Do Private Videos Count Towards Watch Time for YouTube Creators?

As a passionate gamer and content creator trying to make it big on YouTube, I get asked this question a lot:

Do private videos count towards the watch time you need for monetization?

The short answer is no. Only public videos contribute watch time for the YouTube Partner Program‘s 4,000 hour requirement.

I know it can be tempting to upload subpar old videos as private just to store them somewhere. But trust me, that shortcut won‘t work if your goal is getting ads and making money from your channel.

In this post, I‘ll share some hard-learned lessons from my own channel about how to balance privacy with growth as a gamer creator. My aim is to help you build an audience that watches the videos you actually want them to see.

Public vs. Private Videos: A YouTube Monetization Deep Dive

First, let‘s look at exactly how YouTube counts view time for deciding whether your channel can start making ad revenue.

The YouTube Partner Program has two main thresholds you need to cross in a 12 month period:

• 1,000 subscribers
• 4,000 hours of public watch time

Notice the emphasis on public watch time. This is the #1 mistake I see gamers make when uploading private videos left and right.

YouTube specifically excludes private videos, unlisted videos, deleted videos, and Shorts from counting for monetization. Their views and watch time essentially disappear into a black hole as far as your channel‘s analytics are concerned.

I found this out the hard way. When I dug into my Creator Studio analytics last year, I realized only around 3,500 hours of my apparent watch time actually counted towards review for monetization.

The missing 500+ hours? Mostly from old private livestream archives I used my channel to store like a Dropbox folder. Rookie mistake!

What Happens If You Make a Public Video Private?

The other trap creators fall into is making previously public videos private. This actively takes watch time away from your monetization goals.

When you switch a successful public video to private, all the accumulated views and watch time get completely erased from your channel analytics.

I tested this myself recently by making one of my popular gameplay walkthroughs private to buy some time for an edit. In an instant, over 50,000 minutes of watch time–gone!

So while you might have personal reasons for restricting access, keep in mind that privatizing videos means forfeiting any of their past contribution and limiting future opportunities for audience growth.

When Should You Actually Use Private Videos?

Don‘t get me wrong–making select videos private is still a useful tool on your YouTube creator belt. Here are some good reasons to lock down access:

• Temporarily hiding an unfinished or embarrassing video before deletion
• Pulling down collaborations with controversial creators
• Safeguarding personal or copyrighted content
• Creating exclusives or bonus material for loyal subscribers
• Removing videos that attract toxic comments

See the pattern? Going private is best reserved for taking videos out of public circulation when needed rather than avoiding it altogether.

You especially want to cultivate a public creative catalog in your first couple years as a channel. This helps the YouTube algorithm suggest your videos to viewers interested in related gaming content.

Bursting onto the scene with engaging public videos right away gives you the best shot at long-term growth. Once you have a subscriber base, then you can leverage the power of private videos for perks and exclusives.

Trust me, I clearly remember when 100 new subscribers in a day felt like a distant dream. Making videos private left and right will only slow down discovery of your channel.

Optimizing Your Way to 4,000 Public Watch Hours

Speaking of growth, let‘s talk about how to legitimately build up public watch time: the right way.

If Private videos feel like quick shortcuts to vault your gaming channel ahead, public videos are more like grinding for XP points and leveling up skills–but way more rewarding.

Based on my first-hand experiments, here are my top tips for racking up 4,000 public watch hours so you can start reaping YouTube ad revenue:

1. Hook Viewers in with Search-Optimized Titles and Thumbnails

Treat each video upload as an opportunity to grab new viewers from keyword and suggested video searches.

• Research keywords for trending topics, beloved games, or underserved questions
• Make your titles and thumbnails enticing previews that match the search terms

This makes a world of difference vs. titles like "Walkthrough Part 24" or "My New Video" (both sadly real examples I‘ve seen).

2. Structure Your Content to Keep Viewers Watching

Don‘t force viewers to click away after 30 seconds because your video is dull or confusing. Guide them through with:

• Attention-grabbing cold opens
• Clear explanations and pacing for your topic
• Segments and visuals that break up longer videos
• Cliffhangers, teasers, and calls to action promoting your next videos

I produce a lot of tip videos for getting collectibles, which used to peak viewer dropoff about halfway through. Adding periodic on-screen guides and teasers about upcoming tricks made a massive difference to average % viewed.

3. Promote Your Videos Beyond Just Uploading

Don‘t expect YouTube searches to magically showcase all your videos. Get out there and bring fans in!

• Share your passion on gaming forums and communities
• Collaborate with channels making complementary content
• Post video links across your social channels
• Engage fans on comments and leverage their networks
• Promote on Reddit, Twitter, etc. using trending hashtags or handles

Consistently exposing fans outside YouTube to your videos gives each new upload a baseline viewership and word-of-mouth potential right off the bat.

Do this public promotional work early and often. You‘ll fast track both subscriber and watch time goals.

My Journey to 1K Subs and 4K Watch Hours

As context for other gamers hoping to make partner, I wanted to share the video metrics and learnings from my own path to monetization over the past two years.

Back in 2021 when I started uploading, I wish I knew then what I know now about how useless private videos are and how essential public outreach becomes. But that trial and error taught me a ton about striking the right privacy balance.

Channel Performance by Year

Here‘s how my key channel stats look on a per year basis:

As you can see, more than doubling down on public videos and off-YouTube promotion in 2022 absolutely exploded my subscriber count and legitimate watch time.

After languishing just short of both thresholds for months, I‘ve now surpassed the 4K hour requirement as of this month! Just a few hundred more subs to join the partner program and unlock money-making.

Traffic Sources Breakdown

What fueled that huge public watch time gain? Check out this breakdown of my channel‘s traffic sources this past month:

• YouTube Search: 43%
• YouTube Suggested Videos: 32%
• External Sites: 19%
• YouTube Playlists: 3%
• Direct or Unknown: 2%

By relentlessly sharing my videos on Twitter, niche forums, and collab channels, I‘ve more than doubled the proportion of views coming from outside YouTube compared to when I first started out.

That external traffic converts like crazy into regular viewers once I get them on my channel. They help buoy public watch time even if YouTube‘s algorithm doesn‘t pick up a particular video.

Key Takeaways for Gaming Creators

I hope walking through my personal struggles and triumphs gives you inspiration to avoid the pitfalls around private videos as you build your own audience!

Here are the core lessons I want you to take with you on balancing privacy and growth on YouTube:

• Only public videos contribute watch time towards monetization goals
• Making a successful public video private erases its past viewership
• Minimize making videos private unless absolutely necessary
• Optimize discoverability with SEO titles, thumbnails, etc.
• Produce bingeable content that retains audience attention
• Promote videos actively on and especially OFF the YouTube platform
• Analyze traffic sources and adjust outreach strategies accordingly

Trust me, the best thing you can do for your channel is feed the YouTube algorithm a steady diet of engaging public videos. Sidestep the empty calories of private uploads.

If you focus on quality over perceived privacy, the views and watch time will compound. You‘ll unlock monetization faster than you think!

What questions do you still have about watch time or strategies for growing your gaming channel? I‘d be happy to offer any other insights from my experience as a now flourishing gamer creator.