I hear it every single day.
I open my DMs, and it’s a wall of conspiracy theories.
"Adam, I posted a video and it got 42 views. I used to get 100. YouTube hates me."
"The algorithm is rigged for the big channels. They don't want small creators to win anymore."
"I think I'm shadowbanned because I said the word 'crypto' in 2021."
Stop it.
You are not shadowbanned.
You are not being suppressed.
You are not the victim of a grand corporate conspiracy to keep you poor.
You are just... average.
And in the YouTube of late 2025, "average" is indistinguishable from "invisible."
I am going to tell you the truth that the gurus won't tell you (because they want to sell you a "Growth Hack" course). The truth is that the door to the top is wide open.
But the toll price has changed.
YouTube doesn't hate you. YouTube is currently facing an existential crisis, and you are the solution—if you stop crying and start executing.
The "Inventory Crisis" (Why YouTube Needs You)
Let’s look at this from the perspective of the Engineer at Google.
Their goal is simple: Keep the user on the app forever.
For the last 5 years, the strategy was "Safe Bets." Recommend MrBeast. Recommend MKBHD. Recommend the guy with 10 million subs. It was safe. It guaranteed views.
But in 2025, something happened.
The Audience got bored.
They call it "Creator Fatigue." People are tired of seeing the same 10 faces on their homepage. They are tired of the over-polished, hyper-edited, corporate-feeling content from the giants.
When users get bored, they close the app. They go to TikTok. They go to Netflix.
This terrifies YouTube.
So, they tweaked the core code. They introduced the "Diversity Boost" (or as we call it internally, the "Fresh Blood Protocol"). According to YouTube's engineering blog, the recommendation system aims to help viewers find videos they want to watch, not just popular ones.
The algorithm is now actively hunting for small, unknown channels to inject into the "Up Next" feed of big videos.
They want to show your video next to a MrBeast video. They need to show something new to keep the viewer stimulated.
So, if they are looking for you, why aren't you growing?
Because you are a risky bet.
The "Safe Bet" Classification
Imagine the Algorithm is a casino manager.
It has a slot to fill: The "Up Next" video (Autoplay).
The user just finished watching a banger video. They are happy. They are doped up on dopamine.
The Algorithm has two choices:
Choice A: Recommend another video from a Big Creator. It’s boring, but the user will probably watch 5 minutes.
Choice B: Recommend YOU (The Unknown Creator). It’s exciting, it’s fresh... but there is a risk.
The risk is that your video sucks.
If the algorithm recommends you, and the user clicks, watches 10 seconds, gets bored, and closes the app... You just cost YouTube money.
You ended the session.
Because you are a small channel, you have no "Trust History." You are a stranger.
So, the algorithm tests you. It gives you 100 impressions. It puts you in the feed of 100 people.
This is your audition.
If those 100 people don't click (CTR) or if they click and leave (Retention), the Manager says: "Too risky. Bench him."
That isn't a shadowban.
That is a failed audition.
The Metric That Matters: Relative Retention
You are obsessed with views. Stop it.
Views are the result, not the cause.
The metric that determines if you win the "Up Next" lottery is Relative Retention.
Open your YouTube Studio. Go to a video. Click "Engagement." Look at the graph.
You will see a grey line and your pink line.
The Grey Line is the average retention for videos of similar length on YouTube.
The Pink Line is you.
If your Pink Line is below the Grey Line, you are dead. You are performing worse than average. Why would YouTube promote below-average inventory?
If your Pink Line is above the Grey Line, you are a "Safe Bet."
But to get the viral boost, to break out of the 100-view jail, you need to be Significantly Above.
You need High-Retention Hooks.
Most small channels have a graph that looks like a ski slope. 50% of people leave in the first 30 seconds.
If you lose half your audience before you even start the topic, the algorithm classifies you as "Low Quality."
It doesn't matter if the rest of your video is genius. The signal has been sent.
Strategy: The "Chaser" Effect
Here is the opportunity.
