Hands up if you’ve ever watched a video on YouTube. That’s literally all of you then. Okay, hands up if you’ve ever wondered how people on YouTube make money. Fair enough, a common quandary. Hands up if you’ve ever watched a video of someone on YouTube and thought to yourself: ‘I could do that’. Yeah, me too. So I did.
I used to co-write and co-present videos for a popular YouTube gaming channel. As a die-hard gamer – both retro and new – I talked about, and played, games. From speed runs (where you try to get the fastest time) to let’s plays (where the video is of you playing a game), I dabbled in a huge mixture of content along with my co-presenters. We were pretty successful, and often attended comic cons and events as the channel; filming and challenging guests to our own retro games contests. And yes, we made some money.
Was it as easy as it looks? Absolutely not. From taking hours out of the day to devise episode concepts to writing the scripts; filming and editing the content to uploading and promoting – it took time. Everyone had their part to play – and I personally couldn’t take responsibility for the intense editing that went on. With my experience in mind, I find it baffling that most well-known YouTubers started out completely solo. That really isn’t an easy job.
So, you want to have a go at being a YouTuber? I’d recommend it. Despite the work and time that you need to put in for it to be worth your while, having an archive of footage that you can look back on and bank as your own work is extremely rewarding. Here are my top tips on how to be a successful YouTuber:
1. HAVE A NICHE
Similarly to having a podcast, you can’t just make videos on whatever you feel like whenever you want. You have to have a theme that people know you for to make them subscribe. If you created a video about makeup that was hugely successful and made a bunch of people subscribe to you, then your next ones were about F1 cars, horse riding and DIY, you probably wouldn’t retain many followers. Make videos about something you’re passionate and knowledgeable about so that you always come across as sincere and nothing is too much effort. But don’t go too niche – pick a genre such as ‘films’ or ‘TV shows’ so you’ve got lots of content available to you, but not something like ‘films starring John Cusack’. Although I’d probably subscribe to that channel. What a man. #WeirdCrush
2. RELEASE REGULAR CONTENT
One of the hardest things about having a successful YouTube channel is keeping up with it. When you realise how much time and effort your first video takes, you’ll probably find yourself procrastinating or taking longer over your next ones. But don’t stop – you need to keep bashing out that content. Your followers will give up on you quickly if you fail to keep them entertained – and if you only upload one video a month they won’t see the point in subscribing at all. It’s hard, but my advice is to shoot as much content as you can in one go so you’ve got a bank of future episodes – and then edit whenever you can.
3. INVEST IN THE EQUIPMENT
The quality of programmes on YouTube now is absolutely ridiculous, and if you’re going to compete with the likes of PewDiePie, Dude Perfect and SuperSaf then you need to make yourself look as professional as them. Get yourself a good quality microphone with pop filter (the Yeti Nano is brilliant, and will set you back about £100), and a decent camera (Canon Powershots are great, with different models to suit your budget). Don’t waste your thought-out and interesting content on poor presentation – no one will watch you if it’s low quality. Think about it – when flicking through the TV guide do you watch channels like BBC1 and ITV or Tru TV? Yeah – the same thing applies with YouTube. Here’s a tip: if you can’t afford lighting equipment then nothing beats natural daylight. Try creating a setup near a big window.
4. DO YOUR RESEARCH
As with anything that you choose to venture into in life, you need to fully understand the industry you’re joining. In the YouTube world, that means watch videos. But don’t just watch videos – also explore the people behind the content. Find channels you like, analyse why you like them, and find out more about them. How often do they release content? What’s their demographic? Do they have one location for their videos? How many subscribers do they have? Don’t just watch videos about the subject you’re interested in either – if you decide to specialise on makeup tutorials then fine; but also take some time to watch other how-to videos and general vlogs. You might just watch one person that does something you particularly like that might inspire you.
5. BUILD A BRAND
It really is like starting a business, isn’t it? Think about your favourite TV show. What does it have that your channel doesn’t? A theme tune… idents… stings… title screens… logos… graphics. Adding things like this will take your video from amateur to professional. And don’t do your own graphics on Paint. If you can afford it then have a look at getting a graphic designer and/or music producer to come up with some assets for you. It’s worth it, trust me. Think about your channel’s name, your alias, your colour schemes… your set… everything. Whilst I’m on that topic, get yourself some decent editing software. I’d recommend Adobe Premiere Pro, but this stuff isn’t cheap – so shop around.
6. GET YOURSELF OUT THERE
Have you ever been out shopping and seen someone from your local TV or radio station filming on location and got all excited about being in shot? And say you got in the shot – did you then tell all your friends to watch the News at 6 O’Clock because you’re going to be on it? Again – the same thing applies to YouTube. If you decide to do a channel on classic cars then take your setup to as many car meets as you can and film the events (you may need permission from the organisers). Interview people – they’ll want the promotion and in turn they’ll share your video. The amount of views and subscribers you’ll gain – as well as the promotion you’ll be giving them – means it’s a win-win situation. Plus, as you grow, you’ll be able to charge these event organisers to cover the event for them.
7. COLLABORATE
Similarly to the point above, a bit of mutual promotion doesn’t ever do any harm. Get in touch with other YouTubers that cover similar topics to you (think about other channels your target audience might be subscribed to) and suggest a collaboration. This might mean meeting up and filming a joint episode, or talking over Skype to come up with a concept and record remotely. The great thing about YouTube is there are very few location boundaries – so you could find success lies anywhere in the world. Don’t be hung up on hitting a UK audience – your demographic could be anywhere.
8. TRY IT FIRST
As you can see, starting a YouTube channel – properly – is a lengthy and costly process. Don’t spend thousands of pounds on top-of-the-range equipment only to find you don’t enjoy doing it after all. Have a crack at a ‘pilot’ episode with the stuff you already have. Most computers/laptops have built-in webcams, microphones and basic editing software, so you can have a bit of a trial run. If you do decide to do it, then splash the cash.
9. DON’T GIVE UP
Whilst it’s easy to expect to wake up to 100,000 subscribers and a million views the morning after posting your first video, it’s most probably not going to happen. Encourage viewers to like, comment and subscribe as these will all help you – but it takes time. Overnight successes are very, very rare in the modern days of YouTube. Be patient, don’t cut corners because you think no one’s watching, and keep promoting yourself. You’ll get there.
10. INTERACT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE
When you start to build a following, make sure they feel valued. If someone comments – whether it’s critical, complimentary, or suggestive – engage with them and respond. If they’re critical then don’t be rude – thank them for the feedback and take it on board. If someone suggests something for future content then thank them for the idea and implement it if you can. Then credit them for it. It’s a bit like building rapport with a client in the real world, although you can’t do that through a computer screen – so making sure comments are heard is the best way. Also bear in mind that, sadly, the internet is full of ‘trolls’ and ‘keyboard warriors’. These are the people that will say mean things via text because they feel they can. They absolutely can’t, and you must try to ignore anything like that. Report them, delete anything offensive and move on. If you find it’s affecting you, then step away from it. But remember – most people are genuine and just want to watch great content. So get out there and give them just that!
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