Youtube is one of the thriving platforms for content creators.
However, even today very few people see Youtube as a legit career option.
Well, there can be reasons for that, non-reliable channels, not a “steady” income source & also our mindset as well.
But Youtube is a form of entrepreneurship as well.
Think about it! You invest, you produce & you earn revenues.
But how do Youtube run like a business? What are the ways to earn money? How do promotions work on Youtube?
To answer all of these questions we have a Youtuber in this article of “I Am…” series.
My Journey…
I started Youtube around 2010, 2011 where individual Youtube channels were a pretty new concept, especially in India. Most of them were uploading pirated videos.
For me, my passion for music drove me to create my own channel. I with few of my friends in the music industry started producing our own videos on Youtube, at that time, as it was the only free online streaming platform.
Also, Youtube creators have a very good community. I personally love this small community, it was more important than just earning money.
Let’s start!
The Rise In Competitions…
Look, competition is there in each & every field.
For Youtube, the main competition lies is, of course, to be on the ‘Trending’ page.
In India, as far as I can remember, the competition for cover music of Bollywood numbers started around 2013 with a “Tum Hi Ho” rendition that was covered in Akash Gandhi’s channel. The acoustic cover got millions of views & people went crazy over the version sung by Sanam Puri & Jonita Gandhi, launching their individual music career.
From then on, music channels got into a tough fight to cover the latest Bollywood numbers to be on top of the page!
To tap this industry you need to be quick, prompt & a quality content producer.
For cover artists, there is a one week window- starting from the launch till the next week. You need to upload your version by that time.
It is the whole “tried & tested” industry, I think. You need to choose your goals properly. Like there are channels that produce evergreen music cover tracks. These do not have a timeline & can be produced extensively.
So, I would suggest that before looking into the competition, try to focus on what you want to produce.
Earnings…
“Oh, you produce Youtube videos? You must be filthy rich then?”
I hear this comment a lot!
Although it is true for some people, obviously I can’t deny that Sanam Puri or Lilly Singh is earning in millions through Youtube.
However, what people don’t see is the investment that Youtuber makes years before earning that amount.
You can have it in two ways- you invest an insane amount of money at once or you go step-by-step with your investment.
In both cases, though the revenue will be generated with time.
Suppose, you are investing an X amount of money in 2019, you need to understand that this will take at least two years to get your profit!
Obviously, there are exceptions, where your video gets viral but you can’t always depend on miracles, can you?
Even in Youtube’s community, it is said that it takes a 3 year incubation period before it gets a certain fan following & you have to constantly produce videos during that time.
Going into more details!
Youtubers mainly earn from ads, product promotions & brand deals.
To get monetized through Google AdSense, you must have a total watch time of 4,000 hours in the past 12 months and a minimum of 1,000 subscribers.
Now, if you are a new Youtuber, you will need to wait for a few years to get the ROI from your videos.
Now, Youtube has a very good policy that channels that produce quality videos with good content consistently, they might be able to land on the ‘Suggested’ section of the platform.
With good content, you can earn a niche audience eventually, which will help you get sponsorships, brand deals & others.
Like, for example, a company starts to produce dark chocolate. Now if you are a Youtuber who produces fitness or health-related videos, you can collaborate with the company to promote their brand.
Because your target audience & their target audience will be quite similar.
Trendy Contents or Quality-based Contents
There are two types of content on Youtube.
The one who makes trendy, product promotional content, which is for a short term & gets you to the trending page much quicker. One of the downside to it is that trends can fade away quickly.
And another type of content is based on long-lasting topics that take time but can earn you money for the long term.
Connecting With Fans…
As a Youtuber, you get a lot of time to interact with your fans.
More than you get through Facebook or Instagram. So connecting with your fans is comparatively easier here. A Q&A session, reading out fan comments, wishing someone on their birthday can help to reach more people.
There are many Youtubers who dedicate a day of weekly content to their fans. They read out questions, they do live streaming which brings them closer to the Youtube fan following.
The Challenges…
Money is a big issue obviously while producing a video!
Most of you, I assume will self-fund your video, so that it can be tiring after a point of time. Finding investors at an early stage is difficult as a Youtuber.
And as a music video producer, the most trouble I have faced is with copyright issues.
If you are producing original music, you need to protect your own right. And for cover music, the company that owns the copyrights can create conflict.
Though, at present with new Youtube guidelines for cover videos, the revenue gets distributed between the copyright holder & the channel.
Lastly, you need to understand that being a Youtuber is being an entrepreneur.
It is no different than running a business of your own. So you need to be diligent & persistent with your content to earn your profit!
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