Museums and YouTube

Tips for making a YouTube channel that is awesome (!!!)

Emily Robbins@EmBRobbins

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Over 10,0001000 -10,000 Less than

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Subscribers

Museum channel subscribers: most don’t have many

3 Types of Videos

Inward – About the MuseumInstallation, event profiles, behind-the-scenes

Outward – Education/EntertainmentMini docs, artist interviews, lectures, performances

Promotional – Short adsExhibition promos, event promos

Outward Does Best on YouTube

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Recent videos All top videos Over 100,000 views

Outward

Promo

Inward

View Patterns

GradualSpike

Spike, then Gradual

Promos tend to spike

• Pushed to museum audiences

Inward and Outward videos gain views gradually

• Most views come from YouTube discovery

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Inward

Outward

Promo

Both Gradual Spike

Top Videos: 67% gradual

Over 100,000 Views: 83% gradual

Video titles may or may not be familiar/understandable to general audiences

Unfamiliar elements:

• Lesser-known artists’ names

• Exhibition titles

• Museum program titles

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Over 100,000 views

All top videos

Recent Videos

Unfamiliar Museum name Familiar phrases

Unfamiliar titles are common

Top videos have titles with familiar phrases

Museum name does not = high views

Do branding and organization help?

Few museum channels have whole channel branding

Some have series – branded playlists

• Playlist with 5 or more videos

• Consistent branding/style

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No Organization SomeOrganization

Slight Use ofSeries

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Average Subscribers

More branding = more subscribers

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No Organization SomeOrganization

Slight Use ofSeries

Series Used

Average number of videos with over 20,000 views

More branding = more views

“Outward” content rules

Familiar/understandable titles do better

More branding = better

Branding

ASAP Science

Sixty Symbols

SciShow

Brand channel around show, not institution

Channels feature each other…

…and form social networks

Popular video formats make clear what you will learn

• Lists– “20 amazing facts about _______”– “10 reasons why ______”– “Top 7 _______s”

• Answering a question– “Why does _____ happen?”– “What exactly is ______?”

• Broad Topics– “World History: War”– “Surrealism”

Video Examples(Yay, let’s watch some movies!!!)

WARNING: Videos are fairly long, between 7-15 minutes. (Do note: that whole “people online have short attention spans” thing isn’t always true when you have content people really like.)

Personality draws you in

Emily Graslie’s personality adds to the ordinary “explain a museum object” video

• She interacts naturally with interview subjects• Good alternative to everyone having to make camera-eye-

contact

• Shows museum employees having fun at their jobs

Acknowledging audience spurs participation

PBS Idea Channel discusses cultural criticism using internet pop culture.

They asks viewers for their thoughts, and feature good comments at the end of the next video.

• Check out these long, thoughtful comments!

• The chance to get featured encourages comments

• Featuring conversation at the ends encourages people to watch to the end

Videos can be jumping-off points for activity

On The Art Assignment, artists set a project for the viewers

Two hosts give art-historical background

Responses to assignments are posted on Tumblr and in videos

• SO participatory. Much participation.

• BUT also provides easy-to-understand art knowledge

• Shows that the ideas behind art are accessible to everyone

Takeaways

• Have personality

– Be fun, human, approachable, enthusiastic

– Be a peer to your audience, not an authority

• Have identity

– Consistent style, consistent content

– Have a focused goal for your channel

Takeaways

• Have a value proposition

– Educate, inspire, share knowledge, offer insights

– Entertain: convey that your subject matter is exciting

– Go beyond institutional promotion

• Learn about search engine optimization

• Foster channel communities

Advice from The Creators on YouTube

• Be authentic• Be relevant• It doesn’t have to be glossy• Collaborate with others• Listen to your audience• Don’t expect engagement, ask for it