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Consuming online content has become more apparent in the last decade, especially since the pandemic happened and everyone is spending more time on the internet to work, socialize, and stay sane.
When it comes to social media, Facebook is still king. For fun and education however, YouTube and TikTok are two of the most visited platforms today, where everyone can easily sign up and upload videos for the world to see.
YouTube started as a way for people to share their hobbies and interests or simply a place to upload important events in their lives. As the years went by and more social media popped up, it started to become the entertaining and highly profitable online video platform that we know now.
According to Forbes, the top 10 most paid YouTubers today are:
According to Social Blade, the top YouTubers in New Zealand today based on subscribers are:
YouTube has a lot of popular niches you can dive into to develop a strong following. From product reviews, pranks to gaming, DIY tutorials, and more, pick one that suits your interests and skills best. Once you've started gaining an audience, take note of their age, gender, and even their geographic location, as these factors will help you target the right people later on.
A piece of marketing advice that never gets old: be consistent. A good strategy is to set the same schedule for each video so that your followers know when to expect new content from you.
People go to YouTube mainly to be entertained, so it's essential to put out quality content to attract your audience. The top things you will need are good quality camera, lighting equipment, and a microphone.
Good content doesn't just mean high-quality resolution. Your videos must also be engaging and well-edited to show your style, and stand out from others. There are many tutorials and online courses you can check to improve your editing skills. If it's not your strong suit, you can always hire freelance editors to do the work for you.
Before, as simple as uploading content and getting millions of views could easily earn you money. Today, vloggers and content creators can monetize their content in many ways.
Join the YouTube Partner Program and get access to special tools, including monetizing videos through Google Adsense. You need to have at least 1,000 subscribers and a total of 4,000 hours of watch time over the last 12 months to qualify.
By monetizing the content of YouTubers through pre-roll, display, etc., advertisers will pay based on the video's length and watch time, the number of clicks, and impressions the ads will get. 55% of the revenue will be given to the content creator. You must follow specific guidelines to get ads placed on your videos.
Perhaps one of the most popular ways content creators earn money today, brand sponsorship means a company will pay you to promote or highlight their brand within your content.
Once you have garnered at least 30,000 subscribers, you can monetize your channel through channel memberships, where your subscribers can make monthly payments to get exclusive content from you like live chats, behind-the-scenes, badges, and more.
Other ways to earn on Youtube:
YouTubers make around $0.01 to $0.03 per view or around $3-$5 per 1000 views. Note that YouTube will only pay you once you've earned at least $100 from ad placements on your videos.
Views aren't everything. Even if your videos get thousands of views, but the majority of them skip your ads, you won't be able to make much. The key is to connect to your subscribers and build a community to get genuine support from them.
Earnings for each content creator may differ depending on several factors, such as the number of views and the number of sponsorships you get from brands. In one of Business Insider's recent articles, a couple of famous YouTubers shared their earnings based on the number of views they get on the platform.
If long-form content seems a little tasking for you, you might want to consider becoming a TikTok influencer! TikTok is one of the most popular apps on social media today, with hundreds of millions of users spending hours on the platform daily. All you have to do is create unique and entertaining videos up to 60 seconds long, gain enough following and views for brands to notice you. While TikTok hasn't fully developed an advertising network yet, you can earn money by getting noticed by brands or making arrangements/deals with them.
How much you earn on TikTok will solely depend on the number of promotions and projects you'll get from brands. Charli d'Amelio, one of the most popular TikTok influencers today, earns between $41,461-$69,102 for a sponsored post.
Ready to make money as a content creator? Make sure you have fast and reliable internet before anything else! A good internet connection is everything if you want to become a successful content creator. You need to upload your videos on time, reply to your audiences, and track your contents' ads and engagements.