YouTube Dilemma: Technical Content vs. Personal Connection

Last update: 08-11-2024

I want to share something that's been bothering me lately. I keep wondering if investing all this time and effort in YouTube is really worth it.

You see, my YouTube videos are extremely technical. The vast majority of views come from search results. So, even though many viewers find the content helpful, they develop very little (or no) emotional connection with me as the creator. That's understandable, but it does mean that almost no one is actively looking for my channel, and people hardly keep watching my content once they've received the answer they were after.

I'm feeling that it's very hard to gain loyal followers this way. Even though you have the stage, you don't really let your personality show. As a result, even though I have over 15,000 subscribers, I often find it hard to break 100 views. Every video is measured by itself and will only get views if the topic is actively being searched for and no other good videos providing answers exist.

I've been thinking about moving away from this extremely technical content to something more personal and relatable, but I feel caught in a bit of a catch-22 situation. This YouTube channel, with all its faults, is still the biggest source of income among my online endeavors. Putting out content less frequently will undoubtedly affect it. In fact, it already has. In the last few months, I've been trying other things and published less on this channel, and it's already taken a hit.

So, to keep working on it might not be the best choice, as it has become evident that, at least for me, the ceiling for this type of content is quite low, and the time I have to put in to create content is just not worth it. But stopping altogether will worsen the state of the channel, which is not glaring as it is, directly affecting the money I make online.

The one good thing about it is that I've created quite a buffer of videos that I've already uploaded but haven't published yet. Budgeting these videos and publishing one each week should last a while, giving me some time to maybe start working on projects that allow for more of a personal angle while not forsaking the channel.

Then again, it's easier said than done. Starting a new channel in which I just talk might prove hard for me. I am not a native English speaker, and speaking comes with an effort. In my technical videos, it's better because I mostly convey technical data, and the keywords and terms are in English even when speaking (or thinking) in my native language. But just sitting there and speaking? It's a whole different ballgame.

But, as they say, practice makes perfect, right? Maybe just going for it and speaking my mind out might be the best way to improve at doing just that...

What do you think? Have you faced similar challenges in your content creation journey? I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!