With over 2 billion monthly active users, YouTube is the second largest social media network behind facebook.

Building a following on YouTube takes time and consistency. but Once your channel gets popular, you can make money from your videos through YouTube’s Partner Program. Some of the most popular people on YouTube make more than $5 million a year.

In this complete guide, I’ll show you how to start from scratch and build a profitable YouTube channel:

Pick a niche

Picking a niche is deciding about what topics you will create videos about. You can’t post random things, you have to be very specific about the things you post to be successful.

You niche also decides how much money you will end up making. YouTube pays higher for some topics and lower for some topics.

You can make more money from ads if you choose a niche on YouTube with a high CPM. It also makes it more likely that you’ll find clients to work with and sponsors for your channel.

Passion

Think about what you like and what you know. There’s a good chance that people are already looking for information in that niche. For instance, if you love playing Fortnite, you could make a page where you share tips and tricks for playing games. If you know everything there is to know about cars, start a channel where you talk about the newest brands and types.

Here are some of the popular niches for creating YouTube videos:

• Gaming
• Fashion and Beauty
• Reviews of Technology
• How to Cook and Recipes
• Automotive
• Money for yourself
• Fitness and Health
• Blogs about family and life
• Schooling and Learning
• Comedy and Laughter

The search results on YouTube are customized to what the user is looking for. So if someone types “how to train a puppy” into a search engine, they want to see videos about training puppies, not compilations of cute puppies. By focusing on a niche, you can show up in those specific searches.

Start a YouTube channel

Once you’ve chosen your niche, it’s time to set up your YouTube page and make it your own.

If you don’t already have a YouTube account, go to http://youtube.com and click the camera icon in the top right spot. If you use a Gmail or Google email address, you can handle your YouTube channel through the settings for your Google Account.

Next, set up your channel by doing these things:

• Profile Picture: Upload an original profile picture that shows who you are or what your brand is.
• Channel Art: Add art to your channel page that will show across the top. This makes your channel stand out.
• Channel Name: Be careful when you choose your channel name. Choose something that is linked to your niche and will appeal to the people you want to reach.
• Description: Write a short paragraph explaining what your channel is for, what it specializes in, and what it offers to users.
• Metadata: Fill out specific metadata, such as tags, category, and language, to make your content easier to find.
• Playlists: Put your videos into playlists based on themes to make them easy to find.
• Community: Look at the “Community” tab for updates and interaction.
• Settings: Configure basic settings like your upload defaults.

Make sure that your personal picture, channel art, and name all go with your brand. First impressions are important, so put some thought into how you create your channel.

Produce Epic Video Content

Now comes the fun part, which is making movies. When you’re just starting out on YouTube, it’s important to focus on quality over number.

Getting video ideas to produce

Instead of uploading random videos whenever you can, take the time to make great material that is tailored to your audience. Think about what you can offer and what kinds of movies people would like to see.

Some famous types of videos to think about are:

• Tutorials: Videos that show how to do something. On YouTube, people want tutorials a lot.
• Reviews: Write honest reviews of goods, services, or experiences in your niche, and say what you think about them. People use reviews to help them decide what to buy.
• Gameplay: Videos are where you record yourself playing video games and talking about them. A lot of people watch gaming stations.
• Unboxing Videos: Show what it’s like to open a package for the first time. Big for tech and other areas in retail.
• Reaction Videos: Record yourself responding to things like movie trailers, funny videos, or weird food. Content from React gets a lot of hits.
• News and Commentary: Talk about the latest news or events in your area or share your thoughts on them.
• Q&As: Make a movie in the form of a Q&A and answer questions from viewers. Great for getting people interested.
• DIY: Show people how to make or do something by showing them how to do it yourself. DIY movies are very popular.
• Challenges: Videos that are fun to watch, like when people try weird food combinations or finish an obstacle course.

Once you have an idea, get your camera and start recording. You don’t need fancy tools. Many famous YouTubers started out by making videos on their phones or with simple digital cameras.

Above all else, you should focus on giving your viewers something of value. As your audience grows, you can always spend money to improve the quality of your videos.

