I believe starting a YouTube channel is one of the best ways to build an online business. The following 7 steps will teach you how to start a YouTube channel, make money, and become a full-time YouTuber.
Ready? Alright, let's go!
Editor's note: This information was updated on May 19, 2024.
Follow these seven steps to start your newfound success on YouTube.
#1 Understand the business model
#2 Start a YouTube Channel (Basics)
#3 Add video watermark
#4 Add a banner image
#5 Use YouTube search
#6 Optimize your YouTube videos
#7 Promote your YouTube videos
#1 Understand the business model
What do you hope to achieve by starting a YouTube channel? Maybe you're looking to replace your 9-to-5 job income with full-time creative work. Or maybe you already have a successful business and are currently exploring other marketing opportunities.
If you fall into the first category, you need to understand how to make money on YouTube. You will also learn how much money you can make and what you need to do to reach that goal. When we look at the world of YouTubers, we see three of his business models:
I want to make money on YouTube with YouTube ads I want to make money by promoting affiliate products on YouTube. Earn money with brand deals and sponsorships.
I want to make money by selling my (future) products on YouTube. You might have an e-commerce store that sells hundreds or thousands of products, a drop shipping store that sells a single product, or even information products like books or online courses.
In my opinion, the best business model is not based on only one source of income. The safest way is to combine different models so that you don't have to rely on one source of income. There are no right or wrong business models, but the key is to set expectations and know what to do.
First, if your business model relies heavily on revenue from YouTube ads, you need to know how much money you make on average for every 1,000 views.
Knowing this number will give you a rough estimate of how much attention your video will need each day to reach your goals. To answer this question, you need to know that not all channels are the same.
There's a gaming channel, a beauty channel, a travel, prank, and finance channel. And everything in between. If your YouTube channel falls into the gaming category, your revenue per 1,000 viewers will be significantly lower than, for example, a financial channel.
why?
That's because more companies buy ads on finance-related YouTube videos than gaming-related videos.
The more companies there are, the more competition there will be, and the more competition there is, the more people who pay to watch videos will have to spend more on advertising. The more you spend on advertising, the more money you will receive as the creator of the video.
The question is:
How much does a desired category on YouTube earn per 1,000 views? YouTube doesn't share this information publicly, so I had to do some research. Fortunately, many YouTube creators make their revenue numbers public for us to see.
When analyzing X channels, ad revenue ranged from $X per 1,000 plays in X niche to $X per 1,000 plays in X niche. If you want to read the complete list of channels I analyzed, see their ad revenue, and find out what kind of videos they produce, check out my blog post revealing how much YouTubers earn.
Note; the goal is to have multiple sources of income, not just one.
For example, if you post your gaming footage to YouTube, YouTube ad revenue may be your first source of income.
Once you've gained a certain amount of followers on YouTube, you can move that audience to another platform, like her Twitch, so people can find you streaming.
Twitch allows you to subscribe to channels by paying a monthly subscription fee to Twitch. These subscriptions will become a second source of revenue and could one day surpass YouTube's ad revenue.
The path most YouTubers take is first to generate YouTube advertising or affiliate income.
Affiliate earnings means you promote other people's products and receive a financial incentive when someone buys a product using your unique URL.
As you can see in the blog post "How Much Do YouTubers Make?", some YouTubers actually earn more from affiliate income than from their YouTube ad revenue. Not all YouTubers make their income from developing and selling their own products.
Follow the steps below to understand the business model.
1 – Think about categories on YouTube. Is it gaming, beauty, travel, investing or something else?
2 – Find other famous YouTubers in the same category and analyze their channels.
You can use this blog post [link] to find other YouTubers in the same category or analyze which YouTubers you watch most in the same category. Your task is to find out what sources of income these people have.
YouTube advertising revenue Brand offers/sponsorships /affiliate income
Income from self-made products, Earnings from other platforms (Twitch.tv, Only Fans, Paterson, etc.)
3 – Copy the success of others
Once you understand how established YouTubers in your category make money, you can plan how to replicate their success. Of course, you need to add your own touch and not just copy others.
Once you have a plan in place, you can start creating your channel.
#2 Start a YouTube channel
Follow the steps below to create a YouTube channel.
1 – Visit YouTube.com and log in.
