In order to create high quality videos
for your channel, you’re going to need some equipment.
Five pieces of equipment, to be
precise: a camera, a microphone, a tripod (or gimbal), lights, and editing
software.
You don’t have to spend thousands of
dollars, but try to get the best you can afford.
Camera: this is perhaps the most important piece of equipment you’ll purchase, but fortunately there are many affordable options on the market.
Filmmaker Jenn Shadd recommends
getting a camera that shoots in 1080p at least. Her suggestions include a
decent DSLR camera like the Nikon D5600 or Canon EOS 70D.
Microphone: when you’re just
starting out, your cellphone or computer microphone should do just fine, but
Shadd recommends getting a quality microphone as soon as you can.
She explains that investing in a
decent mic will “increase the quality of your videos by ensuring crisp audio
and room for more editing possibilities.”
She suggests a lavalier microphone for
dialogue-heavy videos, such as the Rode smartLav+ Omnidirectional Lavalier.
And if you’re doing handheld work,
Shadd recommends a shotgun microphone that can plug directly into your camera,
like the Rode Compact On-Camera Microphone.
Tripods: you’ll need a
tripod or gimbal to stabilize your camera and give you a steady, high quality
shot.
If you’re planning a mostly stationary
shot, like a view of you unboxing products or interviewing people, a tripod is
your best option.
If you’re going to be doing more
handheld shooting, though, Shadd recommends something along the lines of the
FeiyuTech G6max Camera Gimbal or the iPhone Gimbal Stabilizer.
Lights: Shadd suggests you utilize two softboxes, one
on either side of your camera, to produce “a clean, well-produced look.”
If you’re looking to save a little
money, check out right lights. They’ll give a soft “glow” to a single subject.
On the other hand, if you want a bit
more control, Shadd recommends you invest in an LED kit, which will give you
color warmth and dimming options.
Editing
software: editing tools are essential for a YouTuber. Shadd’s pick is Adobe
Premiere Pro because it’s “straight-forward enough for novices to learn on, yet
capable of satisfying the complex technical needs of professional projects.”
Adobe is also the industry standard,
so if you can possibly afford it, invest the money.
If you’re brand new to editing and
want to learn the basics before spending that much, Shadd says that iMovie is
“the perfect, free resource for creators just starting out.”
“If you’re overwhelmed by the
countless (and usually expensive) gear options,” Shadd says, “just grab your
phone and get to work. The content part of your work will be the foundation of
your success.”
Once you’ve found your niche and set
up your channel, social media expert Heidi Dean suggests some ways you can
promote your channel and videos.
Create a trailer that will auto-play
for viewers not already subscribing to your channel. According to Dean,
trailers that are “short, exciting, and [that] end with a call to action to
subscribe” are the ones that work out best.
Add a subscribe link – an automated
pop-up that lets viewers simply click to subscribe. Dean calls this “the secret
sauce for increasing subscribers.”
Create branded watermarks for all your
videos and link them so your viewers can subscribe by clicking them.
Create “bright, high-resolution,
compelling thumbnails overlaid with the title of your video” to make your
videos stand out from the crowd.
Your title should be short enough so the
viewer will type it into the search bar. “Pro tip,” says Dean, “only the first
45 characters of your title are viewable in search.”
The good news is that you don’t necessarily need
to have millions of followers to monetize your YouTube channel.
There are many brands out there who are looking
for “micro-influencers” —YouTubers who have a smaller, but very loyal, audience
base.
Start by becoming familiar with things like your
engagement rate, conversion rate, demographic information, and any other
analytics you think might be relevant.
Keep records of these statistics so you have some
evidence to show prospective brand partners.
Then, you’ll need to identify those brands you
want to work with.
Which companies have values and goals that are
aligned with your own?
Who reflects your work ethic or mission
statement?
Run a Google search for brands that relate to
your niche—and don’t just target the large companies, either. Start a list of
possibilities and run with it.
