Could you make millions from your own YouTube channel?
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YouTube's biggest earners
Forbes has published its first list of YouTube’s top earners. The top earner is not the sneezing panda or the "Charlie bit my finger" brothers, but rather it’s international web celeb PewDiePie.
That’s right, a guy who initially worked on a hotdog stand in order to fund his videos made $12 million in the last year alone.
And he is not alone – next up was comedy duo Smosh, who earned $8.5 million, along with several other performers, pranksters and even a woman who publishes make-up tutorials. They have all made millions and millions of dollars.
Sadly that doesn’t mean everyone can. There are well over a million producers signed up to the site’s revenue-sharing scheme, all competing for viewers. Some make no money at all, some make just enough to live on, and some make enough to live very well indeed. So how does it work? And how can you stand out from the crowd with your own YouTube channel?
Making money from YouTube: what do you need?
The basics are relatively simple.
You need a YouTube channel, which is your personal platform on the site. You can add keywords to your channel to highlight the areas of interest. You will also need to find a short, snappy or at least memorable username will help you market yourself.
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What to put on your YouTube channel
Marketing your YouTube channel
So you need the technical ability, the creative flair and then you need to persevere and work hard. Reply to comments beneath your videos to create a sense of community and loyalty among your viewers.
Blog, Tweet and use Facebook to market your content and engage in discussions. Marketing your YouTube videos is just as important as making the content in the first place – there’s little point in making amazing videos if no one knows they exist.
You can even collaborate with other YouTubers to bring new viewers to your channel. Working with existing popular YouTubers builds your network and spreads your influence.
If you have monetised your videos and have built up a large number of views, then you can apply to become a YouTube Partner. Partners get access to more content creation tools and community support.
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It's not easy to make money from YouTube