They said, “all you need is a Gmail account and that’s it, log into YouTube and click create account. You’re officially a youtuber! You will start earning big bucks yeeeeyyy!!!

Not true! That is not always the case. Having a YouTube channel is basically running a business and just like any other business, there are protocols that have to be followed, accompanied by sleepless nights, sacrifice talent and creativity.

*Copyright

This is a huuuge deal on YouTube since having three strikes will get your account suspended. We can not use copyrighted music or any content without approval from the artist or owner of that content. All youtubers have at least gotten one strike including the celebrated youtubers you see everyday. Good news is there is free music from YouTube’s audio library found on your channel so you won’t have to worry about copyright strike. One can also download free music from Epidemic Sound. Once you create an account with them you get 3 music for free and afterwords a fee is charged. https://www.epidemicsound.com

*Brand Association

Youtube is not just about picking a camera and making Video. Make a successful career out of it. In the past I observed a lot of youtubers do a number of product reviews and sometimes it would seem like it’s paid advertising when it wasn’t…well, it can be paid advertising too. Before buying a product we all check for reviews, this is where youtubers come in. Keep in mind that earning from YouTube begins after reaching 1000 subscribers and getting 4000 watch hours, the account gets monetised and you’ll earn from ADsense, however you can increase your streams of income through brand association. Approach a number of brands or sometimes some may reach out to you through your business email, in the comments or your other socials.

*Time and hardship

There is a lot of preparation done before shooting a video. Research, compiling notes, practice, camera and lighting set up, timing… you get the gist. Editing the video is a whole lot of things before scheduling an upload of which you have to put info cards, end screens, make a thumbnail, proof check for mistakes, listen to the audio and check lighting. Sometimes a single mistake will have you redo an entire video hahaha!

I once made a video and forgot to put the sound on, or had to redo because I I had lipstick on my teeth.

Whatever the consumer sees is the final product. Think about makeup channels, lifestyle channel doing a haul, book review, DIY, vlogging, travel channels, kids channels… yes! Whatever you see is the final product which may seem so easy but that 10 minute video was probably 2hrs long and had to be reduced to 10 for you to enjoy and not get bored.

It feels nice to be appreciated for this effort and it would be lovely if viewers showed support by subscribing, commenting and watching an entire video hence increasing a channel’s watch time. All these boosts engagement and through this, youtubers are able to make a living. With that in mind, subscribe to Rozlyn Waridi pretty please haha! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjuCRM1eq4rlDgYnjctz1Zw?view_as=subscriber

*The Good and Ugly

Not everyone will love you or your content. There will always be a couple of mean comments here and there or a reaction video to your content, can be praise or a diss. It’s important to not be swayed by others people’s negative reaction to your content and focus on the good stuff; those that appreciate your work and your content.

*Investment

Be ready to chunk out a few coins to promote your content either through YouTube ads or other approved by youtube platforms. Once you start your channel no one knows who you are so the first subscribers and views are gonna come from family members and close friends who will get tired after some time and forget your channel. Put yourself out there, make yourself known by joining content creator groups. Avoid sub4sub and look for groups that offer genuine tips and advice for growing a channel.

Invest in a good editing software if you can or use free ones. There is a number of them out there. I still use IMOVIE to date and it’s free and good. Check your sound quality. However, you don’t always need to have expensive gear when starting up. Pick up your phone and start shooting, that’s the most important step, taking that first step.

*Algorithm

So we thought it stopped at pressing that publish button after editing? Nope! There is tags, filling your description, title and in the tags section with keywords, end screens, cards, good thumbnails, checking your SEO score… haha! I did mention in the beginning I’ll be as candid as possible. A great app to assist with this is TubeBuddy or VidIQ that help rank in search. They have tools that do the work for you or guide you which would have otherwise taken longer to do. https://www.tubebuddy.com https://vidiq.com/

Now that you have an idea about the hustle that goes into making a video and a fraction of behind the scenes, I’m sure you’re are looking at youtubers in a new light. It’s not all fun and games, that’s the finished product, yet, there is that satisfaction after doing a great video, even if it takes one an entire day to shoot, edit and schedule for upload. That’s the same satisfaction I will get after pressing publish on this blog too.

Check out my channel: Rozlyn Waridi https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjuCRM1eq4rlDgYnjctz1Zw?view_as=subscriber

Till next time, cheers.