YouTube Project Results
In the beginning of May 2023 I began the process of uploading all my episodes of Brush Work onto YouTube, in a video format. The hope being that I would reach new listeners while also resharing past episodes to my current audience. I now have the full 65 episodes up and live on YouTube and can share the results of my efforts.
First, a recap of what the project was:
Every episode of Brush Work is to be taken from an audio only medium and turned into a video form. The video that played as a b-roll for the podcast would be shot from my studio: either from me painting, sunlight on my pallet, or pulled directly from Twitch (where I livestream). There would be an opening sequence that would be played during the music portion and then the b-roll would be chosen to match the specific episodes topic. The b-roll was designed to be put on and then ignored while people listened.
When I asked my audience what they did while listening to Brush Work, most said they worked on art. I wanted the visuals to be something to encourage work and not be distracting. The exception being my interviews where I have the interviewee’s work up on the screen.
YouTube has a specific podcast category for you to select when uploading, which makes organizing and finding the podcast easy for listeners.
I did my best to include good SEO’s in my descriptions for the YouTube episodes, sometimes changed the name of the podcast to be more clickbaity, and made a simple thumbnail that was easy to change per episode.
For episodes that were Art Book Club related, I had a slightly different format, a new thumbnail and left the episodes minimally edited. Most of Art Book Club is straight from my Twitch recordings.
My overall view of the YouTube Project is a success. When you look at the YouTube videos as podcast episodes, I’ve doubled my audience for the podcast.
However: If you look at the episodes as YouTube videos, they’ve done terribly. Most of the videos currently have sub 50 views. That would be a huge failure if it wasn’t a podcast.
Perspective matters here and I have reached my goal.
On the backend of my website I was seeing a lot of action because of my YouTube videos. Every episode I’ve published as a video got people visiting my website withing a few hours of posting. This means the people who did visit my channel and watched a video were quality viewers. These are people who wanted to see more and chose to leave the YouTube platform and visit my website.
These viewers also visited my online shop soon after coming to my website from YouTube. About 10% of people who visited my shop after coming from YouTube bought something. That’s amazing!
Now that I have all the backlog of episodes up and live, my posting schedule is going to adjust. I’ll be posting the current video of the current episode when they go live on Tuesdays once a week. I’ll also be posting unedited recordings of my live painting sessions from Twitch a few times a week.
I’ve also been considering expanding on content for YouTube as well. I’ve compiled a list here to help me consider what could be interesting content, but I’d love your input as well. If you could see me make more videos, what would you be most interested in?
The possibility list:
Process Videos:
"Start to Finish" Painting: I’ve done a bit of this as speed painting videos in the past and they took FOREVER to film and edit. However, with the recordings of my Twitch streams this could go a lot faster.
Technique Tutorials: I get questions ALL THE TIME about doing my hard edge technique and how I get my lines so crispy without tape. I think this could be fun to make. Perhaps a whole series on how I work?
Materials & Tools:
Reviews: Review different oil paints, brushes, canvases, and other materials. Offer pros and cons, and show them in action. Maybe I’ll even get someone to sponsor me? :D
Recommendations: Sharing about favorite brands and other things that I use all the time in my studio. I’ve done that a bit on the podcast before, but this would be very different. Good for short form content too!
Art History & Theory:
Analysis Videos: Break down famous work from history, discussing technique, color theory, and the story behind the art. This isn’t to my biggest skillset at the moment but it could be fun!
Art Business:
I’ve got a lot of content already created in my Studio Notes that are helpful for art business, but this could be greatly expanded upon.
Discuss topics like setting up an art exhibition, building a portfolio, or pricing artwork. I should absolutely have a podcast episode about building a portfolio soon.
Studio Tours:
Offer a detailed tour of my workspace. Discuss how I organize materials, what inspires me, and my daily routine. This kind of content is fun to do updates on every year.
Art Challenges:
Take on popular art challenges or create my own. For example, limiting the color palette, painting without brushes, or creating an artwork in under an hour. Everyone loves an art challenge. Vlogging the Seven Day Art Challenge could be great fun!
Collaborations:
Collaborate with other artists to create a joint piece, or perhaps swap styles and attempt to paint in each other's signature styles. I do this kind of work all the time, I just haven’t filmed it.
Vlogging:
Day in the Life I’ve already described this but more “Come to the studio with me” style content is fun. This is the kind of video I like to watch anyways.
Art Shows & Exhibitions: Vlog my experiences at art shows, exhibitions, or workshops. Give a behind-the-scenes look at setting up, interacting with fans, and more.
Art & Mental Health:
Discuss how painting helps manage stress, anxiety, or other emotions.
Interactive Content:
Q&A Sessions: Allow followers to ask questions about the art, techniques, or art business.
Live Painting Sessions: I typically stream on Twitch, but I could also stream on YouTube if it seemed beneficial. Something to consider.
Art Inspiration:
I talk about inspiration a lot here on the podcast, but doing it as a part of a vlog or in more situational specific moments could be great?
Art Book Club Expanded:
Short summaries of past Art Book Club books could be great for people who don’t have time to listen to the 40 min review Jen and I do once a month.
There have been a few skills I’ve learned in the process of making 65 videos. Video editing for one, I’m much more efficient at it now than I was 5 months ago. I have a better concept of sound design than when I started. (Does the podcast sound better now than it used to?)
Another funny side effect of this project is that I watch YouTube videos differently than I used to. Instead of being entertained as the first order of business, I’m now noticing technique.
I foresee my career as an novice vlogger being full of ups and downs, I know that I’ve got a lot to learn when it comes to getting beautiful shots for starters, but I’m excited to expand on this project.
What do you think? Should I expand on the YouTube channel? Do you have your own channel? Share it with me so I can see what you make!
Host and artist Stephanie Scott breaks down the practicality of the art career with topics including: sustainable creative practices, social media skills, and the mindsets that keep it all together. New episodes every Tuesday!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniescott.art/
Website: http://www.stephaniescott.art/brushwork
Music by @winepot https://www.instagram.com/thewinepot/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephaniescottart
Podcast Cover photo by Maryna Blumqvist https://instagram.com/picturemaryna