Although I haven’t exactly “made it big” on YouTube yet, I felt compelled to write about the process of how one goes about creating a YouTube channel dedicated to drawing and/or other forms of artwork.
What You’ll Need To Get Started
You’ll need a few things before you just jump in (like I did :P) to make sure you’re headed in the right direction.
- A Google+ account
- I know that you don’t want one, and neither did I, but you simply can’t continue without one. Getting an account set up is easier than you think, and should only take you a few minutes.
- Basic Computer Knowledge
- In this generation, I honestly doubt anyone still lacks basic computer education. If you do, however, there are various sites you can go to that will help you gather a basic knowledge of how computers work, and how to use them.
- A Computer
- Well that’s just obvious. Although, if you’re currently on a computer that isn’t yours and you need a really cheap but effective computer to get you started, I recommend something as simple as a Chromebook or Windows compatible tablet.
- An internet connection
- Also obvious, but it does help to have a decent connection. You won’t get very far if you’re using dial-up (which barely even exists anymore). A High speed internet connection will save a ton of time in the long run.
- Some Kind of Recording Device
- I started with just my phone and a means of propping it up to record, but if you can get your hands on something of higher quality for a decent price, I’d recommend that route.
- Spare Time
- Believe it or not, you have some. You could be working on a video instead of watching the latest episode of The Walking Dead. Browsing social media can be a huge time waster if you’re not careful. Use your time wisely.
- Video Editing Software
- If you haven’t upgraded to Windows 10, then Windows Movie Maker works perfectly for the needs of a new YouTuber. If you HAVE upgraded to Windows 10, then you’ll have to scour the internet for decent video editing software. Currently I’m using the free version of Lightworks, but it goes tremendously slow compared to Windows movie maker.
- A Channel Theme You Can Commit To
- My YouTube channel is based on various forms of artwork from how-to’s and tutorials to just quick videos that show my latest time lapsed drawing. What you DON’T want to do is create random videos that aren’t related. People subscribe when they want to see more of a specific thing.
Create Videos
Here’s some tips for creating YouTube videos that I looked to when I was still a YouTube newbie
- Be Yourself
- If there’s one thing that you have that no one else has, it’s your personality. Just be yourself in your videos and it will bring new subscribers.
- Practice Makes Perfect
- Your first video isn’t going to be perfect, but that’s ok! The longer you continue to make videos the better you’ll get! Don’t be discouraged by a few failed attempts. Just keep going.
- Subscribe To Channels Similar To Yours
- What better way to learn than to watch how the pros do it? If you like how a YouTuber executes their video, take some notes and add it to yours (Not the content.. That would get you into trouble ;D).
- Keep Your Videos Short
- Unless you have something to keep your viewers constantly engaged it’s best to keep video length to a minimum. Otherwise viewers will skim through the video, Or worse…. they’ll click away.. *GASP* D: The HORROR!
- Note – If you make a video of you creating artwork, just speed up the video so the total video time is between 1 ~ 4 minutes.
- Tutorials and How-To videos are examples of what would keep the viewer engaged long enough to make a video longer
Get Subscribers
There’s a myriad of ways to increase your subscriber base, but I’ll list the ones that I’ve found most helpful for me thus far.
- **Collaborations!**
- It’s practically like posting two videos at once, with the same amount of work. How? Because many of the people that view the associated collaboration video will want to see the other part (hint: That means more views for you!). Collaborations are also a great way to build relationships to fellow YouTubers, and these relationships can be greatly beneficial to the success of your channel.
- Create a Good Channel Trailer
- Many channels I’ve come across don’t even have one, which is an instant turn-off. What a great opportunity to show people what to expect if they were to subscribe to your channel!
- Use Social Media
- I’m sure you have a Facebook account, but what about an Instagram? How about Pinterest or Tumblr? If you don’t have them, you should. Pinterest alone has increased my YouTube channel visibility significantly, and I’m sure has been one of the leading causes to new subscribers.
- Have Your Own Website
- Not only does it make you look more professional, but it allows subscribers to know more about the channel they’ve just committed to. A website can also be a great way to build mutually beneficial links to your channel.
- Links
- Links are VERY important to the visibility of your channel. The more links pointing to your videos and channel throughout the internet, the more views (And ultimately, Subscribers) it will bring. The links should only be coming from related websites, otherwise the links could harm your rankings in Google and YouTube’s search.
Make Money
Whaaaaat? You can make money off of YouTube?? Why do I even still have a day job?
Well sadly it’s not as easy as it might seem. You get paid for the amount of times an ad is clicked or viewed before or during your video playback, but only a very small percentage of views will result in a clicked ad. Each click is often only worth between $0.01 and $1.00 (this can be much higher depending on the advertisement, but the odds are not in your favor), so how could you possibly begin to make money off of YouTube?
- There’s Strength in Numbers
- The more videos you make, the more money you’ll make per video in ad revenue. And that keeps going as long as your videos keep getting viewed.
- Sponsors
- If you get enough subscribers, people will pay you simply to recommend their products or service. There’s plenty of places to find sponsors over the internet, but most will want you to have at least 1,000 subscribers to sponsor.
- Donations
- There’s a donate button that YouTube now offers YouTubers to put onto their channel. If you have a strong enough fan base, someone is bound to offer you some money just because they love your content!
- Affiliate Marketing
- This has potential to be your biggest money maker, since you get a portion of whatever it is you help to sell. Affiliate marketing is when you provide links to products that are offered by someone else. When someone purchases that product or service through your link, you make a profit! Affiliate marketing can make you a lot of money if you play your cards right.
Now, it’s unlikely that you’ll become a millionaire off of YouTube, but it’s possible to make a decent amount of side-income to supplement your current income. Although, if you stick with it long enough, it’s very possible that you’ll be living off the work you do now, with the money it will bring in the future.
I hope you enjoyed this article! If you did, please share it with any of the social buttons on this site. Also, here’s my YouTube channel trailer as an example of something you could do for yours.