vidIQ

10/01/2026

Ever had your text get eaten by YouTube’s buttons?

09/30/2026

Comment "views" to learn how to 2x growth on YouTube channel today

Kevin Hart is worth $460 million, and this is what a few thousand YouTube views does to him.

There's a clip going around of Kevin Hart reacting to his YouTube channel finally picking up views, and he's celebrating like a creator with 460 subscribers, not $460 million.

That's the whole point.

Kevin Hart still has to sit in front of a camera, post something, watch it do nothing, and post again. The platform makes everyone earn it the same way.

Which should be freeing if you've been waiting to start. The excuse that you're too old, too young, too busy, too unknown doesn't hold up when one of the most famous comedians alive is grinding through the exact same early stage as everyone else.

Ten or fifty, working or retired, the first step is identical for all of us: film one video and hit publish.

If you're already posting and want help with the part after that, vidIQ has worked with over 2 million creators on thumbnails, titles, keywords, and understanding what the algorithm actually rewards.

09/30/2026

YouTube just announced you'll soon be able to A/B test entire videos.

Not just titles and thumbnails. The whole video.

It was one of 20+ updates from Made on YouTube this year. Here's what creators and marketers should know 👇

𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗔/𝗕 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
Upload up to 3 versions of the same video and see each version's watch time share, plus a breakdown of its audience retention. It's separate from title and thumbnail testing. Great for learning what resonates, but it means more work per video.

𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗻𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀
YouTube will pick the thumbnail each viewer is most likely to click. We don't know exactly how it will work yet, so it's one to watch.

𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲
→ React live to other streams or long-form videos (if the original creator opts in). The original also gets views and watch time.
→ Real-time auto-dubbing for live streams
→ Showdown: two streamers compete, and viewers back them with jewels

𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀
→ Shorts series, available now. Expect a lot more micro-dramas.
→ Upload your footage, describe the edit you want, and YouTube puts the Short together.

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀
→ Limit posts to channel members
→ Comment moderation that learns from how you moderate
→ GIFs in comments
→ Messaging and video sharing inside YouTube

𝗧𝗩 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱
→ Posts are coming to TV
→ Viewers can dictate comments into their TV remote
→ Custom feeds: type what you want to watch instead of scrolling the homepage, then save it for later

𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴
→ Affiliate program in 35 countries by year end, so viewers abroad can get local links
→ Branded segments (still on the way): swap brand deals in and out of your videos
→ Fans can buy extra jewels to hype creators

𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼
→ Ask Studio is coming to mobile. It can help with brand deals and media kits, and critique your hook.
→ Likeness detection is coming to mobile, now with voice detection

The big takeaway: YouTube is doubling down on testing, AI-assisted creation, and new ways for creators to earn.

Which update are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments.

Full recap from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7CNt4Rjk9Y

09/29/2026

Comment "claude" I DM you link connect Claude YouTube 🦖

The chain behind monetization is simple, even if most people skip a step.

No views means no one is watching. No one watching means no retention. No retention means no watch time. And without watch time, you never hit the 4,000 hours the Partner Program asks for, a number that doubles to 8,000 in February.

Retention is the link most small creators never look at. Not because it's hidden, but because reading the graph in YouTube Studio and figuring out what went wrong takes time.

This is where connecting your channel to Claude through vidIQ helps. Ask it to show your retention, and it points out exactly where viewers leave. The slow intro. The dead stretch in the middle. The part where you explained the same thing twice.

Then the fix is straightforward. Open YouTube Studio, use the editor to trim those sections out, and republish the same video with fewer reasons to click away.

Tighter video, longer watch sessions, more watch hours stacking toward monetization.

Caveman approve.

Save this for your next upload.

09/29/2026

New channel? YouTube doesn't know your audience yet

But people searching for answers can still find you. That makes search one of the best places to get your first views.

Here's where to start 👇

1. Start with a question, not a topic.

"Minecraft" is broad. "What are the best Minecraft mods?" gives you a clear video to make.

Use keyword research to see what people search for, then write a title that matches the question you're answering.

2. Make the answer easy to find.

→ Open your description with what the video covers, not a wall of links
→ Name chapters after specific topics, not "Part 1"
→ Use your thumbnail to show the result or benefit, rather than repeat the title

3. Give it time.

Don't write off a search-focused video after a quiet first week. People won't all search for that answer on upload day, so views can build over time.

Want the full breakdown? Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LP1s9K8GddY

09/28/2026

Comment "claude" and I'll DM you the link to connect your channel to Claude for free

Getting into the YouTube Partner Program takes 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in a year, and that watch hour number doubles to 8,000 in February. Every video that misses is time you don't get back.

Connecting vidIQ to Claude takes a lot of the guessing out of it. Here's where it helps.

