Last updated on June 15th, 2024
If one of your videos is doing great on YouTube, why not just upload the exact same video a second time? Well, YouTube doesn’t allow two versions of the same video uploaded onto the same channel. On the flip side, YouTube loves it when a channel specializes in a narrow type of content. But what is “duplicate content,” exactly, and what is “repeatable content,” exactly? And when should you use either one on YouTube? Today we discuss it.
HOSTS: The VidAction Podcast is hosted by:
– Dane Golden of VidAction | LinkedIn | | YouTube
– Renee Teeley of VideoExplained | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
SPONSORS: This episode is brought to you by our affiliate partners, including: TubeBuddy, VidIQ, MorningFame, Rev.com, and other products and services we recommend.
PRODUCER: Jason Perrier of Phizzy Studios
TRANSCRIPT
Dane Golden:
It’s time for the Video Marketing Value podcast. This is the podcast where we help marketers just like you get more value out of your video marketing efforts. My name is Dane Golden from VidiUp and VidTarget. And here’s my cohost. She’s R-E-N-E-E T-E-E-L-E-Y, Renee Teeley from VideoExplained. Hello Renee.
Renee Teeley:
Hello Dane. I am elated to be co-hosting this podcast with you today.
Dane Golden:
Why are you just not thrilled?
Renee Teeley:
Well I am thrilled and elated, but I have been told that thrilled is an overused word, so we’re just going to go with elated.
Dane Golden:
Okay.
Renee Teeley:
I’m elated today.
Dane Golden:
And Renee, would you like to talk about YouTube duplicate content versus the concept of repeatable content today?
Renee Teeley:
I guess so. Sure. Why not?
Dane Golden:
Well, what is it? What is it? Renee?
Renee Teeley:
What is duplicate content? That’s a great question. So when we were talking about the topic of this podcast, I had to ask, what do you mean by duplicate content? I think there’s a lot of different ways to look at duplicate content, whether that’s the exact same content that you’re publishing twice on your own channel. It could be content that is somebody else’s that you’re publishing. It could be maybe similar content. So lots of different ways to look at that. So how do you think about duplicate content?
Dane Golden:
Renee, I’m so glad you asked. So I started thinking about this last year. I don’t know if you’ve worked with kids channels, but some of them put together a whole string of their greatest hits in larger videos and they may even, in the thumbnail put 30 minutes. Now there’s a whole bunch of changes going on with kids’ content and that’s not what this is about. But in this particular instance, this channel, the creator had been demonetized briefly and I believe, we both believed it was because of duplicate content. Meaning they had already done the video in one way and it stood alone and then they repurposed it and put it in a longer video. So you following so far, Renee, what I’m talking about?
Renee Teeley:
Yeah, this is, this is interesting. I feel like I’ve actually maybe done something similar but in a shorter context, so yes, please keep going.
Dane Golden:
Yeah, not a clip. The entire video. So it wasn’t a playlist, it was just a standalone video that may have been 30 minutes, an hour. And this is very common in the kids space because parents sort of like to leave their kids alone in front of a video, right?
Renee Teeley:
That sounds like bad parenting, but let’s keep going.
Dane Golden:
We were growing up, they just sat us in front of the TV, but today it’s in front of a iPad or a phone, right? Well anyway, that is frowned upon. And so that’s one of the things I think of as duplicate content is using the entire video again in a sequence of some sort, okay? So how are we clear on that so far? What do you think of that concept?
Renee Teeley:
Yeah, I mean I think that-
Dane Golden:
We’re talking about YouTube of course, right?
Renee Teeley:
I personally would avoid it. I mean, it sounds like it didn’t work out well for some other channels and especially if you’re using the full clip, you know it’s, I would steer clear of that. I think if you’re doing content outside of YouTube, it’s fine to do that. And if you’re kind of repurposing it on another platform, but I think that it’s a bit risky to do the full video and kind of stitch that together.
Dane Golden:
Yeah, and some people are doing this because they say, “Oh well I heard that if you do videos longer than 10 minutes or even longer, you will be helped in the algorithm”. Well that’s only part, that’s only partially true. You have to actually have people watching all the way through. So that’s part of a misunderstanding of Matt [Guilan’s 00:04:27] research that longer videos do better. They actually have to do better when you have people watching for a longer percentage of the video, right?
Renee Teeley:
Yeah. It’s all about watch time. So if you get them to watch multiple videos that are short, that’s I think just as fine as if you’re getting them to watch a long video, you just want to keep them there watching content.