YouTube thumbnail

Thumbnails are like book, album, and game covers. Even if the book is great, most people won’t pick it up off the shelf if the cover is boring. But a cover that stands out grabs people’s attention and makes them want to pick up the book and read it.

The same goes for thumbnails on YouTube. A video could be very interesting or helpful, but people have to click on it first. Because YouTube has so many videos, generic or low-quality thumbnails may be skipped. Custom thumbnails with bright colors, interesting images, and compelling text attract viewers. Thumbnails must draw attention and explain the video. Good thumbnails boost clicks, views, and YouTube algorithm performance.

Here are some tips for creating amazing thumbnails:

Focus element: Prioritize the focus of the video and give the certain element at least 50% of the screen space so it can capture the attention of the audience. If you’re using a face in the thumbnail, then remember to keep 2/3 space for the object and only 1/3 for the face.

Text: Fewer words + big size words, pick the right emphasis; the word you make big will have higher emphasis so make sure the word you make big is the right word. The font should be readable. Pick the font based on your type of video.

Colors: Use bright colors, Using complimentary color combinations is a good idea. If you’re not using complementary colors, then use contrasting colors. If you have found a thumbnail design that matches your brand, then keeping it the same for different videos can help your audience identify your videos easily. and brand-wise, it’s a good decision. To achieve brand consistency you need to be using the mainly the same fonts and the same colors in your thumbnails.

Remove useless details and elements: People’s attention span is very low, so remove any element that doesn’t add value to the thumbnail.

Story Aspect: By that, I mean thumbnails that create a suspension on how and what. You don’t need to repeat what’s written on the title; instead, create a scene that tells a story. Use the title and thumbnail to create a story.

Good thumbnail: Informs the viewer what the video is about.
Great thumbnail: Tells a story.

Creating the thumbnail

Add a gradient background + add a png human + add shadow to png (glowing color) + add text and put emphasis + add element + refine.

Video Title

Use a title that is clear, keyword-focused, catchy, and tells what the video is about. Start with the most important info.

Description & Tags

In the “Descriptions” section, give a full explanation of the title and topics mentioned. Maximize meta description room. Find appropriate tag keywords and use them all in your video’s metadata.

• Playlists: Put videos into playlists based on topics so you can watch a lot of material at once.
• Cards and End Screens: Use these tools at the end to link to your other videos and channel.
• Comments: Add comments not only to make sure everyone can see the video but also to improve SEO and watch time.
• Chapters: Break up longer videos into chapters so that watchers can quickly move from one part to another.

When you optimize your videos for search, suggestions, and traffic sources, you can get a lot more people to watch them.

Make a plan for your content

To be great on YouTube in the long run, you need to keep posting good videos. That means making and sticking to a plan for uploading. Instead of uploading whenever you finish a movie, set a schedule so that people know when to expect new content. This helps your audience get excited and stay with you.

Choose a schedule that fits the amount of content you can consistently make while keeping the standard high. It’s better to make two great videos per week than seven rushed ones with little worth. Make sure to tell people about your new plan and post regularly. The more consistent you are with putting out videos, the more people will look forward to your next one.

Engage With Viewers

Building a relationship with your viewers is an important part of being successful on YouTube. Responding to comments, asking for ideas for videos, and talking with fans in general help you connect with them.

Some ways to get more people to watch on YouTube:

1. Reply to comments: Respond to as many comments from viewers as you can. This lets people know they are being heard.
2. Ask questions: Pose questions in your movies or descriptions to spark discussion.
3. Collaborate: Work with other producers in your niche to reach people outside of your niche.
4. Build a community: Share teasers, bloopers, or behind-the-scenes looks to get people excited.
5. Hold contests and giveaways: Contests are a great way to get more people to watch your show and to thank your loyal viewers.
6. Ask for ideas: Asking your fans for video ideas gets them involved and gives you ideas.

Over time, more people will watch, share, and subscribe to your show if you build a community around it.

