YouTube is by far one of the most popular websites in the world. It’s also one of the most popular social media websites and search engines (it receives more traffic than any other search engine not named Google).
YouTube is open to anyone who wants to create and share their content, so if you have been watching videos and want to know how to become a YouTuber, this is the information for you.
Why Should You Start a Youtube Channel?
There are several reasons why you should consider starting a YouTube channel. If you have something to say or share, you’ll be right at home on YouTube.
Whether it is starting a bird-feeding channel, showing individuals how to build a doghouse, how to fix plumbing problems, or anything else, there’s a spot for you. Beyond sharing your content, it is also possible to make money on YouTube.
The requirements for making money on YouTube have changed in recent years, so if your entire purpose for creating a YouTube channel is to make money, it is important to understand how this happens.
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Making Money on YouTube
So you want to know how to become a YouTuber and make money at the same time. Originally, when Google implemented its Adsense advertising into YouTube, it allowed anyone to make money.
Payments were sent out whenever an individual hit $100, which could take some time for those with startup channels. However, even seeing a few cents go into the account was exciting. This is no longer the case.
Some higher-profile YouTube channels in recent years have caused problems for Google. Some of these channels abused the platform and put up content that Google and its advertisers found undesirable.
In order to satisfy the advertisers, Google put in place more strict guidelines, not only for what can and cannot be uploaded to YouTube, but also for who can make money.
As long as you’re not putting up hate material, violence, or sexually-explicit content, you’ll be fine.
How Do You Earn Money as a Youtuber?
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In order to qualify to make money on YouTube, you now need to have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch-time hours over the previous 12 months (which equates to about 20,000 minutes per month).
Once you cross this threshold, YouTube will be notified and it will approve you to begin making money. While this means it will take longer to begin making money, it will give you something to shoot for.
The exact amount of money you make will hinge on a number of factors, including the ads placed on your video, whether viewers interact with the ads, and the keywords used for the ads.
So what happens when you qualify to place ads on your videos? You will need to create a Google Adsense account. This is free to do, and as you will already have a Google account, you’ll have most of the information already taken care of.
To create the Adsense account (you can do this prior to hitting the necessary subscriber and watch time threshold, if you want to get it out of the way), you’ll want to head over to the Adsense website and then fill in the required information.
This includes basic taxpayer information. Google will send you a tax form at the end of the year showing how much money you’ve made. You will need to claim this on your taxes.
After creating your Google Adsense account, you’ll be given a unique account number. Do not share this with anyone as it is unique to your account. You’ll need this number to pair Google Adsense with YouTube.
You also cannot have multiple Adsense accounts under one taxpayer name, so if you already have another Adsense account, you’ll need to either close out that account or use that account number with your YouTube account.
Monitoring Your Earnings
Once you qualify for money, you can monitor your earnings through both Adsense and YouTube. YouTube will show you estimated real-time numbers.
The eventual numbers at the end of the money may alter slightly, but the YouTube information is beneficial to look at when you’re logged onto your account. You can then view your actual earnings through Google Adsense.
Once you hit the $100 payout margin, you can have the money transferred to a paired bank account.
How to Become a Youtuber?
Image via Pixabay
Now that you know how you make money, you’ll want to know how to become a YouTuber and successfully grow your channel. There are a few pointers for doing exactly this.
In order to become a success you’ll want to do the following:
- Provide quality videos
- Upload on a regular basis
- Share your videos
- Interact with your audience
- Stick with it
Provide Quality Videos
Quality matters when it comes to YouTube. You will want to invest in quality video equipment. This means a solid video camera. You also need to be mindful of the audio.
Even if you have a great-looking video, if the audio is bad people will not want to watch. You should also eventually invest in lighting equipment, although when starting out just make sure your room is properly lit.
You should also focus on the length of your videos. Generally, shorter videos perform better. After all, if you’re looking at how-to videos, you likely will watch the 5-minute video before the 30-minute video.
If the 5-minute video doesn’t work, you’ll go to the longer one, but if it does, you’ll never check out the longer video. So keep it short and to the point.
Upload on a Regular Basis
This is of critical importance. You need to upload regularly. Think of every video as a link. The more links you have, the easier it is for someone to find your content.
Every day, millions of new videos go up on YouTube, which means you have more content to compete with. You’ll want to upload videos on a regular basis so it is easier for potential viewers to see your content.
Beyond this, you’ll want to develop followers. Those follower numbers are important, especially as you look to begin making money through YouTube. A YouTube viewer will not subscribe to your content if you rarely post new videos.
When looking at how to become a YouTuber and successfully grow your channel, you want viewers to see you post on a regular basis.
Share Your Videos
This is especially important in the beginning. If you want to know how to become a YouTuber, you’ll need to share your videos with others. The best way to do this is through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Although Facebook has made it a bit more difficult in recent years. You used to be able to place a YouTube video on your profile and followers can play the video directly through your page.
Now, they need to click on the video link and head over to YouTube. Facebook has done this because it wants you to upload content to Facebook and not to YouTube. Of course, you can make money through YouTube, which is why you’ll want to stick with it.
Despite Facebook making it difficult to share links, you should still post content to the platform so friends and followers can watch.
YouTube has other share button features available on the post-upload screen. By utilizing these features, you can share your videos to other platforms such as Pinterest, Tumblr, LinkedIn, and others. The more you share your content, the more views you’ll receive.
Interact with Followers
As people begin to post on your videos and comment, you will want to interact with them. Comment back to them. This may start a conversation and even help bring in more followers.
Keep in mind that there will be times when you receive negative comments. It’s impossible to avoid this. However, don’t fight fire with fire.
Either ignore the comments or try to turn it into a friendly conversation. Sometimes those who post negative comments initially can be converted into followers.
Stick with It
It takes time. One thing you need to know when it comes to how to become a YouTuber is that you won’t become a major sensation overnight. It may even take years for you to even start making money.
It needs to be something you like doing more than anything else. Yes, how to become a YouTuber might be more work than you thought, but it will pay off in the end.
Conclusion
When it comes to how to become a YouTuber, you’ll find it isn’t a difficult process. You can create your own account and begin uploading videos almost instantly. However, it takes far longer to build an audience.
As you are a new channel, your videos will not rank as highly, which means it takes time to begin growing your audience. You’ll need to stick with it, but as long as you do, you’ll start to connect with others on the platform and grow your YouTube channel.
Featured Image via Pixabay
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