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- Small mistakes right after uploading can tank your video’s performance before it even has a chance to grow.
- Avoid actions that hurt watch time, confuse the algorithm, or sabotage organic reach.
- Patience, consistency, and strategic posting are the real keys to long-term YouTube success.
What NOT to Do After Uploading a Video (YouTube Growth Edition)
Here’s the thing about YouTube: the work isn’t done when you hit “publish.”
In fact, the first 24–72 hours after you upload might be the most important window for your video’s success — and a few rookie mistakes in that time can completely tank your momentum.
I’ve been in the YouTube trenches for years (faceless channels, niche channels, the whole deal), and I’ve learned these lessons the hard way. Some of them are counterintuitive, some are downright weird, but all of them can save your video from dying a quiet, algorithm-ignored death.
Let’s talk about 11 things you should absolutely never do after uploading a YouTube video.
1. Watching Your Video Right After Posting (… Unless You Watch It All)
It’s tempting. You just uploaded. You want to see how it looks in the wild. But if you click on it, watch 40 seconds, and bounce? Congratulations, you just tanked your own watch time.
If you must check it, watch it from start to finish — otherwise, do your quality check before you hit publish.
2. Sharing Your Link Everywhere (Especially with Friends & Family)
Yes, your mom will be proud. No, she won’t watch the full 10 minutes. Early watch time is gold, and short views from people who aren’t your target audience can send bad signals to the algorithm.
If you want to promote, do it where your actual audience hangs out.
3. Buying Views (Or Subs)
YouTube’s algorithm is basically a matchmaking system between your content and the right audience. When you buy random views, you’re introducing noise — and that confuses the system.
Plus, botted or mismatched viewers never stick around, which crushes your chances of getting recommended.
4. Deleting a Low-View Video Too Soon
The YouTube graveyard is full of videos that could’ve gone viral six months later.
One of my videos sat almost ignored for 250 days before exploding to millions of views. If I’d deleted it early, I would’ve missed out on tens of thousands of dollars.
Patience matters.
5. Manually Deleting All Negative Comments
Some criticism is harmless — even engagement-boosting. But comments telling people to “unsubscribe” or “don’t watch” are toxic.
Use YouTube’s Community moderation settings to filter specific phrases automatically.
6. Ignoring the Time Zone of Your Target Audience
Does upload time matter? A little. Not because of magic hours, but because you don’t want to post when your audience is asleep.
If you’re targeting U.S. viewers, posting at 3 a.m. PST is basically asking to be ignored.
7. Going Public Immediately After Uploading
Never “drag-and-drop” to YouTube and set to public instantly.
Upload as Unlisted, wait until it’s fully processed (including HD/4K), and then add your title, description, tags, and thumbnail. Only go public when it’s 100% ready.
8. Skipping a Community Post
The Community tab isn’t just for polls — it’s a direct notification boost. Share your new video there with the title, link, and thumbnail.
If you run multiple channels, you can cross-promote by posting your new video’s link in the community tabs of your other channels.
9. Changing Your Thumbnail or Title Later (If You're Small)
MrBeast can swap thumbnails midweek and see results. You, starting out? Probably not.
If you’re not confident in your thumbnail and title before you post, fix them first — not after it’s live.
10. Obsessively Checking Analytics Every Hour
Refreshing your analytics like it’s a slot machine won’t help.
In the first few days, focus on creating your next video instead. When you do check, pay attention to CTR (click-through rate) and AVD (average view duration) — those tell the real story.
11. Forgetting That YouTube Growth Is a Long Game
This one’s more mindset than mistake: don’t expect every upload to blow up. The ones you think will crush it might flop. The ones you think are garbage might go viral.
The only “hack” that works every time is posting consistently, in a niche, with watchable content.
Bottom line? YouTube rewards patience, strategy, and audience-focused thinking. Avoid these 11 mistakes, and you’ll give every video you post the best possible shot at thriving.
Stay sharp with more creator survival tips at Land of Geek Magazine!
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