Last night's CeltfatherLive concert was another big win. I'm finally seeing some success with live video. I tried live video last year. Ultimately, I ditched it because I was not seeing any positive results. I learned a lot over the past year. So I want to share how I'm succeeding, what is working, and what has yet to show results.
Goodbye Concert Window, Hello YouTube!
I loved Concert Window. It is pretty easy to setup and start recording a show. It's super easy for fans to give tips and get rewards in the process. I LOVE how that is done. But they take 30% of the money you make which sucks (thought it's the same for YouTube's Super Chat).
The biggest reason for the change is because of the name recognition of YouTube. Everyone knows it. Most people already have an account with them. And each video has the potential to live on past the event date.
One of Concert Windows' benefits is that it is focused on the live experience. If you miss the show, you're out of luck.
I bypassed that option for a while. Concert Window lets you download shows. So I downloaded them and reposted exclusively for fans on Patreon. But the last few months that download option stopped working. The final blow for me was when I couldn't get the video to work properly on Concert Window. I finally decided to try another option–YouTube.
Making Money on YouTube
So far, I'm thrilled with the results. It's allowed me to focus on one fewer platform. The only challenge is the money. I ask for $5 Super Chat tips during my hour-long concerts. I get a bunch of them. Yesterday, I got $115 in tips. That should amount to about $80.
The real success still comes, as I said previously, from getting people to “buy tickets” or give tips in my “Virtual Tip Jar” on Bandcamp. I'm still not sure how to make that happen though. Or get more signups on Patreon. That'd do the trick too. I only made $30 in tips yesterday on Bandcamp.
Got More Views on YouTube
Even though the money was not great, the attendance was UP big time.
You see, I had problems with attendance on Concert Window. I got up to 40 people once when I first started the site. But that steadily dropped to about 12-15 hardcore Gunn Runners.
Yesterday, I averaged about 35 people watching the show. There were over 100 views of the show when it ended.
THAT IS AMAZING!
In fact, that's ultimately, my ENTIRE goal with video. I want more views!
It's better than that though. You see, YouTube is all about “Watch Time”. They want you to stay on their platform and watch MORE videos on YouTube. Having 35 people watch an hour-long show is an INCREDIBLE WIN! Wow!
In fact, I'd consider that one of my biggest video music successes.
How did I do it?
#SSSVEDA: What I Learned on YouTube
April is #SSSVEDA, “Vlog Every Day in April”. This is a challenge started by Amy Landino, a YouTuber I follow. The goal is to release a new video every day in April.
I am currently in the middle of this challenge. I've released 16 videos this month. It's been tough, as you'll see in my video on Wednesday. But I've learned a LOT on YouTube, including:
- How to quickly and easily record videos
- How to quickly edit these videos
- How to easily make YouTube thumbnails
- Best practices for End Screens
- How to choose the best Cards for each video
- How to compile a description
The only thing I feel like I'm doing poorly right now is video tags.
YouTube Promotion with Facebook
I've also learned how to better promote my videos with Facebook.
This is big. I have 3000+ people who Like my Facebook fan page. The trouble is the Facebook algorithm kinda sucks for businesses. The website wants you to advertise through them to reach your fans. Consequently, your posts might not go far.
In fact, nerdy singer/songwriter Marian Call lamented about this very thing on a Facebook post that only reached 3 people.
I've done a LOT of experimenting recently, trying to figure out how to increase my reach. Here's some of what I learned.
- Always use a picture when posting anything. Even a picture of a shoe will do better than no picture at all.
- Feel free to create events to remind fans. But to promote it, use step #1 above. Seriously. This sucks. But every time I posted an event, it barely “reached” 4% of my fans.
- If you create a YouTube video, don't just post the link to the video. Instead, post a picture ON FACEBOOK, and then include a link to YouTube and tell people to go over watch it.
- Tag someone if it's relevant to them. It seems to expand the reach a wee bit more.
Using these techniques going up to my CeltfatherLive show on YouTube, I was able to generate a decent amount of excitement about the concert.
I haven't done enough experimenting with on Facebook video. That's my next step. Can I get more “organic reach” with videos?
A couple years ago, I found that Facebook promoted Facebook Live events. But so far, that's not been what I've noticed with…
Coffee with The Celtfather,Weekly Shows
I started the year with Coffee with The Celtfather after hearing about Dawn Beyer. She's a country musician who records live shows on Wednesday mornings. She uses live video A LOT. And using a “Virtual Tip Jar” seems to be making a pretty decent living. And she does a great job interacting with fans on Facebook.
These shows are a bit of a challenge for me. You see, I only have a limited amount of time to go online. I have podcasts to finish, videos to record, content to create for Gunn Runners. So I've tried a variety of ways to promote these shows. Right now, I get about 10 people watching me live each week. That's pretty incredible. But it's still pretty small and doesn't feel like it's growing a whole lot.
Nevertheless, I continue plugging along, because it has served me well when it comes to promoting CeltfatherLive, new merch, videos, podcasts and more. But I'm still working out the kinks.
Even though I don't feel like it's been a HUGE success. I am seeing steady growth in Likes to my page and again, sales. So I'm gonna keep doing it on Facebook until I hit a wall. Then I'll adjust.
Next week, Coffee with The Celtfather will be at 12:00 pm Central Standard Time. I'm ready to try something new.
I'll let you know as I find new things that work. Slainte!
