YouTube has been around for over 10 years now, with millions of content creators uploading their own original video content every week. If you're one of them, there's probably some reason why you decided to create and upload these videos in the first place — whether that be because you want to share something personal or simply make money from doing so.
If any of this sounds like you, then we'll take you through everything you need to know about creating an effective YouTube marketing strategy, including tips on how to build up your subscriber base, getting bigger views, and making sure you don't lose subscribers after they see you try to sell stuff!
But before all of that, if you've just created your YouTube channel and are wondering what to do next, here are four ways to start earning money from your YouTube videos.
One option is to use Google AdSense ads (also known as contextual links). This allows you to display text-based advertisements within your videos, but only when users click on those links. You will also receive a small cut of each advertisement sold via your site. The best thing about using AdSense is that it takes very little effort and doesn't require much technical knowledge since it uses pre-written code.
There are several benefits to setting up your account through AdWords rather than directly through YouTube. For example, many channels have reported issues with having their accounts closed down by YouTube for violating its policies.
However, both methods work well and should give you a good starting point for generating income from your videos.
Another popular method is affiliate marketing, where you recommend specific products and services related to what you're talking about on camera. It works similarly to other types of online advertising, except instead of displaying banners, you link out to relevant product pages. As such, you won't receive direct commissions from selling items. Instead, affiliates will pay a percentage commission once someone makes a purchase through your website.
Other options include shopping sales, sponsoring events, and partnering with brands. All of which involve either offering free giveaways, promoting contests, or becoming official partners with companies who would prefer not to advertise themselves. In return, you can offer paid promotions across social media platforms, send people to branded landing pages, or even become part of company press releases.
The short answer is yes. But there are things you must consider to ensure success. First off, remember that the most important aspect of growing your audience is providing great, engaging content. Once you hit upon exactly what they love, it becomes easier to attract new followers.
You may find yourself needing to experiment with different approaches until you figure out what really resonates with your viewers. However, there are many helpful tools at your disposal to help guide you along your journey. There are plenty of apps available to track metrics, improve SEO rankings, and manage subscriber lists, while analytics software helps you monitor statistics such as impressions/views, reach, traffic sources, demographics, etc., ensuring you don't go overboard without knowing what you're doing.
On top of this, you can leverage various third-party sites to enhance your channel further. Some useful ones include Social Ranker, Tubebuddy, Viddsee, TubeBuddy, and SocialBlade. These allow you to track stats, view comments, embed music, add annotations, bookmark videos, track likes and dislikes, among others.
While building your following is essential, another key factor is engagement. Engagement means interacting with your audience, responding to questions, adding feedback, and encouraging interaction between your fans.
This might mean asking your viewers to comment, request songs, or suggest topics. Or it could be as simple as thanking commenters for sharing your content, replying to messages sent privately, retweeting tweets, posting replies to Instagram posts, liking Facebook statuses, subscribing to newsletters, or contacting influencers on Twitter or elsewhere.
Finally, it’s worth remembering that reaching out to customers isn't always going to be possible straight away. So, patience is required. Try sending emails periodically to keep existing clients updated on your latest projects, new developments, or anything else that relates to their relationship with your business.
Yes, you can select particular videos on your channel to put sponsored overlays on. To begin, head into Settings " Analytics & Data Sharing " Monetization Details… From here, scroll down to Video details. Then, under the section labeled Content ID Matching, look towards the right hand side and check the box labelled Enable Sponsored Content. Hit Save Changes, and voila! Your selected clips will automatically feature promoted content.
It’s worth noting that this feature was previously known as Promoted Playlists. However, the name changed sometime last year. With this update, creators were finally able to customize their playlist offerings according to individual preferences.
A word of warning though, while this process does remove the standard overlay from your clip, anyone watching it will still see the default banner. While you can turn this off, it's better to leave it alone unless you plan to promote multiple products simultaneously. Otherwise, you risk confusing viewers.
Absolutely. One of the fastest ways to generate extra cash from your channel is to set up a Patreon page. This allows you to charge subscriptions to access exclusive updates, behind-the-scenes footage, merchandise, and more. Since Patreons started out as a platform aimed exclusively at musicians, it hasn't yet caught on with everyone else.
Still, it remains an excellent alternative for gaining credibility amongst your community and attracting new supporters. Plus, unlike other subscription models, Patreon is completely free for creators.
For more information on how to implement this, read our article detailing how to set up a successful Patreon page.
