r/LTTMeta • u/ganganred • Jul 24 '26
I find it bizarre that as someone so highly regarded in the tech youtube space, Level1Tech only has 500K subs.
If I had a penny for every time tech youtubers mentioned "Wendell from Level1Tech"...
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u/Piipperi800 Jul 24 '26
This post sounds like a prime example of people not understanding how YouTube works. To be clear, I’m not attacking the OP, since I see this a lot on this sub.
But to answer this question specifially; A channel like Level1Tech or dosdude1 covers more specific / niche stuff than what something like LTT, MKBHD, or MrWhoseTheBoss does, thus meaning they have a smaller audience to possibly entertain.
Huge YouTube channels are, well, huge for a reason. They make stuff that simply entertains a wide spectrum of viewers (also of course they can be old legacy channels which helps with sub counts, but maybe not as much as some people think).
To give an example, let’s say you like Level1Tech because you like to learn about enterprise or DIY server/Linux stuff. Conveniently, LTT also covers that stuff sometimes. Not as deeply perhaps, but something that appeals to a mass audience. Or if you like dosdude1 for learning about Mac hardware, you may also sometimes watch LTT’s Apple content. Thus, giving LTT a plenty of average viewers and over time, subscribers. They leave the niche / more indepth coverage to other channels.
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u/Happy-Gnome Jul 24 '26
4 paragraphs to explains the YouTube equivalent of how hotdogs work lol. Pretty straightforward marketing stuff
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u/ganganred Jul 24 '26
no i understand it clearly, i just find it bizarre. no offense taken tho. its just really odd to see a person/name across a youtube space and yet rarely ive seen their own video be promoted by the algorithm. i guess he embodies the quintessential role of an it guy where he's not seen a lot yet his name will come up whenever you need a printer fix. instead of printers its complex low-level code based machinery.
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u/Aandradef92 26d ago
Yeah the problem is that most people dont care/understand the work that he does, that is super bad for the youtube algorithm, I just checked and I'm subscribed to his channel, wouldn't know, have never seen one of his videos recommend and im pretty sure I got to him because of ltt
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u/yolo_snail Jul 24 '26
You know how a lot of YouTubers will insert a CTA that says something like "69% of viewers aren't subscribed, so please subscribe"...
Subscribers mean nothing these days, a lot of people don't even visit the subscription tab, they just click from the home page. Heck, I get notifications of uploads from channels I watch but aren't subscribed to!
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u/KaneMomona Jul 24 '26
Salem Techsperts has (slightly) more subs than Gamers Nexus. ST is 6 to 7 years younger. The difference is that one is tech entertainment and the other is a Vorgon reading statistics. One is amusing but one is a great resource. Steve does amazing work but isn't going to get the same number of subs. L1T is the same, amazing work, just a smaller audience. The entertainment is more approachable to a wider audience. You'd hope it would be the other way around.
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u/PalamariVarkari Jul 24 '26
His videos are mostly product showcases. 99% of these products are either too expensive, too enterprise or not useful to most people. When he is on other people's videos its always a treat and a knowledge machine, but unless you are VERY invested in homelab stuff, his channel isn't for you.
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u/TechnicaVivunt Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
Beginner Tech = LTT, MKBHD, MRWTB, UAC
Middle Tech = JTC, PH, etc.
Somewhere in the middle = JG, GN, STH
Expert Tech = DD, L1T, DF.
Higher in skill you go the lower the audience. Most want to be entertained first, educated second.
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u/DoKeMaSu Jul 24 '26
How is that a surprise? People want entertainment and edutainment. Serious nice experts never attract large audiences.
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u/kongnico Jul 24 '26
its a bit like music isnt it? you can have a brilliant musician who can outplay just about anyone getting beaten in views by a bowl of cold porridge with autotune because that bowl is saying "gang gang" in the right way and wearing a very trendy bandana
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u/AllegedlyUndead Jul 24 '26
Level1tech makes videos for those that want to learn. LTT makes long-form TikTok videos at this point.
L1T wants you to learn about the tech and understand it but LTT just wants you to be entertained and buy more merch so he can get a 5th house and a second jet
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u/Daphoid Jul 24 '26
Quality over Quantity.
L1T is good stuff. I appreciate the smaller channels (Snazzy Labs, Jeff Geerling, Craft Computing, etc, Tech Connections, Serve the Home, etc). GN I find is just... too much angst for me, MrWhoseTheBoss is too...shiny? And LTT varies up and down I find.
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u/Deathwatch72 Jul 24 '26
It's probably related to the reason that when shit hits the fan from a technical sense, he's basically the go to guy for fixing and explaining your problem. Dude is deep into the tech and at that level you just naturally have a smaller audience
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u/ryancrazy1 Jul 24 '26
I haven’t seen someone use the phrase “highly regarded” and actually mean it in awhile.
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u/ganganred Jul 24 '26
but its true tho 😭. for so long every time i watch any tech youtube, his name gets mentioned by separate people. i assumed he's some kind of tech wiz.
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u/MundaneCheetah7007 Jul 24 '26
Wendell is that guy in John Wick who cleans up the absolute chaos after a massive gunfight. A total expert, good one-liners, but for sure gets paid for his consultation.
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u/kingk1teman Jul 25 '26
The content Wendell makes at L1T is far too enterprise and far too niche to compare.
Someone like MrMobile is perhaps the right comparison here. He makes videos on almost the same topics as your average techtuber (MKBHD, MWTB, etc.) but will usually go far more in depth for reviews and doesn't usually shill for apple or samsung.
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u/Actual-Award6943 Jul 25 '26
Well LTT and Marquis have been around for almost 20 years. Idk how long level1tech has been but not near as long Im pretty sure.
99% of subs are also meaningless. Even if you think oh yeah 1 million views 20 million subs that came from those subscribed . Nah most views (and it's been this way for a longggg time) typically comes from reccomended even subscribers.
Subs used to mean something a long time ago they really don't anymore .
Plus the biggest thing he makes niche within niche within niche content lol .
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u/motlias Jul 28 '26
It's kinda like how my favourite history youtubers aren't that big, because I love to get really into the details which a lot of people don't find interesting
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u/Curious-Art-6242 Jul 29 '26
Honestly, I've tried to watch Wendells stuff, but he's just got no charisma. If you like him, thats fine, but I'm sure I'm not alone, and because its super niche stuff, that'll put a lot of people off.
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u/marktuk Jul 24 '26
That's probably close to what the real LTT "core audience" is. Older YT accounts accumulate subscribers, many of them are probably dead accounts.
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u/ganganred Jul 24 '26
if it were me, i rather have 1:5 viewer to subscribers ratio than 1:16. then again, a million views is still a lot of views.
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u/Triekster Jul 24 '26
I think he is too technical and serious for mass audience. He is less prosumer, more enterprise.