How To Grow On YouTube Organically

On Episode 20 of BPerryFilms Podcast I talk about Content Creation through a Creators point of view. In the video above we have Collin Michael sharing some thoughts on his experience on growing on Youtube. Over the few years that he has been on the platform he has grown to over 100K+ Subscribers. He mentioned that it took him 3 attempts on making channels which lead to his success. On his platform he shares his tips and tricks of how to create interesting videos just with your smartphone. He mentioned it's not always necessary to have an expensive camera. In this video we will be sharing our techniques comparing each other as to how we both have grown our platforms organically. 

The platform I will be giving advice on in this post is about one of the largest video platforms in the world called Youtube. I will be breaking down the different stages you go through as a Content Creator on the platform such as: Planning, Launching, Analyzing, Monetization, Creating A Brand or Business

Planning Phase:

Now this part is the most important part. This is when you start developing a concept of how you want your channel to go or come across to your audience. I recommend doing some soul searching. The trick is to be honest with yourself. The first question that you should ask yourself is  “Do you know who you are?” Let us go even further “What are some of your interests?” “What topics turn you away?” What do you feel knowledgeable about and can explain in detail?” These are questions that many creators look over before starting a channel. When you're able to answer these questions it will help you form a niche. 

Example Niche: How Students Spend Their Money In College

Description: Topics that would be discussed are Budgeting, Saving, Investing. Let’s get even more into detail. Try picking a persona. I want to make a video on “How College students spend their money? Do they spend more being away from home or are they more conservative with their dollars? We could even do a survey seeing how financially literate that they are. Start brainstorming how you would break down the conversation and start making them into small segments.

The Goal of this niche is to help identifies 

Target Audience:

College aged students: 18-22 

Their Pain Points: 

1) They are on their own trying to find themselves

2) Many of them are on a budget

3) Many of students may not have access to resources

Possible Solutions:

1) Students will become consciously aware of their spending habits

2) Students maybe able to find access to resources that they may not have known about prior to watching your videos

3) Students will learn about how to to effectively budget their money and learn to invest in their future

How You Appear: As a creator in the finance field I want to use my expertise as a former college student on how understanding how to use money effectively can help build potential viewers become more financially stable. As that voice I want to lead a path for college students to give them the authority of having their money work for them and not the other way around. Being financially literate will make College students feel less financially stressed by the time they leave the institution and move out on their own. I am labeling myself as an expert in this field because I lived through this experience.

To get into more detail you can go into looking at certain details to be more personable. Looking at their geographic, demographic, ethic background, and what is their social status. The more specific you can be the better so there will be a clear connection on who you are marketing towards.

Now that you have decided what your niche is now it is time to see what your comfort level is. Will you be posting multiple times a week, weekly, every other week and so on. Build a schedule that works for you. My recommendation is to start slow and work you way up when you feel more comfortable. The biggest mistake that many people make is not being consistent. Not being consistent will make your audience unsubscribe because you are not showcasing reliability and make you come off as not trustworthy when it comes to providing educational content. First impressions are everything.

Launching Phase:

Let's talk about equipment. Believe it a lot you don't have to break your pockets trying to produce heavy duty equipment. 

Camera: You can start with the camera in your pocket and I don't mean a Sony, Nikon, or Canon Camera. Like I mentioned, you don't need anything high tech when you first start. You can use the smartphone you have in your pocket. My recommendation is to use a camera with a minimum resolution of  8 megapixel camera. There are affordable iPhones, Samsung, OnePlus, Google Pixels phones. Good quality video keeps the viewers watching more. 

Audio: Like mentioned before you can start out with your smartphone. My recommendation for a great audio experience is to make sure that you are in a room that does not have a lot of noise in the background. If you're in a room full of noise other than you talking it becomes distracting to those who are listening. Remember the primary focus should be on you because you are the talent in front of the camera

Video Software: You need video software to edit the videos you produce. The edits get the views and you have to be in control of how you come off on camera. I recommend some resources: iMovie (Free), Adobe Rush (Free), LumaFusion ($30- one time payment), Final Cut Pro ($299 on time payment) Premiere Pro (Starting at $21 per month)

Personality: Lucky for you this is free. This is the opportunity for the viewers to get to know you. You will be amazed how many people want to see your face and the content you produce. Fun fact about my channel is that I uploaded my first video and I did not check my account for 48hrs and when I checked my Analytics it said I had 77 views. Like I said people want to see what you produce.

Music Subscriptions: Many people who want to start youtube don't understand the laws of copyright. If you do not have a subscription license you will have your video taken down and may get flagged and legal action will be taken by the record label and the artist. Copyright is not right. Just think about it would you like someone stealing your work without permission? My recommendations for finding music are Artlist, Music Bed, Epidemic Sound, Audio, and Youtube Audio. Just to give you a heads up there are monthly subscriptions for these and a yearly subscription which can save you some money. All these platforms offer Music and Sound Effects for your videos. Check on their pages to see what platforms you can use the videos on.