And remember, YouTube itself offers a few different ways to earn additional money. Not least of which, Creator Studio, which lets you connect advertisers directly with your audiences. After completing steps 1–3 above, you can apply to join the program.
Once accepted, you can then list your channel on the Creator Marketplace, allowing interested parties to contact you. When asked about your target market, respond with your primary niche and location. And if you already provide professional advice, explain how you'd benefit from working with big businesses looking to sponsor your content.
In exchange, you could potentially receive thousands of dollars per month. Read our article explaining Creator Studios in detail to learn more.
So that covers everything you need to know about making money from your YouTube channel. Now it's time to grow your channel, increase engagement, and boost revenues! Good luck!
The internet has been saturated with content creators who are trying their luck at making money from their channels by selling merchandise or affiliate products through links in description boxes. But there’s another way of doing it that doesn't involve those extra steps or risks. You can actually make money directly off your existing channel without any need for an influx of funds.
YouTube Partner program offers you an opportunity to do just this as long as your account meets certain criteria. The process isn't easy but it's worth learning if you want to grow your audience. Let's take a look at how it works.
Let's start with some basics about what makes you eligible to become a partner.
To begin with, you have to meet these requirements :
Have over 10k subscribers.
Upload original content regularly (at least once every week).
Create high-quality content that people enjoy watching.
Be active on other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
You also have to use official tools provided within the platform like analytics and comment moderation systems. If you don't comply with Google's community guidelines, you will not be accepted into its Partner program. These policies apply to all users regardless of age.
Once you've met the above mentioned basic qualifications, here comes what else you need to know before applying.
There aren't any fees associated with getting accepted into this program. However, you'll need to cough up $1 per month for each new creator whose work appears on someone else's channel. This means anyone uploading your content needs to pay around $10 monthly. It may seem small amount but this covers your legal costs so you won't incur further expenses when dealing with issues arising out of uploaded content.
Yes. There is no specific limit on the number of channels you can own under your name. As long as they're related to yours, you should be able to add them all to your profile.
If you're looking to increase your visibility among viewers while growing your subscriber base, adding multiple accounts could help boost both numbers. So go ahead and create multiple profiles.
Partnership earnings vary greatly depending upon which country you live in and where your videos are located. In 2018, the global average was reported to be approximately $15/month. For example, UK Partners earned £769 ($1131) in 2017 according to the latest available figures.
However, bear in mind that even though you might see big names earning hundreds of dollars, many others only receive modest amounts. Since partnering usually involves providing free promotional support to your creator friends, you shouldn't expect to earn huge sums right away unless you happen to be popular already.
In short, keep expectations realistic. Don't think partnership would solve everything because it won't.
No. Being a partner gives you permission to include your content on other channels' pages. Your friend who made the video still owns the intellectual property rights. All you do is provide the necessary promotion for him or her.
This means you cannot claim authorship over anything you post. Even comments left on your videos remain your responsibility. Similarly, your channel branding remains exclusive to you.
Your public persona is completely different than your private identity. While appearing online, you must behave professionally and abide by privacy rules set forth by YouTube. Remember, it's best to avoid using personal details such as real name, phone number, email address etc, wherever possible. Doing so opens you up to spamming attacks or phishing scams.
Also, remember that having your username publicly displayed increases chances of scammers impersonating you to defraud unsuspecting victims. When signing up for channels, choose usernames that are hard to guess. Some suggestions can be found here.
As stated earlier, since you don't own the copyrights, you retain full authority over your creations. You decide whether to allow other people to display your work on other channels or not.
Absolutely. According to YouTube Community Guidelines, sexually explicit materials, graphic violence, nudity, hate speech, profanity, harmful misinformation, and violent extremism are prohibited.
Similarly, gambling, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and weapons are also banned. Likewise, harassment and bullying are strictly forbidden. And finally, adult pornography featuring humans younger than 18 years old are also illegal.
With these things taken into consideration, it's obvious why most major networks refuse to air your show or accept advertisements from companies involved in such activities. To learn more about exactly what goes against YouTube policy, check out our guide detailing YouTube's strict rules.
After meeting all the eligibility conditions, you'll receive confirmation via mail. Once approved, you'll then be required to submit proof of payment along with screenshots showing what you did during the last 30 days. This includes sharing links to your videos on various social media sites, engaging with followers, commenting on videos, and posting relevant blog posts.
Unfortunately, you cannot upload copyrighted music or footage onto your channel. What you can do instead is send the owner direct message asking for authorization to exhibit his or her creation on your channel.
On the other hand, fair use —the act of adapting copyrighted material—is permitted as long as it complies with four factors:
It must serve a useful purpose.