Picking topics that already work
The problem: you spend a week on a video nobody was searching for. Claude finds outliers, videos that pulled far more views than their channel usually gets, plus Reels and TikToks outperforming their creators. You start from demand that already exists instead of hoping.

Understanding why other videos hold attention
The problem: you know a competitor's video worked, but not why. Claude watches the whole thing and breaks it down scene by scene, the hook, the pacing, the visuals. Watch hours come from retention, and this shows you how good retention is built.

Knowing what's actually happening on your channel
The problem: YouTube Studio has the data, but reading it takes time most creators don't have. Claude answers questions about your views, watch time, traffic and retention in plain language, and tells you if a new upload is ahead of or behind your usual pace.

Getting the click
The problem: a good video with a weak title and thumbnail gets buried. Claude generates and scores titles and thumbnails before you post, and checks whether your thumbnail idea is already overused. No click means no watch hours.

Seeing the gaps
The problem: you don't know what your competitors are covering that you're not. Claude finds the channels closest to yours, tracks what's working for them, and points out the topics you're missing.

Each of these cuts out a step where most channels waste time. Fewer misses means you reach monetization faster.

09/28/2026

Minecraft is the most-watched game ever on YouTube, with more than 1.5 trillion views as of its 15th anniversary.

To put that in perspective, in 2020 alone Minecraft videos pulled 201 billion views. That's more than double Roblox, the second biggest game that year, at 75 billion.

The game itself is still growing too. Minecraft has sold over 350 million copies, making it the best-selling video game of all time. It hit a record of around 222 million monthly players in June 2025, and it's still sitting near 212 million this year.

Then the movie happened. A Minecraft Movie made around $955 million worldwide, the biggest film of 2025 in the U.S. A sequel is set for July 23, 2027, which means another wave of new fans is already on the calendar.

The creators show how deep this niche goes. Aphmau has over 25 million subscribers and about 30 billion views, mostly from Minecraft roleplay. Mikecrack has over 50 million making Minecraft content in Spanish. DanTDM is near 29 million. Several of them even had cameos in the movie.

And the audience keeps refreshing. Every year a new wave of kids picks up the game, while older fans come back for nostalgia. Few niches get new viewers and returning viewers at the same time.

If you're choosing a niche, Minecraft proves one thing. A huge audience that never stops watching leaves room for new creators.

Save this if you're thinking about starting a gaming channel.

09/28/2026

A copyright claim and a copyright strike can look almost identical in YouTube Studio.

They're not the same thing, and mixing them up can cost you.

One affects a single video. The other can put your entire channel at risk.

Here's how to tell them apart:

Copyright claims
Most claims come from a Content ID match. The rights holder can then choose to block your video, run ads on it, or simply track its views.

It can be frustrating, but a claim isn't a strike. In most cases, your channel isn't affected.

Copyright strikes
A strike is more serious. It means YouTube reviewed a removal request, found it valid, and took your video down.

A few things creators often miss:
→ Deleting the video won't remove the strike.
→ If you complete Copyright School and have fewer than 3 strikes, each one expires after 90 days.
→ 3 active strikes put your channel at risk.

What to do if you get a claim
You don't have to dispute it. You can leave it in place, trim the claimed section, or swap the audio.

Only dispute when you have a genuine reason. And writing "no copyright infringement intended" in your description won't protect you.

Knowing the difference helps you respond calmly instead of panicking every time a notice shows up.

Full breakdown here:

Copyright claims can block, monetize, or track videos and usually do not affect your channel. Copyright strikes follow valid removal requests. Three active s...

09/25/2026

Comment “views” and I’ll DM you the free instructions on how to connect your YouTube channel to Claude

09/24/2026

Comment "views" and I'll DM you the link to start growing faster on YouTube

YouTube announced a wave of new creator tools at Made On YouTube 2026. Here's what actually matters if you're trying to grow.

Ask Studio: an AI assistant inside YouTube Studio. Share a draft video and it gives feedback based on your past uploads and comments, suggests better titles and thumbnails, and explains why your videos performed the way they did. Coming to mobile too.

Video A/B testing: starting in 2027, you can upload three different cuts of a Short and let real viewers pick the winner. Right now you can only test titles and thumbnails.

Dynamic Thumbnails: upload several thumbnails and YouTube picks which one each viewer sees. Ask Studio can even run thumbnail tests on your old videos automatically.

AI editing for Shorts: edit by describing what you want in plain words.

More ways to earn: AI auto-tags products in your videos for affiliate income, the Amazon affiliate program is expanding outside the U.S., and new tools help brands find you.

Face and voice protection: likeness detection is expanding.

For streamers: real-time auto-dubbing pilots early next year, plus Live showdowns where creators co-stream and compete.

The takeaway: YouTube is building tools that test and fix your packaging for you. Creators who start using them early will have the edge.

Save this so you remember what's coming, and send it to a creator friend.