Inspired by one of my favourite learners and a prolific creator, Arab
I’ve noticed a trend across some of the brightest creators across the Middle East. Content Volume commitment.
Like some of the early YouTubers that shot to success in the early days of YouTube (when Vlogs ruled the world), it wasn’t uncommon to see creators posting content every single day of the month. Over time, American creators have begun posting fresh content once a week and sometimes once a month (or less). More time is spent filming and editing a great story versus sitting in front of a camera in a bedroom or vlogging a day out.
For Middle East creators, the topic of content volume is still hotly debated. I, like others, have tried to recommend a lower volume but higher quality of content following in the footsteps of the biggest creators in the world.
But something that isn’t talked about as much across the region has a big part to play in creators commitment to a high content posting volume. Especially on YouTube. Platform earnings.
For YouTubers, a key source of revenue comes from the CPM and RPM they ultimately receive. CPM is the amount the advertisers pay to YouTube for every 1,000 impressions a video gets. RPM is the revenue creators receive after YouTube takes their cut. The average CPM in the Middle East is close to 80% lower than the US. The outliers are the UAE and Algeria. This means creators in the Middle East are driven to create a high volume of content that reaches as many people across the region as possible and receive far less for each video from YouTube than their US counterparts. Hence, they have less to invest in each of their videos as revenue per video is a lot lower on average than the US.
Here’s the top 10 CPM Rates worldwide between 2022-2023 [these differ based on source and quickly change]:
- Norway ($43.15)
- Germany ($38.85)
- Moldova ($29.50)
- Algeria ($24.50)
- South Korea ($17.00)
- Sweden ($18.18)
- Finland ($14.90)
- UK ($13.75)
- Canada ($13.50)
- United States ($13.00)
So what does all this have to do with taking breaks?
Creators across the Middle East rarely, if ever, take breaks from creating content. If YouTube is their primary platform (it should be), they’re relentlessly ideating and creating content for their next upload. As a result, they forge forward without paying much attention to the value of their audience to those who aren’t advertising through YouTube.
Middle East’s best creators need to focus on better understanding who’s watching their content. Think of opportunities to leverage your audience outside your content.
There’s a storm brewing in the Middle East. This generation of brands and businesses aren’t paying enough attention to creators because creators aren’t paying attention to them. They’re too focused on creating as many videos as they possibly can.
Take a break. Really spend time understanding your audience. Stop chasing what’s outside your control. CPMs might change in the Middle East as brands become more aware of the spending more across key countries in the region.
In the meantime, it’s on the creator to really pause, dive into their audience insights and start thinking of ways to make things that your audience cares about more than your videos. You.
Be like Arab, take a break.