Creator strategies in the platform economy: How frequency, consistency, and content type affect YouTube engagement, attention, and revenue

초록

This study examines the strategic roles of upload frequency, upload consistency, and content type concentration in shaping user engagement and revenue on YouTube, particularly following the rise of YouTube Shorts in 2021. While it is known that Shorts drive quick audience engagement and longer formatted regular videos (RVs) foster deeper user interactions, creators still lack clear content management strategies to optimize channel performance. Analyzing 47 beauty-related YouTube channels in Korea, this study identifies three strategic elements-upload frequency, upload consistency, and content type concentration-and explores their impact on key metrics such as views, comments, likes, watch time, sustained watch time, and revenue. The findings reveal that upload frequency significantly predicts engagement and revenue, upload consistency strengthens audience loyalty, and content type concentration, particularly Shorts usage, significantly lessens sustained watch time. How long a channel has remained active also demonstrates significance as a control variable among both user engagement and revenue. Based on these insights, we offer practical guidance for content creators, emphasizing tailored content strategies to optimize engagement and monetization. By addressing key research gaps, this study enhances the theoretical and practical understanding of content portfolio optimization in the ever-evolving creator economy.

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