2 – If you already have a Google Account, sign in with your Google Account. Sign in with Google
3 – Click Create Account if you want to create a new Google Account.
Create a YouTube account
4 – Once logged in, click on your profile in the top right corner.
5 – Then click “Create Channel”.
Create a YouTube channel
6 – You can choose to use your own name or brand name. We recommend using your brand name, as you can change it to your own name at any time. Please select a YouTube name
7 – Name your channel. You can always change this later.
8 – Upload your profile photo, enter a description, and add your social networks and website. If you don't already have these, click Set Up Later.
Your YouTube channel is now created. Let's move on to the next step.
#3 Add video watermark
Follow the steps below to add a video watermark.
1 – Click your profile in the top right corner and click YouTube Studio.
YouTube studio
2 – Select “Customize” from the left menu.
Customize YouTube
3 – Select your brand.
Individual branding for your YouTube channel Add a video watermark to your future YouTube videos. A video watermark is a free additional way for viewers to subscribe to your channel.
Once you add a watermark to your video, the watermark will appear in the right corner of the video player. When users click on it, they can subscribe to your channel.
4 – Find a 150 x 150 px PNG image of her to upload. If you don't have an image, you can use your profile picture or a Google YouTube watermark PNG image.
5 – Click Upload to upload your image.
YouTube video watermark
6 – Next you need to decide when to display the watermark. We recommend selecting "Entire video".
watermark the entire video
#4 Add a banner image
Next, create a banner image. Before we get into the technical and practical content below, think about what you want your banner image to convey.
In my opinion, it's best to convey a clear message that explains what potential subscribers can expect from you.
For my puppy training channel, this is a clear message: It tells you what to do and what to expect when you get a puppy. Added upload frequency.
Also, don't spend too much time creating banner images. A great banner image doesn't make all the difference to YouTube success.
Instead, you should spend most of your time creating valuable content and promoting it.
Follow these steps to create a banner image using the free tool Canva:
To create a banner image, follow these steps:
1 – Visit https://www.canva.com/create/banners/youtube-banners/ and click the button that says “Start designing your YouTube channel art.”
Start designing your YouTube channel
2 – Choose one of your favorite designer templates and edit it to your liking. Canva YouTube Banner Template
Please note that some designer templates include a Canva watermark. To remove the watermark, you need to create a free Canva account.
Additionally, some images include paid premium images.
However, there are many free themes.
3 – Once you have finished editing the image, click “Download” in the top right corner to download the image.
Download template
When creating banner images using Adobe Photoshop, keep the following in mind:
The minimum banner image size is 2048 x 1152 pixels.
The safe area for text and logos is 1235 x 338 pixels. Large images may be cropped in certain views or devices.
File size: 6MB or less.
Next, you need to add a description for your YouTube channel. Puppy Training Channel Description
I added a short description similar to the message in the banner image to my puppy training channel.
Banner description for the "Puppy Training" channel.
The next step is to add a link to your YouTube channel.
add link
If you have other social platforms or blogs, you can add links to those sites here.
Now the easy part is done.
The next step is to create a video topic.
#5 Use YouTube search
Publishing YouTube videos is easy.
Publishing videos that generate views is even more difficult.
The question is:
How can you publish videos that people can find? Some people advise you to promote your YouTube channel on social media or your blog/website, but it's pointless if you don't have followers.
The puppy training YouTube channel first came to my attention through a YouTube search.
Puppy Bee puppy training video
On my English Puppy Training YouTube channel, he has published 16 videos and has received 178,000 views as of March 7, 2021.
On average, 600-800 people find my videos on YouTube every day.
How did you do this? We created a video that focuses on long-tail keywords.
*I hear you ask, what are long-tail keywords?
First, keywords are the words and phrases that users type on her YouTube or Google.
We marketers call these keywords.
An example of a non-long tail keyword is [how to potty train a puppy]. An example of a long-tail keyword is [how to potty train a puppy in an apartment].
long tail keywords
In other words, long-tail keywords are more focused and non-long-tail keywords are more broad-based.
Another example is non-long tail keywords [email marketing techniques].
Long-tail keywords related to this non-long-tail keyword include [email marketing techniques for bloggers], [Mailchimp email marketing techniques], or [ecommerce email marketing techniques].