Here is my link to Artlist and you can get 2 additional months on your yearly subscription using my link: https://artlist.io/Bobby-2024808

How To Start A Channel:

Step 1: Create a Gmail Account (Make it different from your Primary Email

Step 2: Sign in on YouTube

Step 3: Pick A Channel Name (Come up with 10 different names incase names you thought were already used)

Step 4: Build a Profile (Add a Banner, Avatar and Logo),

Step 5: Create an elevator pitch for your profile describing your role and what you have to offer

Step 6: Add social links so that subscribers and sponsors can find you

Analyzing Phase:

This is one of the most important parts of your channel and will help you grow your channel to where you want it to be. I recommend if you're looking to build your brand and exposure checking your Analytics daily is recommended. On the Youtube Studio Dashboard you can see how your videos are performing. You can see how many people watched your videos, when they clicked off, how many Likes & Dislikes a video received, and what the Click Through Rate of the video you post. Please keep in mind that it won't show you much information until 48 hours after you post a video. The more data that the video gains as you post you will gain features such as finding out where people are finding your videos, impressions vs clicks, age group, what nation they're from and much more. As mentioned the more you post and stay consistent the more subscribers you will gain and more features you will have on your account.

Monetization Phase:

This is everyone's favorite part of making money. Now that you are done with the Planning Phase and Have Launched your channel it's time to take advantage of the Youtube Studio Analytic Dashboard. 

YouTube Partner Program:

The requirement to make money through Youtube AdSense is to gain 1,000 Subscribers and 4,000 Watch Hours (240,000 minutes of watch time) in the last 365 days. AdSense is how much a brand pays Youtube to place advertisements on your videos and you get a commission if the viewer watches the full commercial. Youtube takes a 30% cut out of the profit. Please note that you will be listed as a sole-proprietor through Google and you will have to pay quarterly estimated taxes off your profits. Taxes are not automatically taken out. There is a threshold that you have to make to receive a check. You have to earn a minimum of $100 USD. Check your country to see what the requirements are.

Youtube Shorts Creator Fund::

This is a short form video fund in which videos are shot in virtual mode and cannot exceed 60 seconds at the moment. This is another way of reaching out to more viewers and getting to sell your services to an audience that's into shorter content and may lead them to your longer videos. This is YouTubes attempt to keep up with TikTok and IG Reels. Based on how many views and how well your videos perform a creator is nominated monthly to see if they qualify for payments between $100 - $10,000 per month.

Check to find out if your Country is eligible here

Affiliate Marketing:

There is usually a link that is in the description box referring viewers to buy a product that is affiliated by the creator and brand. This has to be disclosed in the beginning of the video letting people know that the creator will receive small commissions after using the custom link at no extra cost to the customer.

Sponsorships:

This is where brands reach out to the Creator to advertise a product or service on their platform. They are being paid based on views, clicks, and interactions. Brands usually send you an email sharing how many videos they have to produce, how long is the contract for and what they are willing to bring to the consumer that they are trying to reach. This helps bring brand awareness.

Memberships:

Now that you built your audience now it's time to bring them to where you are. This gives the opportunity that you can bring awareness to your personal brand and business that you have set the tone that shows that you are a reliable figure. You have built a Like & Trust factor. You can give your audience exclusive content and they will be willing to pay for your services inside Youtube and on your other website platforms. This could be courses where you teach your audience a certain skill and help advance their knowledge on a particular area if you would like.

Creating A Brand Or Business:

At this point you should know if you are using YouTube as a hobby or a business. When you think of using it as a hobby you're not going to be that consistent and may not be on the platform for the long term. When you're using it as a business you are more cautious of how you produce your content and analyze in intensity on how your work is performing. You are more alert and more responsive as to what is going on around you. When you think of a business and the name you want to present yourself as it allows your audience to follow your journey through success. Remember don't pay for followers just let them grow organically and you will be amazed how many people are interested in your personality, mindset and work ethic that you value most. 

Real Life Perspective Of A YouTuber

Pros:

• Once you get monetized on Youtube you can start receiving payment

• There are multiple ways of making money on the YouTube platform

• You can build a loyal fanbase as long as your consistent and provide high quality content

• Small learning curve and Youtube is always updating the platform

• There are other ways to grow your brand and business outside of the platform

Cons:

• Can be difficult to grow if your in a niche that doesn't get much views

• Copyright Claims and Sub4Sub can get your channel flagged and also terminated

• Takes a lot of time to edit a video and can lead to burnout over time

• There is a lot of competition on Youtube hosting 2 Billion users and Millions of Content Creators

• People can be rude in the comments so try to not take it too personal

Conclusion:

YouTube is the second largest platform that reaches out to 2 Billions of users all over the world. If you want to grow on youtube you have to be patient and take one day at a time. People will subscribe and unsubscribe all the time. Don't be afraid to experiment. Like I said in the video, produce a mixture of content. Create a few videos of what you want to produce and a few of what the audience wants. Don’t forget you can reach out to your audience and ask them what they want to watch on your channel. Study your analytics and don't forget Youtube Studio is your best friend when it comes to finding data on your metrics. Just get out of your head and get started on YouTube. The longer you wait the more competition you will have in the future.

My recommendation is that if you're looking to start your Youtube journey and business, sign up for a Discovery Call with me and I will help you get all your ideas out and so I can start making an action plan for you. Don't be afraid to get outside of your comfort zone. When you are about 4 months in your going to feel like why haven't you started sooner.