In a recent episode of the WAN Show, Linus Sebastian, the founder of Linus Tech Tips (LTT), expressed concerns about a notable decline in video performance on the channel, stating that LTT has been “on the struggle bus lately.”
During the show, Sebastian highlighted that the channel’s latest uploads are experiencing significantly fewer views, averaging around 350, 000 in the first 24 to 36 hours. He emphasized that this figure falls well short of their typical viewership benchmarks. Furthermore, he noted that live shows are drawing in “about three-quarters of what it would normally be” in terms of audience engagement.
Addressing the situation, Sebastian reached out to YouTube, describing the phenomenon as a “very dramatic shift.” He pointed out that the initial momentum within the first few minutes of a video’s release is crucial to its success, contrasting the current performance metrics with just a month ago when new uploads routinely garnished between 1.2 million and 2 million views.
Reevaluating Channel Practices: The Future of YouTube Memberships
In light of this decline, the LTT team is actively reconsidering various channel strategies, including the implementation of YouTube memberships. Sebastian suggested that unless changes are made, the members-only posts may be “killed off, ” as they tend to clutter the channel and could potentially cost valuable impressions on public content.
“There’s a lot of members-only content, ” he noted, explaining that with a reduced upload frequency, this additional clutter can be “kind of annoying” and likened it to spam. In the event of canceling memberships, Sebastian assured viewers that full or prorated refunds would be issued, directing them to Floatplane for exclusive behind-the-scenes and early access content. He promised an official announcement before any significant changes are made.
Moreover, Sebastian critiqued the heavy reliance on A/B testing for video titles and thumbnails, suggesting that it might squander “precious early hours” on less effective variants, particularly if a stronger option is already apparent. Co-host Luke supported this view, underlining that a missed initial click can lead to a substantially larger negative impact when considering the platform’s algorithm, which favors engagement over subscription numbers.
Additionally, the strategy surrounding YouTube Shorts was brought into question. Sebastian mentioned that LTT had experimented with various types of Shorts—teasers, concurrent postings, and retrospective videos—but ultimately concluded that these efforts “did not move the needle at all” concerning long-form content.
Emphasizing that audience engagement drives success more than the algorithm itself, Sebastian reaffirmed the team’s commitment to continuously improving content packaging to better “delight” viewers. He also suggested teasing upcoming projects to enhance immediate click-through rates, recognizing that early engagement provides a “huge boost” to video performance.
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