How to Make Money Online with Youtube Videos in a Few Easy Steps

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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to make money with Youtube rather than just watching your favorite videos online?

Converting Youtube into a money-making mechanism can be quite easy if you follow a few basic steps.


Creating a YouTube Channel

First, you need to create a Youtube account, which will automatically get you your own channel.

Choose a name that is unique and easy to remember, as your goal is to get as many visitors as possible. Then, you can start adding reasonably-sized content (videos) that your visitors will find appealing.

If you haven’t decided on the topics that you will cover in your videos, a good starting point is to think about the things that interest you the most.

If thinking about your hobbies does not appeal to you, you can also visit sites like Yahoo answers to see what people are asking about.  Below is a snapshot of current questions in the Small business section on Yahoo Answers.

yahoo answers

Other categories on Yahoo answers include the folowing


    Arts & Humanities
    Beauty & Style
    Business & Finance
    Cars & Transportation
    Computers & Internet
    Consumer Electronics
    Dining Out

    Education & Reference
    Entertainment & Music
    Environment
    Family & Relationships
    Food & Drink
    Games & Recreation
    Health

    Home & Garden
    Local Businesses
    News & Events
    Pets
    Politics & Government
    Pregnancy & Parenting

    Science & Mathematics
    Social Science
    Society & Culture
    Sports
    Travel

Each category has sub-categories as well.
Who Is Your Audience?

Define your audience and try to put yourself in their shoes – what would they want to learn about? What would you want to know if you were in their shoes? Although it can be quite difficult to stay original, try to avoid duplicating other people’s content. Find something that will spark their interest and make sure you don’t upload any copyrighted material.

Youtube has a preference for channels that feature quality content and don’t create any legal risks. If you do find inspiration in other people’s videos, be sure to acknowledge them both in your video and in the description box below your video.


Creating Interesting Content for Your Audience

Once you’ve defined your visitors and the type of content that would be most appealing to them, think about the structure and the logistics that are most suitable. Regular uploads can improve your credibility and will certainly increase the visibility of your channel. Subscribers tend to stay faithful to those channels that are regularly updated.

Keep in mind that your visitors might not have time to watch 20-minute videos. As such, you should try to stick to videos that don’t go beyond 7-10 minutes, so your visitors won’t get bored. Sometimes it is better to divide your material into several videos instead of creating a lengthy video that might discourage visitors who are in a rush.

If you have decided to create original content rather than repost other people’s videos, you will need a good camera, a tripod, as well as proper editing software. Pay attention to the lighting and the sound. Visitors will soon get bored of your videos if the sound is muzzled or if the images are blurred in any way. Be consistent not only about the quality of your content but also about the logistics.

Amazon and Ebay are great sites to get video equipment at bargain prices!


Boost Your Visibility with Social Networks, Personal Blogs, forums, etc…

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Whenever you upload a new video, don’t forget to post a link on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, as well as on your blog or website.

Invite your friends to watch your videos but also to subscribe to your channel, as the number of subscribers will count toward your ability to become a Youtube Partner and to the possibility of making money with your video content.

Ideally, you should try to more than 500 subscribers. Having a lot of subscribers will make your channel a tempting outlet for advertisements. The more the merrier

In order to increase the visibility of your content, you also need to add tags. This will allow search engines to index your content and will drive more visitors to your channel.


Start Making Money with Ads

Once you’ve added content to your channel, you need to wait for 30 days in order to be considered a member in good standing. You will also need to have your channel verified by entering a code that Youtube can send you either by email or by SMS.

At that point, you can enable monetization:

    Login to your account
    In the Account Features menu, go to section Monetization and click on Enable
    Agree to Google’s terms of service in order to allow Google to place ads (several types) on your content or channel

If you use overlay ads, you will get paid each time one of those ads is clicked. In order to setup pay-per-click ads on your channel, you must create a free Google Adsense account by visiting Google.com/adsense. You will need to provide information about your PayPal account (or your bank account), as well as your mailing address, all of which will be verified.

Note: You will need to earn at least $100 in order to actually get paid by Google. It goes without saying that the more visitors (views) you have, the faster you will reach this threshold.

True View vs. Overlay Ads

The final step is to decide what type of ads should be placed on your channel. You can either choose Overlay ads, which are basically small banners that are displayed on the lower third of the video, or you can go for TrueView ads, i.e. video ads that play before your video.

Many people find TrueView ads annoying and decide not to watch the actual video at all, despite the fact that there is a “Skip ad in 5 seconds” option.

Regardless of your Ads option, you can change it later. Ads will only be displayed after your videos have been reviewed, so don’t panic if you don’t see them right away.

The amount you can earn will ultimately depend on the amount that companies allocate for their ad campaigns. A portion of this campaign money will be paid to Googe, and you will receive the rest.


Perseverance Is Key

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Although the road from Youtube visitor to Youtube entrepreneur seems easy, your ability to make money will ultimately depend on your determination to contribute to your viewers’ Youtube experience.

You will be competing against many other channels, so you need to update yours with quality videos and to be consistent about your work – yes, making money on Youtube is work, albeit a fun type of work.

Good luck!

So do you think you have what it takes to make money with YouTube videos? What do you think is better? Overlay or True View Ads? I would love to hear your thoughts below.

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