Content and Subscriptions

Since its launch in 2005. YouTube has quickly become the number one destination for online video content, attracting over one billion regular users. The Google-owned site has gained popularity by allowing people to share their videos with others around the world, whether it's a funny clip of their pet or a recording of them dancing in their living room.

However, it's not just videos of cute cats and funny home videos, as YouTube has also helped people launch their careers. For example, pop star Justin Bieber was first discovered when a talent scout saw videos of him singing on the site, and Zoe Sugg, also known as Zoella, has her own book deal and range of beauty products thanks to her popular video blog. You can even make money directly from YouTube, as the site shares some of the revenue it gets from companies that pay to show ads before or over the video.

YouTube's popularity is largely due to the site's ease of use. Videos in different formats can be uploaded because YouTube converts them to the Adobe Flash video format with the extension .FLV. This allows the video to be played using YouTube's Flash player, which is free to install on your computer.

Another advantage of YouTube is that you can upload videos to other websites. By simply copying and pasting some HTML code, you can allow people to watch the video on your site using the YouTube player. This way you don't have to host the video on your site, which requires a lot of bandwidth.

While embedding is great for further distributing videos online, most people will find them simply by searching. To help users access the videos they're looking for, YouTube uses a complex algorithm consisting of over a million lines of code.

Expand your reach

Recent reports have shown that YouTube channels that post more than once a week perform much better and get more referral views. If possible, it's a good idea to post a YouTube video three or more times a week, especially if you're just starting out and trying to gain an audience. Maintaining a regular schedule with multiple posts per week can quickly boost your channel in the algorithm. Creating lots of content in the beginning on similar topics will help the channel perform well in the algorithm, as well as create a library of content that will drive viewers from one video to the next, extending viewing time and giving them a reason to subscribe.

Whatever type of videos you want to create, choose content that you can develop on a regular basis, and find ways to streamline your production workflow, whether it's setting up a studio, using a training platform, creating an editing template, or hiring assistants or a production team. If there's a project in the video, it's a good idea to show the end result first. A stunning result makes people more interested in how it was achieved. This approach is great for DIY and makeover videos. Stories are another way to pique viewers' interest. When you start your video with a story, people will naturally want to stick around to see what happens. In addition, personal stories draw the presenter to the audience and can often provide a helpful transition to more complex ideas.

The attention span is short when it comes to Youtube. A long title at the beginning of a video can cause people to lose interest. Also, a long introduction discourages other videos because people don't want to watch the same long sequence over and over again.

Views and Ads

The process of making money on Youtube begins with applying for the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), which allows the account owner to receive money and provides exclusive access to resources and tools like AdSense. Acceptance into the YPP program requires the YouTube account owner to be in good standing with YouTube, have at least 4,000 hours of public viewing in the last 12 months, and at least 1,000 subscribers.

Once accepted into the YouTube affiliate program, an AdSense account can be created. AdSense is the main advertising engine that Google uses on its own sites and partner sites, including YouTube. When you create an AdSense account, you need to enter payment and tax information.

Earnings in AdSense are determined by the number of times a video is viewed, which advertisers appear in the video, and how many times the ads are clicked. High engagement and clicks are more important than the total number of views, but the more views a video receives, the higher the likelihood of clicks. Depending on the engagement level of your video, you can earn anywhere from 30 cents to $10 per 1,000 impressions. Creating videos that people will actively watch to the end will bring in more than a video that people turn off after a few seconds.

YouTube content creators have additional ways to make money beyond ads and subscribers. Brands often look to influencers to promote their products and services. With the huge number of users attracted by YouTube, the platform is perfect for advertising. Third parties can profit from YouTube's user base through sponsorship deals with account holders. Similar to sponsorship, referrals are secured by contracts between the third party and the YouTube influencer. Unlike a sponsorship, in which the YouTuber solely promotes the offer, a recommendation is a promotion with the YouTuber's seal of approval. They back up their claims about the product and provide a guarantee to their audience. In exchange for endorsing the product, company or service, the influencer receives a fee.

Show up and break through

Advertising on YouTube is very different from running PPC or paid social media campaigns. In recent years, Google has made a number of changes that make advertising on YouTube an extremely profitable investment.

A few years ago, Google announced that it would allow advertisers to reach more viewers on YouTube - especially on mobile devices, where 50% of YouTube views take place. Among the changes made, perhaps the biggest announcement was that advertisers would be able to target viewers based on their Google search history, in addition to their viewing behavior, which YouTube already targeted.

Marketers can now target ads to people who have recently searched for a specific product or service. If the video ad content is closely related to the viewer's search, they may be more likely to watch the entire ad or click the ad to go to the site.

Google has also updated YouTube's data attribution model, so you can better measure how users are using ads. You can also determine the cost per conversion and see the effectiveness of your YouTube ads along with search and product ad attribution reports.

There are several key types of video ads that you can display on YouTube. Google outlines the basic formats here. We'll discuss in more detail below. YouTube Discovery video ads display on the YouTube homepage, search results pages, and as related videos on YouTube video playback pages.

TrueView ads are the standard type of video ads on YouTube. Advertisers pay for TrueView ads only when viewers watch or interact with their ad (for example, by clicking a call to action), and videos can be easily customized to share different content. TrueView In-Stream ads play before someone watches a YouTube video of their choice. Viewers sometimes have the option to skip the ad after watching it for five seconds. You can also have them play anywhere in Google's ad network (GDN) - or on sites that have purchased Google video ad space.

How do you achieve success on Youtube? Don't rely on generic content; instead, you can tell an interesting story. People love to watch case studies of people who have faced struggles that they can get into. It's a source of entertainment that will make your brand memorable.