Summary

The content discusses the potential consequences and personal experiences of taking a six-month break from uploading videos to YouTube, including the impact on channel growth, viewership, and eligibility for the YouTube Partner Program.

Abstract

The article delves into the effects of a six-month hiatus from YouTube video uploads for content creators. It acknowledges the initial success of consistent weekly uploads and the benefits of being part of the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). However, it also addresses the challenges creators face when life events interrupt their content production schedule. The author emphasizes that while a channel may continue to receive views, the absence of new content can lead to a flatline in viewership metrics. The article provides insights into the emotional aspects of taking a break, such as feelings of shame and anxiety due to societal pressures to remain productive. It also clarifies YouTube's policy regarding inactivity in the YPP, noting that creators have a grace period of 30 days after a six-month hiatus to upload new content and maintain their partnership status. The author shares their personal journey, including traveling to Japan and planning to diversify their content with travel videos, and encourages creators to return to making videos whenever they feel ready, suggesting that even short-form content like YouTube Shorts can be impactful.

Opinions

Consistent video uploads are key to growth and success on YouTube.
Life events and burnout can disrupt content creation, leading to extended breaks.
Despite the potential for flat viewership during inactivity, YouTube channels can still retain their audience.
Creators should not be too hard on themselves for taking breaks, as there is no perfect time to produce content.
YouTube's lack of a strict deadline for content creation is seen as a benefit, providing creative freedom and flexibility.
The author feels that the pressure to be constantly productive is unrealistic and can lead to negative emotions.
The YouTube Partner Program's six-month deadline with an additional 30-day grace period is considered fair and manageable.
YouTube Shorts are suggested as a viable option for content creation during times of limited availability.
Personal experiences, such as the author's trip to Japan, are shared as examples of how creators can rejuvenate their content and channel direction.
The author encourages support from the audience and provides social links and ways to offer financial support.

What happens if you stop uploading videos to YouTube for 6 months?

If you are a fellow YouTuber and you have been uploading videos regularly at least once a week to your channel then — congratulations — you’re probably doing great and seeing some significant growth in audience and views every now and then.

You may be on your best way to join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) or you are already participating in the YPP and can finally monetize your videos. So what’s next?

The best rule is to simply keep making and posting videos consistently.

I believe this is generally the key to success for most creators as they keep going and improve and experience growth over time.

But what if consistency is a real challenge and life is happening outside of the screen? Possibly YouTube is not your main job and you’re just starting out, so the income is very low and you still have other demands to fulfill. Maybe you feel exhausted by your day to day life and just can’t keep up with producing new content. Or you need to step back for a while and think about your creative journey and what you really want to do next.

So your YouTube Channel will still be there and it will still get views, but unless the algorithm picks one of your videos and pushes it out to viewers there won’t be any peeks like when you upload a new video. The curve of views will remain fairly flat.

YouTube Analytics showing the views for the past 365 days.

Still not ready to make a new video? Don’t be hard on yourself. Unless your living solely depends on YouTube you can get back to making new videos whenever you feel ready. Keep in mind that there is probably never a perfect timing so you have to make a conscious decision to take even small chunks of your time and commit to creating even if it feels difficult at first.

Getting back to do something you haven’t done in a long while is hard.

Whether you went to through some big life changes or needed to find a new creative direction, starting over and getting out of your comfort zone again is difficult at first but definitely worthwhile and possible. That’s also true if days and weeks have suddenly turned into a few months.

So the truth is that I haven’t uploaded anything to my YouTube Channel in six months which shouldn’t be something to be ashamed of. But not doing something you supposedly have to do or could be doing can create shame and anxiety. Especially as we nowadays expect ourself to be productive all the time — not only at work, but also in our free time and while we ride a bus or walk outside looking at our smartphones constantly. This creates a lot of pressure.

I have been checking my YouTube Analytics every single day for the past months, almost anxiously waiting for something to happen. That something is losing the YouTube Partnership that took me so long to obtain.

Does YouTube have a deadline?

In general YouTube doesn’t have a deadline and I think this is what makes this line of work so attractive — creative freedom and the freedom to work at your own time and pace. If you’re not just doing YouTube for fun though but also aim to become and stay monetized while being in the YouTube Partner Program there is a small but very reasonable catch.

If you haven’t uploaded any new video to your Channel for six months you will receive the following message from YouTube:

YouTuber Partner Program Eligibility Requirements

I think that’s very fair and you will still have additional 30 days of time to upload content to your YouTube Channel to meet the Eligibility Requirements for the Partner Program. That being said even if you have very little time on your hands with YouTube Shorts becoming more popular on the platform it has become easier than ever to create a small piece of content with a chance to have a high impact these days.

In the past weeks I had the chance to film a lot of videos as I have been traveling to Japan after it has recently reopened it’s borders to tourists again and plan to add travel content as a new genre to my Channel. I don’t want to put too much pressure or high expectations on myself, but I definitely want to keep my YouTube Partnership going so I will do my best to create a new video however long or short that maybe. Please keep your fingers crossed for me! If you’re are interested in my content, you can find all my social media links below.

Thank you for reading!

Written by AoiKasumi

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