What you can learn from YouTube’s trending videos

The beautiful thing about the internet is that there’s both a lot of trash and a lot of treasure. But what does it take to truly trend?

To find out, we asked Ammar Alyousfi, a data scientist in the United Arab Emirates who analyzed all 70k+ of YouTube’s 2019 trending videos in the US.

What did he learn?

Here are a few findings that surprised him.

The single channel to produce the most trending videos was Linus Tech Tips, which has 11m+ subscribers. Alyousfi had expected music or entertainment-focused channels to take the top spots. In fact, cooking channels took the 2nd and 3rd spots.

Staying on the list is a feat. That’s because YouTube updates its list of trending videos every ~15 minutes. Alyousfi was surprised to find 6 videos — including this gem of a jam — that managed to stay on the trending list for 30 days.

Remember what we said about trash and treasure? “I found that BTS’ song ‘Boy With Luv’ was the most viewed, the most liked, and the most commented trending video in 2019,” Alyousfi told us. It was also the 5th most disliked trending video.

So… how do I make this work in my favor?

Alyousfi used a script to scrape YouTube data each day throughout 2019. Then he analyzed titles, descriptions, thumbnails, tags, views, likes/dislikes, and comments.

He said it would take a much broader analysis to make recommendations on improving your video performance. But the following tactics could help:

• Include the current year and the words “video,” “vs,” “game,” “new,” “highlights,” and “first” in your title. 
• Title length should hit between 36 and 64 characters.
• Use tags in your video. Almost all trending videos have tags.
• Show a person in the video thumbnail.

You can count on a few hands the number of people who watched “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” In 2017, the show was the lowest-rated entry from the major broadcast networks. But the show’s stan armies might lead you to believe otherwise.

Trouble is, superfans don’t get a lot of official credit for their excitement. Networks decide which shows live and die based on the number of people tuning in, not how buzzy the show might be. Case in point: “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” ended last year.

The startup Parrot Analytics has a rescue plan for neglected cult favorites just like it. Instead of raw viewer counts, Parrot can track viewer passion.

What’s the value of a cult hit?

Measuring total viewers makes a lot of sense when you’re a cable network relying on ads. If a show isn’t pulling in enough fans, the suits are going to cut it loose.

But if you’re a streaming service, what really counts is how many people you can convert into subscribers.

Parrot Analytics combines data on Google searches, pirated downloads, Facebook likes, and Wikipedia traffic into a measure of enthusiasm it calls “demand expressions.” Then it estimates how many subscribers a given show or movie will bring in. 

On Netflix, low-viewer shows can still pay the bills

Parrot is proving that even unpopular shows can be streaming hits. The company has already landed deals with heavyweights like Amazon, CBS, the CW, Google, and Disney.

Fan campaigns to rescue a show from extinction have already started citing Parrot data, too. 

That mission is built into the DNA of the company. Parrot CEO Wared Seger told The New York Times that his inspiration for the company was a devastating TV event in his own life: the 2008 cancellation of “Boston Legal.”

Restaurants cough up a lot of dough to partner with third-party delivery services like Grubhub and Seamless, which can charge restaurants commissions of 20% to 30% per order. 

The newly launched Fare aims to make delivery more — well, fair — for smaller, local restaurants who can’t afford those fees.

Sounds appetizing… 

Fare curates weekly menus from participating restaurants within a specific area. This menu is available only to customers located nearby.

Limiting the menu to a few items helps restaurants achieve what Fare calls a “decentralized catering” situation. Customers order a day in advance, which gives the restaurant time to prepare the meals, group them together based on address, and then deliver them within 1 hour of a designated time. 

Because the restaurants handle the delivery, Fare doesn’t have to charge them fees. Instead, customers pick up the tab for the service.

Fare currently serves Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn.

Dinner is served!

Fare can’t offer as many menu options as its competitors. And ordering a day early means customers can’t satisfy those sudden pho cravings.

But restaurant enthusiasts who now find themselves stuck at home and missing their favorite local eateries might be excited to order something other than pizza for the umpteenth time. And to know the local business isn’t getting gouged.

To anyone who’s ever used the word wanderlust unironically: This one’s for you. 

Randonautica spits out random coordinates for users to explore in the real world, sorta like a new version of geocaching. 

But Randonautica puts a 2020 spin on nature walks: It says the location users get could be cosmically affected by their inner ~vibes~.

It’s Pokemon Go for people who believe in astrology 

Here’s how it works: users (Randonauts) input a word or phrase (an intent) and Randonautica’s “quantum random number generator” gives geographic coordinates within their vicinity. 

Upon downloading, the app lists the 9 Tenets of The Randonauts, which include having a “high vibes intent” and valuing “inner life.”

Bet my vibe intent is higher than yours

According to Sensor Tower, the app has been downloaded an estimated 2m times. It’s also sparked a thriving subreddit, where 106k+ subscribers share their Randonauting finds. 

One user set their intent as “Shrek” and found a swamp, and another found a peacock after choosing “colorful.”

But it’s not all peacocks and peat bogs: A few girls discovered human remains in a suitcase while Randonauting and posted a viral TikTok documenting the experience.

Losing your luggage sucks, even if it’s only for a few days. But some baggage goes missing forever, and there’s one company there to claim it.

Unclaimed Baggage, an Alabama company, dominates the lucrative business of buying and selling lost luggage. And they’ve sold some truly weird stuff.

How weird? You’ll have to cool your heels until Sunday, when our story lands in your inbox. Or watch this preview while you wait at baggage claim for the package to arrive.