Tools of the Trade
In order to create high quality videos for your channel, you’re going to need some equipment.
Five pieces of equipment, to be precise: a camera, a microphone, a tripod (or gimbal), lights, and editing software.
You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars, but try to get the best you can afford.
Camera: this is perhaps the most important piece of equipment you’ll
purchase, but fortunately there are many affordable options on the
market.
Filmmaker Jenn Shadd recommends getting a camera that shoots in
1080p at least. Her suggestions include a decent DSLR camera like the
Nikon D5600 or Canon EOS 70D.
Microphone:
when you’re just starting out, your cellphone or computer
microphone should do just fine, but Shadd recommends getting a
quality microphone as soon as you can.
She explains that investing in a decent mic will “increase the quality of
your videos by ensuring crisp audio and room for more editing
possibilities.”
She suggests a lavalier microphone for dialogue-heavy videos, such as
the Rode smartLav+ Omnidirectional Lavalier.
And if you’re doing handheld work, Shadd recommends a shotgun
microphone that can plug directly into your camera, like the Rode
Compact On-Camera Microphone.
Tripods:
you’ll need a tripod or gimbal to stabilize your camera and give
you a steady, high quality shot.
If you’re planning a mostly stationary shot, like a view of you unboxing
products or interviewing people, a tripod is your best option.
If you’re going to be doing more handheld shooting, though, Shadd
recommends something along the lines of the FeiyuTech G6max
Camera Gimbal or the iPhone Gimbal Stabilizer.
Lights: Shadd suggests you utilize two softboxes, one on either side of
your camera, to produce “a clean, well-produced look.”
If you’re looking to save a little money, check out right lights. They’ll
give a soft “glow” to a single subject.
On the other hand, if you want a bit more control, Shadd recommends
you invest in an LED kit, which will give you color warmth and dimming
options.
Editing software:
editing tools are essential for a YouTuber. Shadd’s
pick is Adobe Premiere Pro because it’s “straight-forward enough for
novices to learn on, yet capable of satisfying the complex technical
needs of professional projects.”
Adobe is also the industry standard, so if you can possibly afford it,
invest the money.
If you’re brand new to editing and want to learn the basics before
spending that much, Shadd says that iMovie is “the perfect, free
resource for creators just starting out.”
“If you’re overwhelmed by the countless (and usually expensive) gear
options,” Shadd says, “just grab your phone and get to work. The
content part of your work will be the foundation of your success.”
Promoting Your Channel
Once you’ve found your niche and set up your channel, social media
expert Heidi Dean suggests some ways you can promote your channel
and videos.
Create a trailer that will auto-play for viewers not already subscribing to
your channel. According to Dean, trailers that are “short, exciting, and
[that] end with a call to action to subscribe” are the ones that work out
best.
Add a subscribe link – an automated pop-up that lets viewers simply
click to subscribe. Dean calls this “the secret sauce for increasing
subscribers.”
Create branded watermarks for all your videos and link them so your
viewers can subscribe by clicking them.
Create “bright, high-resolution, compelling thumbnails overlaid with
the title of your video” to make your videos stand out from the crowd.
Your title should be short enough so the viewer will type it into the
search bar. “Pro tip,” says Dean, “only the first 45 characters of your
title are viewable in search.”
Using Your Influence
The good news is that you don’t necessarily need to have millions of
followers to monetize your YouTube channel.
There are many brands out there who are looking for “microinfluencers” —YouTubers who have a smaller, but very loyal, audience
base.
Start by becoming familiar with things like your engagement rate,
conversion rate, demographic information, and any other analytics you
think might be relevant.
Keep records of these statistics so you have some evidence to show
prospective brand partners.
Then, you’ll need to identify those brands you want to work with.
Which companies have values and goals that are aligned with your
own?
Who reflects your work ethic or mission statement?
Run a Google search for brands that relate to your niche—and don’t
just target the large companies, either. Start a list of possibilities and
run with it.
You can make money either through advertising or sponsorship.
