed by the hover feature because I'm trying to read the title and see the thumbnail, but it auto plays instead and I get frustrated lol

[@illijillijilli]

@@ultimadum7785 yea check your YT history... those few seconds count as a view and will start affecting your recommendations. The sad thing is that people start clicking "Not Interested" or "Don't Recommend Channel" to fix the problem, which negatively affects those channels that shouldn't have been recommended in the first place. The winning move is to go to your history and clear it, but most YT users don't know that.

[@Lwhale.3797]

Bro, it’s surreal to hear someone complain / talk about being a “small KZbinr” for someone with 25,000 SUBSCRIBERS, and regularly gets thousands a video. Do you realize that sooo many small YTers would kill for where you’re at? Lol. But this is a well-made video. :)

[@xX_EpicConnorGamingYT_Xx]

It's okay NoMad. As a much larger and more influential youtube creator (and richer) while there may be others like me who are objectively better, your struggles have been heard. I would like to invalidate those struggles by saying that the reason I am much more famous than you in every way, is because I am better in general. If you want to be a big youtuber, then become one

[@Shane_McGillicuddy]

MOM!!! NOMAD PUT ME IN A VIDEO!!!! I MADE IT IN LIFE!

[@Sunrust]

its the sponsor la croix guy

[@kjl_productions]

no way :0

[@Noahfoto1]

Where

[@Mauri.El.Creador]

Ok so. There are 2.49 billion monthly ACTIVE USERS on KZbin. That is a very difficult number to wrap around anyone's head. I've been creating content for 18 years, I have never reached even 1k subs. This isn't something you can let get to you, my guy. What you should do is be proud you even got this far, and grateful of your loyals who are here day in day out watching your videos and take care of that audience. 🐣💝 Love the channel btw, big fan.

[@TheRealestGoober]

WAIT lol i just realised i watched your most viewed video one time it was recommended or smth haha

[@Mauri.El.Creador]

@TheRealestGoober lmao that is so cool

[@Danbecker000]

I appreciate that you make unique videos instead of a lot of other KZbinrs who just make the same video again and again with a different title.

[@nolnsypie]

The thing I hate with small creators is how many videos blow up about this "all is lost" type of content you see from smaller creators, and how many of those videos are pushed to the main page instead of their best work. I see it all the time, a small creator is about to give up on their dreams, makes a video about how it feels like "all is lost", and THAT'S the video to blow up. As a result, people who watch this video might think you're just a Negative Nancy, and write off your entire channel as that. Even worse, smaller channels that make a video like that (if it blows up) might try and make more videos like that and ending up with no views because nobody is going to watch personal Negative Nancy type content. This is not the creator's fault, this is a fault with the algorithm. I watched this guys jschlatt videos a couple months back and absolutely love those videos, the comedy, the writing and especially the pacing is on point for a combined almost 3 hours of content. I was hooked. What upsets me is that I saw this video, and only then did I find out that you made THREE MORE VIDEOS (that i will be watching after this one), but it chose to show me this video instead. This guy is extremely talented (nomad if you're reading this, hi) and if this is your first video you've seen from him, I implore you to watch more of his videos. I don't mean this in a mean way or some sort of hate comment, it's not. Watch his starbomb video, watch his thumbnail video, watch good youtuber vs bad youtuber. these videos are fantastic. Again, if this is the first NoMad video you've seen, he is not some pessimistic "all is lost" kind of creator, and neither are any of the other small channels that have put out a similar video, they just want to be heard.

[@swagjimmy]

they way you merged the thumbnail with the video was actually really cool.

[@TACKO2D]

I can understand the mentality of the quest for the next "Big One" i mean I've had videos pop off, certain art pop off and i think thats just a normal thing no matter what you are making. Art, videos, music whatever. I mean I like getting attention on my work. And that whole niche thing, its like yeah, niche is important (i guess??) but also, i don't always want to talk about that one thing you know? I like doing different things. I like making new things.

