Posts by Michael

Personally I would consider getting a new phone with a good camera on it. Theres a lot of ways to mount a phone to a ringlight for selfie style videos, gimbals if you want to do smooth handheld footage and the bonus is you can easily carry it everywhere with you. For £300 you could get one of the Samsung plus phones like an s22plus or maybe even s23plus. I have a Nothing Phone 3a Pro and thats been really good, the front facing camera isnt the best but still performs well and the back camera is excellent just sometimes struggles in low light. What kind of video content will you be making?

I was once leaving my aunties house and a random silly idea popped into my head. It was ridiculous, would only take a few seconds to shoot on my phone and I thought to myself sod it, I will quickly record it and edit it once I am home. That silly thought was edited in a few minutes on the TikTok app and shared. That video is currently at over 2 million views. I dont think I have earned much from it (if anything) with it being a really short video but it goes to show the random silly little ideas that youd most likely forget to do can sometimes be worth it. Do you ever get random ideas for videos and post them? Have you experienced anything like this before too?

So I had this back in 2017, one of my first ever videos on my old channel was sat for maybe a year or two. The video was awfully poor quality, it was recorded badly, the audio was off, I wasnt really into what I was doing and looking back it honestly seems like the least likely contender to ever be picked up by the algorithm. It sat at around 1k views for 2 years and suddenly was suggested on the sidebar of a popular channel and it took off to over 2 million views. It must have sat for 2 years at around 1k views. It is a video I could easily have just deleted as it was kinda embarrassing to keep especially after improving so much over the years. I have always wondered why that video of all of them and how come the algorithm suddenly decided it was worth pushing. I feel lucky it happened but haven’t a clue why that exact video and not others that were equally as awful.

Do videos get re-evaluated by the algorithm after such long periods of time since posting? What typically causes one to suddenly grow like that? Its made me think that I should never delete any old bad videos just in case I am sat on a surprise gold mine.

Has anyone else noticed their videos most times hitting a certain view range before stalling, like they reach a cap and then just die off? It feels like there is some kind of testing phase where videos get shown to a small group first and only goes further if it performs well initially. Is this just how the algorithm works in stages or am I overthinking it?

Im curious, what are some attention grabbing ways to design a thumbnail in 2026 and increase thumbnail click through rate? I know a few years back using extreme yellows and bright colours would work so well but what about now? What is working for you with your thumbnails? What does the algorithm reward now?

Ive noticed that many creators feel this way. If you dont post something more extreme than the post before or more outlandish it doesnt perform as well. With channels that have a focus on more viral content it seems to be this way. You see similar patterns with adult content creators too where they will start out posting less risqué content and as time goes on it becomes more graphic. What are your thoughts on this? I think its down to the perception of viewers not being interested unless something is more extreme etc than the previous as if it has to beat the crazyness of it. Hopefully that makes some sense. Share your thoughts on this would be interesting to discuss.

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I was recently recommended by a content creator friend to start reusing my videos from YouTube and upload them to Spotify as a podcast. I didnt know this was a thing until he showed me. In the past I had used distribution services such as Landr and Distrokid for audio based releases but those are paid distribution services. This way you and anyone else can upload their YouTube content directly to Spotify and get rewarded when you gain a following and streams.

You can sign up to Spotify Creators here: https://creators.spotify.com/

To monetise you need 1000 people listening in 30 days, 3 uploads and 2000 consumed hours in 30 days. I am unsure if this resets if you get less one month however.

While my numbers are low I havent once promoted or shared the Spotify with anyone. Imagine if I was to share it properly and the growth that can come from it. I definitely recommend doing it. The upload system is so simple unlike on other platforms like Landr and Distrokid. Get yourself on there and share your link with your audience on YT and TikTok.

