It’s no secret that YouTube has taken over the world by storm and everyone knows plenty of YouTube channels out there that are raking in tonnes of money. Some YouTubers have become well known and famous. Many have managed to escape their 9-5 and are simply earning enough passive income from their channel to live a comfortable life.
All of this is due to the fact that video content is more engaging than any other medium. Audiences are hooked easily because they are more simulated and advertisers are able to capitalize on that. Video content is also becoming more mainstream because nearly everyone is carrying a camera with them these days (read cell phone). Therefore, the cost of production has also come down many folds and the YouTube platform is also very simple to use. The viewership is also tremendous. The number of monthly users on YouTube as well as videos watched per day is in billions! That’s a billion with a ‘B’.
In this post we will explore what it takes to start a YouTube channel and tips to grow it successfully.
General Info and Tips
Let’s talk about some general things to consider when starting a YouTube channel. Things like what to make your channel about? Or whether to focus on one thing or many etc. One thing to keep in mind while trying to decide on your content type is the fact that it’s videos that entertain or videos that solve issues (how-to videos) for people that get the most views. As you know, when it comes to being successful with YouTube, one of the key aspects is viewer engagement. Which is a fancy way of saying the number of folks you can get to watch your content.
It is also important to have a niche than putting out incoherent content. YouTube audiences have been found to gravitate towards channels which focus on one general topic rather than many. Think a cooking channel that focuses on recipes only or a book review channel etc. Focusing on a niche also helps you pull in a specific crowd which helps you carve your own corner that you get known for. Another thing to keep in mind is that it’s vital to create high quality content. It’s better to create a few videos which are meaningful and of good quality rather than creating a number of low quality videos.
Starting a Channel
Getting and setting up a YouTube channel is quick. As long as you have a Google account (you probably do if you have a Gmail), you can get up and running. All you need to do is sign in to your YouTube account using your Gmail credentials and then click here. This link will ask you to read and accept the user agreement and then set you up with your very own YouTube channel. To make your channel more official, you will need a logo and a banner for it along with a brief description of what your channel was about. These can be created using tools like Canva. You can also use Canva to create an outro for your videos.
You can record a video easily using the camera on your phone and some natural lighting. Depending on what kind of videos you are creating, you can purchase a cheap desk or handheld mount for the camera phone as well. As far as editing the video is concerned, there are several free video editors that are available on the internet. Take a look at this post for a comprehensive list and analysis of each solution available. Once you have decided on a tool, you should also be able to find free tutorials on how to use them on YouTube.
How to Go About It
Now that you have a niche, have sorted the camera and recording situation, a channel setup and some editing skills, time to get started. And how do you go about it? It’s simple. Just start. Stop worrying about how it will look and sound. Just get started and keep posting. Consistency is another key ingredient. Once you get started, just keep going. You will improve overtime. You would want to keep people aware of your presence. YouTube and all other online algorithms promote consistent channels. It is also recommended to form some sort of posting routine and stick to it.
How to Monetize
So this is the part that you ought to be most interested in. After all this effort, how do we make money off our investment? There are a few ways to monetize YouTube videos and make money from them. The first and most popular way is via AdSense. Google AdSense is the ad service through Google which you can enable on your channel and earn money through ads that are placed on your videos. There are guidelines by YouTube for minimum watch time hours that you must obtain within a year and also a minimum number of subscribers on your channel.
The next way is by selling your own goods and merchandise. However for this, in most cases, you need to be a well established and recognized channel. Either that, or you need to have another established online or brick and mortar business/service already in place and the YouTube channel only acts as an extension of that.
You can also promote other brands by acquiring their sponsorship. Again for this you need to be a well established channel with consistent and wide following. You can also add affiliate links in your video descriptions to make affiliate income through your videos. All of these strategies require traffic to your channel in order to be successful. And again, for that you must create consistent and high quality content.
In Conclusion
Creating YouTube videos is definitely a side hustle worth exploring. Though it requires a lot of work initially, it can help you create a passive stream of income once you have managed to establish yourself. YouTube videos continue to get views long after their creators have stopped creating new content and thus, continue to generate income for their respective owners. This isn’t something we are advocating for, but simply using this example to highlight the power of YouTube and it’s ability to generate an income for you.