"Saves are the most powerful signal — optimize for saves"

"Saves are the most powerful signal — optimize for saves"

The received wisdom: saves outrank everything, so add "save this for later" to every video. The latest single-metric obsession.

Why it's wrong: saves are a strong intent signal, but they're contextual — a save means "useful reference," which fits tutorials and lists, not comedy or storytelling. Forcing save-bait onto entertainment content produces hollow saves from people who never return, and the system reads the mismatch. Optimizing one metric across all formats is the same error as chasing completion rate.

What's actually true: each format has a signature signal — saves for utility, shares for emotion, re-watches for craft. Match the metric to the content's job.

There's no master signal. There's the right signal for what you made.