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.
The basic idea: credits + an agent buying impressions
Every time you post a video, YouTube gives it a small number of credits. These credits are like currency your video uses to buy chances to get seen — impressions in search, home, suggested, etc.
Imagine your video has an agent that spends these credits. It buys slots where your video appears to viewers.
If those impressions turn into:
- clicks (CTR)
- good watch time
- engagement (likes, comments, subs)
- or viewers sticking around on YouTube
… your agent earns more credits back. The better it performs, the more credits it earns, and the more impressions it can afford in the future.
Why small channels get stuck
If you’re small or new:
- The starting credit balance is tiny.
- That’s why you post and sometimes get almost no impressions — the agent can barely afford decent slots.
YouTube seems to trickle out free credits over time so your video doesn’t flatline forever, but it’s not enough unless your video overperforms.
How dips happen (and why one bad video can hurt everything)
Credits don’t seem 100% siloed per video. There’s a shared pool across your channel.
- A good video helps refill the pool.
- A bad video (bad CTR, watch time, engagement) burns credits without earning much back.
- For small channels, just 10–20 bad views in a row can tank the pool → impressions drop across the whole channel.
Ever had that thing where you post a bad video and then everything gets fewer views? This explains it.
How “okay” videos protect your channel
If you have several videos doing okay — not viral, but steady — they keep earning credits and help protect against a single bad video killing your momentum.
How credits fund bigger and better slots
As your video earns credits:
- The agent can afford better slots: higher search rank (page 1, not 2-3) or better suggested positions.
- The agent can test broader audiences: different keywords, bigger but less targeted groups.
If your video keeps doing well at this level, it snowballs.
If it flops, credits burn fast and growth stalls.
Subscribers = bonus credits
When you post:
- Your agent can cheaply show the video to subs.
- If subs engage well, you seem to get a bonus credit batch on top of the new video reserve.
That bonus helps your video get wider reach right away.
Why ads can hurt (despite what YouTube says)
YouTube says ads and organic views are separate. But The Spiffing Brit’s test suggests otherwise:
- He ran ads to the wrong audience → lots of views, terrible engagement.
- His organic views dropped hard — future videos got fewer impressions.
What probably happened:
The system treated those ad views like the agent wasted credits on bad slots. The pool got drained.
Bottom line: Bad ads can poison your channel’s momentum.
TL;DR
- YouTube gives your video credits to buy impressions.
- Good views earn credits back; bad views burn them.
- Credits buy better slots as they grow.
- Bad videos can drain your channel’s shared pool.
- Subs give you a credit boost at launch.
- Bad ads seem to burn credits and hurt organic reach.
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