Last week, I published a video about the M3 iMac. Some people loved it, others thought it was an utter waste of time. Someone even compared it to “the PC troll channels”. I have no idea what that means, but I don’t think it’s a compliment.
At the time of writing, the video in question has clocked up 54,000 views, 489 comments, 6,300 hours of watch time, 259 new subscribers, and 96.3% likes vs dislikes. It has also generated £216 in AdSense revenue and has beaten the entire channel’s average view duration by one minute and 42 seconds.
It is, by virtually every measurement available, a resounding success.
So why does the criticism within the comments section seemingly beat every other positive metric?
This is what being a YouTuber is all about, I’m afraid, and there are some key lessons we can draw from this experience.
I’m pretty happy with a 96.3% like-to-dislike ratio. It reveals that the overwhelming majority of people who watched my iMac video and who decided to react to it did so in a positive fashion. Despite this, the majority of people who commented were less than enamoured. Their main bone of contention, in case you’re wondering, was the spec choices for the iMacs I was testing - an utterly fair criticism, and one which has taught me quite a lot about how Final Cut Pro handles exports.
No - this isn’t life or death, is it?
Regardless, this is how YouTube works. While you’ll receive some lovely comments on your videos (I did on this one), those who have a lot to say will shout the loudest and arrive in greater numbers - particularly when you’re covering big brands that have fierce tribal support. Some of the criticism will be delivered fairly and maturely, but some of it won’t. That’s life; it’s easy for people to hide behind keyboards and criticise those who are doing things they’ve never attempted themselves.
When this happens - and, trust me, if you want to become a successful YouTuber, it will on multiple occasions - there are six things you should do, which I have done in this case.
1. Take the feedback onboard
This is one of the hardest parts of the process. Criticism - no matter how well delivered - isn’t easy to take when you’ve poured your heart and soul into something. Equally, it becomes rather tiring when you’re told the same thing for the umpteenth time.
I’ve lost count of how many people have told me that I shouldn’t have compared an 8GB iMac to a 32GB iMac. That feedback continues to arrive, every single day. But there’s a great point behind it and, for me, a fascinating insight into how Final Cut Pro works. I’ve been told by enough people now for it to hold some weight - I get it. I’ve learned. I’ll keep it in mind for the future.
2. Thank people for their input
Thankfully, most people who comment on your videos and offer constructive feedback will do so in a nice way. They appreciate that content creation is hard (or assume it is, if they’ve never done it themselves) and understand that you’re doing your best. They also recognise that they’re watching a completely free video that has probably hit your pocket in some way during the creation process.
Those people need to be thanked for their input. A quick one-liner to say “I really appreciate you taking the time to respond to this” is all that’s needed. If you’ve received a shed load of comments, a quick click of that heart button indicates that you’ve read and appreciate their input. This makes a huge difference to audience and community building.
3. Avoid feeding the trolls
Oh, guys - I still struggle with this. I’ve written and talked about it so many times on Solo Club, because it is one of the hardest parts of being a YouTuber.
I still bite, and I did exactly that on more than one occasion in this instance. There were certain comments from trolls that immediately struck a nerve and which I immediately jumped on. This was wasted time - I regret every single one of those responses. I’m still, therefore, learning and working on this piece of advice myself, but the old adage is true: don’t feed the trolls - it is an utter waste of your time.
4. Offer clarification (if it’s needed)
There were elements of my iMac testing routine that I don’t need to defend, simply because I made it abundantly clear in the video that this wasn’t a scientific test, and that people should take my findings with a pinch of salt.
There were, however, one or two instances of people completely misunderstanding my conclusion - or overlooking it entirely. I believe it’s important to jump on those comments and clarify matters - particularly if the misconception is potentially damaging to your brand. It’s the best way to clear things up and demonstrate to onlookers that you’re fully engaged with your audience.
5. Make more content about it
You’re reading this Substack post because the fallout from that iMac video has offered a brilliant opportunity to continue the story. It has sparked an awful lot of interest - why not capitalise on that?
This is actually the second piece of follow-up content I’ve made about that video. The first was a re-test of the Intel iMac during this week’s Mark Ellis Reviews newsletter. That was intended to get more people onto the newsletter list, and to demonstrate that I’m willing to retest stuff if enough people request I do so. It worked brilliantly.
Moving the topic from Mark Ellis Reviews to Solo Club was an obvious next step. And... voilà! I now have three pieces of content from one, and a narrative that is capable of growing my audience on two separate brands.
Anyone can - and should - do this. If you make a piece of content that sparks huge debate - milk it.
6. Realise that ALL engagement is good engagement for the algorithm
It really is. YouTube doesn’t care if a comment is positive or negative - it just wants videos on the platform to be watched and engaged with. If your video brings in a sizeable audience and a good chunk of that audience starts interacting in the comments, it will give it a serious boost in the rankings. Some of my best-performing videos are those with very large comment sections.
I hope this helps, guys. Receiving negative feedback is never much fun, but reading and digesting it is the best way to grow as a content creator. Just always keep in mind that you’re doing the hard stuff here - it’s a lot easier to comment than it is to write, shoot, edit, and publish a YouTube video.