Start a YouTube Channel Today
So, you want to start a YouTube channel. Perfect! Let’s get started. It is as easy as clicking a button on your current YouTube profile. But, keep in mind, if your goal is monetization, you need to consider starting a new channel for content. YouTube is a great platform to share your content, whether it be educational content, gaming, or maybe you just want to talk to a camera. Let’s get started!
Getting Started
To get started, you must have an account with YouTube (Google). If you do not, then its as easy as creating one and starting. However, most likely you already have one that you use to watch your favorite YouTube channels.
To create your new YouTube business, we’re going to need to create a brand account for your content. This account is linked to your personal account, which makes it easy for you to switch back and forth. In your YouTube, go to settings. This can be found on the left side panel close to the bottom.
In the settings page, you’re faced with the Your YouTube Channel. From there, you choose Add or manage your channel(s). In this menu, you can now add a channel. Choose your YouTube channel name, and bam! You now have a YouTube Brand!
Remember, before you start advertising your content, pretty up your brand by creating a good icon and top banner. Canva has great free templates to make your graphics for your page.
Tip 1: Road Map
One of the biggest things when starting a YouTube, blog, or anything else in the Content Creator realm is to know your audience. Do you know what demographic you’re trying to reach? The best way to do this is to create a road map of where you want to go from where you are now. One key piece is to think about your audience along the way.
For example, my goal is to create evergreen content as the base of InSIDEvesting to allow a younger demographic the opportunity to learn ways to make their money work for them. This is my shorter term, within one year, goal. Because of such, I created an audience avatar that I am attempting to cater to. After the first year, I will reassess because my eventual goal is to provide relevant content on the current state of the stock market, housing market, and new ways to create side income.
Tip 2: Create a Brand
The brand is your identity. When you start a YouTube channel, you need to create a virtual identity. There are a couple of ways to do this. One way is to create a brand around yourself. This is seen with people like Andrei Jikh or Graham Stephan. The other direction would be like InSIDEvesting or BiggerPockets. The benefit to having a brand centered around you as a person is that you build personal credibility with your name. If your brand is successful, you will have enough reputation to continue to larger events outside of YouTube. On the other hand, creating a brand around a company allows for flexibility in presenters and content creators. If I wanted to bring someone else on my team to be another face on my channel, it’s much easier to do with the current set up.
Tip 3: Quantity over Quality
I’m going to be blunt, your first YouTube videos are going to suck. Look at all the big names in YouTube. If you went back to their first videos, you would be like “whoa.” As you continue to produce your own videos, you will get better with content, flow, editing, etc. Eventually, you may hire the editing out to someone who does that for a living. This way you can better focus on more content. That being said, just put out as much relevant (important) content as possible and let your skills naturally form as your audience gathers.
Tip 4: Keywords
This is a little of an odd ball to throw in here, but it is very important for being found outside of your direct network. You want to make sure that if someone searches in YouTube that your content comes up as close to the top as possible. There are a few ways to do this. You can use Google Trends. This service allows you to find what people are searching. Very powerful and can also tell you if your niche is a popular one.
Another method to use are free and paid programs. I highly recommend using TubeBuddy. The free version will allow you to get information on the video you’re watching to give you better insight into keywords and how they perform. It will also give you suggested keywords to help optimize your exposure. The paid version does give a lot more options and content; however, the free version will work great to get you started.
Monetization
Let’s be honest, the biggest reason we want to start a YouTube channel is to make money. And, the way to do that is to become monetized. But, what does that mean? YouTube plays video advertisements at different points in videos. The content creator, if monetized makes a decent cut of those profits. The average profit ranges depending on the content.
So, how do you become monetized? To be monetized on YouTube, you must fulfill a couple of requirements. First, you need to have 1,000 subscribers. Next, you need 4,000 hours of watch time. Both of these are daunting tasks, especially since you have to maintain those minimums after achieved.
It's a Slow Process When You Start a YouTube Channel
Being a content creator is a long slow process. Understanding how YouTube works and what type of content you need to bring in new viewers is a skill not easily learned. Be patient, and make tweaks each time you produce content. The video production will become a huge time suck and will really challenge your dedication to becoming a content creator. Stick with it for at least a year, and see if it is right for you.
Disclaimer
Once again, I am not a financial advisor. These tips are some things I have validated with my own personal experiences. If you feel you need more personal advice, please consult a professional financial advisor. Dont forget to check out the Book List for published authors on this topic!
