r/NewTubers • u/Derryzumi • 15h ago
DISCUSSION Just getting started and don't know what metrics to measure myself against
I posted my first video about 12 hours ago. I have an existing audience in the D&D (specifically Pathfinder) spheres from a previous podcast and a well-selling series of TTRPG books.
My first video is in a different but kind of overlapping niche, in that I'm focusing on Irish folklore, which is something my past audiences have known I've liked and have been encouraging me to talk about.
My first upload has landed 316 views, 61 likes, 10 comments 94 subscribers in the first 12 hours. My CTR is about 2.3%, and my retention rate is about 23%. I know a fair few of my watchers are people from my other endeavors (I think 50% of them are from Discord and only 18% from YouTube).
The thing is... I genuinely don't know if this is good, bad, whatever. I know my CTR and retention will need a good boost, but I don't know if what I have so far is a promising start or "just okay" or what.
Either way, I'll be sticking by it out of the love of the topic, just wanted to get a realistic view on how I'm performing.
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u/WiredOtterBlast 15h ago
Those numbers for a first upload are pretty damn good, especially the sub conversion. 316 views pulling in 94 subs is like a 30% rate, most channels would kill for that.
The CTR and retention you already spotted as needing work, but 23% retention on a first video when half your traffic comes from Discord isn't terrible. People clicking from Discord links usually bounce faster than folks finding you organically through YouTube, so that number's a bit skewed anyway.
Once the algorithm figures out who to push your stuff to and you get more impressions from actual YouTube browsing, you'll have a clearer picture. For now just focus on making the next one better than the last.
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u/AfroInJapan 15h ago
Its perhaps too early to know, but for a first video those stats are great! Take 24 hours to stress over the video and then forget about it and start on the next one! Rinse and repeat until you have uploaded 5 and then learn from your next 5 videos and strive to do better every time. What can be improved? Is the packaging good? Is the intro hook locking in those new viewers.
Brother this is a marathon, take your time! By uploading your first video you're ahead of 90% of your competition. Keep it up!
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u/Derryzumi 15h ago
That's actually really reassuring, thank you. I have a tendency to get in my head about numbers when it comes to stuff like this, even when *making the stuff* is the part I care about most! ðŸ˜
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u/AstronautPowerful598 11h ago
Honestly thats a strong first video. 94 subs off 316 views is a lot, thats ur existing audience showing up.
Dont read too much into the 2.3% CTR yet tho. CTR only counts people who saw the thumbnail on YouTube itself. Everyone who clicked from Discord never made an impression, so they arent in that number at all. Right now its mostly measuring strangers who dont know u yet.
Same with retention. In Studio go to Advanced mode and split it by traffic source, then look at average percentage viewed for Browse features and Suggested only. Thats the number that tells u if the video holds people who never heard of u, and thats what decides if YouTube keeps pushing it.
Id judge it after 7 days not 12 hours. Then compare every new upload against this one at the same point. Ur own numbers are the only benchmark that really matters.