Or, if it's a gaming category, you could title your video How I got 20 kills in Fortnite. A more detailed title for your video could be something like "How I got 20 kills in Fortnite using only a shotgun."
The idea is to implement multiple keywords in the video title.
Fortnite is one keyword.
Perhaps shotguns in Fortnite will be another keyword.
Combining the two gives you long-tail keywords. You understand what's important.
My videos on long-tail keywords generate far more views than my videos on non-long-tail keywords.
Why this?
This is because long-tail keywords have less competition.
If he starts with her 0 subscribers, he cannot compete with a channel that already has more than 100,000 subscribers. You can't create videos similar to more popular channels and expect similar views.
Even if you know your videos offer more value to your viewers.
I know it's frustrating.
So let's go back to long tail keywords.
If you want to get views through YouTube search, follow these steps:
1 – Conduct keyword research
There are various tools you can use to conduct keyword research. I use Google Keyword Planner for keyword research.
The purpose is to create an extensive list of long-tail keywords.
It will be possible to create videos based on these long-tail keywords.
But before you start creating videos, check out your competitors first.
2 – Look at your competitors and pay attention to warning signs
Once you have a large list of long-tail keywords, start checking your competition. Enter each long-tail keyword from your list to see which YouTube channels and videos appear.
Best of all, you won't see any of the warning signs described below.
If you see one or more warning signs, your keyword may have too much competition. If you have a YouTube channel with few subscribers or viewers, it can be very difficult to get views on highly competitive keywords, so it can be helpful to consider alternative keywords.
red flag 1
The top 3-5 videos in the ranking are from well-known YouTube channels (100,000+ subscribers). As we explained earlier, it's nearly impossible for a YouTube channel with 0 subscribers to compete with a channel with over 100,000 subscribers.
red flag 2
The top 3-5 videos were recently published (within the past 6 months). In this case, know that you are not the only one who has the same idea of creating a video on this topic. It's not an immediate ban, but it's still a red flag.
red flag 3
Another red flag is having more than 100,000 search results for a keyword on YouTube. Fewer search results mean less competition.
I use https://www.tubebuddy.com/ to find out how many videos appear in YouTube search results for a particular keyword.
tube buddy
Again, if you see any of these warning signs, there's no need to immediately avoid the keyword. It just shows that there is a certain level of competition.
For example, you can create a list of keywords A, B, and C, with group A for keywords with the least competition and group C for keywords with the most competition. Start creating videos based on Group A keywords and go from there.
red flag 4
You should also avoid keywords that have very few video views in the top 3-5 positions.
What does that mean?
Let's say you're researching a keyword and the top 3-5 videos are over a year old. If these videos have very few views, you know that no one is looking for videos on this topic. It's up to you to decide if it's worth creating a video knowing that a top-ranked video will only get 1,000 views in 12 months. Because even if he ranks #1 for that keyword, he probably won't do any better than that video. Currently in 1st place.
So what are good signs?
A sign of a possible gap is that one or more of his top 3-5 videos for the keyword have far more views than subscribers.
Let's say someone is trying to create a puppy training video and is doing keyword research.
He noticed that my puppy's potty training in the apartment had 43,000 views while his channel only had just over 2,000 subscribers.
Potty training a puppy in an apartment
For the most part, this means that most of my views come from YouTube searches rather than my subscriber base. This also means that although the search volume for this topic is high, there is not a lot of competition.
#6 Optimize your YouTube videos
If you are familiar with Google's SEO (Search Engine Optimization), optimizing YouTube videos will come naturally to you.
In either case, be sure to do the following for every video you publish:
1 – Include keywords in the video title
YouTube offers several ways to find out who should see your video. One way is to check the title of the video.
If the title of your video includes the keyword you want to rank for, you have a much better chance of ranking for that keyword. It's important to add these keywords to your video title, especially if you're starting out.
Let's say you're already famous in the same category on YouTube. In this case, it's less important because people will watch your videos anyway, especially if you actually have a following and a consistent upload schedule.
2 – Write a sexy title that people will click on
"Sexy" means that the title piques people's interest, or at least tells them exactly what to expect when they watch the video.
When you browse his YouTube in your free time, pay attention to how successful YouTubers name their songs. Don't just watch their videos without thinking, learn from them.
