How to Become a Successful YouTuber

The consensus is that starting a YouTube channel is no longer “worth it” because “all the millionaires have already been born out of the platform.” While it’s true that becoming an overnight YouTube sensation is rare, that doesn’t mean you can’t make it big on the channel — it will just take time. The success of former YouTube influencers has made marketers shift how they can reach their audience, so it’s a very relevant dream to have for your channel. The video platform has weaved itself into the marketing fold of many businesses or anyone looking to share their voice with the world.

What is a YouTuber?

A YouTuber is a content creator who publishes videos on YouTube’s video-sharing platform. YouTubers can create videos on various topics, including gaming, comedy, music, education, and more. They can earn money through advertising, sponsorships, merchandise sales, and fan donations.

How much money does a YouTuber make?

YouTubers can earn money through a variety of ways, including:

• Ad revenue: YouTube shares revenue generated from videos with the creators. The amount of money earned per view varies depending on several factors, such as the viewer’s location, the advertisers, and the type of ad. On average, YouTubers earn around $0.018 per ad view.
• Sponsorships: Brands often pay YouTubers to promote their products or services in their videos. The amount earned from sponsorships can vary greatly depending on the YouTuber’s channel size and audience engagement.
• Merchandise sales: YouTubers can sell merchandise, such as clothing, accessories, and digital products. The profit earned from merchandise sales can be significant, especially for YouTubers with a large and engaged audience.
• Fan donations: YouTubers can accept donations from fans through platforms like YouTube Super Chat and Patreon. This can be a significant source of income for YouTubers with a loyal fan base.
• Affiliate marketing: YouTubers can promote products or services through affiliate links, earning a commission for each sale generated through their links. This can be a lucrative way to monetize content for YouTubers with a large and engaged audience.

The amount of money a YouTuber can make depends on a variety of factors, including:

• Channel size: YouTubers with more subscribers and views earn more money.
• Audience engagement: YouTubers with a highly engaged audience are likelier to attract sponsorships and earn money from ads and merchandise sales.
• Video type: Certain types of videos, such as tutorials and product reviews, generate more ad revenue than others.
• Niche: YouTubers in specific niches, such as gaming and beauty, earn more money than those in other niches.

How to become a successful YouTuber:

YouTubers with a large and engaged audience can earn significant money. However, building a successful YouTube channel takes time, effort, and dedication.

01. Define what Success Means to you

Many define success in terms of money, but there’s so much more to it. If you earn a lot doing a job you hate, would you consider yourself successful despite your lack of fulfillment? Success comes in different forms, and it’s up to you to determine how you measure yours. Whether getting a higher view count for your videos, getting more YouTube subscribers, or making money on YouTube, keep this as your focus – anything else is just a bonus.

02. Decide on a Niche for your YouTube Channel

YouTube has everything you ever want to see in one place. There’s a lot of good content and a ton of terrible content out there. The range is vast, from how-to videos to humor and reviews. You’ll need to choose what content you will offer on your channel (educational, entertaining, or inspirational) and align it with your goal.

Once you find a focus, use your brand’s personality to make the videos unique. For example, you can niche down on a topic, become an expert, and create videos on your channel or hire a freelancer to do the job for you. As a YouTuber, you should always show your true self to your audience because authenticity and uniqueness will differentiate you and allow your viewers to connect with you. Consider who your audience is to create engaging content that speaks their language.

Depending on your channel, you might want to give yourself some wiggle room to cover new industry topics. Don’t hesitate to jump on a trend and upload YouTube videos on that topic.

03. Make a Launch Plan

Now, with your content plan secured, think about how you will execute the channel’s creation and everything in this venture (and these tips on what Vimeo is can help answer similar questions for the alternative platform). Treat this like a business plan and return to it now and then to ensure you adhere to the standards you’ve set up for yourself. You can also treat this part as a checklist of tasks you’ll need to complete to create your YouTube channel, such as equipment to produce quality videos. Examples include a high-quality camera, microphone, light-ring, and recording software. Phone cameras are also a great starting point when you’re on a tight budget.

This is also an excellent time to figure out who else will be involved with your channel. In essence, build a realistic timeline for your posting schedule, gather topics for your content, and ensure that you follow this timeline consistently throughout your journey.

04. Create a Channel that Stands Out Visually

Look the part if you’re trying to make YouTube happen for you. Since the medium is visual, presentation is critical. Your profile photo, channel icon, and channel background banner image must have the correct dimensions. Next, come up with your channel name. You can use a YouTube name generator to streamline this part of the process – you can also look around for inspiration for your YouTube channel name. Try to create a visual style that you will continue to reproduce consistently.

