A lot of creators are afraid to read their own comments, which can cause them to miss a lot of worthwhile feedback. However, reading your video comments becomes a valuable experience once you know what to look for and how to filter through the negativity.

This is why you should read your video comments.

Viewer feedback can help you increase viewer retention.

Your viewers use the comments section as a way to communicate with you directly concerning the video at hand. As soon as they see an issue, they may scroll down and make a comment to point it out. They may also wait until the end of the video to share their overall impression of what they just watched.

The feedback your viewers leave in the video comments can draw your attention to things you may not have noticed otherwise. It can also help you make decisions regarding changes that may impact your viewer retention, such as the fate of a new series or if you should work with a new collab partner again.

When you use your viewers’ feedback to improve your content, you’re creating a better watching experience for them. Listening to this feedback can increase the number of viewers who return to your channel, which is called audience retention.

Constructive criticism can help you improve your content.

Viewers also use the comments to critique the technical aspects of your videos. If they witness a lighting change, a shift in the camera’s focus, or an audio issue, they’ll likely point it out to you in the comments.

You should use this constructive criticism to fine-tune your content, especially if you see the same type of comment multiple times. Your viewers experience your content differently than you do, so their insight is extremely important.

They may also comment on things such as your editing style, video length, or upload schedule. Take what they say into consideration to help make your videos the best they can be. Experiment with different changes based on your audience’s constructive criticism and gauge how they respond.

Viewers often share unique and interesting video ideas of their own.

Your videos may inspire your viewers to come up with creative video ideas of their own. It may be something similar to the video they’re commenting on or just a random idea they had that they thought you’d like. Many viewers share their own video ideas in the comments, where they’re free for you to take.

When you use a viewer’s video idea, be sure to credit them in the opening of your video. You should mention their username or share a screenshot of their comment. If you took inspiration from several commenters’ ideas, share a few different screenshots to credit them.

Engaging with your viewers fosters a community around your channel.

Many YouTube channels foster strong fan communities around their content. The relationship you have with your viewers is as important as the relationships they have with each other. The closer they feel to you, the more loyal to your channel they’ll be.

Therefore, you should engage with your commenters as much as possible. Like comments and leave replies after you upload. You might also return to older videos to surprise fans with interaction on a comment you love.

Praise for your work can increase your confidence as a creator.

While YouTube comments are notorious for their negativity, you might be surprised by how much support you can find there as well. The kind words your viewers share outshine the harsh ones left by people who aren’t even fans.

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When you go through your video comments, take screenshots of the ones you like the best. Keep them in a folder to look through when the negative comments start to get to you. Then, you can remind yourself of the viewers who love your channel as much as you do.

Your YouTube comments are full of valuable feedback from your audience. Glance over any negative comments to find the comments that will help you make your content the best it can be.