[@whyblackhole]

This video feels actually so personal Especially when it comes to the niche aspect, I feel like I’ve finally found something that fits all three categories and is fun to do, but not knowing whether or not this type of content’s views will suddenly disappear one day is a major fear of mine You really do deserve the big ‘ole 100k, so here’s to small KZbinrs having a chance!!

[@swagjimmy]

I like how genuine you are as a youtuber. I've been watching you since 2000 subs, and I hope to see you grow more. good luck, NoMad.

[@MrFrigid247]

I really enjoy what you're doing I hope it pays off! I think you have a very unique personality and the more if it you let shine through your videos the more enjoyable they are to watch. You kinda remind me of early h3 in a way, back when he was actually entertaining

[@Knightrho]

Yeah that’s what i like about nomad, it’s the personality, something I want to incorporate into my channel over time because right now my videos are almost as soulless as mrbeast vids

[@TheOtterIsReal]

every time i upload a video I'm like "this will be the one to boost my channel and get it out there" and every time I'm wrong

[@MrHunteru]

It really is hard out here. Some videos I upload pop off so hard, others don't go anywhere even when the stats show that they should. Just gotta keep pushing

[@DiamondDepthYT]

Dude, I feel you so much. I've had several videos perform exactly as you described at the start.

[@deelexic]

As a small KZbinr this hits too close to home man😭

[@Zakis_wonderful_world]

One thing I've realised that even when you find the niche you then get that expectation of: "do that thing again, but a liiiiittle bit different (...but not too different)"

[@BloodChampagne]

believe it or not, you're actually encouraging me to make a youtube channel. the reason i never did it was because i didn't think i'd be good enough. then i watched your video on film cooper (after this one) and i realised that if he can get the audience he has, it's obviously not about how good your videos are

[@bruhmoment2electricboogalo951]

youre so real for that. ive never personally tried commentary/information/interest based/[idk how to describe it] but even when it comes to animation memes/trends where theres a community there just by the notion of taking inspiration from other people/their formats/ideas and all that(at least thats how i interpret it), its also pretty impossible without getting some sorta shout-out. makes me wonder if that general idea is possible in other niches/anything really: like buncha youtubers basically doing an unofficial collab(??) in terms of topic choice and going off each others videos in the form of references or something (idk if that was coherent lmao) also not to mention if its true that the video playback speed also affects the video. cause then many channels are kinda cooked when their viewers watch everything at 2x speed(effectively halving the video watch duration by 50% instead of 'having watched 100% of the video but at a different speed'). i certainly hope not but its yt, so who knows what dumb ideas they got in the system/statistics

[@Schmoop55]

I've been subscribed to you for some time now, and you are genuinely one of my favorite channels around. And that's because you make what YOU want to make. I hate that so often scrolling through the recommendations leads me to find nothing unique or interesting. And it's really inspiring to me since I wanna make things too. Anyways, keep doing your awesome stuff, we love you NoMad

[@CodyHales]

so relatable man its a challenge keeping an audience when you dont have a set niche, but the viewers who watch every vid are the ones u create for, quality over quantity for sureziez. great vido!!

[@decayed_firecaster]

I'm trying, I also had this feeling of difficulty before I started, I'm keeping my part time job even if I do happen to get popular on youtube so I never skew my creativity in my channel, sorry for the sort of self promotion but I do hope one day my work pays off :)

[@luckystarfan77]

as a small youtuber, this is the realest video i've ever seen. thank u nomad

[@sararobin9452]

I deeply understand the feeling of frustration of knowing the rules but hating having to betray your own nature to follow them. I know that it would benefit you, but honestly I'm glad you keep choosing to make videos about whatever you want. I'm glad to see people with huge interesting personalities such as you, choosing themselves over conformity.

[@youreashotgun]

feel ya there bro. I recently put MONTHS of effort into a video making it the best I possibly could and it FLOPPED. ever since then I have been worried about views and I wanna get out of that habit, its a very negative mindset especially when im just making content I like

[@rickymackey2175]

16:20 THATS Why you changed the title. I saw the original and was gonna listen to it in the way home, I enjoy hearing people's retrospective on stuff. But when I saw the title change I thought "oh this guy's trying to click bait now, he's becoming one of *those* KZbinrs" and didn't watch. Although I'm not surprised to hear it took off after the change, your point about the system rewarding rants, or negative coated content is an unfortunate fact from how it looks.

