Starting a YouTube channel seems like the easiest way to get a secondary source of income and a chance to “be-your-boss” in India. While prominent YouTube content creators have quit their full-time jobs for the success of their respective channels, it is definitively not advisable for someone who is thinking of starting their YouTube channel now. The reality is making money on YouTube requires dedicated long-term effort and of course, a creative mind. You will have to create good videos consistently and just forget about the money.
Before you start…here is a reality check You are highly mistaken if you consider YouTube to be a quick source of additional income. Also, it is not about creating that one viral video. YouTube is all about uploading videos regularly that are high on quality and content. Now, talking about making money from YouTube: the reality is that majority of mainstream media companies in India are yet to make any significant amount from their YouTube channels. This is despite having dedicated resources in the form of camera persons, anchors, producers and video editors. On the other hand, there are individuals running successful YouTube channels and are managing to get decent salaries from YouTube. And then there are the YouTube millionaires. In all the above scenarios, there are a couple of things that are in common. You will hardly make anything from your YouTube channel for the initial couple of years. It might seem like that but it’s not really all about the moolah. To be a YouTube success story, you will have to focus on providing quality content regularly that would interest a large section of global audience.
Content is king There is a general misconception that views translate into YouTube money. It is the advertisements that viewers mostly like to “skip” that get you the money. Having advertisements alone, however, will not help. Viewers will have to interact with those advertisements. To get advertisements on your videos, you will have to sign up for the YouTube Partner Program. To be able to join the YouTube Partner Program, your channel is required to have 4,000 watch hours and a minimum of 1000 subscribers. These metrics can be tracked once you open the YouTube channel and refer to YouTube Analytics. To qualify for this, you will have to create quality content that would interest a large audience. To ultimately make it big on YouTube, it is the content that will take you places.
How to setup your YouTube Channel? Simply, start with a Google account and sign in to YouTube. Decide on the genre and name beforehand. Also, create unique thumbnail and cover images before you start. To maintain a workflow, it is advisable to create sufficient content from the beginning before you start your channel. As a rule of thumb, it is advisable to have two or three weeks of planned and ready-to-upload videos. This will help you to be regular and consistent. The basics of production suggest that you make videos mute-friendly with proper subtitles and incorporate a good voice-over. While smartphone cameras are good for starters, remember it is always the shots and angle that makes a good video great. You will have to think like a director. After getting these basics right, you should aim to get enrolled to YouTube Partner Program with 1000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours. Once this is achieved, you will have to connect your YouTube channel to a Google Adsense account to get paid for monetised videos. After this you will have to continue making engaging videos to gain traction. Lastly, you will have to wait and expect your ad-engagement to increase to earn money.
Other sources of earning money from YouTube If you believe your content is great and you have built up a sufficient subscriber base then you can market your YouTube channel differently to earn money. Remember, it is frustrating to expect decent money from YouTube advertisements despite having great content. Here are three other common ways to earn money from your established YouTube channel.
1) Make sponsored videos: Everyone wants online footprint. So, you can make exclusive videos for a certain brand or business. For example, if your channel is about food, then you can feature sponsored restaurant reviews. Businesses are ready to spend money if you can promise them good online traction.
2) Product placement: This is similar to what movies and TV channels do. Of course, the price depends on how established your channel is. For example, you can incorporate products from the sponsoring brand while making a general video on your Food-based YouTube channel.
3) Affiliate links: If you are commenting on a certain product in your YouTube video then you can add an affiliate link on the description to get some money when a viewer clicks on it to buy something or enroll in some online service. Income from affiliate links may not be big but it’s something you should not ignore.
Before you start…here is a reality check You are highly mistaken if you consider YouTube to be a quick source of additional income. Also, it is not about creating that one viral video. YouTube is all about uploading videos regularly that are high on quality and content. Now, talking about making money from YouTube: the reality is that majority of mainstream media companies in India are yet to make any significant amount from their YouTube channels. This is despite having dedicated resources in the form of camera persons, anchors, producers and video editors. On the other hand, there are individuals running successful YouTube channels and are managing to get decent salaries from YouTube. And then there are the YouTube millionaires. In all the above scenarios, there are a couple of things that are in common. You will hardly make anything from your YouTube channel for the initial couple of years. It might seem like that but it’s not really all about the moolah. To be a YouTube success story, you will have to focus on providing quality content regularly that would interest a large section of global audience.
How to setup your YouTube Channel? Simply, start with a Google account and sign in to YouTube. Decide on the genre and name beforehand. Also, create unique thumbnail and cover images before you start. To maintain a workflow, it is advisable to create sufficient content from the beginning before you start your channel. As a rule of thumb, it is advisable to have two or three weeks of planned and ready-to-upload videos. This will help you to be regular and consistent. The basics of production suggest that you make videos mute-friendly with proper subtitles and incorporate a good voice-over. While smartphone cameras are good for starters, remember it is always the shots and angle that makes a good video great. You will have to think like a director. After getting these basics right, you should aim to get enrolled to YouTube Partner Program with 1000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours. Once this is achieved, you will have to connect your YouTube channel to a Google Adsense account to get paid for monetised videos. After this you will have to continue making engaging videos to gain traction. Lastly, you will have to wait and expect your ad-engagement to increase to earn money.
Other sources of earning money from YouTube If you believe your content is great and you have built up a sufficient subscriber base then you can market your YouTube channel differently to earn money. Remember, it is frustrating to expect decent money from YouTube advertisements despite having great content. Here are three other common ways to earn money from your established YouTube channel.
1) Make sponsored videos: Everyone wants online footprint. So, you can make exclusive videos for a certain brand or business. For example, if your channel is about food, then you can feature sponsored restaurant reviews. Businesses are ready to spend money if you can promise them good online traction.
2) Product placement: This is similar to what movies and TV channels do. Of course, the price depends on how established your channel is. For example, you can incorporate products from the sponsoring brand while making a general video on your Food-based YouTube channel.
3) Affiliate links: If you are commenting on a certain product in your YouTube video then you can add an affiliate link on the description to get some money when a viewer clicks on it to buy something or enroll in some online service. Income from affiliate links may not be big but it’s something you should not ignore.
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