Monitor & Optimize

Once you’re posting regularly, it’s time to understand what’s working and scale what performs.

Monitoring Performance

Video Explorer (Trend Analysis)

Go to Video Explorer in the sidebar. This shows tracked competitor videos with:

• Velocity badges: How fast each video is gaining views

  • Viral (red) — 100+ views/hr
  • Trending Up (green) — 20+ views/hr
  • Steady (blue) — 1+ views/hr
  • Plateaued (yellow) — Flat
  • Declining (gray) — Losing momentum

• Analysis badges: What style/tone/hook type each video uses

• View counts: From the latest snapshot

Look for patterns: which hook types consistently get “Trending Up” or “Viral” badges? What topics keep appearing in high-performing videos?

Analytics Page

Go to Analytics in the sidebar for a cross-channel performance overview including approval rates and output volumes.

Optimization Strategies

1. Hook Quality Is Everything

The hook determines whether someone stops scrolling. Analyze your competitors’ best-performing hooks (Video Explorer) and update your hook_gen prompt template to emphasize those patterns.

Hooks that consistently work:

• Shock stat: “87% of people don’t know this…”
• Challenge: “I bet you can’t name this…”
• Nostalgia: “This game from 2004 had a secret…”
• Discovery: “I found an AI tool that…“

2. Posting Cadence

More videos = more chances for the algorithm to push your content. Start with 2-3 per day. If quality stays high, increase to 5+.

YouTube’s algorithm gives new Shorts a small initial push (~200-500 impressions). More videos = more pushes = more chances to go viral.

3. Niche Down, Then Expand

Start with one specific niche. Once you understand what works (hook styles, topics, pacing), create additional channels for adjacent niches. Duplicate the successful patterns.

4. Regenerate Niche Configs Regularly

As you track more competitors and collect more snapshot data, your niche configs become more accurate. Regenerate every 2-4 weeks and apply the updated config to your channels.

5. Watch Retention Signals

Once you’re in the YouTube Partner Program (1,000 subscribers + 10M Shorts views in 90 days), you’ll get access to YouTube Analytics with:

• Average view duration
• Average percentage viewed
• Impressions and click-through rate

These metrics tell you exactly where viewers are dropping off. If hook retention is low, fix your hooks. If mid-video retention drops, tighten your scripts.

6. Revenue Optimization

YouTube Shorts RPM is typically $0.04-0.10 per 1,000 views. To maximize revenue:

• Volume: More views = more revenue. Posting cadence matters most.
• Engagement: Higher engagement → more algorithm push → more views
• Niche selection: Finance and tech niches tend to have higher RPMs than entertainment
• Consistency: The algorithm rewards channels that post regularly

7. The Feedback Loop

The system is designed to get smarter over time:

Track competitors → Analyze patterns → Generate config →
Create content → Post → Monitor performance →
Adjust templates → Track more competitors → ...

Each cycle through this loop improves your content. The trend analysis tells you what works in the market. Your own performance data tells you what works for your channel specifically.

Scaling

Once one channel is profitable:

1. Clone the pattern — Create a new channel in an adjacent niche using similar prompt templates
2. Cross-pollinate insights — Niche configs from one channel can inform another
3. Increase cadence — Go from 3 to 5+ videos per day on winning channels
4. Diversify topics — Add more sources to cast a wider net for trending content

The goal: multiple channels, each producing 3-5 videos per day, all running on autopilot with a daily review pass.