29/06/2023
This is entirely the wrong day for a Battle Plan, so I give you three choices:
1 - Read the Battle Plan now, but write a quick note to yourself before doing so to ensure that you don't forget what day of the week it is.
2 - Wait until next Tuesday and read it then having written a note to yourself to remind you that it's now a few days out of date.
3 - Stuff the note, just chance it.
Good, that's that out of the way.
It's been a little while since I've addressed you directly, as there have been a few odds and ends to deal with that have disrupted the normal flow of things. Obviously, kicking it on a beach for my 50th is part of that (thanks for the birthday greetings, much appreciated) but before then was the great Farming Sim experiment. Now, I go into considerable detail on that topic in June's Colonel Reduced (the Fail Brigade vlog, it's really interesting if you find such things interesting) but let me give you the TL;DR version.
The hypotheses being tested were:
- Is it possible to crack into the sizable Farming Simulator viewership by offering something that isn't offered elsewhere?
- How much impact does the release of a new video have on the preceding one? Does it cannibalise the previous video's traction?
- Will shorter-form, more heavily edited videos have a postive impact on our old pal, the algorithm?
In order to test these notions I'd committed myself to a full series without losing my nerve if it didn't seem to be working. So... results?
Grabbing some Farm Sim people? Pretty small uptake. It'd take 6-12 months of being dedicated to the cause to become properly established and frankly, I've too many other interests to dive into one thing. And then, even if I did, I'd move on and lose what interest had been built up. Seemds a little daft.
Does one video take a dive if you release another one soon after? Maybe very very slightly. Not so much that that it's worth taking that approach unless...
..heavily editing videos makes all the difference? Well, I'll be honest. Part of the reason for the editing was so that I had a series I felt came closer to "getting it right". I wouldn't say that every episode nailed it, and the time/results ratio really didn't make any sense, but it was great to be able to take just a little longer over each episode to find the funny. I think it went too far into post-production (from a commentary perspective) but there are at least half a dozen moments I really like as a result. Did the editing have the alchemical reaction of being a view generating goliath? No sir, no it did not. Retention percentage was up by 10-15% due to the shortform nature but it didn't bring all the boys to my yard.
Ultimately, an entirely worthwhile test. Does it represent The Way Forward? It could do. Better, more consistent writing would help, choosing a "permanent genre" would help too as would tapping into the core interests of the existing Persons Of Boredom we have here... long story short, nah. While condensing the story has its merits, the off-the-cuff freeform approach can yield unexpected gems. If anything, the next test should be editing down from stream-of-consciousness while inserting the kinds of one-shot gags I like making. More succinct, but not brutally so and making post-recording commentary the exception more than the rule.
So when's this happening? Not yet. I've something else cooking first.
Right then. Let's talk Vuvu Boys. I'm pleased with the way the series is going and it's going to get better still, just have to figure out some timing challenges. Either way, this is going to be a long ole series. It won't be in isolation either. The way I see it, I've a potential 4 more days I can jam some videos into, by which I mean creative further masterworks on different topics for your enjoyment. These should begin to manifest soonish.
I also need to find a new gig. Maybe. I've a few irons in the fire so we'll see how it goes.
That's the ticket! Leave em with something vague!
Let's go!
-CF
