Something Might Be A Bit Off About YouTube's 'On the Rise' Program, Here's Why

I've been covering YouTube's "On the Rise" winners for awhile now, and I thought they were good, monthly reminders of what certain channels are doing in order to build an audience.  The thing is, like many things YouTube does, the program is a bit of a mess: for instance, the "On the Rise" channel is never up-to-date, doesn't really offer any information about the contest, and the whole thing seems a bit hollow.  We got a comment from YouTuber Scooter Magruder (#Throw Me the Alley) last month that said "On the Rise" winners were determined by an algorithm now, maybe not so much votes.

These various thoughts troubled me when I saw that Richard Gale Films was October's On the Rise winner.  I'd like to point out that I have nothing against Richard Gale, and the stuff on his channel is entertaining, but this channel is hardly "on the rise" in a meaningful way.  There isn't enough consistent content to sustain an "up-and-coming" channel.  You have probably seen a Richard Gale video before: his "Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon" has garnered over 20 million views.

October's On the Rise Winner: It's A Bit Puzzling

Richard Gale's channel is mostly all about the Horribly Slow Murderer, who has been named "Ginosaji," and his victim, "Jack," who is repeatedly whacked with a spoon.  In all, the channel has 23 videos.  Let's revisit the video that started it all 3 years ago (these videos do have some bad language):

There's no doubt this is entertaining.  The 20 million views are well earned.  He then followed it up 8 months later with "Spoon Vs. Spoon," based on a comment that said, "Why doesn't Jack attack him...with a spoon?" and this the result:

That went on to capture 2 million views.  Later, there were a bunch of interactive videos where you try to "Save Jack."  This one had a little over a million views:

By the time that was done, it took nearly a year for a new video to come out: "Spoon Wars:"

3 days ago he released "Ginosaji Vs. Ginosaji: Episode 1:"

The majority of the activity before that?  About 3 months ago, when 2 videos hit.  And some stuff 6 months before that.  Again, I think what Richard Gale does is funny and entertaining, and have no problem with how he runs his channel.  He even has done a lot of the things we preach about here at ReelSEO.  But I feel like "On the Rise" should have a clear objective: rewarding channels that have started to build a following, they aren't quite superstars yet, but they do all the things that make sense for a newcomer to YouTube to emulate.  Try to come out with a video or two every six months and see where your subscriber base is in a year.  Better hope for a viral video because your channel certainly isn't building an audience that way.

When a channel wins "On the Rise," I'd like to be able to tell you a few points about what they do that those new to YouTube or those struggling on YouTube should give a try.  With this channel, I'm a little more than perplexed.  Maybe it's because the channel has an element of horror and YouTube wanted a horror element to their October winner.  But surely there were other channels out there that fit the phrase "On the Rise" a little bit better.