[@KoongYe]

Finding a niche is overrated. When you get into a habit of targeting just that audience, once you get tired of making the same thing your whole gig crumbles.

[@TsuraiSMNL]

Amazing content Nomad! This stuff is genuinely gourmet among the SLOP we were given from KZbin.

[@PlanetSamix]

I swear if I was born 10 years earlier I would have made it

[@hydros1ty]

Nomad I came from Pyrocynicals vid. I’m much smaller than you and astronomically smaller than him. I wanted to say a few things: 1. I watched your entire video, not because of pity or because I feel bad, but because it was insightful and eye opening. 2. I’ve been uploading on and off for like 5 years, tried a niche in montages, tried drama stuff, and now I’m on lets plays. I realize that once you hit a certain level, the numbers start getting realer. I mean, my most popular video is a 12 second gaming clip and how I’d wish I got all those views on a video that I worked for hours on. But I’m still a firm believer that it doesn’t have to be a money farm for it to have felt good to make. Keep making content man.

[@soto_life_guru]

I remember the quote "people aren't ignoring you; they're simply busy with their own lives." Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

[@rejectconvenience]

Oh man that flatline feeling when a video picks up steam super fast and then just dies... that feeling is brutal. I have a video that I put a TON of research into and it was my #1 and I was like awww yeah and then at 3k, it dropped to 1 view per 48 hours. I've had several videos do that, and my most recent one I was fully prepared for it to flatline at 3k views, tops... and then.. it didn't stop. I don't know why. I don't feel like I did anything differently, but KZbin was like "hey yeah this one will go". It's a wacky system and I very much cannot imagine trying to make this a full time job given how random it all feels.

[@Pierrot_48]

I only just found your channel, but I believe in you; keep going!

[@mikeystir3333]

I believe in you NoMad

[@Tomyj9]

THEN CLOCK IN AT WENDY’S

[@NoBrainer7]

yeah it can be hard, but you gotta keep pushing. I sincerely believe you'll make it dude. You've made it this far, so surely you can do so much more. Wish me luck on my own journey!

[@natan6218]

like you mentioned, viewcounts can affect which videos one clicks on and that is exactly why i set up an adblock rule to block view counts on recommended videos! i think it allowed me to find some other smaller creators, because i also absolutely watched higher viewed videos

[@thenightbutterfly1]

15:59 all my cats looked at the screen in shock 😂😂

[@modifyreality3807]

Good content. May the algorithm bless

[@thewinner4me816]

That music theory video was a banger, I liked it a lot - was nice to do a lil learning. I try to make music but hey I have no training or education on music so I just smash the strings and whack the drums until it sounds nice. I do hope to see this channel pop off some day, I like the style of your videos and I reckon you deserve the love. This website and its algorithms suck so I'll pray for your success.

[@armoredcorefan93]

this one felt personal, really liked this video, nice job

[@kiersaltalt]

You're a must watch channel for me, I watched your thumbnail video once then watched it again with a pyrocynical reaction 3 weeks later

[@norso]

yuck!

[@liampog3]

the fact you made the thumbnail the same as the very start of the video is enough for me to subscribe. good job my friend

[@ShafferN]

Ay you're doing great homie. Keep going, I believe. Just remember to have fun. It's a way more sustainable incentive than attention.

[@Norbertsutekman]

NoMad, when I first discovered you I thought you had minimum 100k subs. To my surprise you had less than 5k. You're awesome. Keep it up❤❤

[@freshedpotato]

one of my videos starts at 107% retention... I don't know how

[@CecilyRenns]

great video, i'm glad that all the small youtubers can find some solace and solidarity in this comment section lol. and looks like this video is popping off in the algorithm so congrats!

