Should you be analyzing your competitors on YouTube? With so many Youtube channels available, it can be tempting for beginners to simply copy what competitors are doing and try to match their success. This is probably not the best approach when you are starting out? Or is it?
When it comes to YouTube, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Some people believe that analyzing your competitors is a necessary step to success, while others think it’s not worth the time and effort. It depends on the individual! You! What are the specific goals you are looking to achieve?
As with most things in life, there are arguments both ways. In our opinion, however, the answer is yes! You should investigate and analyze your youtube competition. But not always, not at all times, and not every Youtuber!
Ultimately, an analysis of your YouTube competition is essential to developing a successful Youtube channel.
You can improve your Youtube Channel strategy by understanding how other Youtubers are making videos, how they’re marketing them with thoughtfully edited Youtube Thumbnails and their primary goals.
Yet, there are also times when you should perhaps not overanalyze your competition on Youtube. Remember that not every Youtuber is your competitor!
In this blog post, we’ll discuss the following topics:
- Why You should or shouldn’t consider analyzing your competitors on Youtube.
- When you should research your competitors on Youtube
- How can you analyze youtube competitors?
- Hands-on competitor analysis
- What tools can you use to analyze competing channels
So why not take the time to analyze your competitors?
Why you should or shouldn’t consider analyzing your competitors on Youtube.
There’s no harm in analyzing your rivals on YouTube, especially if you’re looking to improve your own Youtube Channel. The benefits include learning about their audience, strategy, and marketing tactics.
However, there are also some caveats to be aware of. Analyzing your rivals may not always be a good idea, and this is because it can backfire and lead to feelings of envy or rivalry, and it might distract you from doing what you are supposed to do in the first place! Believe in yourself, find your voice, and create your brand on Youtube!
Whether or not you analyze your rivals on YouTube or not, it is up to you! But, by doing so, you can learn a lot!
Why analyzing your Youtube Competitors is a GOOD idea!
There are many reasons why it is advantageous to analyze your competitors. For one, it can help you create a better strategy for your YouTube channel.
By understanding the key strategies that work well for them and avoiding what doesn’t work so well, you can build an effective YouTube content strategy that will have improved chances of success.
First, you have to make sure you know who your competitor is! In this blog post, we assume that you do, but if you are unsure who your real competitors are or how to find them, you can read about it here –> How to find the competitors in my specific Niche on youtube!
Why is it a good idea to check out fellow Youtubers?
- Gain insights into the behaviors and preferences of your target audience –> Building on the work of those that have come before you – makes sense! So go out and check how many people commented on their videos. What are the types of comments? Can we learn some helpful insight about these comments on Youtube? Do you detect differences in behavior in the – comments section – comparing two or more competitors in your Niche? How can your channel benefit from this? Can you gain an edge?
- It teaches you what type of content works best for their channel! You can adapt it accordingly for your Youtube Channel —> This does not mean copying – exactly – what they have done! However, you can gain valuable insights into what type of content your target audience is interested in. Example: If you find a kind of content that consistently gets higher view rates compared to other videos, you should figure out why and try to implement that into your Youtube content strategy.
- Observe how they have evolved their content over time –> The changes in their content style or topics indicate the lessons they have learned – the hard way – over time!
- Allows you to have insights into your reasonable expectations regarding viewership of a Youtube video –> If the top result for a video has one hundred thousand views, don’t expect yours to reach a million. The Niche or topic might have fewer searches than you might think.
Why analyzing your Youtube Competitors is NOT always such a good idea!
- Don’t fall for ‘Paralysis of over-analysis –>. Analyzing other youtube channels can provide incredible insights, but it could have you overthinking your content strategy. You should have faith in your own criteria. Don’t let it shift your youtube content strategy unless you genuinely have found a valid reason for it. Ex: Don’t change the main topic of your Channel content (Your Niche) to something you don’t love because you saw another content creator getting millions of views with a video.
- You should remember not to be too competitive! —>Analysis should provide helpful insights; it shouldn’t make you think of youtube competitors as your enemies! On the contrary, looking at how others do things can help improve your skills and knowledge—nothing more, nothing less. Ultimately, you should try to create the best Youtube Channel you can envision.
- Don’t overspend your time analyzing Youtubers–> time is your most precious resource. You need to spend it well! Analyzing competitors from dusk till dawn will not help you create content for your Youtube channel. So you might want to use time-management tools to ensure your habits stay on point.
When you definitely should analyze your competitors on Youtube!
When you are starting to think about creating a youtube channel and searching to find your Niche!
Starting a Youtube channel will have you thinking about what the Youtube channel should be about. What is your target niche? Who do you think your Youtube viewer will be?
