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“Quickly gives us an idea of content that will resonate with our audiences and the most efficient channels to deliver it on”

Gabriel Authier

Global Brand Manager

“Continuously informs our social and advertising strategies”

Jaime Parson

Director of Marketing Insights

“Pivotal in improving our client's media strategies”

Gemma Philpott

Assc. Director of Strategy

“Mind blowing! Helped surface a lot of great insights”

Chris Mikulin

Co-founder

“Strategic insight that helps my team move fast without hesitation”

Martin Brueckner

Global Head Spots Communications

“Lots of actionable insights. Very Impactful.”

TJ Walker

Founder & CEO
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“Quickly gives us an idea of content that will resonate with our audiences and the most efficient channels to deliver it on”

Gabriel Authier

Global Brand Manager

“Continuously informs our social and advertising strategies”

Jaime Parson

Director of Marketing Insights

“Pivotal in improving our client's media strategies”

Gemma Philpott

Assc. Director of Strategy

“Mind blowing! Helped surface a lot of great insights”

Chris Mikulin

Co-founder

“Strategic insight that helps my team move fast without hesitation”

Martin Brueckner

Global Head Spots Communications

“Lots of actionable insights. Very Impactful.”

TJ Walker

Founder & CEO
Scroll For More

The Best Way to Structure Your Content Strategy to Maximize Marketing Activations on YouTube

October 4, 2023
Media & Entertainment

Purpose of Research

  • Identify popular entities in the sport, music and content space who invest in activations.
  • Analyze the posting strategy for activations on YouTube to assess success based on content type.
Analyzed Entities

Metrics Defined

The following content types are defined as follows for this report:

  • Standalone Content: Only one YouTube video shared.
  • Episodic Format: Standalone YouTube videos that follow a recurring template but do not need to be viewed in succession.
  • Serial Content: 2+ YouTube videos that are intended to be viewed in succession (ie. episode 1, 2, 3, 4…).
  • Supported Content: One main YouTube video is complemented by other posts about that one piece of content.

The following metrics were considered to develop key insights:

  • Share of entities using different content types
  • Aggregated performance of all types of content across entities
  • View and engagement retention for content types
Links are examples to help define the content type categories.

Key Takeaways

Key Takeaways

Strategy  Overview

All brands post Standalone content on YouTube.

Number of Brands Using Different Post Types

43% of brands use at least two content types in conjunction.

How Brands Use Content Types Together

YouTube activations don’t have to be exclusively 1 content type…

Strategy Overview

…But prioritize Episodic Format content for activation distribution.

Performance by YouTube Post Type

Episodic Format  Content

Episodic content has at least 2-5 posts using a repeatable format.

Average Number of Format Posts

Leave about 21-40 days between posts.

Growth Based on Days Between Posts

Share at least 4 posts to increase performance over time…

Average Growth by Number of Posts

…Episodic videos increase in viewership after the 3rd video.

Growth by Number of Posts

Episodic Format content should sit between 10-20 minutes.

Performance by Activation YouTube Post Duration

Let’s dive into examples of how to leverage Episodic Formats across videos.

Episodic Format

Create a central theme to engage with subjects, then repeat.

  • This Shorts series explores whether people would complete major challenges in the moment.
  • $ vs $$$
    4 YouTube Videos
    974M Total Views & Engagements
  • Videos that explore the true difference of cheap to mid-luxury and full-luxury experiences.

This v.s. That

Views 400M

Would You?

Views 314M

$ vs $$$

Views 299M

Maintain a recurring structure in the way footage is presented.

Chicken Shop Date features interviews with musicians and other celebrities in an identical format about once a month. 

  • Videos are 6.5 minutes long on average. Viewers have come to recognize CSD as a quick but funny content format.
  • Each video starts with the same introduction. The video starts with a short excerpt from the interview and then cuts into a 7-second title clip. 
  • Each video features the host and guest eating fried chicken & chips as they chat. 
  • All videos feature B-roll footage from the shop of the people who work there.

Introduction, Interview, Chicken Shop B-Roll

Click to View

Views 9.3M

Thrasher’s “Skateline” is shared consistently every 7 days. 

Viewership fluctuates from time to time but ultimately remains relatively stable.

Average Views + Engagements

If activating in a frequent manner, aim for quality over quantity.

Easing out to a biweekly video format could push more intentional video coverage and generate higher viewership.

  • Skateline
    47 YouTube Videos
    3.6M Total Views & Engagements
  • Videos cover what’s happening in the world of skateboarding. They cover skater news and feature new films shared in the community. 
  • Videos are 3.5 minutes in length on average.
  • Thrasher Magazine uses:
    (i) The same host for every video.
    (ii) The same background, mimicking a newsroom.

Skateline

Views 112K

Standalone Content

Produce Standalone content between 25-30 minutes in length.

Content between 15-20 minutes follows as the second top performer.

Video Performance by Duration

YouTube Shorts generate the fastest growth in viewership over a 30-day period, followed by videos over 35 minutes.

30-Day Video View Growth Rate by Duration

Let’s dive into examples of how to include Standalone content into your media mix.

Standalone Content Creators

Use Shorts to share quick videos that are relevant to your audience.

MrBeast and Amelia Dimoldenberg use Standalone Shorts in the following ways:

  • Use Shorts to reference content that you’re known for in a quick manner. 
    (i) MrBeast gives iPhones to kids for Halloween and sends subscribers on trips when he meets them in the streets, similar to a strategy he employs on TikTok
    (ii) Amelia Dimoldenberg moves her interviews to real-life red carpet events and shares quick excerpts of her talking to celebrities in her typical quirky way, but independent of her usual setting.
  • Keep shorts within 30 seconds to a minute.

Views 892M

Views 317M

Views 12M

Use Standalone content to tell a story from beginning to end.

The story should start and end in the duration of the video. 

Standalone Tactics from Yes Theory:

  • Set the stage. Yes Theory:
    (i) Immediately communicates the point of their videos, and what viewers will learn by watching. 
    (ii) Aims to demystify any preconceived notions viewers may have about the experiences they undertake. 
  • Keep videos within 22 minutes.
  • Build a strong narrative approach. If content will be over 20 minutes in length, introduce a setting, obstacles and goal that subjects will be achieving at the beginning of the video.

Views 7.5M

Views 7.2M

Views 6.2M

Leverage event content with raw footage so viewers can feel like they’re at the venue.

Standalone Tactics from Thrasher Magazine:

  • Be repetitive. Thrasher’s top-performing Standalone event content often shows different athletes trying the same trick over and over again. 
  • Standalone content doesn’t always need added audio. Event content often just features the raw audio from the day while film edits featuring athletes often just have music overtop while the athlete skates.
  • On average, Thrasher’s Standalone content is 7 minutes in duration.

Views 1.7M

Views 1M

Views 951K

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