This is a report released by YouTube, and it's basically an instruction manual on how to grow a YouTube channel in 2025. It reveals things like how lighting up your audience's brain dramatically boosts audience retention, the four emotional triggers that make people watch videos for longer, and why production quality might not matter as much as what you think it should do in 2025, and what to focus on instead. So, in this video, we're going to break down that report into the three most important takeaways that will help you get more views and more subscribers in 2025.
I want to start with a question: how authentic, genuine, and real do you feel you are in your videos? Give yourself a score out of 10, with 10 being the best, and let us know why you think that in the comments below. I'll give myself a 6 out of 10, and I'll tell you why later— or never, if you don't watch the video for long enough.
Now, the report is called "Why We Watch 2. 0. " I'm not sure what happened to "Why We Watch 1.
0," but it was probably a better report because, to be honest, everybody thinks YouTube is worse these days for some reason. Anyway, brains were scanned, interviews were undertaken, and surveys conducted. The goal was to find out what type of content is most engaging and creates long-lasting memories for the viewers.
What they discovered is that YouTube Shorts are absolutely amazing for all audiences, that clickbait content leads to extreme viewer satisfaction, and that three-minute non-skippable ads are the absolute sweet spot for the platform. Am I reading this right? What the report actually talked about was emotional connection over technical quality.
It can be extremely tempting to invest hundreds, if not thousands, of hours and dollars into the production values of your videos. As you can see, I'm kind of guilty of this myself. However, according to the report, viewers care much less about all of this stuff than we thought.
During the study, YouTube interviewed over 12,000 viewers to find out what really matters to them when they are watching videos, and the overwhelming result was that viewers value the emotional aspects of a video far higher than the production quality. But what sort of emotional aspects are they talking about? For that, we need to show you two columns.
These two columns summarize what's most important to viewers on YouTube in different age categories. In both cases, the technical aspects of a video make up a small amount of what viewers really care about. So, if you have a smartphone that's less than three years old, a dedicated microphone, and know how to properly light yourself, which doesn't require expensive equipment, then you're probably satisfying the technical expectations of the viewer.
But in terms of the emotional aspects of a viewer, there are all sorts of things to consider. If your audience is under 35, the most important things your viewers care about are that your content is original, creative, and that it teaches them something new. However, if your audience is mostly above 35, they want a creator who is trustworthy and who tells them interesting stories.
Ah, that makes a lot more sense now: the older you get, the more you hate AI content. Now, of course, there are exceptions to these general findings. Take any tech channel, film and photography channel, or heck, any education channel—higher production values will lead to a sense of credibility and trustworthiness.
But it does seem like the average viewer is more emotion-driven, which leads us to our next discovery, which is a bit creepy, to be honest. YouTube conducted another study that literally got inside the mind of a viewer through brain imaging. They wanted to determine what keeps a viewer watching a video, but also what they start to think about when they're bored (small problems aside from the shape that make it a massive challenge to live in the area; it’s beautiful, by the way).
What they found was that when the participants were watching their favorite creators, four key emotions were being triggered in the brain, and those were happiness, inspiration, relaxation, and feeling informed. If you look at the most successful channels on YouTube, almost all of them target at least two of these emotions. For example, if you take a look at Mark Rober's science-based content, he's managed to combine the feeling of being informed by teaching science in his videos with the feelings of happiness and inspiration by completing difficult challenges throughout his videos.
Then there are channels like The Yes Project that almost always target three of these emotions. They inform you by taking you to unknown places, inspire you by encouraging you to say yes to life, and their videos always end in a way that makes you feel happy. So, as a creator yourself, try to fulfill at least two of these emotions in your videos.
If you’re teaching something in your videos, informing people, try to think about how you can add lighthearted and comedic moments to bring out more happiness in your videos. Optimize your titles— not now— or if you're sharing a success story and inspiring people, you can think about how you can add steps into that video so that they can achieve the same thing, thus being informed themselves. But in saying all of this, there was one last discovery from YouTube's brain study that revealed that most creators get something wrong when they're trying to grow their YouTube channels.
Most creators, naturally and understandably, take inspiration from the biggest creators in their niche that they admire. However, inspiration can very quickly leap into copying, and the report shows that when creators copy the big YouTubers. .
. It stifles their growth, and that's because when they looked at the exact moment viewers' brains lit up the most during videos, it wasn't during high-production segments or perfectly scripted moments. Instead, it was when the creators they were watching were at their most relatable and authentic.
In fact, the study found that 61% of viewers said that their favorite creators were authentically themselves in their videos. So again, generally speaking, your viewers are craving more authentic and relatable moments over high production values. But now, obviously, the big question is: How do you make your content more authentic?
Well, to be honest, that is something even I have struggled with a lot over the years, and it's why I give myself only a six out of ten. I've done this long enough now to know how to fake it, but if you think I'm just talking to camera without a script, a dozen retakes, and some slight editing, then, as my elder brother used to say to me, I am just one big dollop of disappointment to you. And, of course, we all can't forget that voice in the back of our head second-guessing ourselves when we dare to be raw and authentic: What if people think I'm just weird?
I'm putting myself out there on the internet for everybody to see, and they're just going to laugh at me and think I'm a complete idiot, especially with these glasses. But what experience has taught me after 15 years and over 1,500 videos of struggle is that it's still completely normal to feel like that. Nine times out of ten, you're very likely overthinking all of this, and your audience will actually appreciate it when you leave in those human moments.
That's all of the inspirational stuff; anyway, what about the practical steps and tips that might actually help and inform you? Remember, I'm going after at least two emotions here, so here are some actionable steps to help you feel more authentic on camera: 1. **Share the journey**—good and bad.
Even for educational content, instead of just teaching what works, also share what didn't work. Talk about your mistakes and the learning experiences. Let viewers see the whole process—the real process.
It's messy, it's scrappy, and that's a good thing because it's relatable and it creates tension. 2. **Be conversational**—speak to your audience as if they are a friend, not a pupil, subordinate, or disciple.
Especially on YouTube, viewers aren't really up for the corporate professional approach. This one's important to remember: Be respectful of the fact that the viewer chose you; they weren't assigned to you, and they can leave at any time. So don't talk down to your audience as if you know everything and have all of the power.
Make yourself and your content welcoming, accessible, and open to debate. 3. **Share your thoughts and opinions**—never be afraid to share your personality.
In fact, when it comes to YouTube, probably dial it up just a little bit. Don't be scared to let your natural enthusiasm shine through; it really does come through the screen and into the viewer. 4.
**Share personal stories and experiences**—let the audience know that you're willing to be a little vulnerable on camera. Do not be afraid to have your own style. All of these things are what create lasting memories for the viewer.
You want your viewers to come away from your videos with a changed state of mind, maybe more of one of these emotional triggers that we talked about earlier. Positive influence is a powerful skill, and it leaves a lasting memory in the mind of a viewer, which means they'll come back for more. Either that or a bit of music.
When you’re feeling down, you need a boost to launch you around. Delta blues will lift you high. [Cue music] Don't you cry.
Count your clicks and watch them grow. The algorithm knows what you need to show, from keywords locked to trending tips. Let the views ship.
Even I've got to admit, that was some pretty good AI.
