Isn’t Youtube just for fun? No, you can actually earn from it and it
is not an urban legend. In fact, if you know how to do it, the
process can be rather easy.
Let’s face it: we spend way more time on Youtube (as well as many
other social networks) than we should have. We use Youtube to kill an
idle hour (even if we don’t have one), to discover new music, to laugh at someone’s fails, even to plan our leisure and vacations (according to Timeshare Secrets, one in five people look at Youtube to investigate the places they are planning to visit).
So why not take your love of making videos and earn some extra cash?
Get Started
The first thing you need to do is join YouTube. (The account is
free.) Once you have your account, start uploading video content to
it. Don’t worry about making money yet – focus on building your video
portfolio.
Know What Works
You have several ways to find out what is popular on YouTube. One
way is to browse through the daily list of popular videos. This will
show you a list of videos getting the most hits for the day. Find
out what seems to be catching attention and produce a similar video.
The following are popular themes you’ll see on a regular basis:
- People who just act stupid.
- People, animals, or even things really good or awesomely bad dancing.
- Musically talented individuals (often playing the guitar, the piano, or singing).
Understand Basic Video Techniques
You’ve got to produce high-quality content. Knowing how to edit your
videos can make the difference between a great YouTube video and a
not-so-great one. Always follow YouTube’s minimum recommendations for
video content and audio feed. This can prevent your video from
pixilation or coming through with static.
Join an Advertising Program
You have several ways you can begin earning money from YouTube. One
of the most common ways is to join an advertising program, like
Google AdSense. These programs provide you with code to embed in
your video. With Google, you have three choices for advertising:
- Add a link that pops up as text on your video.
- Embed code that pops up in-stream ads.
- Use a code that creates banner ads.
Most advertising programs work on a pay-per-click basis, meaning you earn a commission from each click.
YouTube Partnership Program
If you have a large enough video portfolio and you’re getting
enough hits on your content, YouTube may allow you to become a
partner. This means you get a share of the revenue it earns through
its advertising efforts. To become a partner, you have to apply for
the position with YouTube. The company will review your application
and approve or decline it.
Sponsorships
If you want to make a higher percentage of revenue from
advertising, look for sponsors from companies on your own. This
requires you to sell ad space to sponsors and can be more work than
the other methods of making money with YouTube. In order to attract
sponsors, you’ll need to have video content capable of generating a
high number of views.
With YouTube advertising, you have several options for making
money. While it can be easy to set up advertising, most people find
there is no easy way to get people to click on the ads. Even so,
many individuals are making substantial amounts of money through
YouTube.