While YouTube might be a source of entertainment for many, it’s fast become the go-to money-making platform for content creators. With YouTube videos, a content creator has the tools, freedom, and the reach to produce the best work and incredible revenues.
Why is YouTube so popular?
The answer lies in its video-advantage. After Google, YouTube is the next most used search engine. People prefer to search for content in a video format that is easy to consume and understand, rather than read through tons of links. Video is fast becoming the most widely used form of online content.
Half the internet comprises YouTube videos. That is a large volume of content. This factor also means it has an extensive database of users—over 500 hours of videos reach the site every minute.
Lastly, the friendly user-interface, the perfect length of videos, and the diversity of content make it an ideal platform for entertainment and information on the go.
How To Make a Career from YouTube Videos?
The first step is, of course, making a YouTube channel. If you do not already have one, it’s wise to open one after planning all the channel elements. Find a niche that you wish to make videos about and have a roadmap of ideas.
Run the name of your channel by as many people as you can before selecting it, changing the name on YouTube is not advised. Find a broad niche to start, and then you can always diversify.
Make a content plan — make a list of video ideas, shoot them, create the descriptions, and promote creatives. It would help to read the YouTube content guidelines to understand what videos are better received by the search algorithm.
Making videos is relatively straightforward in 2020. Many online tools let you edit content in a few minutes with minimal skills. This online video editor is usually a simple drag and drops platform, which takes very little time to learn and master.
Once you start making regular videos (we will discuss the role of consistency at the end of this article), you will be ready to build an income stream. These are a few ways in which YouTubers make money.
1. Google Adsense
Adsense partnership is the most obvious, and the first step towards making revenue from YouTube. The ads that play on a YouTube video cost money for prime-placement. Since YouTube is a user-generated platform, the income from these ads is shared between the creator and YouTube.
To activate ad revenue on your videos, you must have at least one-thousand subscribers and over four-thousand-hours of watch time in a twelve-month period. When you reach these parameters, YouTube will allow you to monetize your videos and share a lump-sum amount to you.
Address and bank-information verification is a must for this process. The money from these ad-runs is highly dependent on the views you generate. The more the views, the better the income from ads. There is no limit to making videos on YouTube, so the more you create, the more you earn.
YouTube also offers other features like the channel membership, where fans can subscribe to your premium content for a fixed monthly fee. This feature is only possible after 30,000 subscribers. Similarly, you can also use super-chat payments on YouTube-live videos.
2. Sponsor Deals from YouTube Videos
Money made from ads is quite small compared to the cost of production, and the time it takes to build a fanbase. The best way to make consistent income on YouTube is by getting sponsor deals.
This process is when a brand offers to sponsor your videos in return for product placements, shout-outs, or calls to action (like their product links in the description). Sponsors only work with channels where they see value; thus, this will take time to build.
Sponsors usually expect their logos, products, and links to be shared on the opening or the closing of the video. Using an outro maker, you can easily add this section to your video.
3. Merchandise
Ever noticed a YouTuber who sells t-shirts, caps, or other products — this is merchandising. Where you sell products to the user base that consumes your content. This process might not work for all genres, but it is a way forward.
This formula primarily works for users like fashion-bloggers who want to sell their custom-made products or cooking channels that wish to sell sauces or recipe books. YouTuber Logan Paul built such a popular channel; he could launch and sell his clothing brand “Maverick Clothing” solely from this user base.
4. Service Distribution
If selling mech is not your choice, then you can choose to sell a service. These can be classes, talks, or meetups. A YouTube channel dedicated to teaching and learning will often find it easier to sell such a service.
This formula is worthwhile since the user base would already be within the target demographic you wish to sell. In such a time, the YouTube channel will work as your portfolio to generate quality leads.
5. Affiliate Links
Lastly, the use of affiliate links helps you make a small commission when you redirect a user to a particular product or service. For example, if you are creating music tutorial videos, then you can share the link to a specific instrument in the description. When users use your link to buy the instrument, the selling platform will provide you a commission.
Giants like Amazon have made it very easy to be part of an influencer or affiliate marketing program. Again, this provides small margins of income, but it can definitely snowball over time and the right kind of collaborations.
Final Thoughts on YouTube Videos
Earlier, we mentioned the importance of consistency; and that is the only secret to making a perfect income stream from YouTube. The more videos you add, the more traction your channel gets. The more traction you get, the better your views, and the better your income.
Lastly, revenue will not come to you overnight. Monetization might take months or even years before it can become a substantial income source. Plan your videos, and put the work out — there is a market for all types of content.
