How to Earn Money on YouTube?

How to Earn Money on YouTube?

You have probably heard stories of regular people making money on YouTube and thought you could make yours too. The fact is making a lot of money on YouTube is not as easy as you think, there are lot of hurdles to overcome in the process but it’s definitely possible. Thou it’s definitely not a way to get rich quick, YouTube is a great option to make you some extra cash doing what you love.

What do you need to get started?

1. Set up and build your YouTube channel: The first and probably most obvious thing is to set up a YouTube account. Your YouTube channel is your personal presence on YouTube. Each YouTube account has one channel attached to it and creating a Gmail account grants you access to other google products including YouTube (which is own by google).
   ·        Create your account or use an existing one. Add catchy and relevant keywords. That way will remember it and stumble over your uploads while searching for other similar videos. Navigate to the Advance section of your channel to settings to add keywords.
   ·         Choose a good username. Your username can also work for or against you. You need to make you username memorable. In case you are using an existing account, you can change your username by editing it on your Google+ account.
   ·         Get a decent camera (record in full 1080p HD), video editing software (e.g Adobe Premier), Sound recording equipment (thou most cameras come with a microphone).
2. Add content: You should have an idea on what type of videos you want to upload, there are multiple genres to choose from, ranging from product reviews, comedy, sports, how to and so on. Always make sure you follow the rules, no inappropriate content, copyright or spamming. Even if your content isn’t great at first, keep trying cause as the saying goes ‘practice makes perfect’.
   ·        Upload regularly. People are more likely to subscribe if you add content on a regular schedule. Remember the more audience you get; the more money you can make. 
   ·         Relevant Keywords. Tag videos with keywords that describe the content, as well as catchy description. That way people will remember it and more people will stumble across it while searching.
   ·         A decent background and lighting. Lightening up your scenes helps you get a better end product. You can stick with plain white background.
   ·         Do what you love. You need to have passion for what you do else you will soon get bored and your videos will start to show that. ‘The passion comes first and the money comes in’
3. Build an audience: Gaining an audience is very essential to increasing your monetization. You need viewers to watch your ads in order to make money from them.
   ·         Share your links. Share your video links on Facebook, twitter, google+ and everywhere on the internet (you never can say where the most subscribers will be)
   ·         Connect with your community. Responding to your viewer’s comments and making occasional videos to related to their questions will help bring more members to that community.
4. Monetization of video: Enabling monetization means that you agree there is no copyrighted material in your video and that you will play by the rules, like not watching your videos over again just to boost your ads.
   ·         Google AdSense. A program that allow you to monetize your videos, blogs or website with adverts. You need to be 18 years and above to create your account. You need either PayPal or a bank account and other information so AdSense can verify who your identity.
   ·         Enable your channel for monetization by selecting account icon > creator studio, in the left menu select Channel > Status and features. Next to ‘monetization’ click Enable. Follow the on-screen steps to complete the YouTube Monetization agreement.
   ·         Monetize your video. As it uploads click on the monetization tab and check the ‘monetize with Ads’ box. To monetize after it has been uploaded: open the video manager and click on the ‘$’ sign next to the intended video and check the ‘monetize with Ads’ box.
5. Become a YouTube Partner: This program helps you monetize content in many ways and you also gain access to more creation tools, community support and tips.
   ·         You can sign up for YouTube Partnership at any time through the YouTube partner page, but make sure you meet the criteria before signing up.