Get the word out about your YouTube channel

YouTube will start to suggest your videos the more you post, but you can speed up growth by promoting them. Here are some methods for getting more visibility:

1. Share on social media: Promote your movies on your other social media accounts, like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
2. Playlists: Put together public playlists that are related to your niche and send in videos to be added to them.
3. Related videos: Find links to famous videos in your niche and put them in the video’s description.
4. Cards and end screens: Use these YouTube tools to link your movies to your channel.
5. Collaborate: Work with other creators to reach each other’s fans.
6. Reddit: If the community lets it, share your videos in relevant subreddits. Always read the rules first!
7. Leverage Q&A sites: Answer niche questions on Quora and add a link to the video when it makes sense.
8. Connect with influencers in your niche: Influencer marketing is when you get influential people in your niche to talk about your goods or content.
9. Paid ads: Run Google, Facebook, or YouTube ads to get video views.
10. Optimize your listing: Optimize your names, descriptions, and tags so that they show up in search results.

The key to growth is promoting your material and channel on different platforms. Reach out to other artists to work together or have them show up as guests.

Turn your YouTube channel into money

Once you have a good number of engaged subscribers, it’s time to start making money from your YouTube account.

Here are 6 ways a YouTube channel can make money:

1. Partner Program for YouTube

Through the YouTube Partner Program, you can get a share of the money made from ads on your videos. If you have 1,000 users and 4,000 watch hours in the last 12 months, you can join.

Google will put focused ads on and around your videos, and you’ll get a cut of the money these ads bring in. With just this program, the best producers can make well over $60,000 a year.

2. Marketing for affiliates

With affiliate marketing, you can earn a commission by promoting the goods of other companies through links. In the description of your videos, put affiliate links to the items, books, or services you like. When someone uses your link to buy something, you get a % fee. One of the most well-known partner programs is Amazon.

3. Paid-for content

You can work with brands in your area to make videos with sponsored content and product placements.

The basic idea is that brands pay you an agreed-upon rate to show or talk about their product in your film. Make sure that the sponsored content fits your audience and company well.

4. Merchandise Sales

You can make t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and other items with your name on platforms like Shopify or Teespring and sell them. Promote your store and new goods to people who follow you on YouTube and other social media sites. This makes your brand a new way to make money.

5. Memberships

Like Patreon, YouTube lets creators give memberships to their channels for a monthly fee. People pay to get special extras like bonus videos, member chats, savings on merchandise, and shout-outs.

Set up different levels of membership that cost between $3 and $25 per month so that fans can choose the amount of access they want. YouTube takes a small cut of all the money that is paid to its users.

6. Crowdfunding

You can get donations from your most loyal users through sites like Patreon and GoFundMe. Fans give you money every month to support what you do.

In exchange, give them behind-the-scenes information, exclusive content, the chance to talk to you personally, and other perks. Having different ways to make money will help you make the most money from YouTube. Don’t give up if you don’t make much money at first. If you keep doing what you’re doing, your audience and income will grow over time.

Be consistent and try again.

To start a great YouTube channel, you need to be very consistent, and patient, and keep trying new things.

It can take a few months before you get noticed and start making money. But if you keep at it and keep making your material better, your channel can turn into a full-time business.

Here are some last tips for doing well on YouTube:

1. Stick to your schedule: Upload quality material on a regular schedule to get people used to it.
2. Keep optimizing: Keep making your movies easier to watch and better for SEO.
3. Engage with your niche: Network with other people in your niche and work with them to support each other.
4. Keep up with trends: Change your content over time to keep up with trends and what people want to see.
5. Don’t always produce the same kind of videos: Give different kinds of material, such as tutorials, reviews, vlogs, and challenges.
6. Focus on retention: Use good pacing, chapters, and interest to keep people watching.

Have fun! YouTube is a way to be creative, so have fun with it and show what you’re passionate about.

You can build a very engaged following and a successful business on YouTube with time and hard work. Believe in yourself and start putting together your own station right away.

In Summary

It takes time, work, and consistency to start a successful YouTube channel. But you can build an engaged audience and a profitable business with careful planning, good content, and hard work. Focus on your niche, make
sure your videos are optimized, promote them on multiple platforms, and find different ways to make money.

The most important thing is to keep making content that your audience loves. With a lot of passion and hard work, your channel can keep growing and doing well for many years. There are a lot of things you can do on YouTube, so start your channel today.

Faqs: Making money with YouTube