[@sulphuricacidH2SO2]

being something small with a very small community is very hard to get retention or just attention in general the only people who care are only in that small group

[@flameguy21]

I've been at this for almost eight years with only like 900 subs to my name. Half of my comments wonder how I have so few views so who knows if this is going anywhere at this point. A normal person would have given up by now, but I actually like doing this so here I am somehow still doing this. (Although not as often as I used to.) KZbin is more fun than roofing tiles anyway.

[@cinnamonnoir2487]

I'm in almost exactly the same position as you and I have a hundred or so _fewer_ subscribers. I keep making videos because I enjoy it and it's good practice for organizing my thoughts. There's dozens of reasons for making videos that have nothing to do with money.

[@exploreochannel]

Recently subscribed and I watched your Schlatt videos. Idk how to be a KZbinr so I can say as a viewer that you're fun to watch and you have the skill/energy to get more of your content out there. 25k is pretty insane, which shows that momentum spans over a longer periods of time than what KZbin suggests. Generally just keep it up and know that you're not just posting into the void

[@plovunator]

Please never give up man

[@FourEyeFreak]

As a small KZbinr, I get how you feel. Whenever I upload a video, I always expect and imagine it to get a certain amount of views, only for it to crash down on me.

[@tommy8716]

Stop trying to please the algorithm. You're going to burn out in a never winning game. The only way to make content for a living and not hate yourself it to simply make content you enjoy, and you would want to watch. If it doesn't work out as a career, do it as a hobby. If you enjoy making the videos, then you can make videos on the side without worrying about the stats, and actually enjoy it. Watch TommyInnits recent video about it if you haven't already. It's a good perspective

[@reflective636]

Finally some said it... I have always felt that view count plays a factor into someone clicking on a video because I tend to do the same too. Great video my guy. Gives me the motivation to keep going on this up-hill battle 🤝

[@faithhl]

i did some collegiate research a few years ago on the youtube algorithm and how, to fix the slop problem on youtube, the legitimate only solution is to completely start from scratch. which is unprofitable, unreasonable, and what will inevitably lead to youtube’s decline. but that’s so far away that nobody cares and it sucks

[@amb1vert404]

nomad always fills me up with content

[@GeekToons]

This, all of this, the whole thing is all my gripes with being a small creator on this platform rolled into one video, great work on this man

[@clubkvn_]

The viewers will never know how many times we change our thumbails after a video’s posted

[@Randomeaninglessword]

I enjoy you as a creator because you feel authentic and honest, if that makes any sense. I also enjoy the lack of a "niche" insofar as I'm frequently surprised by what topics you pick. Doing the same thing all the time is nice in that I know what I'm in for, but I often find myself getting bored or zoning out of consistent channels because the videos very often feel the same after months of viewership. Also where is my code you hack fraud?

[@MasterEth]

My first nomad video, congrats you've finally hooked me!

[@Tomyj9]

U should get a greenscreen and chroma key in subway surfers gameplay to keep viewer retention up

[@meh9334]

You made it to the home page, it’s my first time seeing you but great vibes

[@NoMoreCrumbs]

Small channels are the only thing that make this place worth coming back to. My pulse picks up any time i find a channel with fewer than like 10k subs because that's where innovation happens. The big channels are mostly lazy It's the weird niche topics that got me into your channel, man

[@thigikna]

Wrong. I'm a small youtuber right now.

[@Cotac_Rastic]

Loved the review ❤

[@thigikna]

@@Cotac_Rastic thanks :)

[@ForgottenChronicler]

It's so crazy to me that despite always watching your videos to the end since I've been subscribed to you, liking almost every one of them, and having notifications turned on, KZbin STILL does not notify me of when you upload or put your videos in my feed But then these channels I've never interacted with before that have like 1 view on a 6 hour long game playthrough with no effort constantly fill up my feed. It's some crazy bias imo

[@illucian01]

most factual video i've seen in a long long while. i dont think i disagree with a single thing lol, thanks for making this.

[@ethwall]

2:43 I’ve been grinding for years.. seeing some success along the way, but now I’m going all in.. I’m putting everything I’ve got money, time, energy into this one piece of content. It’s a make-or-break moment.. and I’m ready to see if it pays off.. Wish me luck, everyone!