The first step to finding your Youtube niche is figuring out what you’re good at and what you like to talk about. Once you know this, it becomes much easier to figure out what kind of Youtube content could resonate with your prospective target audience.
So you know what you think your Youtube Channel should be about, now it is very useful to look at what your niche competitors are up-to!
The next step should be researching which channels are doing well in that category and taking some cues from their Youtube content strategy! Ask yourself the relevant questions:
- What kinds of Youtube thumbnails are other Youtubers using in your Niche?
- How many views do they get per video?
- What are the kinds of topics that seem to be most popular?
- What is the length of their most successful videos
- What can we learn about the engagement
- …
To identify new market opportunities.
Trends change! It is useful to know what is going on. So, to remain competitive and provide your audience with the best experience, it is essential to watch what your fellow Youtubers are up-to. More importantly, what are they NOT doing?
While it can be really good to create similar content as your Youtube competitors if the Youtube viewers are demanding it, the real trick is to find a topic with a high demand which – is NOT covered – by fellow Youtubers in your Niche.
If you are unsure how to find relevant topics to your audience that your competitors are not addressing, you might want to read up on the following post! –> How to find untapped topics for your Youtube videos?
If you are feeling threatened by your competitor
While we do not think you should go so far as feeling threatened, if you start noticing that your viewers are spending more time watching your niche competitor’s Youtube videos, you might want to try and figure out why!
So, if you feel threatened by your competitor, it is crucial to understand what is going on and how you can learn from it and adapt.
When creating a new type of Youtube content, a new template for your videos
Suppose you are researching to create a different type of YouTube video. Analyzing how other YouTubers have used the tools to create engaging videos will make sense.
In this case, you wouldn’t necessarily only check the competition within your Niche. If you are looking to find a new format for your YouTube videos, you would simply browse popular channels and make a list of why you found their video attractive and engaging.
- How long was there YouTube intro and outro?
- Do they use a hook at the beginning of the video?
- What kind of editing style are they using?
- What is the overall tone of the video?
All of these questions and more will give you a sense of what made their video truly impactful to you. At this point, it is up to you to evaluate if you have two tools and the skills to create a similarly styled Youtube video.
Simply to keep learning from fellow Youtubers!
Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. While one YouTuber may be great at creating videos with high-quality content, another might be better at engaging their audience and driving traffic to their channel. You can always improve on certain aspects of your Youtube Channel.
By observing – not obsessing – other Youtubers, you can have a feel of what you can work on over time on your own Youtube channel. Just try to ensure you are not allowing yourself to get overwhelmed!
How can you analyze youtube competitors?
There are different ways to analyze your YouTube competitors, and all of them can provide unique perspectives on your competition and valuable insights for your own Youtube channel!
Here are some great ways to do your competitor analysis for free:
- Analyze the competition videos yourself
- Use Free online services to help analyze your competition.
Analyzing videos yourself
By analyzing their videos yourself, you can:
- Get an idea of where their subscribers are coming from and
- Analyze the tone of the video
- What kind of content resonates with their Youtube audience? Can you identify the audience avatars that work best for them?
- Measure the engagement through comment quality
- …
We think you should start with this. By creating your own opinion first about a fellow Youtuber as you watch their content, you will better understand the keyword research and other competitor analysis provided via online tools.
Keyword Analysis Tools:
You should get started with Tubebuddy and VidIQ.
Both tools can be installed for FREE as a chrome extension for your browser.
These tools will give you a good understanding of which youtube search term is performing well. In the end, you can’t forget that Youtuber is a ‘Search engine’!
If you want to learn the best tricks to utilize the superpower of a sound keyword strategy for Youtube, we recommend the following blog post —> How to optimize your Youtube videos for search engines. (Keywordstratgies can get you more viewers, but don’t improve your content, so good content first!)
Competitor viewership and earning analysis tools:
Have you ever wondered how much your competitors are earning? What are the differences in earnings depending on the Niche, etc… One Free tool that provides these amazing insights into your competitor’s Youtube channel is socialbale.com. Socialblade is a no-brainer!
Conclusion
In conclusion, analyzing the competition is a good idea. Just don’t let it distract you too much.
You can get started with competitor analysis for your Youtube channel by utilizing the free tools and resources. By understanding where their subscribers come from, analyzing the tone and content of their videos, and measuring engagement, you will have a better idea of what needs to be improved on your channel! It is definitely worth it!
One last reminder, though, that all the analysis tools in the world won’t change one simple fact. If you provide the content Youtube viewers want to see; everything else is almost irrelevant. You will become successful, and content is KING!
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