YouTube creators have no shortage of tips, tricks, and advice that will supposedly launch their subscriber base into the stratosphere and make them rich. Some of this advice is good, some of it is debatable, and some of it is demonstrably false. Other times, advice might generalize something that’s true for some kinds of channels, but not others. 

So what are the worst YouTube tips out there? We asked creators and scoured the web to find out.

Bad YouTube tip #1: Game the algorithm

That’s according to Patrick Lacey, who has amassed over 3.7 million subscribers with his channel TierZoo. He singles out advice like “when exactly to upload, how often to upload, which specific words to include in titles or tags or thumbnails” as counterproductive. 

“If you’re  thinking ‘what metadata does the algorithm want to see’ instead of ‘what choice will make the audience like my content more, you are doing it wrong,” he said.

He also called out bad tips like inserting deliberate spelling mistakes so people will leave a comment to point it out, thereby boosting engagement. “It’s all nonsense, the algorithm is the audience.”

Do this instead: 

The algorithm is important, and metrics like view duration and click-through rate can be massively helpful. The algorithm also changes, but it always has the same goal: to serve people content they want to watch. Start with content that you think is actually good, worth watching, and worth sharing. By all means, schedule your content to maximize when your audience is online, or try different keywords in your title. But remember these are secondary to your main goal: making content worth watching.

Bad YouTube tip #2: Repurpose content without a strategy

The worst piece of advice creator Meredith Marsh hears: “Repurpose livestreams, TikToks, and Reels to YouTube.”

“Growing an audience requires a strategy,” she said. “Using it as dumping ground for everything you do on other platforms is not only a bad idea, but could hurt your chances of audience growth in the future if/when you decide to take YouTube seriously and apply a strategy.”  

Do this instead: 

Meredith recommends publishing one dedicated video on YouTube a week, in place of recycled content.

In my own opinion, there are great ways to repurpose content, but people often recycle thoughtlessly. If you’re looking to repurpose a livestream, for instance, make sure each clip has a hook and provides some value to the viewer. Don’t post TikToks to YouTube Shorts that exceed the 60 second maximum, as many creators do. 

Bad YouTube tip #3: Post every day

This comes from a wonderful video by VidIQ. Defenders of this strategy might say the following: posting daily creates more opportunities to go viral, the algorithm likes it, or you’ll remain top-of-mind for your audience. 

But according to host Rob Wilson, while this advice can be helpful for shorter content, it falls apart for content that’s longer or more thoughtful. Over-posting can create an artificial time crunch, reducing the quality of your videos. Ultimately, if you’re putting out worse content, you’re going to burn any trust you’ve built with your audience, who will stop clicking your videos.

Do this instead: 

Some incredibly popular YouTubers post once a month. Others, twice a week. As a general rule, you should always be looking at your workflow and deciding how to be more efficient without sacrificing quality.  Set a schedule that’s reasonable and sustainable for you. This isn’t a magic hack to grow your audience, but a way to overcome your worst impulses to procrastinate and delay.

Depending on what kind of content you make, it might also be helpful to set aside wiggle room for fast/timely content. If you make in-depth explainers on camera equipment, for instance, you may want to carve out time to respond quickly with a piece of content that reviews a new DSLR release. 

Bad YouTube tip #4: Chasing what’s popular 

This comes from Ramdy Marte, Descript’s in-house YouTube creator and an independent YouTuber himself. To be sure, being in the conversation about the zeitgeist is a great strategy for many channels. But Ramdy thinks it can sometimes go too far.

“I think the biggest bad piece of advice I’ve gotten again and again is to blindly chase what’s popular or viral at the time,” he said. “I think way too many people see content creation as purely a numbers/analytical game. And while it is in many ways, I personally feel like it should never trump the creative side of making content.” 

There’s another danger to this approach: burnout. Ultimately, if you’re not passionate about the content you’re creating, you’ll probably find some other way to spend your time. But that’s ok too.

Do this instead: 

If you love dancing, it’s probably smart to make content around trending songs and dances. If you cover media, you won’t get very far unless you’re covering games or television people care about. But don’t recklessly chase trends unless it provides value to your viewer.  Making low-quality and low-effort content just for the sake of it will hurt you in the long run.

Bad YouTube tip #5: Focus on your titles and thumbnails at all costs

This heretical advice actually comes from Reddit user pVom, but in their defense, they seem to be responding to an extreme version of this advice. Many YouTube gurus will tell you to focus on your title and thumbnail first, before all else. I actually agree with that sentiment, but this Redditor is responding to people who focus on these aspects to the detriment of their content.

“It's not bad advice per se, but you should be focusing on the angle first and making good videos to match. Good ideas make good titles, thumbnails and better videos,” they wrote.

This resonated with my own experience: sometimes the best thumbnail in the world won’t do much for a video concept that’s not very interesting. “You can't trick people into watching your video, not for very long anyway,” pVom wrote. I’ve also seen videos with incredible concepts do well with a good, but certainly not mind-blowing, thumbnail.

Do this instead: 

You should absolutely be thinking about titles and thumbnails when you’re first considering an idea. Unless you can synthesize your genius idea into something somebody wants to click on, it’s probably a lost cause. Your introduction, too, should probably align with a title and thumbnail you feel good about. 

That said, if you optimize solely for title and thumbnail, you’re going to miss a lot of great ideas your viewers will love. To put it in other terms: don’t think you can get by on amazing thumbnails and terrible content. 

One truly helpful YouTube tip

Here is one helpful piece of advice: YouTube rules that are universal are exceedingly rare. Listening to what smart, thoughtful people have to say about the platform can be helpful, but should always be taken with a grain of salt and, if you do take the advice, modified to fit your content and situation.