A great title increases your click-through rate (CTR).
For example, if your video is currently ranking 5th for a certain keyword and has a CTR of 8%, that means 8% of the total number of people who viewed your video clicked on it. means.
Additionally, if your video has a better CTR than the top-ranked video, YouTube is likely to show your video higher in search results.
Of course, once a user clicks on your video, it's important that they continue watching. As you may have heard, the goal of every platform (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) is to keep people on it for as long as possible. Therefore, it is important that your video has a long watch time, and the longer your video's watch time, the more people YouTube will expose your video to.
3 – Increase playback time
Have you ever seen a video where the first 10-20 seconds of the video is a channel trailer/video introduction?
Boolingagg…
If you don't grab your audience's attention in the first few seconds, 9 out of 10 people will be long gone before you can say or show them anything meaningful.
Remember that they are already clicking on your video because they were interested in your video title or thumbnail. No more convincing to watch your videos.
Don't waste any time and start working on your video content right away.
Especially on YouTube, when people get bored, they tend to click on other videos.
4 – Optimize your YouTube video description
Some YouTube channels may not try to optimize their video descriptions.
A missed opportunity. Always include relevant keywords in your description.
No, I don't mean spamming your description with keywords.
Add a little blurb to your video and include any relevant information.
This will automatically add relevant keywords.
Also add links to affiliate products. The video description is a great place to add links to your website or affiliate products.
For example, watch this video.
Keep the Doctor away with 20 kill badges per day
A YouTuber who distributes game content.
During his explanation, he explains to the viewer the hardware he is using.
He missed a huge opportunity by adding his affiliate links to these products on Amazon. Hardware specifications
Also, be sure to add links to related videos
If there are other videos related to the video you're currently watching, add those video links in the description.
5 – Add relevant tags
Search YouTube for the keyword you want to rank for.
If you have Tube Buddy installed, you can see what tags other videos are using.
I installed tube buddy
When you click on a video, the Tube Buddy feature will appear in the widget area on the right, which will show you the tags that particular video uses.
In addition to copying and pasting these tags into your video, check which tags are relevant to your video. You can also add 1-3 more comprehensive tags to your entire channel.
#7 Promote your YouTube videos
I believe that YouTube Search and YouTube Suggested Videos, when used wisely, can give you the best chance of promoting your YouTube videos.
But there are other ways to promote your videos outside of YouTube to get more subscribers, likes, comments, and viewers.
1 – YouTube comments
Create a list of successful people in the YouTube category and watch their latest 10 videos. The objective is to find the top commenters who received the most likes on these videos. Copy and paste all of these top commenters' answers into a Word document or similar.
Once you have a list of all the top answers, you can get inspiration for your next comment.
The plan is to comment on all the latest videos of other YouTubers in the same category.
Start by commenting on videos of successful YouTubers, and if you still have time, work your way up from there.
Don't make comments like "Check out my new YouTube channel."
You should watch the latest videos, or at least parts of them, and add meaningful answers. You already know what types of comments your audience likes best, so try using some of them and adding your own personal touch.
If you belong to the information category and try to help others by sharing information, you can also answer other people's questions on other channels.
Instead of promoting your channel unnecessarily, provide meaningful answers to questions. Most of the time, these big channels don't take the time to answer people's questions because they have so many questions. That's where you come in.
You can also answer people's questions about old videos from these big channels.
For example, I've created a lot of potty training videos on my puppy training channel.
Toilet training
Enter the keyword "puppy potty training" and you'll be directed to Zach George's Dog Training Revolution videos for ages 5 and up. This video is still in the top 3.
As you can imagine, many people are still asking questions in the comments section of this video, and these questions remain unanswered. You can play an active role here as well.
All in all, this advertising method won't suddenly get you 1,000 subscribers, but it will help a little.
I found people from the comments I made when they visited my profile and left comments on my videos.
Once you get your first 1,000 girlfriend subscribers, you'll have some work to do, but until then, you should invest your time and energy into finding your first 1,000 girlfriends.
2 – Social media
We have already created a list of successful people in the YouTube category, right? Find out which platforms they are most active on and interact with their audience the most.
It's true that Twitter plays a huge role for gamers. If your goal is to create a gaming channel, you should start browsing Twitter.