You can make money either through advertising or
sponsorship. Advertising is still one of the main ways of monetizing your
channel.
Once you’ve reached 1,000 subscribers and have
4,000 watch hours in the past 12 months, you’ll qualify for YouTube’s partner
program, which allows you to monetize your channel with advertisements that
play during the video.
But one of the most effective strategies is
sponsorship, where you are paid by a brand to advertise their products on your
videos.
You can either create entire videos devoted to
the products or feature those products during your regular videos.
In effect, you’ll become a spokesperson for their
brand. And when you’re partnered with a brand, you can also make money through
affiliate links, where you get a commission when your
viewers click on a link to the brand and make a
purchase there.
You can convince these brands to partner with you
by using two different methods: direct
or indirect contact.
Direct contact should be self-explanatory. You
reach out to the company yourself, giving your evidence to prove they should be
working with you.
This is your best move if you want to be
proactive. Be sure that your reasons make sense to the brand.
For example, if you’re reviewing tech products,
it doesn’t make much sense to try to ally yourself with a dressmaker.
However, if you’re planning on advertising their
products by modeling the outfits in your videos, they might go along with it.
You’ll want to have some statistics about the
number of followers you have, both on your channel and your social media
platform, and on things like average video views, so you have hard facts to
convince the brand to work with you.
Indirect methods include linking to their
products in your videos or social media posts or giving a shout-out to their
brand.
You’ll still need to convince the brand to work
with you, but your method of contact will be a little different. Instead of
emailing the brand, you want to build rapport by tagging them in your content
or giving the brand a shout-out, then contacting the company via direct
messaging.
If you’re not having much luck reaching out on
your own, you might try reaching out to local companies that might be more
likely to partner up.
You can also consider contacting an influencer
agency that can handle marketing for you. YouTube Influencer agencies are
advertising and marketing companies that match YouTubers with companies looking
for social media influencers.
The agency will get a cut of the payments from
the brand, but you wouldn’t need to worry about logistics like administrative
tasks or client contracts.
YouTube can be quite lucrative for people who
understand how their platform works and how to utilize their own skills to
their best advantage. If you pay attention to some of the top YouTube
influencers, you’ll see that they make influencing their job, working nearly
round-the-clock to network and gain more exposure for themselves and their
channels.
You’ll see them attending exclusive events and
hobnobbing with celebrities. Many of them have six-figure yearly earnings.
The question is: how can you join them?
Once you’ve figured out your niche and started
creating quality videos, you’re on the way.
Now, you just have to put in the work hours and
advertise yourself as an expert, so you’ll attract that loyal audience. That
audience is the key to growing your business and making money on YouTube.
Think of it this way: the more followers you
have, the more potential customers.
And if you’re partnered with a larger brand, you
might be able to attract some of their customers as well. The key is to keep
them satisfied with your channel and continue to engage with as many as
possible.
Continue to produce those quality videos as often
as you can—at least two to three times a week.
Attract your followers to your brand by solving
their problems and offering them entertainment along with your educational
material.
The more you can build your audience, the more
chances you have to convert those followers into loyal customers.
If you convince them that your products or
services offer the solutions to their problems, you’ll have those customers,
and they’ll stay with you so long as you continue to offer what they need.
Once you reach around 10,000 views on your
channel, you’ve got a good potential to get paid—and that potential will rise
with every 10,000 views you garner.
So, you’re not only gaining potential customers,
but earning money through advertisements and sponsorships. It’s truly a
“win-win” situation.
To your success!
Here are links to a few resources
that I believe will help you:
How to Become a
YouTube Influencer Quickly:
>>https://influencermarketinghub.com/how-to-become-a-youtuber/
YouTube
Influencer Marketing:
>>https://www.skillshare.com/blog/youtube-influencer-who-what-and-how-to-become-one-yourself/
Quick-Start Guide
to Becoming a YouTube Influencer:
>>https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-become-an-influencer-on-youtube-instagram
5 Steps to
Becoming an Influencer: