Influencers are everywhere now and they are basically the next generation of bloggers. I honestly prefer blogging as I can’t keep up with influencers and how they are “live” so much on social media but I definitely see the appeal. You could also consider doing both and blogging mainly with jumping on videos and so forth when the need arises. While researching about blogging in today’s world, so I can keep up with the current trends, I created a list of some tips to help you get started with being a YouTube Influencer. It is something I tried years ago but couldn’t keep up with.
First thing first, read about monetization YouTube. The rules have changed since I started and now require more subscribers and views before you can start monetizing. Don’t make money your focus though as you should just start creating content and building a fanbase and the money will come eventually. Once you have enough subscribers and views, make sure you configure your advertising to start getting paid. There are a variety of ad choices you can choose such as having the whole ad play before your video, playing some of the ad then allowing the user to skip it which means you don’t get paid as much, or have ads in the middle or end. I would suggest playing around with different configurations as you want to find a good balance otherwise you will drive your subscribers crazy with all the ads and then they will leave to find another YouTube channel to watch.
Decide on your niche. Are you going to be focused on fashion, couponing, reviews, gaming or something else? If you choose gaming, for example, there are streaming services for gaming channels to help you get started and promoted. I feel like gaming is a popular one since so many kids love watching the videos to learn more or watch crazy tricks – or maybe that’s just my kids! I feel like gaming is a good one too if you just want to share your screen and just overlay your voice to say what you are doing. I have honestly heard so many influencers voice from my kid’s gaming videos but I have never seen their faces. Choose what you are comfortable with.
I have had my own YouTube channel for 15+ years now and then later on I added one for business purposes. I wish I had done that in the start as it was a pain to switch over videos from one account to the other since I didn’t want my personal account shown to all my new subscribers. So definitely have a separate account for when you are promoting or influencing and another for family videos, unless you don’t care. I found that the more popular you get the more privacy you want with your personal life. It is a lot different being on-video than being behind the scenes.
Keep your content fresh. I wouldn’t say you have to post everyday, unless you want to, but definitely at least once a week. I would suggest creating a calendar with ideas of content you could promote and work around holidays or other events.
Finally my last tip is to have fun. While this is work and don’t get me wrong I know how much time goes into creating the content for videos, shooting them, editing them and promoting them, make sure it is something you enjoy sharing. Choosing a niche you love with show when you talk about it and it will make the whole process less painful.
