Why your YouTube videos get no views: check impressions first

If your YouTube videos get no views, open YouTube Studio and look at impressions before anything else. Impressions are how many times YouTube showed your video to someone. Fewer than about 50 impressions means YouTube isn't really recommending the video, usually because the niche is crowded or the title is weak. Over about 100 impressions with a click-through rate under about 2% means the thumbnail isn't doing its job.

Those are two different problems with two different fixes, so work out which one you have first.

Under about 50 impressions: a crowded niche or a weak title

No video really gets zero impressions. My rule of thumb: if a video is getting fewer than about 50, that's a bad sign. YouTube isn't showing it, and it's usually one of two things.

The niche is too crowded. YouTube already has established channels making the same video. When two videos are nearly the same, it recommends the one from the channel with subscribers and a record in that topic. A new channel loses that every time.

To check, search your video's title. If around 20 near-identical videos from the last 24 hours come up, you're in a crowded niche. Other signs: the niche is being passed around on social media, and the other people posting in it aren't getting views either.

The title is weak. It isn't relevant or interesting enough for YouTube to bet on. Good titles make people curious about something they want the answer to. Three shapes that work:

• Put the viewer in a situation: "POV: You're a Black Market Surgeon"
• Ask an intriguing question: "Why It Sucks to Be an Ant"
• A ranked list: "Top 10 Scariest Planets in the Universe"

YouTube probably judges the video itself too, but crowding and the title are the two main causes I see.

Over 100 impressions but a CTR under 2%: the thumbnail

If a video is getting more than about 100 impressions but its click-through rate (CTR) is under about 2%, YouTube is showing it and people aren't clicking. That's my rule of thumb for a thumbnail problem: either the thumbnail isn't working, or the thumbnail and title don't match each other, or they aren't what the viewer expects. The thumbnail decides whether someone who sees the video clicks it.

What works:

• One main subject in the middle. Many viral thumbnails are a plain white background with one character, and maybe an arrow.
• Simple and clean, easy to take in at a glance.
• Little or no text, and never a repeat of the title.
• Full resolution. YouTube recommends 3840 x 2160.

The most common mistakes are a low-resolution image, a busy image and too much text.

What to change, and when

Under about 50 impressions on your first videos: change something now. It doesn't need to be a big change.

1. Change the title structure first.
2. Then try a small niche bend. Move to a nearby topic. If "The Fall of Rome" got nothing, try something on the first civilizations.

A few slow videos at the start are normal. Early on, YouTube is still learning who your channel is for.

After 5–10 videos still under about 50 impressions, having already tried different titles and different topics within the niche, it's time for a bigger change. Switch niche completely, ideally on a new channel. I don't advise switching niches on the same channel.

If you're picking the next niche, start from what's already working for other new channels. I wrote up how I do that in how to find outlier videos.

What you can change is the niche, the title, the thumbnail and the video. Every change you test means making another video, and the sooner the next one is done, the sooner you know what worked.

FAQ

Why does my new YouTube channel get no views?

Check impressions. Under about 50 impressions on a video means YouTube isn't showing it, usually because of a crowded niche or a weak title. Over about 100 impressions with a click-through rate under about 2% means the thumbnail isn't working, or it doesn't match the title or what viewers expect.

How do I get more impressions on YouTube?

Make a video YouTube can't already get from a bigger channel. If a video is stuck under about 50 impressions, change the title structure first, then bend into a nearby topic that isn't crowded.

How many videos should I post before changing niche?

Change the title and try a small bend right away. If you've done that for 5–10 videos and they're still under about 50 impressions each, switch niche, ideally on a new channel.