How to Turn a Profit on YouTube Checklist

YouTube is one of those websites that has taken off in recent years creating a space for any and everyone to upload and share video content. Only in recent years, has it been recognized as a means by which money can be earned by viral videos. It is the place where the term, “video gone viral” originated and refers to the popularity of an uploaded video. The more views a video gets, the more likely you can cash in on its popularity. By today’s standards a popular video needs more than 1 million views in a period of seven days. That’s no easy task so here’s a checklist to help you cash in.

How to Turn a Profit on YouTube Checklist

• Click Search: Start with a click search of the most popular videos on YouTube. You might be surprised to find that some are educational and not just superficial stuff. You will come across popular blogs which have a huge following, product reviews and lots of original song uploads from unknown singers.
• Concept: Think about something you are passionate about. Try not to reproduce on yet another cat video to join those that do the rounds on the internet or the funniest ever ‘staged’ prank that you just happened to catch on video. And, in case you are wondering – that’s a definite no to a notorious sex tape.
• Hook: Have you ever gone to buy a book, read the first opening lines and then decided you liked the book and bought it. The same concept applies to your video. Within the first few minutes you have to ‘hook’ your audience with something that makes them spread the word and keeps them coming back for more.
• Custom Thumbnail: This one is a bit of a technical trick to encourage your viewers to click on your video. By creating a custom thumbnail which is in essence, a miniature marketing poster people will see an alluring picture as opposed to a written link. This also helps later one when you have more than one video uploaded. Which one are you more likely to click?
• Join: Open a YouTube account and upload your video. It’s a simple process with a one click upload to get it from your PC to the internet.
• Buzz: Now that it is uploaded your work has just started. You cannot just sit back and hope people stumble across your video amongst the millions already uploaded. You now need to promote your video by creating a buzz. Other social networks will help like facebook and twitter. You need to create chatter about your video to give people a reason to go and view it. No one said it was going to be easy.
• Rank: YouTube will automatically rank your video once uploaded to their site. It is categorized according to certain criteria known as engagement activities. This refers to the amount of shares, likes and comments, so the more the merrier.
• Partner Program: Once you have reached thousands of viewers – yes thousands! It is then advisable to join YouTube’s Partner Program which will monetize your video. There are certain criteria, rules and regulations to abide by to join this program, so read carefully.
• Approved: If for some reason you are not approved for the Partner Program you have to wait two months to apply again. This should be enough time to get the word out about your awesome video. However, if your video goes viral before you have a chance to reapply or even sign up in the first place YouTube will contact you!
• Longevity: Keep the buzz going for as long as you can. It will ensure your YouTube video is profitable for ages!

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