Tools, Inspiration & Research
Before you jump into video production, you’d be wise to get acquainted with some of the cool tools and resources available to you:
Use Content ID To Protect Your Earnings. For those fortunate enough to make meaningful money from YouTube, it’s critical to protect your revenue stream by preventing others from essentially stealing your original content. Content ID is a free system that allows video owners to identify their original material, thereby capturing any earnings on such material that would otherwise be hijacked by copycats.
Become A Regular Reader Of YouTube Insight. YouTube’s Advertising Insight page is an analytics tool that allows content creators to get detailed information about their YouTube audience. That’s valuable information for anyone looking to make money off of YouTube.
Subscribe To YouTube Trends. If you want to make a sustainable living on YouTube (or just continue to generate some additional income), it’s important to stay current and always be coming up with new ideas. YouTube Trends is a great way to stay on top of current trends, and a great place for inspiration for that next big moneymaker.
Check Out The YouTube Playbook. Playbook is another official, free resource provided by YouTube. This one is designed to help partners grow their audience, complete with tips and best practices to help you reach the widest possible audience and maximize your earnings.
Get Familiar With YouTube Keyword Tool. This is another tool to help you figure out what interests the YouTube audience. Though it’s unlikely that the bulk of your viewers are coming from search volume within YouTube.com, it certainly doesn’t hurt to be aware of what current interests are.
Check In On the Official YouTube Blog. Checking in regularly on the official YouTube blog will keep you up to date on the latest trends and tools that can make your life easier and your monthly payment a bit bigger.
Get A Free YouTube Channel Report. SimplyMeasured offers a free report on your YouTube Channel, highlighting which videos are working (and why).
Bookmark YouTube Charts. The official statkeeper for YouTube, this site has information on what videos are popular now and what’s worked historically. (Fun fact: the most viewed videos of all time are Psy’s Gangnam Style, Justin Bieber’s Baby, and Jennifer Lopez’s On The Floor.)
Bookmark VidStatsX. This site aggregates a massive amount of data to show what’s popular on YouTube. In addition to the top channels and videos, there is significant granularity that allows users to see what’s popular now in specific categories.
Ask Questions At YTtalk. YTtalk.com is a massive online YouTube community, and can be a great resource for aspiring YouTubers searching for inspiration or just an answer to a quick question. The forums on this site are extremely active, and there’s a tremendous amount of great information shared by other YouTubers around the globe.
Further Reading: YouTube Economics
If you’re curious about just how much money you can make on YouTube, take a look through some of the articles below.
- How to make money online with YouTube by Stephen Chapman at ZDNet. An attempt to answer a very common question; Chapman breaks down the economics of YouTube and attempts to estimate how much various YouTube stars (and non-stars) can earn in a year.
- How Much Money Do YouTube Partners Make? by Chris Atkinson at ReelSEO. Another attempt to number crunch and come to conclusions on what YouTubers can expect to earn with their videos.
- The Facts and Figures on YouTube in 2013 — Infographic by Jeff Bullas. More than just revenue and pageviews, this feature puts the magnitude (and opportunity) of YouTube into perspective.
- The Economics of Pussy Riot on YouTube by Peter Coy at Bloomberg Businessweek. A case study in how press (good or bad) can translate into a surge in YouTube popularity, as seen with a jailed Russian girl band.
- A Brief History of YouTube [Infographic] by Grayson. Another attempt to put the incredible growth and popularity of YouTube into perspective for those attempting to evaluate the opportunity to generate revenue through video.
- YouTube Channels: Bringing In Ad Dollars? (Video) at Bloomberg Businessweek. TubeMogul CEO Brett Wilson explains how YouTube’s ad model works (or doesn’t work), which is important to understand before you attempt to make money off your videos.
Further Reading: Insights From YouTube Stars & Experts
Perhaps the best source of inspiration and guidance are those who have done it already; take a read through the personal stories of some of the biggest YouTube success stories, and learn from their triumphs and failures.
- Q&A With A Professional YouTuber featuring Philip DeFranco. Philly D talks candidly about his YouTube success, offering up plenty of advice for aspiring videomakers.
- Ray William Johnson Talks Secrets to Internet Success, Pleasures of Predictability, And Staying Humble by Shante Cosme at Complex. RayWJ offers inights into his personal YouTube success story, and the challenges he faces in staying on top.
- Why Young Turks Beats ABC News On YouTube by Josh Sternberg at Digiday. A look into how creative unknowns are dominating the YouTube landscape, scoring major victories over more established traditional media outlets.
- Who Is RayWJ? by Emily Glazer at The Wall Street Journal. Another feature on RayWJ, highlighting his improbable rise to YouTube fame and fortune.
- How To Get Rich: Actual Advice From YouTube’s Cheesiest ‘Experts’ (Video). A video collection of tips and tricks from actual YouTubers–including what NOT to do.
- YouTube Tips From YouTube Experts by Liz Shannon Miller at GigaOM. Get the download from a panel of heavy hitters, including a former YouTube exec and several YouTube stars
- Four Tips For Building A YouTube Audience (From YouTube’s Head of Content Strategy) by Megan O’Neill at Social Times. Tips and suggestions from Jamie Byrne, YouTube’s Head of Content Strategy, on how to make it big. (Also check out a related Ad Age article).
- YouTube Gods And Unlikely Online Video Superstars by Troy Dreier at StreamingMedia.com.Most successful YouTubers have a great story behind their rise; this feature tells a few of them.
- The Secret Sauce Behind Epic Meal Time’s YouTube Success by Greg Voakes at Forbes. Take a look behind the scenes of Epic Meal Time, and get a feel for what makes these YouTubers tick.
- On top of YouTube: Happy Slip, Choi, KevJumba by Jeff Yang at SFGate. More profiles in YouTube stardom, including the stories of three unknowns whose videos made it big.
- Top 10 YouTube Success Stories by TerrekTwo. A feature on 10 YouTube stars who can give any aspiring videomaker hope.
- Taking over Youtube with Captainsparklez at Gamespot.com. YouTube star CaptainSparklez talks openly about what makes his videos popular and his process for creating content.
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