If youre new to TikTok and youre thinking to yourself that you cannot post that draft, honestly just go for it. Theres a lot of anxiety around posting when beginning a new TikTok channel. "Are my videos good or bad?", "Do I look and sound okay?", "What if my family sees me?", "What will me friends think?", "What if my content is just crap and gets no views?". All of those questions will hold you back. A better question to ask would be So What? So what if your videos are not perfect, so what if people see you who know you? so what if you get 5 views or 50? So what if others think something?.

This is your life, you can do this, breathe and release that draft. You will learn with every single attempt you make, every failure is a learning opportunity and you never know where you could end up in 5 years time. Bella Poarch went viral with her M to the B video,

TikTok · All about Movies

TikTok | Make Your Day

www.tiktok.com

Her friends could have easily wondered what she was doing and thought it was strange her facial expressions but she still posted it and it went massive.

Mr Beast started off with a bandicam software recording of Minecraft:

Anything is possible and you can create something and do well out of literally nothing.

Does anyone use affiliate marketing in 2026 for their brand? I am curious how people are finding businesses to affiliate with and whether it is worth it or not. I have done a few paid product placements in my time which worked well for the companies and have shared affiliate codes and links and with a small audience the result has been okay. I have had a few clicks but no buyers probably the wrong audience really or the video wasnt where it should be. How have yours went on YouTube? Do you find people click your links and purchase? It is still eyes on the brand regardless which is good for them and it also creates a sense of youve made it with your viewers when they see you post products, either that or think youve sold out haha

I was wondering what others posting schedules are. For my main YouTube I post as and when I can but try to at least 1 time per week. At one point I was posting several times a week and while the channel was performing better than it still felt like it wasnt really doing much. I cut back a lot and the views seemed to stay similar but now are in decline after my schedule was messed up for a few months. Im unsure if its just the niche at the moment.

With TikTok for my business I post 5 days per week, the views have been steady between 200 and 700 views per video on average which I am happyish with with the channels following being around 1500 it isnt too bad at all.

What is your own posting schedule like?

Is starting a YouTube kids channel in 2026 worth it? I remember back in 2017/2018 the whole Elsagate where there was a mass demonetisation of YouTube kids channels. So many creators were posting inappropriate content for kids like pregnant Frozen Elsa bending over in mini skirts, spiderman sexualising her and play doh videos of the Hulk having his arms removed at the doctors. I completely see why so many got demonetised but I know they werent given any warning or chance to delete said content. A few channels were caught in all of it quite unfairly and never got their monetisation back.

I am wondering now is it worth creating one or viable? If you have a kids channel is yours monetised fine or do you run into issues? Is it pointless creating one these days with needing to mark as made for kids etc? Are these videos properly monetisable? What are your thoughts?

I was wondering if people are still adding tags to their YouTube videos? Are YouTube using them now as much or are they a waste of time and better letting the algorithm understand the content without them? What are your thoughts?

I still use them maybe 70% of the time, I tend to use the most relevant ones maybe 7. In the past I would use all 500 characters available. Im unsure if they have much weight and if theyre worth using. I guess YouTube would remove them entirely if their systems didnt use them at all as they would be pointless.

Who are your favourite TikTok creators? (share yours below with some info on them and a video or two - this thread is not for self promo btw)

I have a few I watch regularly but some are at the top of the list.

Sophie Jones - Confidence & Rejection Self Improvement Channel - https://www.tiktok.com/@sophie_jones111

Harry and Jack - North East England Comedy Channel - https://www.tiktok.com/@harryandjack_

Sophie I have watched since she began and she quickly went viral with her confidence boosting rejection therapy videos, really admire her and the goal of the channel. She's been on UK TV and is a massive inspiration with wholesome content.