Advertising is still one of the main ways of monetizing your channel.
Once you’ve reached 1,000 subscribers and have 4,000 watch hours in
the past 12 months, you’ll qualify for YouTube’s partner program,
which allows you to monetize your channel with advertisements that
play during the video.
But one of the most effective strategies is sponsorship, where you are
paid by a brand to advertise their products on your videos.
You can either create entire videos devoted to the products or feature
those products during your regular videos.
In effect, you’ll become a spokesperson for their brand. And when
you’re partnered with a brand, you can also make money through
affiliate links, where you get a commission when your
viewers click on a link to the brand and make a purchase there.
You can convince these brands to partner with you by using two
different methods: : direct or indirect contact.
Direct contact should be self-explanatory. You reach out to the
company yourself, giving your evidence to prove they should be
working with you.
This is your best move if you want to be proactive. Be sure that your
reasons make sense to the brand.
For example, if you’re reviewing tech products, it doesn’t make much
sense to try to ally yourself with a dressmaker.
However, if you’re planning on advertising their products by modeling
the outfits in your videos, they might go along with it.
You’ll want to have some statistics about the number of followers you
have, both on your channel and your social media platform, and on
things like average video views, so you have hard facts to convince the
brand to work with you.
Indirect methods include linking to their products in your videos or
social media posts or giving a shout-out to their brand.
You’ll still need to convince the brand to work with you, but your
method of contact will be a little different. Instead of emailing the
brand, you want to build rapport by tagging them in your content or
giving the brand a shout-out, then contacting the company via direct
messaging.
If you’re not having much luck reaching out on your own, you might try
reaching out to local companies that might be more likely to partner
up.
You can also consider contacting an influencer agency that can handle
marketing for you. YouTube Influencer agencies are advertising and
marketing companies that match YouTubers with companies looking for
social media influencers.
The agency will get a cut of the payments from the brand, but you
wouldn’t need to worry about logistics like administrative tasks or client
contracts.
YouTube can be quite lucrative for people who understand how their
platform works and how to utilize their own skills to their best
advantage. If you pay attention to some of the top YouTube
influencers, you’ll see that they make influencing their job, working
nearly round-the-clock to network and gain more exposure for
themselves and their channels.
You’ll see them attending exclusive events and hobnobbing with
celebrities. Many of them have six-figure yearly earnings.
The question is: how can you join them?
Once you’ve figured out your niche and started creating quality videos,
you’re on the way.
Now, you just have to put in the work hours and advertise yourself as
an expert, so you’ll attract that loyal audience. That audience is the key
to growing your business and making money on YouTube.
Think of it this way: the more followers you have, the more potential
customers.
And if you’re partnered with a larger brand, you might be able to
attract some of their customers as well. The key is to keep them
satisfied with your channel and continue to engage with as many as
possible.
Continue to produce those quality videos as often as you can—at least
two to three times a week.
Attract your followers to your brand by solving their problems and
offering them entertainment along with your educational material.
The more you can build your audience, the more chances you have to
convert those followers into loyal customers.
If you convince them that your products or services offer the solutions
to their problems, you’ll have those customers, and they’ll stay with
you so long as you continue to offer what they need.
Once you reach around 10,000 views on your channel, you’ve got a
good potential to get paid—and that potential will rise with every
10,000 views you garner.
So, you’re not only gaining potential customers, but earning money
through advertisements and sponsorships. It’s truly a “win-win”
situation.
To your success!
Resources
Here are links to a few resources that I believe will help you:
How to Become a YouTube Influencer Quickly:
>> https://influencermarketinghub.com/how-to-become-a-youtuber/
YouTube Influencer Marketing:
>> https://www.skillshare.com/blog/youtube-influencer-
who-whatand-how-to-become-one-yourself/
Quick-Start Guide to Becoming a YouTube Influencer:
>> https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-become-an-influenceron-youtube-instagram
5 Steps to Becoming an Influencer:
>> https://bizmapllc.com/how-to-become-youtube-influencer/