Wanna be a YouTube sensation like funny man, Moshe Ndiki? It really ian’t s hard as it seems. With over a billion users YouTube is an incredible way of sharing your talents with the world. Here’s how you can get started and do it right…
1.Ignore The Trends
Who would’ve thought Kruger Sightings, a channel that gives videos from the Kruger National Park would be South Africa’s number one YouTube channel boasting almost half a billion views? A lot of budding YouTubers look at what is currently popular on the online video service, and copy it. But being original and creating content that only you can deliver is a far safer, and more interesting, path to YouTube success.
2. Be Patient
We all hear of the viral videos that gather millions of views in just a few hours. And while all YouTube stars hope to one day get one of those hits, diligence is a necessary ingredient to long-term YouTube success. SA swimmer and YouTube star Calvyn Justus remembers when a video he’d upload would be viewed by just a fistful of people. But thanks to his patience, today his videos get thousands of views.
3. Collaborate
One of the proven ways for YouTubers to build their audiences is by collaborating with one another. For instance, South African YouTuber Theodora Lee collaborated with her brother, UK based YouTuber Casper Lee, on a video giving advice to some of their fans. While in this instance the sibling connection definitely helps things, key to this kind of collaboration is that different but complementary YouTubers can come together to help grow each other’s audiences.
4. Get To Know Your “Industry”
Youtube success can be fun, but there is a serious side to it. A key ingredient to not only achieving success on YouTube, but also making YouTube a platform that can be financially viable is knowing the various options available to you as a YouTuber. For instance, one option is to join YouTube’s revenue-sharing Partner Program. It allows YouTubers, or “content creators” as they’re also called, to monetise content on YouTube through advertisements, paid subscriptions, and merchandise. For instance, South African Youtuber Anton Taylor recently collaborated with the world’s biggest rugby website Rugby365.com.
5. Lastly, LOVE IT!
If your sole aim in getting on YouTube is to make it big, you’re probably in for some trouble. Whatever it is that you’re doing on your YouTube channel, it has got to be something you love and are passionate about. For Grant Hinds, that’s gaming. For Aisha O’Reilly, it’s love, care, and tips for maintaining natural hair. The options are practically limitless. But you have to love it. If not, it will start feeling like a chore and the viewers will pick up on that.
