Like many of you, I’ve been trying to figure out how the YouTube algorithm actually works for creators — especially small ones. After watching patterns on my own channel, reading tons of posts, and seeing experiments like The Spiffing Brit’s bad ads test, I’ve built a theory.

I think YouTube operates like a credit system. Once you see it this way, a lot of things make sense: small channel struggles, channel dips, and even why ads can backfire.

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