[@abigguy354]

As an avid fan of TD Bloons, I must remind you to finish that TD Bloons 3 tribute

[@jimbo2revengeance]

You either make it big, or go into the "100 Days in Minecraft" mines.

[@tragicallyfunny]

I wonder if my habit of opening several videos from my home page at once, in fear of never seeing them, leads to a 0:00 clickthrough... I always come to it eventually!

[@_vehtty]

This kinda stuff has been happening long before KZbin. When people said "KZbin is becoming the new Television", they weren't kidding.

[@Tamajyn]

Finding a niche is overrated, especially if you want to be successful. People don't want something different, they want a copy of their favourite youtubers they already watch. I've been a niche youtuber for 3 years, have 210 subscribers and am lucky to get 100 views per upload. My videos are too cinematic and esoteric for the average cooking video viewer, and too much cooking for the average camera/film nerd 🙃 My most viewed video still has less than 1,000 views and it's been steadily declining for the last 2 years 🥲

[@inflateable7387]

ur a good lad NoMad, keep fighting the good fight

[@Noahfoto1]

I saw you change the fnaf video because I saved it on my watch latter. So when it said fake fnaf fans I actually rembered to watch the video when it came up on my recommended

[@jac0b1am79]

that 6% that clicks off, ive been there, i just decide to go to bed before the video loads and watch it another time

[@leavemealone802]

This is why your goal should never be a youtuber first KZbin should be a side hustle

[@cinnamonnoir2487]

KZbin shouldn't be a hustle at all.

[@Cotac_Rastic]

​@cinnamonnoir2487 why would you ever make stuff exceot for the fun of it like?? lmaoo

[@WubZombie]

i wouldn't necessarily say it's impossible trying to make it as a small channel, it's just a lot more difficult now than it was even 5 years ago...and it will become even harder as more time passes and the platform becomes more and more saturated overall great vid, thanking the algo for showing your channel in my feed 🙏

[@Noble1717]

felt. BTW you have a great talking cadence, and i can tell you put alotta work into this. good video bro

[@Phoenix.Sparkles]

KZbin is just disguised gambling. Anyone who denies that it's luck based either doesn't understand the game they are playing or they are delusional. Ludwig is one of them. Whether you become big on KZbin depends entirely on luck, right down to the damn country and family you were born into. Whether you were born in an age with electricity or internet, whether you got food on the table every day rather than starving to death, even your genetics have an impact, pretty priviledge is very real. Some were lucky to stand out at some point during their journey, while others were riding on a wave created by real world events like covid19 lockdown or the rise of iphone kids who grew up on the internet and provided billions of views to greedy content farms. A good video will get views, but you will sacrifice any personality or creativity in doing so and you'll become a drop of water in the ocean, as insignificant as the slop you produce for the sake of winning in a virtual lottery. Remember, the house always wins.

[@byraiden]

And congrats! This is the one video that will get you to your next milestone! KEEP GOING BRO

[@SpicyGregPowers]

beginning my tile roofing arc

[@monamona164]

Yea you dont have a niche really but I like that cuz honestly, I stick around for you as a personality. Of course the topic and actual content matter but you make what I find to be funny jokes and instresting commentary. Like the music theory video- I dont know shit about and am only passively curious but I sat through the whole video because you made it fun. I know the numbers and stats are dis heartening but Im glad you dont settle into a niche and just do what you want

[@OctacoreIsAFK]

NoMad is the only KZbinr who can make me give up on my passions! Yay!

[@schrodingersmoose]

The "algorithm" is so weird. I've been making videos for four years and my first to blow up happened a year and a half after I released it. This video is great!

[@kiraquin5198]

Your videos are genuinely well made and entertaining KZbin gotta have beef with you for not promoting your channel more

[@LgndTheDredgen]

I've been going for a long while and it's a grind, especially having 2 other jobs while making videos. I am happy for my subscribers and definitely ain't quitting even if it takes me years

[@56Piccupsticcs]

We wiping of crusting today nomad?

