# How to Choose Reference Videos for a New YouTube Channel

Choose reference videos that match your video type, format, and age, while keeping unknown factors unresolved.

An actor is a hosted data collection program. A task is a saved input preset. For a first direct video check using the YouTube Metrics build 1.1.2 tool, replace the entire default three-video sample list in `startUrls` with your single intended known video URL and set `maxItems` to 1. Do not use a whole channel input, which improperly implies an entire upload history is available.

Native output fields include `inputUrl`, `postId`, `postUrl`, `postType`, `isShort`, `publishedAt`, `channelId`, `channelUrl`, `views`, `postMetricStatus`, `status`, and `scrapedAt`. The `postMetricStatus` field is a native array of objects with `metric`, `value`, `status`, and `precision` properties rather than an object map; availability remains distinct from precision, and a missing value remains unknown rather than zero.

Collection summaries from `OUTPUT` include `providedUrls`, `videoUrls`, `inputUrls`, `resolvedUrls`, `metricRows`, `datasetRows`, `noPublicMetricRows`, `blockedRows`, `failedRows`, and `statusCounts`. The actual checked control run with two known inputs returned 2 `resolvedUrls`, 2 `metricRows`, 2 `datasetRows`, and `statusCounts` as `{"ok": 2}`, with zero `blockedRows`, `failedRows`, or `noPublicMetricRows`. This proves public metadata and current count extraction for those inputs, not a guarantee that every check returns 2 rows, nor private Studio analytics, unique viewers, watch duration, audience overlap, or historical common-age counts. Additionally, an older video accessed via a `/shorts/` route may actually be a standard long-form video; a route name or unreviewed native flag does not certify actual content format.

## Define Your Reference Population

1. Define the reference population before collecting numbers: State the exact group of videos you intend to compare before gathering performance metrics to prevent selection bias.
2. Select one clear unit and outcome: Keep video-level cumulative views distinct from channel-level totals. Public snapshots do not show private impressions, watch time, or traffic sources. Choose a narrow, observable question, such as comparing a specific video type within a defined age band.
3. Declare matching factors and inclusion rules upfront: Write down rules for genre, manually checked video format, upload age band, observation boundary, and stated channel stage before inspecting counts. Subscriber counts and channel creation dates do not prove comparable creator experience.
4. Gather candidates with checked public evidence: Assemble a candidate list using known direct URLs. A dated public statement about starting a series supports a `claimed_stage` factor rather than verified experience. If evidence for a required factor is missing, mark the candidate as `unresolved_factor_evidence` rather than assigning it to a category.
5. Collect native observations while preserving precision: Preserve `postId`, `channelId`, publication date, observation time, view count, and precision status. If `publishedAt` contains only a day label, do not convert it into an exact timestamp. A current cumulative count cannot recover historical day-seven views.
6. Build a matching and support table: Evaluate candidates against your focal video. Record states as `eligible`, `excluded_factor_mismatch`, or `unresolved_factor_evidence`, explicitly noting any failed factor. Do not relax matching rules after seeing candidate view counts without recording a new design and rationale.
7. Decide comparison timing: Determine if the comparison can occur immediately, within an approximate age band, or after a future scheduled capture. Do not backfill missing historical day-seven views by dividing lifetime views by total age. If no matched cell exists, report a no-comparison result.
8. Deliver supported and unsupported comparison cells: Present the defined reference population, rules, evidence, and supported cells. A few selected peers form a narrow scoped reference, not an industry normal-performance benchmark. Do not apply median or outlier formulas, prepare sponsor media kits, or forecast channel success rates.

The following matching records and tables are original fiction created to demonstrate the evaluation process. For candidates with date-only `publishedAt` values (Focal F1, Candidate B, Candidate C, and Candidate D), exact elapsed ages come from assumed exact fictional timestamps for this teaching example, rather than converting native day-only labels into verified hours. According to official YouTube documentation, all-format play-start view counting semantics took effect on August 24, 2026; [keep this version boundary in mind when comparing views](/en/articles/social-view-metric-comparability/).

### Primary Comparison Table (Focal F1)

| Candidate | Genre / Topic | Manually Checked Format | Publication & Observation Times | Assumed Age | Dated Claimed-Stage Evidence | Rule State | Reason |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Focal F1 | Mystery Game | Long-form | Pub: 2026-10-01<br>Obs: 2026-10-08 | 7 days | Post on 2026-10-01: "Starting my first mystery series" | Target | Focal comparison unit |
| Candidate B | Mystery Game | Long-form | Pub: 2026-10-02<br>Obs: 2026-10-09 | 7 days | Post on 2026-10-02: "Episode 1 of my new mystery channel" | Eligible | Matches all declared rules (`claimed_stage`) |
| Candidate C | Mystery Game | Long-form | Pub: 2024-10-08<br>Obs: 2026-10-08 | 730 days | Profile bio: "Making game videos since 2024" | Excluded | Failed age match (730 days vs 7 days) |
| Candidate D | Mystery Game | Short | Pub: 2026-10-01<br>Obs: 2026-10-08 | 7 days | Post on 2026-10-01: "New channel launch short" | Excluded | Failed format match (Short vs Long-form) |
| Candidate E | Mystery Game | Long-form | Pub: 2026-10-08T01:00Z<br>Obs: 2026-10-08T13:00Z | 12 hours | Video intro: "Welcome to my brand new channel" | Excluded | Failed age match (12 hours vs 7 days) |
| Candidate F | Mystery Game | Long-form | Pub: Date label only<br>Obs: 2026-10-08 | Unknown | No public stage statement found | Unresolved | Missing precise publication time and stage evidence |

### Secondary Comparison Records

- Focal Format F2 (14-Day Age-Band Mystery Game Short): Evaluated under its own distinct cell rules requiring a Short-form mystery game video at a 14-day upload age boundary. Candidate D matches format, genre, and stage, but fails the F2 age boundary (7 days vs 14 days required). Candidates B, C, E, and F fail format or age parameters. Result: No eligible reference candidate exists in the supplied pool; reported as a no-comparison cell (no supported benchmark).
- Planned Capture Record: Candidate E is scheduled for a future observation on 2026-10-15T01:00Z to meet the 7-day age rule for F1. Status: `planned_capture` (kept strictly separate from `observed_reference`; past day-seven views cannot be reconstructed retroactively).

## Next action

Write out the exact matching rules for your focal video cell, then check whether your candidate list contains an eligible observed reference before attempting any performance summary. You can collect the necessary public metrics using the [YouTube Video Performance Tracker Actor](https://apify.com/chronometrica/youtube-metrics-scraper) and run your check with the [Public Metrics Input Preset Task](https://apify.com/chronometrica/youtube-metrics-scraper/examples/youtube-video-performance-tracker).

## Sources

- [YouTube Metrics Scraper Actor](https://apify.com/chronometrica/youtube-metrics-scraper)
- [YouTube Video Performance Tracker Task Example](https://apify.com/chronometrica/youtube-metrics-scraper/examples/youtube-video-performance-tracker)
- [YouTube Help: How Video Views Are Counted](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2991785?hl=en-CA)
- [Reddit r/SmallYoutubers: New Channel Benchmark Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/SmallYoutubers/comments/1v6b8ym/channel_1_month_in_are_these_typical_stats/)