aim for ~120–180 minutes of YouTube content per month, split between a few strong long-form episodes and a steady drumbeat of Shorts. Minutes alone don’t make something go viral, but this cadence gives you enough “shots on goal” to find breakout moments.
Here are two mixes that work well for a $125K/mo push:
Option A (Tentpole + volume) — ~170 min/mo
- 4 tentpoles (12–18 min) → ~60 min
- 8 mid-forms (8–12 min) → ~80 min
- 60 Shorts (20–60 sec) → ~30 min total
Option B (Lean, consistent) — ~130 min/mo
- 8 long-forms (12–16 min) → ~112 min
- 40–45 Shorts (20–60 sec) → ~20–25 min total
What actually moves the needle (targets to hit):
- CTR: 6–12% on long-form thumbnails/titles
- Retention: 50–65% avg on 8–18 min videos; 80%+ completion on Shorts
- Posting cadence: 2+ long-forms/week or 1 solid tentpole/week plus daily Shorts (5–7/wk)
- Iteration speed: test 2–3 thumbnail/title variants per upload in the first 24–48 hours
For NESTOR specifically (sci-fi thriller):
- Weekly episode (10–14 min) with cliffhanger + behind-the-scenes mini (6–8 min) mid-week
- Daily Shorts cut from episodes: character stings, tech reveals, one-liners, VFX beats
- Target ~12–16 long-form minutes/week + 5–7 Shorts/week → lands you in that 120–180 min/mo zone
Reality check on “viral vs. successful”:
- Virality isn’t tied to total minutes; it’s volume × quality signals (CTR, retention, comments, shares).
- Use the $125K to prioritize creative testing (thumb/title labs, hook rewrites, recaps/trailers), community (pinned comments, polls, live Q&A), and assets (thumb shoots, micro-trailers, captioning, translations).