Dane Golden:
Right? So if somebody watches one minute of a 30 minute video, it counts essentially the same as one minute of a 10 minute video or one minute of a three minute video. Now I distinguished, or I make a distinction between duplicate content and repeatable content. Because on your YouTube channel you want to own your niche. You want to focus, drill down on something that you both love and you’re good at talking about and keep repeating that and talking about variations on that theme. And it’s even okay to come back a few months later, a lot of people do this, do a video with almost the exact same title, almost the exact same topic. It’s just, you, new, talking about something like that. And that’s what I call repeatable content. What are your thoughts on repeatable content on YouTube?
Renee Teeley:
I love repeatable content. Let me repeat that. I love repeatable content. So yeah, I think it’s actually a really good idea to test what works well on your channel and the things that people are responding to make more videos about that. But I would recommend doing it in a slightly different variation. So you’re not saying exactly the same thing. You’re, you’re doing something that’s a slightly different take on it. So I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently, even with my own channel in terms of instead of just creating independent videos, I’m thinking about things in a playlist but also around a very specific topic or a specific product. So instead of just doing one video about the new GoPro Hero 8, I’ll do a series of videos with different takes on it. So it can be unboxing, it can be a review, it could be a how to, but all kind of things related to that same product.
Dane Golden:
I will go a step further, Renee Teeley.
Renee Teeley:
What’s your step further?
Dane Golden:
The step further is that when you look at your video and you go, “Oh, that video did well, but I already did it. I shouldn’t do it again. I’ve already done it”. I think just the opposite. Do it again. Yes, maybe improve, tweak it a bit. But if you’ve hit on a theme that is really delivering for you and that you like to talk about and are confident in talking about, talk about it again.
Renee Teeley:
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I think the only thing to be a little cautious about is if you’re doing the same thing too often, and it might sort of indicate to people that that’s what your channel is about. So if it is, if you want to do just iPhone videos for example, then focus on that and you can do different variations of it. But if you do a bunch of iPhone videos and then you’re kind of switching to a different topic, people might be a little confused about why you’re switching to something else. So just be a little cautious about how often you’re doing that same topic over and over again. If you don’t want that to be the focus of your channel.
Dane Golden:
Now, one thing you cannot do on YouTube is upload the exact same video twice. You can’t upload it three months ago and now upload that exact same video because YouTube has a technology that says you’ve already uploaded this video, you cannot do it again. Did you know that?
Renee Teeley:
I did. It’s especially good when it’s picking up the audio twice. Yes. So they’re very good about flagging duplicate content, whether it’s your own or it’s from somebody else.
Dane Golden:
But you can, and I think it is interesting to reuse little clips of your own content from previous videos. So you can say, here’s what I thought last year about this topic and then include a few sentences and then come back to it, and this is what I think this year.
Renee Teeley:
Yeah, so yeah, it’s great to actually go back and show clips from old videos. And in some ways you can give a boost to your old videos too, if you call those out. But it’s a great way just to add some new context and commentary on top of that as well. Another interesting way that you can reuse content is from other creators. So you’re reusing your own content, you can reuse content from other creators in fair use. So there are some guidelines around that, but you can use content from other creators.
Dane Golden:
And so how can you use content of other directors? I know that some people do react videos to other creators. What types of things are you talking about?
Renee Teeley:
Yeah, so I started doing some voiceover videos for a channel called BabbleTop. It’s a top 10 kind of videos around food related topics. And one of the things that they do is they use really short clips from pop culture videos. So it could be something from, Homer Simpson.
Dane Golden:
This is dangerous, dangerous, dangerous, this, you’re not supposed to use copyrighted material. The people say that again and again and again. How are they doing it?
Renee Teeley:
Yeah. So they’re using really, really short clips and they’re giving new context to the clips. And so essentially it’s a voiceover about a specific topic and they’re just using pop culture videos, very short clips from different, from multiple sources. That’s just kind of entertainment. But they’re transforming the work. So it’s not like they’re just taking an entire a Simpsons episode and putting a new voiceover over the top of that. They’re just using short clips from, from various sources.
Dane Golden:
Would you say they’re sort of like audio memes? Audio video memes?
Renee Teeley:
Yes, and they’re mixing it in with stock videos and some original content. So it’s a variety of different sources. But yes, it’s essentially different memes for entertainment purposes.
Dane Golden:
But I’m betting they’re going to get a lot of copyright inquiries and you have to be very good at understanding how to defend yourself against copyright hits so they don’t turn into strikes.