The idea is that he will only choose one social media platform at this point. You are already busy researching video topics, creating, editing and publishing videos. Launching five social media channels at the same time won’t work.
Again, find the social media platforms where successful creators in your category interact with their audiences the most and start from there. Most engagement means comments, likes, and discussions on published posts.
The idea is to participate in these discussions on Twitter every day.
Set an alarm every 120 minutes and add 30 meaningful responses. Of course, be sure to show something to people who click on your Twitter handle and view your profile.
Add a brief bio that explains what you do.
for example:
Check out my latest YouTube video where I killed over 30 people in the Fortnite game.
[Add link to current YouTube video here]
The same applies if you are trying to grow on Instagram or TikTok.
Add meaningful replies to other people's posts and stories and start following more people. Make sure you add quality posts to your profile and a short bio with a call to action to drive people to your YouTube channel.
Again, you won't suddenly get 1,000 subscribers using this technique, but you have to start somewhere.
Remember, you don't need a viral post or video. Slow and steady growth over 1-3 years will have the same effect.
3 – Email Marketing
If you have an email list with hundreds or thousands of subscribers, it's easy to send an email when you publish a new video. My Dutch puppy training business has over 30,000 email subscribers. If you want to promote something, you can send an email and get thousands of attention.
Additionally, we implemented an automated email sequence. Every new subscriber who joins my email list will find my automated email in their email inbox inviting them to one or more of my girlfriend's YouTube videos.
Not all YouTubers use email for their marketing.
If you are in the marketing category, most YouTubers have an email list. But if you're in the gaming category, I've never come across a YouTuber trying to convince me to join their newsletter.
Isn't there a potential gap in the first place?
However, if you have an email list, you can promote your products, new videos, or let them know when you go live on YouTube, Twitch, or other streaming platforms.
The fact is, you have direct access to your email list and there are no algorithms trying to stop you from contacting your subscribers. This means you have complete control over your email list.
4 – Promote your video on your blog/website
If you have a website or blog, the logical step is to embed YouTube videos on your blog.
Follow these steps to embed a YouTube video on your blog or website.
1 – Go to the video and click “Share”.
Share YouTube videos
2 – Click Embed.
Click Embed
3 – Copy the iframe code.
Copy embed code
4 – Visit your website and paste the iframe code into the post or page where you want to display the video. One of the benefits of embedding YouTube videos in your blog posts is that it increases the average time users spend on your blog, which can lead to better rankings on Google.
If you have your own blog/website, you can use it as the centerpiece of your brand. Your website is yours and no one can steal it.
Stories abound of celebrities with millions of subscribers suddenly getting kicked off YouTube, Twitch, or social media because they accidentally or intentionally violated the platform's rules.
Having your own blog/website will help you maintain the community you have built as no one can ban you from their blog. The same goes for your newsletter email list. If you haven't started a blog yet, start one by following the steps outlined in this blog post How to Start a Blog.
Other benefits of having your own blog:
1 – Use the largest search engine. Google
If you don't have a blog or website, you'll have a hard time finding it when searching for related keywords within categories. If you have a blog/website, you can start publishing your blog posts so they can be found in Google searches.
2 – Make money with affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing involves promoting a company's products and earning a commission every time someone buys the product using your unique URL.
Of course, you can use affiliate marketing with YouTube videos, but it works best in conjunction with a blog. If you're a gamer, you can add a page to your blog's main menu that displays all the hardware you're currently using. You may link to Amazon products or use affiliate links. For example, if you just bought a new mouse, it's much easier to update that specific product on your blog page than it is to create a whole new video for your hardware.
diploma
As we all know, starting a successful YouTube channel isn't something you can do over a weekend.
It takes a lot of time, energy, and discipline to grow your YouTube channel into a brand that allows you to pursue a career as a YouTuber full-time. But with the right attitude and approach, it's doable.
If you need some inspiration to get started, check out this blog post: How much do YouTubers make?
Before I leave and begin the rest of my day, I would like to hear your thoughts.
Once you start your YouTube channel, let us know in the comments the topic of your channel. You can leave a link to your channel if you wish. If you haven't started a YouTube channel yet, please share your ideas with us.
Or do you have a question for me?