[@andrewh3503]

love ur vids. you definitely have the sauce, its just a matter of time

[@nolives]

Tbh im the opposite and like videos with low views. It feels like a hidden gem if its good. Its how i found the best comedy podcast on youtube chromeboys.

[@UT-Chara]

Found your video through PyroLIVE. I hate slop channels like that, whenever one of his videos appear in my feed I immediately go down to the description and watch the actual video, without the 30+ minutes of yapping about unrelated topics.

[@manpanda5076]

would u rather him just sit down and not add anything to the actual video😭😭

[@UT-Chara]

@manpanda5076 I'd rather he not make reaction slop at all and make actual original content. Or, at least, do the bare minimum and have the tangents be actually related to the topic of the video.

[@manpanda5076]

@ thats why thats his 3rd channel where he posts live streams without any editing😭 he has 2 other channels where he quite literally does that.

[@andrewsmithphoto]

I make niche camera videos and the consistency preform inconsistently. Decent thumb nails seem to help a little, controversy seems to help but falls off fast and hard. I just make what I like when I have time and accept not many people will watch but a small number will appreciate the video.

[@whitepumpkinenthusiast27]

thumbnail to video transition was crazy

[@kukukachu]

This is why my videos are just a hobby as of right now, instead of truly pushing myself to become a youtuber. I'm sure for the 95% click rate, it's probably just someone opening a bunch of tabs, and then after a while saying "okay, I'm done", and closes them without watching. I've done that many a time myself.

[@gugisgug]

God this is so relatable I'm just gonna write this comment as I watch the video. -Fucking yes, as a small creator (way smaIler than you)I keep seeing online that my ctr should be at least 5% and I keep pulling 2-3% EVERY. FUCKING. TIME. (also you talked about Shane and he just pulls crazy views all the time I mean he came onto the scene like half a year ago and is fucking killing it) -I've started to just ignore retention because I've decided I'd rather make an intro I actually enjoy than some flashy poppy bullshit. -The immediate rise to flatline is where I have been operating for a while now. I fucking hate it. I literally live or die by the light grey box that my line stays in. Also HOLY SHIT YOUR SUNNYV2 COMPARISON JUST HAPPENED TO ME. My video I posted about community got like 180 views in a day and I was shitting my pants, but since it's gotten like 100 views in 10 days. -Dude the niche shit pisses me off. Specifically when I went on reddit for advice, and they just were like "your video sucks ass and it's bad thats why you're not getting any views. Hope this helps!" -Capitalizing on videos is so hard specifically for me because both of my videos that have over 1k views happened in the most inopportune times ever. The first one was a part 1 and I didn't expect the part 2 to bomb so bad. And the second one I was literally entering a 2 month work contract so it's not like I could capitalize on it or anything. -"It's performing better than my videos did a year ago so I'm happy". This is the statement I go back to every time I get down on myself for having a low performing video. I tell myself "Well you tried to make videos for 3 years and they all performed like shit!". So why should I be so upset with myself? -I can't tell you how many times I have blocked myself from looking at yt studio. You can really trap yourself into looking at your numbers and thats great when they're good, but when they're bad, holy shit you want to die. -God I wish I was intuitively good at youtube. I wish I could watch over a video and not think "that line sounded forced" or "that clip doesn't fit". I think that now but when I look back to videos I made even 8 months ago, I have improved a lot. Nomad, I hope these thoughts resonate with you or that these thoughts melt into the ocean of your comment section. Much love, you are one of my biggest inspirations on making content.

[@HeartOfNoMad]

I am glad these words resonated

[@freegoli]

Yes it can be disheartening when you spend time making something your passionate and optimistic about and then you see some guy getting hundreds of thousands of views by reading reddit posts

[@MrGermandeutsch]

Legendary KZbinr. So that explains why Jim Norton is in the Description.

[@AoE2Replays]

Hey NoMad, i remember when you were sub 100 subs dawg, you got 25K now. so glad youve got a following brother. thats very special.