Hi Friend 👋

3 weeks ago I uploaded 3 videos at the same time to restart my channel.

If you watched the restart series you already know why and how I did it but in this letter I want to share with you if it actually worked.

The short answer? Yes.

But the data tells a much more interesting story than just "views went up."

To give you some context, 2025 was a tough year for the channel. The normal video got 136 views in it’s first month. The channel’s growth was carried by one video while everything else was dead on arrival.

But this fresh start has turned the tide and we are now moving in the right direction.

Here’s what the first 21 days taught me:

1. Watch Time is the key metric The “Start Playing Your Game” video was the longest of the bunch (nearly 10 minutes) but had the lowest retention percentage (35%), yet it got the most views. It has 718 views to date. That’s 5x better than my 2025 average.

2. High Retention won’t save a Bad Click On the flip side, the "Stop Gambling" video had a great retention with 55%. But only 1.2% of people clicked on it. Because the "packaging" (the title and thumbnail) failed, the algorithm stopped showing it to people. Despite it being a series where one video linked to the other no one clicked through from the first video in the series.

3. The "Floor" has been raised What was most surprising to me was that after publishing this series the conversation with Arielle gained traction again. It already did well for the channel but in the last weeks it picked up another 1,000 views.

What’s more important than that is that my overall impressions are 3x higher than the month before and. Because the worst thing for a channel is if the impressions flat line. Giving nobody a chance to actually discover you.

The Result

The restart series brought new life to the channel and showed me that the new direction is worth pursuing. Last year I had 1 video that brought in significant views on a daily basis, now it’s 3-6 videos that grow each day. The restart series wasn’t a viral hit but it wasn’t designed to be. It was made to bring in the right people.

And I haven’t even shared the best part. After launching the channel 2.5 years ago I finally got monetized. Breaking through the 4000 watch time hour barrier.

So if you want to help a creator out – go re:watch some of the videos and bring in some of that sweet AdSense money 😅.

Let’s talk strategy

If you want to bring new energy to your channel and get out of the messy middle join the creator trust club this week.
Next Thursday 6pm CET we'll have our first group call to talk about the reality behind the content.

💛 Valentin

PS: If you are an interior design creator and are up for a challenge, let me know. I got a content cave that could be your canvas.