Let’s face it. Most new YouTube content creators are laser focused on one goal. And that is acceptance into the YouTube Partner Program to become monetized. The current requirements being; 1k subscribers and 4k watch hours. At first glance these are challenging yet achievable tasks to accomplish for most. Especially when motivated by the possibility of generating revenue from simply making and uploading videos. And thus, the journey to 1k subscribers and 4k watch hours begins.
There are three core ways creators approach achieving these goals.
First, the impatient will consider and attempt to pay their way to the finish line, by buying views, likes, comments and even subscribers. The main flaw in this approach being that the YouTube algorithm strictly rewards organic engagement and growth. So even if you are, able to buy your way in, ultimately your channel won’t grow or generate any revenue beyond what you continually pay for. In other words, you will continue to pay to look like a successful YouTuber, without being a successful YouTuber.
The second and often most popular way new content creators attempt to achieve their YouTube monetization requirements is by creating and participating in community growth streams. Not to be confused with Sub for Sub. Growth streams are typically when smaller content creators band together and support each other with the sole purpose of quickly achieving the requirements needed for monetization. Yes, this can be a great and organic way to build subscriber count and even watch hours in some cases. However, the main issue with this approach is that you may be building a community of subscribers that are not truly invested in your content. Further, as you grow with this method, it will become increasingly more difficult to support all the content creators you are beholden to. And at some point, if you are not visibly supporting their content. They will likely cease to support yours.
The third method to achieving the requirements needed for monetization is placing genuine focus on your content value and YouTube community engagement. This can be a slow process that may take months or even years depending on your dedication, channel niche, and skill level. The major benefit from this method however, is that it can set your channel up for quick and steady growth on the platform when you do reach monetization. This is mainly because you will ideally have a real and engaged subscriber base that genuinely watches your videos, along with a proven content model you have perfected over time. These two factors are the main drivers of success on YouTube. And not just for ad revenue but for all revenue streams.
Take a look at any successful YouTubers analytics and you will likely see similarities that reflect this equation;
Volume+value=views+subscribers=growth. Remember this equation as we will expand on it in more detail shortly.
Don’t get me wrong. There are always exceptions to any rules. And there are undoubtedly numerous successful content creators who have used a mixture of all the for mentioned methods to achieve their successes. This guide more so is meant to help you understand and navigate the pitfalls and benefits of each method to ultimately ensure you achieve your desired results.
Now that we have a general understanding of how content creators pursue monetization. Let’s talk about proven steps you can take to better your chances of success.
- Determine what niche or content area you wish to create within. It’s often best to choose a niche that you not only have knowledge of, but that you also have adequate access to. For example, you may love and know everything about fashion. But if you don’t have access to a constant stream of fashion pieces, or the revenue to acquire them yourself, fashion may not be the best initial niche for you to choose. Not saying that you can’t find success in that niche under those constraints. Just saying you need to consider what content you will be able to produce regularly with the most value possible. Remember, (Volume+value=views+subscribers=growth)
- When you officially start your YouTube channel, complete every section possible. This includes; verifying your channel via email, uploading channel art, and signing up for your google AdSense account. Doing this will speed up the approval process when you reach your requirements for monetization.
- Before you upload any videos; work out an upload schedule that fits comfortably within your lifestyle and goals. I say comfortably because initially you’re going to be strictly and religiously following this schedule to alert the YouTube algorithm that your channel exists and offers something of value.
- Create a channel trailer and channel art that best describes what value your channel offers to its subscribers. Often creators don’t do this right away and miss out on would be subscribers because they can’t easily asses what benefit they would be getting from the channel in question.
- Following the schedule, you created, Upload your first 10 videos to YouTube. If you have existing audiences on other social platforms, this is a great time to start introducing them to your channel and content. Be sure to play close attention to your video topics, titles and thumbnails. Getting these three things right consistently can determine the speed and sustainability of your growth on the platform.
- Once you have 10 or more consistent posts on your channel, begin to genuinely engage with others in your niche to organically introduce potential audiences to your content. A common and effective way to do this is through providing value driven comments on videos of other content creators you like. More often than not, this increases the likelihood of potential subscribers stumbling upon your content and channel.
The next few steps are extremely important as they outline what makes a video go viral, ultimately kick-starting the success of any YouTube channel regardless of size! If you follow any of what has been discussed in this video, please remember this:
First and foremost, you need to grab attention. And not just the attention of your peers, but global attention. Most viral videos have thumbnails that immediately capture attention. This is usually a result of a few visual emotional triggers working simultaneously. For example, a photo of a dog that looks in distress with a caption that reads “Save Your Dogs from This Immediately” Will most certainly get the attention of all who have dogs as pets.
Next. After you grab attention and get someone to click your video, you need to satisfy their curiosity, and keep them engaged. This is often achieved by providing more value than they anticipated. Or having a high level of entertaining excitement throughout. The execution of this will vary depending on subject matter and target audience.
Finally, once you have someone’s undivided attention, and have provided value, you need to clearly navigate them to where they can enjoy addition content on your channel and ask them to polity like, comment and subscribe if they haven’t already done so.