Its market value must outweigh harm caused by misuse.
Usefulness must not come at the expense of creating something new.
A similar principle applies to news reporting, commentary, research reports, teaching, and parody.
Most importantly, you need to ensure that whatever creative elements you borrow from whoever holds the copyright doesn't violate any laws. Otherwise, authorities could possibly deem you liable for infringement.
For instance, let say you used clips from BBC World News in your clip to discuss recent breaking stories. That would constitute plagiarism. On top of that, the same rule applies to images, sounds, and text.
So, always doublecheck the legality of the source you intend to repurpose.
Copyright law varies across countries. Before you upload content, consult Wikipedia's Copyright Infringement page [Broken URL Removed] to find out what constitutes lawful usage in your region.
Likewise, if you plan to sell merchandise based on your own video, search for licenses first. Then contact manufacturers and see if they'd be interested in licensing your product designs for future production.
While we're talking about merchandising, let's talk about affiliate marketing. We love this method because it offers maximum flexibility. Affiliates simply promote other peoples' stuff for commission. No inventory management needed!
That said, you may need to secure permissions from third parties before incorporating other people's ideas into your projects.
Here's how to upload a copyrighted video on YouTube.
First, head to My Media " Uploader Settings " Video Quality Options. From here, enable Auto HD Video option if you want to automatically convert your SD video files into 720p HD ones.
Now select your video file and click Create File. A pop-up window containing information regarding your selected file will appear. Click Save Changes.
Finally, hit Publish and wait until the video finishes processing.
Since you probably didn't write down or record the song yourself, you don't hold the copyright. Therefore, you can freely post songs you legally acquired outside of YouTube's scope.
But if the track falls under one of the following categories, your options narrow considerably.
Public domain: Works published before 1923 are now in the public domain and therefore may be reused without seeking permission. Most of them were written by famous writers, composers, artists, scientists, architects, engineers, inventors, statesmen, diplomats, teachers, clergymen, journalists, novelists, poets, playwrights, religious leaders, politicians, philosophers, and businessmen.
Creative Commons Zero: Creative Commons licensed work is marked CC0. Such tracks fall under public domain category and thus can be reuploaded without citing sources. Nevertheless, you're encouraged to attribute the author whenever applicable.
Fair Use: Fair Use exception allows copyrighted material to be reproduced for educational purposes, criticism, reportage, and scholarship amongst others.
Derivative Work: Derivatives of copyrighted artworks fall under derivative work classification. As such, you're free to reuse them as long as you properly cite the original artist.
Patent Pending: Patent pending tracks require prior approval from the U.S. patent office. Thus, you'll need to either request permission or purchase license to use them.
Trademarked Material: Trademarked items are protected by trademark legislation. Unless otherwise specified, you're entitled to reproduce them as long as attribution is done.
Licensed Material: Licensed items belong to the licensor and are subject to terms stipulated in the agreement between you and the publisher.
So, if you plan to distribute someone else's work commercially, you'll definitely need to seek consent beforehand.
YouTube has become such an important source for news, entertainment, education, and information that it's hard to imagine life without it these days. With over 1 billion users worldwide, there are plenty of ways to make money from your content if you know what to look for. If you're looking to start earning some extra cash by making or uploading your own original content, here’s a quick run down of all the best tools out there currently available to help you reach audiences across the world via YouTube.
The first step in this process is finding your audience. You can use any number of different methods to discover which types of topics your viewers like the most. The free keyword tool AdWords lets you see exactly who's searching for something related to your niche, while Google Trends gives you insight into what people actually want to watch. If you have specific geographic locations targeted, try using Geotrends to uncover where those searches originate from. There are also tons of other great resources at your disposal – just search around!
Once you've discovered what kinds of content they enjoy watching the most, it's time to upload your very own version. This may be easier than you think with services like ReelSEOrZoom, which allows you to create high-quality short films quickly and easily. Once uploaded, it will then sit on your account until you decide whether or not you'd like to keep it up as part of your portfolio. Other options include Vimeo (which works similar to ReelsOmatic) or even Facebook Video Manager. In addition, since many people now prefer shorter attention spans, Vine is becoming increasingly well known among younger generations. It offers a lot of flexibility when it comes to shooting and editing footage, but its mobile app leaves much to be desired. Luckily, we recently learned about a new service called Katch.me, which makes creating and sharing short, looping vines possible — no smartphone required.
When deciding how to go about monetizing your content, there are several things you should consider. Can you choose to not monetize a YouTube video?