TikTok · Sophie Jones

TikTok | Make Your Day

www.tiktok.com

Harry and Jack I found a while back and was attracted to their local humour about unemployment and gaming etc they specialise in funny relatable POV content and recently created a character called Mr Tickley. The characters now their most popular and everyone requests him to come back whenever they post a new video. He is a bit like the old man in Family Guy. He started off as a creepy uber driver POV and now he's becoming more aggressive towards Djack, you never know how extreme he is going to get. A lot of people feel sorry for the poor guy lol

TikTok · Harry & Jack

TikTok | Make Your Day

www.tiktok.com

I remember back in the day when joining a YouTube network/MCN was the best thing ever. Everyone was excited to sign up and meet the criteria and then get access to music libraries. Some of the ones I remember the most were Maker Studios, Fullscreen, RPM (think was a subnetwork of Maker), Freedom! with George Vanous if anyone remembers him (I particularly remember his videos on YT), Creative Nation or CNation, Family Video Network, MusicNationsNetwork and Illuminata I believe it was called. I am so curious what happened to all of them. Does anyone know? I heard Fullscreen closed down in 2021 but unsure about any of the rest.

I done a search and found Freedom! still going -

Ive used so many over the years, most have been paid software. I started out on I believe Sony Vegas such a long time ago now but eventually and daringly began using Premiere Pro. For a long time I was "scared" to use it. I felt like I couldnt get used to it but now its become second nature. The only thing I really bring over from Vegas is customising the keyboard shortcuts to use S for splitting clips like in Vegas. I would struggle using K I believe the default is. I find it easy to use now but was a learning curve at first and I felt a bit limited as it is different. I still recommend Vegas to anyone wanting to take their editing to the next level but 100% think Premiere is the best for what I do and how I use it.

What do you use and prefer?

Has anyone else been using AI for creating TikTok hooks? Here's a prompt you can use with ChatGPT for creating a selection of 20 video hooks in your niche.

Quote

Act as a world class short form video strategist specialising in TikTok, Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels and YouTube Shorts.

My niche is: [INSERT NICHE]

My topic is: [INSERT TOPIC]

Generate:

1. 20 scroll stopping hooks designed to grab attention within the first 2 seconds.
2. 20 high engagement endings designed to increase comments, shares, saves and follows.

Hooks should use curiosity, surprise, controversy, relatability, fear of missing out, social proof, or strong emotional triggers where appropriate.

Endings should feel natural and conversational, not like generic calls to action.

Prioritise retention and engagement for short form video audiences in 2026.

Make every hook and ending specific to the niche and topic provided. Avoid generic phrases and overused creator clichés. Generate a mix of bold, direct, funny, intriguing and educational styles.

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Let me know if you find this useful or do you find the hooks to not be of any use? For me it seems to work quite well. I would definitely not use all of them as some just feel really cringy and wouldnt naturally work

Hey everyone I am so happy to announce that WeMakeVids is now launched and open to everyone. I have been setting everything up in preparation for today and there may be some issues to work out so please let me know if the Help and Suggestions forum. If you're a content creator, this community is for you. Ask about everything from planning video content, editing videos and software to monetisation and making money from YouTube, TikTok and all other video creation platforms. Here at WeMakeVids we are here to help support you whether you are completely new to the world of making content or well seasoned. Get signed up, ask away and don't be afraid to get involved helping others too. This community is for ALL video creators!

Thank you for reading and welcome to the forums.

Does anyone know if theres a method that works for when a video gets stuck on TikTok? Last night I uploaded a very short video around 6 seconds long with multiple audio layers and two video overlays and the cover wouldnt show (was showing like grey static) when trying to select one and the video once posted was black screen with audio only. I ended up deleting and re-editing about 5 times and in the end cut a second off and eventually it worked. Really unsure what actually causes this but its quite frustrating. It seemed to be stuck on processing as I couldnt copy the link even after 10 mins. Is there a fix for this?

Im curious I know TikTok pushed over 1 minute long videos a while back and many people always aim for over 1 minute still (I believe to do with monetisation) but do they actually perform better view wise? In my experience very short videos around 15 to 30 seconds seem to do exceptionally well. Ones around a minute do perform fine too but when 3 mins etc I feel like they massively underperform. What is your own experience with this?