It happens to every creator: after piling up new subscribers to their YouTube channel and watching view counts soar, suddenly the growth stops. Your content may be the same, your publishing cadence perfectly consistent, your production quality just as good if not better than always. But views flatten or decline. New subscribers stop coming.

While it can spark panic in creators large and small, there are some steps you can take to revive your channel's growth.

Identify the problem

Channels usually suffer from one, or several, of a few issues.

Returning vs new viewers

Even top-performing videos sometimes fail to attract new audiences, hurting growth and channel health.

Check your video's analytics in the "Audience" tab to see this graph. You can also view similar data for your entire channel in the channel analytics section.

This video performed well, but most views came from returning viewers. While creators might see a successful video and try to replicate it, they should examine the viewer breakdown first. Compare it to this graph.

This video succeeded with both returning and new viewers. The first example, despite good performance, drew almost no new viewers—a problem for channel growth.

Examine why videos aren't attracting new viewers. YouTube analytics offer clues, but also ask: What might deter new viewers from this content?

Low click-through rate

A common cause of stagnant views is low click-through rate—the percentage of viewers who click your video after seeing its thumbnail and title. Most content reaches new audiences through YouTube's recommendations. Higher click-through rates typically lead to more recommendations.

Find this metric in individual video analytics under the Reach tab. 

While good rates vary by niche, for informational content with broad appeal:

• Under 4.5%: Too low. Rework thumbnail and title strategy completely
• 4.5% to 5.5%: Mediocre, but might succeed through other strengths
• 5.5%+: Strong chance of success, especially above 6-7%

To improve low click-through rates, make dramatic changes to thumbnails, titles, and content selection. Minor tweaks rarely help. Use YouTube's thumbnail testing tool for videos still receiving regular views.

Topic selection

Poor topic choice often shows in click-through rates, but consider timing too.

As a producer, I've created videos on films, TV shows, and news. Some plateaued initially but later doubled or tripled viewership when external events sparked interest—new seasons, sequels, or news developments brought fresh audiences.

These surges happened not from changed thumbnails or titles, but because people suddenly cared about the topic.

Study successful creators in your space and use Google Trends to gauge topic popularity.

Viewer retention

High click-through rates don't guarantee sustained views. Check Average View Duration (AVD) and retention graphs in YouTube analytics.

Problems often arise when titles and thumbnails are afterthoughts, creating misalignment with content. Unexpected issues may also cause viewer drop-off. Check the retention chart in the Engagement tab.

Monitor how many viewers watch past 30 seconds or one minute, and note any major drop-offs.

Strong retention signals value to YouTube's algorithm, encouraging wider distribution.

The best thing you can do to grow a stagnant channel

Creators in ruts often cling to old habits—editing styles or topic selection—out of obligation to longtime viewers. But stagnant channels usually lose viewers steadily. Maintaining old approaches guarantees further decline.

This doesn't mean abandoning loyal followers, but experimentation with new formats, production styles, and topics is essential for channel growth.