Big News from YouTube – Again

First YouTube hugely expanded access to MerchShelf, now they’re doing even more for small creators – welcome to new Insights! The “Other Videos Your Audience Watched” tool will now be available to smaller creators who weren’t previously eligible.

Even more support for small YouTubers

For those who don’t know, this feature lets you see what other videos are getting the most traction with your audience.  It has always been an invaluable tool for large creators, and now the up-and-comers will have access too! This is a huge move for all you creators out there, letting you see what else your viewers are interested in and helping you shape your strategy.

Have a gardening channel and notice your followers love frog videos? Perfect! Take that information and give the people what they want. Create new designs for your MerchShelf featuring a frog growing tomatoes, and watch your sales grow right alongside!

What’s in it for me?

Of course, these new Insights provide a lot of useful data as well as design inspiration:

• Other topics that interest your audience
• Content that similar creators are making
• Trends that are popular in your niche
• Ideas for new directions to take your channel

This is super valuable information. You can adjust your strategy, make incremental adjustments and improvements, and really tailor your content to what your audience is interested in. Make your viewers feel listened to and they will become dedicated followers for the life of your channel.

You will also soon be able to filter these Insights by Shorts, VODs, or Live content, so for niche creators or channels looking to expand their content formats you will have a ton of helpful information!

Shorts? Shorts!

This is not the only change YouTube is making – they are also bringing an update to their search filters that will help to boost Shorts engagement. Android and iOS users can now narrow down their search to Shorts – and with short-form video being all the rage, you can bet that they will be.

Shorts with tips and tricks, informative snippets, or funny moments – viewers will be searching for these specifically, and you will now have the tools to see what they are looking for. If you haven’t added Shorts to your content repertoire yet, there has never been a better time to start.

Don’t worry, we’ve got your back! Watch this space for our guide to marketing with Shorts, coming soon.

This is going to be a massive change for smaller creators, putting them on the level with the big players. Identifying relevant trends and developing targeted strategies will give you a huge leg up in growing your channel and maximizing your merch sales. Jump in and explore these changes, this is an exciting time to be a YouTube creator!

How will you use the new Insights? Tell us what you think, or head straight over to your channel and start strategizing.