Yes, you definitely can! While you might assume that because you control everything, you'll automatically receive 100% of the profits, don't count on it. Instead, always opt to share 50/50 rights with yourself whenever possible. Why would anyone else want to take credit for their work? After all, nobody likes plagiarism.
In terms of actual numbers, however, you probably won't end up getting too far above 5% overall earnings per view after accounting for expenses. According to Tubefilter, your average monthly income ranges between $2-$20 per viewer depending upon the length of your video and the amount of views it gets each month. That being said, remember that the key isn't necessarily focusing solely on dollar amounts. What really matters is building relationships with potential customers and engaging them through the production process so that they feel connected to you. One thing to note though, is that if you choose to partner with brands rather than simply selling advertising space within your videos, expect higher returns. Brands pay significantly more per thousand impressions ($1+ CPM vs $0.10 CPM), meaning they could potentially offer you upwards of $100 for every thousand times one of your clips appears on screen.
It's worth mentioning that there are some channels who claim they never received anything from advertisers despite having millions of subscribers. Whether or not that holds true depends entirely on how your clip was distributed. For example, if you were featured prominently in someone else's promoted post instead of receiving payment directly, chances are good you got stiffed. Unfortunately, this happens often enough that we recommend speaking to the company directly before cutting ties with them.
As mentioned earlier, once you've determined your target market, begin crafting your masterpiece(s). Nowadays, it takes only minutes to produce professional videos with programs like iMovie. Then upload them straight onto your channel. However, if you still wish to add music, effects, voiceovers, etc., there are numerous websites offering royalty-free stock media. Just perform a Google Search for "stock audio" or "royalty-free sound," and you'll be inundated with results. Another option is to purchase quality HD footage online, either from sites specifically dedicated to user submissions or general stock photography sites like Unsplash. As long as you give proper attribution of course, you shouldn't ever encounter trouble.
Of course, if you're willing to spend a little bit more, you can hire professionals to handle the bulk of the video creation process for you. These experts typically cost anywhere from $500 - $5000 dollars, depending on experience level. Even better yet, if you plan on doing this full-time, it doesn't hurt to check out our list of the hottest freelance jobs on Fiverr right now.
This question can be answered in two parts. First, let us ask you this: why does your favorite celebrity endorse certain products? Chances are good that you found their endorsement appealing because it resonates strongly with your personal values, interests, or beliefs. When developing your content strategy, consider the same principles as celebrities when choosing endorsements. Next, analyze the demographics of the audience you hope to attract. Are they male or female? Young or old? Rich or poor? How closely aligned are their lifestyles to yours? Take a page from marketing pros' book and consider targeting the exact demographic group that shares commonalities with you, allowing both parties to benefit.
For instance, if you're trying to appeal to women in their mid 20s, why wouldn't you want to pitch them a line of clothing made especially for their body type? By understanding the needs of your target market, you can craft your content accordingly.
Another interesting trend emerging on YouTube is influencer marketing. Essentially, companies seek to leverage influential personalities to promote their goods. In order to succeed, businesses must ensure that influencers align themselves with brands carefully, lest they risk alienating followers who appreciate authentic voices. To learn more about this topic, read our article detailing how the biggest stars on Youtube became successful.
You might wonder how putting a video on top of your channel helps generate additional revenues. Well, it essentially provides visitors access to your entire library of content. Let's say you recorded a series of tutorials teaching others how to DIY build their own birdhouses. A visitor who stumbles across this video during his daily commute sees it playing in the background, clicks play, watches it, and decides he wants to buy himself a birdhouse. Since he already knows you from the tutorial, he feels confident in buying Birdwares Direct knowing that he bought it from someone familiar with the product. He goes ahead and buys it, feeling satisfied that he didn't waste his money. He ends up liking your profile because of your expertise, subscribes to your feed, and follows your updates. All of a sudden, you've gained a loyal customer.
While it seems counterintuitive, putting your highest converting videos on the front page of your channel can increase sales dramatically. Of course, it's still crucial to select your most effective material wisely, but this tactic can boost your bottom lines tremendously.
Now that you understand how to get started making money off of your YouTube channel, what next steps should you take?
There are thousands of ways to make money from home, but if you're serious about growing your business, take advantage of the opportunities offered by the internet's largest community of entrepreneurs. Sign up today for Wealthy Affiliate University, a membership site designed exclusively for helping members grow their businesses successfully. We guarantee that if you apply what you learn inside of Wealthy Affiliate, you will be able to achieve success beyond your wildest dreams.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.