05. Optimize for SEO

Properly setting up SEO for your YouTube videos is crucial. Since you took the time to produce them, make sure you make the most of them and get your channel discovered.

YouTube is a very sophisticated search engine, and people often use it to discover new content without a specific creator in mind. Choosing the right keywords will improve your chances of being found, seen, and enjoyed.

If there are videos similar to the one you’re looking to create, look at the exact words you typed for the results. Then, try a slight variation to see how the results change so that you can see what a word or two of difference can make. Research the keywords you’d like to use, their popularity, and your competition’s keywords.

06. Stick to a Content Creation Routine

It doesn’t matter how many of these articles about being successful on YouTube you read through; you will always find this tip: You must be consistent to see any success. It’s that or hope for instant viral luck. Sure, it would be amazing, but the viral route is not guaranteed.

No matter what type of content you’re producing, you want to stay consistent with your timing and kinds of videos. Set a schedule as to when you will release your videos, and try to stick to it. Consistently releasing videos on the same day and time tells your audience when they can expect your new content and gives you a schedule to work with and abide by. Consistency is also about ensuring steady, on-brand content.

Let’s say you follow a baking channel on YouTube, but the latest episode suddenly talks about the host’s vacation in Bali. The stark contrast in content, especially without warning, is jarring and may confuse loyal viewers. If you want to experiment with your content, it would be wise to give your audience a heads-up first.

07. Be Straightforward in your Videos

Do you know what’s entirely unnecessary for a YouTube video? A five-minute explanation for something you can (and intend to) show your viewer that only takes 30 seconds. Sounds funny when worded like that. Unfortunately, this is common. To say it bluntly, people do not have time for you to waste their time, so get right to it.

If you release how-to videos, it’s essential to get to the point as soon as possible. Explain what the video will be about, and then dive right in. The end of a video is to “show” your viewers something (if they want to listen, they would tune into a podcast). Of course, there will be instances where further elaboration or troubleshooting may need to be mentioned, but save that for later in the video. Your audience will thank you.

08. Stay Informed Regarding your Niche

When presenting to your audience, you want to be seen as knowledgeable about your industry. This entails staying up with the latest news about your niche and peers. Keeping up with the happenings around your industry (including the competition) can help you to make relevant and fresh content for your viewers. Being an industry expert will also help you establish yourself as a “go-to” channel within your field.

09. Engage with your Community

Your subscribers play a significant part in your channel’s success, so regularly engage with them. This goes beyond just answering and liking their comments. YouTube community management can be a job of its own. Hosting a live YouTube video is a great way to engage with your community instantly. Live video is becoming increasingly popular, allowing you to interact directly with your viewers and showing a more candid, off-the-cuff presentation.

The Live feature is also great for hosting Q & As so your audience can get answers to their burning questions right then and there. You can flip it and ask your viewers to leave questions in the comments, which you can then answer in your next video.

Beyond YouTube, you should also engage with your community on other social media networks. Taking advantage of multiple platforms will allow you to tap into new audiences and show you’re available and committed to your community.

A couple of ways to grow your community include:

• Make sure to link from one social network to the other. A properly placed call-to-action (CTA) in your videos can help you achieve this action. You can also use a link in bio tool like Hopp by Wix to direct your community towards specific social channels and simplify content sharing.
• When releasing a new video, you want to announce it on all your other channels. Plus, don’t forget to add a link to your latest video.
• Create a blog to keep your community interested.
• Open an online forum to keep the conversation going.
• Send newsletters using Wix Email Marketing to promote your weekly blog, announcements, or updates.
• Start a podcast to share your ideas in a different format and inform listeners of your YouTube channel.

10. Promote your Channel with a Website

When your primary content is made for YouTube, giving your brand another home is hard. Sure, you can share your videos on other social networks, and you should, but a video website should be your YouTube channel’s home away from home.

The great advantage when you create a website for your channel is that you own everything on your site. Essentially, you’re not confined to what a social media platform offers. Therefore, your site has all the benefits of YouTube without any limitations.

With a video maker tool, you can easily sync your YouTube channel to your site, enabling a smooth integration of your videos into your website. Try using Wix’s free and unlimited video maker powered by Vimeo. That means more views on your videos straight from your site. You also have the option to sell your videos, rent them, or even set up a monthly subscription plan. You can start with one of these customizable video website templates with all the built-in features you need.

11. Learn from YouTube Analytics

Even the best can do it better. Several YouTube features, such as the dedicated analytics section for your channel, let you see how your videos perform. YouTube Analytics will allow you to get insight into the people watching your videos, enabling you to further hone into your target demographic. It will also give you a better idea of why one video may have performed better. It’s a powerful tool you should use for your growing channel and future YouTube marketing efforts.