YouTube is trying to build Watch Sessions.
They want a user to watch Video A (The Main Event) -> Video B (The Chaser) -> Video C (The Deep Dive).
Big Channels are great at being Video A.
Your opportunity is to be Video B.
Video B needs to be:
- Related to the topic of Video A.
- Different enough to be interesting (Freshness).
- High Retention enough to keep the user on the platform.
If you can prove to the algorithm that you are the perfect "Chaser" to a viral topic, you will draft off the speed of the big channels.
You don't need to generate the traffic. You just need to capture the traffic that is spilling over from the giants.
But you can only catch it if your bucket doesn't have a hole in the bottom.
Your "Hole" is your Retention.
The "High-Retention Hook" Protocol
If you are a big channel (1M+ subs), you can start a video slowly. You can say "Hey guys." You can show your coffee.
Why? Because you have Trust Capital.
The viewer knows you. They like you. They will give you 30 seconds of grace because they know the payout is coming.
You do not have that luxury.
As a small channel, your Trust Capital is zero. You are a stranger on the street trying to sell them a watch.
If you fumble the opening pitch, they walk away.
To win the "Up Next" slot, you need a High-Retention Hook. This is a hook designed specifically for "Cold Audiences" (people who don't know who you are).
Here are the rules:
Rule 1: Visual Verification (0:00 - 0:03)
The algorithm measures "Immediate Bounce Rate." If a user clicks and leaves in 3 seconds, that counts as a "Clickbait Fail."
You must prove you aren't lying instantly.
If the thumbnail shows a destroyed laptop, the first frame of the video must be that destroyed laptop.
Do not show your face. Show the object. Verify the promise.
Rule 2: The "No-Context" Cold Open
Stop introducing yourself.
"Hi, I'm Adam and welcome to..." CLICK. GONE.
Start in media res (in the middle of the action).
Bad: "Today we are going to talk about why the stock market crashed."
Good: "I just lost $50,000 in four minutes. Here is exactly how it happened."
The second one creates a "Curiosity Loop." The viewer needs to know how you lost the money. They are trapped by their own brain.
Surviving the "Valley of Death" (The Mid-Roll Dip)
You hooked them. Good. They stayed for the first minute. Great.
Now comes the hard part.
The Middle.
This is where most small channels die. You ran out of energy. The script gets boring. You start repeating yourself. You start rambling.
We call this the Valley of Death.
If a viewer leaves at the 4-minute mark of an 8-minute video, you have a 50% AVD (Average View Duration). That is "Average."
"Average" does not get promoted.
To get the "Diversity Boost," you need 70%+ AVD.
How do you keep them watching when the excitement of the hook fades?
The Breadcrumb Strategy.
You need to re-hook the audience every 60 to 90 seconds.
You cannot have one Payoff at the end. You need Micro-Payoffs throughout the video.
Structure:
Hook -> Point 1 -> New Mystery -> Point 2 -> New Stake -> Point 3 -> Conclusion.
Example:
"So that is how you fix the lighting. But even with perfect lighting, your video will look like trash if you don't change this one camera setting. I'll show you that in a second, but first..."
See what I did?
I closed one loop (Lighting) and immediately opened a new loop (Camera Setting). The viewer cannot leave yet. They are chasing the next breadcrumb.
If you don't reset the curiosity, they will get bored and leave.
The End Screen is More Important Than The Intro
This sounds crazy, but stay with me.
What is the Algorithm's goal? Session Time.
If a user watches your video until the very last second, and then closes the app, you get a "Silver Star." Good job.
But if a user watches your video until the end, and then clicks your End Screen to watch another video, you get a "Gold Medal."
You just extended the session.
You just proved to YouTube that you are a "Binge-able Creator."
This is the secret weapon of the fastest-growing channels.
Most of you are butchering your endings.
You say: "So yeah, that's it guys. Thanks for watching. Don't forget to like and subscribe. See you next week. Bye."