Renee Teeley:
Yeah, I mean there’s some just general guidelines to keep in mind if you’re going to go that route. First off, if you don’t have to, if you don’t need it. I would say just focus on original content. But if it’s something that you do want to include, you want to try to use mostly original content and you can include clips from other sources. You’re going to be a little safer if you’re using multiple sources instead of the majority of content from one place. So the example I gave-
Dane Golden:
I’m sorry to interrupt you, but as we give this advice, you want to be super, super careful with this. This is clearly, the folks you’re working with clearly have a plan. They have a process. I’m sure they define a process of how to deal with this legally, understanding I think that they’re probably pros. So any advice we give on using other people’s clips, use at your own risk. We do not want your channel taken down just because we say, “Oh, this is something that will work”. It may work.
Renee Teeley:
Yeah. I mean my, my advice is don’t use other people’s content. That’s my candid advice. That’s the way that you’re going to be safest and focus on creating original content. However, if you are going to go down the path of using other people’s content, there are some things to keep in mind that’ll help keep you safe.
Dane Golden:
Safer.
Renee Teeley:
They can help keep you safe, but I think it’s important to know that in terms of fair use, that is going to be defined by a judge. It is going to be defined in court.
Dane Golden:
So if you’re willing to go to court, and all the expenses of the legal system, here are the tips.
Renee Teeley:
Yes, and the safest way to keep yourself out of court is just to use your own original content. I do think it’s of a mind just to talk a little bit about what fair use is. And so kind of the general idea is that fair use allows you to reuse copyright protected material in some circumstances without permission from the original copyright owner. The laws actually change depending on where you are in the world. And that’s set by, there’s legal rules around that and it’s judged in a court of law.
Dane Golden:
Fair use is a US legal term, we are not lawyers, do not sue us.
Renee Teeley:
Yeah. Yes, it is a US term. I think in the UK it’s called fair dealings. And I’m sure there’re some other terms for that. But yeah, I mean the general idea is if you’re going to go that route, just make sure that most of your stuff is original content. Use multiple sources, give credit so that you’re not trying to pass it off as your own content. And, above all else, proceed with caution. And like I said, I highly advise creating your own original content as much as possible.
Dane Golden:
One of the things that is key about reusing any type of copy written material is that if you can demonstrate in a court that you have really turned it into something entirely different, then you know what, and it’s a work of art that is entirely your own, that use collabbed things, that is actually something that’s defendable. But again, it potentially is a challenge. But like for instance, a lot of hip hop, rap music uses pieces of music from other songs. The famous case of Andy Warhol soup cans, it wasn’t, he didn’t own Campbell soup, but he put them in his artwork and he created something really amazing and unique.
Dane Golden:
So this type of thing potentially can get you content strikes, which you get those enough and your content will be, or your channel can be deleted and you won’t be able to start another channel potentially. It can get you demonetized but, but overall, as far as duplicate content, meaning talking about the same topic or repeatable content, I mean. Talking about the same topic again and again, I call that flooding the zone or owning your own niche. And I think we’re both in agreement on that, right?
Renee Teeley:
Yeah, I think it’s actually a very strategic approach. So it’s really something that let you know, like we talked about before, if it’s something that’s resonating with your audience, maybe you want to do more of that content. And maybe it’s very similar but there’s something that’s a little bit different from the last video, but it’s a really great approach because one, you found something that works well for your audience, and two, it’s going to help you with SEO. So when people search for that, if you’re doing a lot of content around that there’s a higher likelihood that your content is going to be surface to those people that are interested in it. So I think it’s a good approach to take.
Dane Golden:
Renee, I’m so glad to be doing this podcast with you. Are you thrilled to be here?
Renee Teeley:
No, I’m elated to be here.
Dane Golden:
Elated, and how can people find out more about what you’re up to?
Renee Teeley:
Yeah, so the easiest place to keep tabs on me is a to go to www.ReneeTeeley, R-E-N-E-E-T-E-E-L-E-Y.com and a great place to connect with me is on LinkedIn.
Dane Golden:
Love LinkedIn. Thank you Renee. My name is Dane Golden with my cohost Renee. She’s R-E-N-E-E T-E-E-L-E-Y, Renee Teeley. And we want to thank you the listener, for joining us today. Don’t we Renee?
Renee Teeley:
Yes, absolutely and we hope you love this podcast just as much as we do.
Dane Golden:
And we want to invite you to review us on Apple podcast or the app you’re listening to right now, because that helps more people find out about the podcast so we can help even more people and marketers just like you learn about video marketing. Renee and I do this podcast and our various other YouTube videos and are speaking at conferences and other projects because we love helping businesses do YouTube and video marketing better. Until next week. Here’s to helping you help your customers through video.