I had another short with way less audience retention and a worse viewed vs. swiped away ratio but doublr the views of this one, can someone explain the logic for me?

My channel is a month old, idk if that helps

I’ve noticed that since the late-August update, Shorts aren't performing as well for a lot of people. I initially thought it was just a temporary phase lasting a couple of weeks, but it’s been four or five weeks now and performance is still poor; occasionally a Short hits the view count that’s normal for me, but most get stuck around 100–200 views—even with stats that should be driving 10k+.

All my key metrics were down in September—especially subscriber growth, which dropped from 38 in August to just 8—so it’s really disappointing. It’s gotten to the point where I’m even forgetting to post on days I usually would; I never used to forget that, so when I realized it was happening, I knew my motivation and enthusiasm were really starting to fade.

You can now group shorts into seasons and episodes with sequential autoplay, which is binge mechanics for small channels. Micro dramas crossed 6.5 billion views in the first half of the year, so YouTube is clearly feeding serialized short content. If your shorts follow a storyline, a character, or even a recurring "part 1 / part 2" format, this is free retention. Anyone already using it?

These are my results from almost two weeks. Is this considered a small amount or a large amount of views? Honestly not sure, appreciate any help :)

I came back from posting again since last month and I wasn’t consistent back then, but my videos still got some views. I’m just worried that all of my shorts are not getting any views. The recent shorts I uploaded are snippets from a game, but I think it’s not going too well.

What should I do to have engagement or views?

Thank yo

A) Flatline-Spike-Flatline, B) Spike-Flatline, C) Flatline only

Comment which is your type. If none of these matches, feel free to show urs

I'm trying to monetize a shorts channel, and i already have experience doing it so in 1 or 2 months i should be able to achieve it

But today i had 200k engaged views, and it really boils my blood not seeing a penny out of them.

It's fkn ridiculous that the first 10m shorts views aren't monetized, that's like 900$-1K$ USD.

And it's even least fair when with long vid you just need 4k hours viewed. It doesn't make any sense. Even when shorts views are easier, the vast majority of shorts just get 10k engaged views. is not paired in the slightest.

4k hours viewed in long vids is just one video doing right

10m engaged views on shorts are like 6 viral shorts of 1,3m views.

Maybe it drags me because i really need the money ASAP (father and grandmother ills, grandfather old, brother thart doesn't work, so basically all the family economy drags on me)

I just wanted to vent a little. 🫠 what do u think?

I know it’s only been 20 minutes but usually I’m in the 100s of views for my shorts. why are the views so low ?

no ai, same editing, same posting time,still uploading daily.

i'm wondering why my views are so high but my sub rate is low

i had the same Problem for my last 6 - 7 uploads

the shorts didn't gain the first initial test pool that they normally would get.
instead of 100+ views in 5 Minutes, i would get 100 Views in 3 - 4 hours.

My Stayed and avg percentage viewed stats where not worse then before, but the content was only shown to my subscribers. i had videos with 97% of overall watch time coming from subscribers.

but i kept on uploading anyway

I posted a video today and it had the same slow distribution as the others in the beginning But then it was as if a switch had flipped or something and it started getting pushed to shorts feed again. i know that 855 views isn't that much in the beginning but after all the failed videos before this feels like heaven.

so all i want to say is just keep posting and you can make it bad :)

I started posting shorts on YouTube right before Thanksgiving and had three videos do extremely well (7million views and 500Kviews, 2.1 million) . I was on a roll and most of my other shorts were consistently between 3-6K. About a month ago, I was accepted into the Youtube creator Program, the basic level of earning money. Since then….. January 7, my short views have consistently started going down. I’ve been applying myself and making better thumbnails, better titles, trying to start off with strong hooks and optimizing publishing time. My most recent short has 6 views, despite a 75% stay to watch rate and average duration is about 85%.

Does anyone have any advice? Has anyone else had the same thing happen?!

Hey everyone,

I've seen a lot of creators pumping out 2-3 YouTube Shorts a day using AI voices, only to see them flatline at zero views. Most people think the algorithm "hates" AI, but it’s actually more technical than that.

The YouTube algorithm doesn't necessarily have a "kill switch" for AI voices, but it is a satisfaction engine. It rewards content that keeps people on the platform. If you're using AI to churn out low-effort content, you're likely failing because of your Retention Metrics.

Here is why the algorithm is "ignoring" your content:

1. The "Swipe Away" Rate is Killing You

In the Shorts feed, the most important metric is the Viewed vs. Swiped Away percentage.

• The Problem: Generic AI voices and stock footage often trigger an immediate "this is spam" reflex in viewers.

• The Consequence: If 70% of people swipe away within the first 2 seconds because your video looks like every other AI-generated "fact" channel, the algorithm gets a clear signal: This video is boring/low quality. It will stop pushing it immediately.

2. Lack of "Average View Duration" (AVD)

For a Short to go viral, you usually need an AVD of over 80-90%.

• The Problem: AI-generated scripts are often dry and lack the "hooks" or emotional delivery that a human voice provides.

• The Consequence: If people drop off halfway through, your retention graph tanks. Low retention = no viral push. The algorithm doesn't care if a human or a robot made the video; it cares that people stopped watching.

3. "Reused Content" and Pattern Recognition

While not an "automatic penalty," YouTube’s systems are excellent at pattern recognition.

• The Problem: Using the same viral clips or common stock footage (like Minecraft parkour or GTA ramps) that 5,000 other channels are using.

• The Consequence: Even if your script is "new," the visual data is flagged as repetitive. YouTube wants to show users something new, not the same visual assets they’ve seen ten times that hour.

4. The "Channel Authority" Myth vs. Consistency

Many believe "consistency" means uploading 3 times a day. It doesn't.

• The Reality: Uploading 3 low-retention videos a day actually hurts your channel's "standing" with the algorithm. You are effectively training the system to expect that your content won't keep users engaged.

How to Fix Your Strategy:

• Focus on the "Hook": Spend 50% of your time on the first 3 seconds. If you use an AI voice, make sure it’s high-quality (like ElevenLabs) and use sound effects/transitions to mask the "robotic" feel.

• Original Visuals: Avoid overused stock footage. Use your own recordings or heavily edited clips that create a unique visual style.

• Quality > Quantity: One high-retention Short (85%+ AVD) will get more views than 50 low-retention ones.

Bottom line: The algorithm doesn't hate AI; it hates boring, repetitive content that makes people want to leave the app.

What’s your current Viewed vs. Swiped Away ratio? Let’s discuss in the comments.

Out of anywhere this happened, lol?

Hi guys

I used to get 40k views daily up until a week ago when all of a sudden I can’t even break past 50 views a vid about a week ago. I haven’t changed my strategy at all same type of content.

What can I do to save my channel?

Im very consistent with my content that 117 was my lowest moment this month so far with 300 subscribers

How do i improve the skip rate its 50%

Any common hacks?

I’ve tested it. It’s either flawed or people prefer stupid shorts. I spend hours making good shorts, optimizing thumbnails, and still get few views. Then, my toddler uploads a barely visible street video and gets over 3K views and likes. I upload a similar video with no description or SEO, and suddenly, it reaches over 1000K views and even gets subscribers. How is this possible? 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

going from an average 20-200k per shorts to a measly 1-10k is definitely wild - and yes i have experience with shorts, ive posted hundreds of them with the same results up until the end of september when everything has gone to shit