TRASH.
As soon as you say "So yeah," the viewer clicks off. They know it's over.
Your retention graph plummets at the last 10 seconds.
The Fix: The "Bridge" Ending.
Do not say goodbye. Do not ask for a sub.
Link the problem you just solved to the next problem they have.
"Now that you know how to fix your Lighting, you need to fix your Audio. Bad audio ruins good video. Click here to see the $50 mic that sounds like a studio..."
[End Screen Pops Up]
[Video Cuts to Black]
You didn't give them a chance to leave. You guided them to the next room.
If you can get 10% of people to click that End Screen, your channel will explode. Guaranteed.
The 30-Day "Diversity Boost" Action Plan
You know the theory. You know the metrics. Now, let’s execute.
I want you to forget about "Subscriber Count." It’s a vanity metric. I want you to focus purely on Session Time.
For the next 30 days, you are going to run a specific protocol designed to trigger the algorithm's "Fresh Blood" signal.
Week 1: The Audit (Stop the Bleeding)
Go to your last 5 videos. Look at the retention graph.
Where is the "Dip"?
Is it at 0:05? Your hook sucks. Rewrite it.
Is it at 2:00? Your pacing is too slow. Cut the fluff.
Is it at the end? Your outro is too long. Kill the "Goodbye."
Identify your "Leak." You cannot fill a bucket with a hole in it.
Week 2: The "Chaser" Video
Find a viral video in your niche that was posted in the last 2 weeks. Something with 1M+ views.
Make a "Chaser" video. A video that answers a specific question left unanswered by the big video.
Viral Video: "I Built a $100,000 PC."
Your Chaser: "Why That $100,000 PC Will Break in 6 Months."
This drafts off their traffic. It signals relevance.
Week 3: The AVD Focus
Make a video that is 20% shorter than your usual length, but denser.
If you usually make 10-minute videos with 4 minutes of fluff, make a 6-minute video with ZERO fluff.
Your goal is to get retention from 40% to 70%.
High percentage retention signals "Quality" to the algorithm faster than raw watch time for small channels.
Week 4: The Bridge Builder
Update your End Screens.
Go to your top 10 performing videos. Change the End Screen element to "Best for Viewer" or manually select your new "Chaser" video.
Edit the descriptions to link to the next video in the first line.
Force the binge.
The Verdict: The Door Is Open (But It’s Heavy)
I will say it one last time.
There is no Shadowban.
There is only a standard of excellence that you haven't met yet.
The algorithm is an indifferent god. It doesn't care about your feelings. It cares about efficiency.
If you can prove—with data, not excuses—that you can keep a stranger’s attention for 8 minutes, the algorithm will give you the world.
It will bypass the 100k subscriber channels. It will bypass the celebrities. It will put YOU on the homepage.
Because you are the drug the audience is craving.
You are the "New."
But you have to be excellent.
Stop crying about the system. Learn to play it.
The door is open. Walk through it.
Frequently Asked Questions (Real Talk)
How do I know if I'm ACTUALLY shadowbanned?
Real shadowbans are incredibly rare and usually result from spam, botting, or severe policy violations. If your video is getting impressions (even 100) but low views, you aren't shadowbanned. You just have a low CTR. If you have 0 impressions, check your copyright status or email support. But 99.9% of the time, it's just bad content.
Does "Frequency" matter for small channels?
Consistency matters more than frequency. If you post daily trash, you train the algorithm to ignore you. If you post one banger every 2 weeks, you train the algorithm (and the audience) that you are an "Event." Quality > Quantity, especially when you are building trust from zero.
Should I delete my old, bad videos?
No. Unless they are offensive or off-brand, leave them. Sometimes an old video gets picked up by the algorithm years later. Private them if they embarrass you, but don't delete. Data is data.
What is a "good" AVD for a 10-minute video?
30-40%: Average. Won't grow.
50-60%: Good. Steady growth.
70%+: Viral potential. The algorithm will push this hard.